The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is coming on-line to support physics experimentation for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and Stockpile Stewardship (SS). Optical streak cameras are an integral part of the experimental diagnostics instrumentation at NIF. To accurately reduce streak camera data a highly accurate temporal calibration is required. This article describes a technique for simultaneously generating a precise +/- 2 ps optical marker pulse (fiducial reference) and trains of precisely timed, short-duration optical pulses (so-called “comb” pulse trains) that are suitable for the timing calibrations. These optical pulse generators are used with the LLNL optical streak cameras. They are small, portable light sources that, in the comb mode, produce a series of temporally short, uniformly spaced optical pulses, using a laser diode source. Comb generators have been produced with pulse-train repetition rates up to 10 GHz at 780 nm, and somewhat lower frequencies at 664 nm. Individual pulses can be as short as 25-ps FWHM. Signal output is via a fiber-optic connector on the front panel of the generator box. The optical signal is transported from comb generator to streak camera through multi-mode, graded-index optical fiber.

Can supersymmetric models with a moderate stop mass be made consistent with the negative Higgs boson searches at LEP, while keeping perturbative unification manifest? The NMSSM achieves this rather easily, but only if extra matter multiplets filling complete SU(5) representations are present at intermediate energies. As a concrete example which makes use of this feature, we give an analytic description of the phenomenology of a constrained NMSSM close to a Peccei-Quinn symmetry point. The related pseudo-Goldstone boson appears in decays of the Higgs bosons and possibly of the lightest neutralino, and itself decays into (b anti-b) and (tau anti-tau).

We present a family of ordering algorithms that can be used as a preprocessing step prior to performing sparse LU factorization. The ordering algorithms simultaneously achieve the objectives of selecting numerically good pivots and preserving the sparsity. We describe the algorithmic properties and challenges in their implementation. By mixing the two objectives we show that we can reduce the amount of fill-in in the factors and reduce the number of numerical problems during factorization. On a set of large unsymmetric real problems, we obtained the median reductions of 12% in the factorization time, of 13% in the size of the LU factors, of 20% in the number of operations performed during the factorization phase, and of 11% in the memory needed by the multifrontal solver MA41-UNS. A byproduct of this ordering strategy is an incomplete LU-factored matrix that can be used as a preconditioner in an iterative solver.

The objectives of this report are: (1) Investigate the catalysis of water oxidation by cobalt and manganese hydrous oxides immobilized on titania or silica nanoparticles, and dinuclear metal complexes with quinonoid ligands in order to develop a better understanding of the critical water oxidation chemistry, and rationally search for improved catalysts. (2) Optimize the light-harvesting and charge-separation abilities of stable semiconductors including both a focused effort to improve the best existing materials by investigating their structural and electronic properties using a full suite of characterization tools, and a parallel effort to discover and characterize new materials. (3) Combine these elements to examine the function of oxidation catalysts on Band-Gap-Narrowed Semiconductor (BGNSC) surfaces and elucidate the core scientific challenges to the efficient coupling of the materials functions.

This paper provides an overview of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and operated by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC(BBWI) It describes the results to date in meeting the 6,000-cubic-meter Idaho Settlement Agreement milestone that was due December 31, 2005. The paper further describes lessons that have been learned from the project in the area of transuranic (TRU) waste processing and waste certification. Information contained within this paper would be beneficial to others who manage TRU waste for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

The coupling of mechanical and optical properties insemiconductor nanostructures can potentially lead to new types ofdevices. This work describes our theoretical examination of themechanical properties of CdSe tetrapods under directional forces, such asmay be induced by AFM tips. In addition to studying the general behaviorof the mechanical properties under modifications of geometry,nanocrystal-substrate interaction, and dimensional scaling, ourcalculations indicate that mechanical deformations do not lead to largechanges in the band-edge state eigenenergies, and have only a weak effecton the oscillator strengths of the lowest energy transitions.

Microorganisms can affect the stability and mobility of the actinides U, Pu, Cm, Am, Np, and the fission products Tc, I, Cs, Sr, released from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Under appropriate conditions, microorganisms can alter the chemical speciation, solubility and sorption properties and thus could increase or decrease the concentrations of radionuclides in solution and the bioavailability. Dissolution or immobilization of radionuclides is brought about by direct enzymatic action or indirect non-enzymatic action of microorganisms. Although the physical, chemical, and geochemical processes affecting dissolution, precipitation, and mobilization of radionuclides have been investigated, we have only limited information on the effects of microbial processes. The mechanisms of microbial transformations of the major and minor actinides and the fission products under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in the presence of electron donors and acceptors are reviewed.

In a recent Letter [1], Bhimalapuram, Chakrabarty and Bagchi (BCB) study the phase transformation mechanism of the Lennard-Jones fluid and the non-conserved Ising model. They compute the free energy as a function of the size of the largest droplet of the stable phase. In apparent contradiction to classical nucleation theory (CNT), they find that in both systems the free energy develops a minimum at subcritical cluster sizes. In this Comment we argue that this minimum is specific to the chosen order parameter, and that the observed behavior is in fact consistent with CNT. CNT states that the free energy F(N) of a single cluster of size N is a concave function with a maximum at the critical nucleus size N{sub c}. BCB, on the other hand, calculate the probability distribution of N*, the size of the largest cluster in the system, and compute the free energy {beta}F*(N*) = -ln P(N*), where {beta} = 1/k{sub B}T. This order parameter does not measure the size of a single cluster. Instead, when sampling small values of N*, one measures the statistical weight of configurations in which all clusters are at most N* in size. Hence a free energy penalty is incurred when one …

One crucial challenge for subwavelength optics has been thedevelopment of a tunable source of coherent laser radiation for use inthe physical, information, and biological sciences that is stable at roomtemperature and physiological conditions. Current advanced near-fieldimaging techniques using fiber-optic scattering probes1,2 have alreadyachieved spatial resolution down to the 20-nm range. Recently reportedfar-field approaches for optical microscopy, including stimulatedemission depletion (STED)3, structured illumination4, and photoactivatedlocalization microscopy (PALM)5, have also enabled impressive,theoretically-unlimited spatial resolution of fluorescent biomolecularcomplexes. Previous work with laser tweezers6-8 has suggested the promiseof using optical traps to create novel spatial probes and sensors.Inorganic nanowires have diameters substantially below the wavelength ofvisible light and have unique electronic and optical properties9,10 thatmake them prime candidates for subwavelength laser and imagingtechnology. Here we report the development of an electrode-free,continuously-tunable coherent visible light source compatible withphysiological environments, from individual potassium niobate (KNbO3)nanowires. These wires exhibit efficient second harmonic generation(SHG), and act as frequency converters, allowing the local synthesis of awide range of colors via sum and difference frequency generation (SFG,DFG). We use this tunable nanometric light source to implement a novelform of subwavelength microscopy, in which an infrared (IR) laser is usedto optically trap and scan a nanowire over a sample, suggesting a …

The ongoing deregulation of electricity industries worldwide is providing incentives for microgrids to use small-scale distributed generation (DG) and combined heat and power (CHP) applications via heat exchangers (HXs) to meet local energy loads. Although the electric-only efficiency of DG is lower than that of central-station production, relatively high tariff rates and the potential for CHP applications increase the attraction of on-site generation. Nevertheless, a microgrid contemplatingthe installation of gas-fired DG has to be aware of the uncertainty in the natural gas price. Treatment of uncertainty via real options increases the value of the investment opportunity, which then delays the adoption decision as the opportunity cost of exercising the investment option increases as well. In this paper, we take the perspective of a microgrid that can proceed in a sequential manner with DG capacity and HX investment in order to reduce its exposure to risk from natural gas price volatility. In particular, with the availability of the HX, the microgrid faces a tradeoff between reducing its exposure to the natural gas price and maximising its cost savings. By varying the volatility parameter, we find that the microgrid prefers a direct investment strategy for low levels of volatility and a sequential …

We have demonstrated the ability to measure the neutron flux produced by the cosmic-ray interaction with nuclei in the ground surface using aerial neutron detection. High energy cosmic-rays (primarily muons with GeV energies) interact with the nuclei in the ground surface and produce energetic neutrons via spallation. At the air-surface interface, the neutrons produced by spallation will either scatter within the surface material, become thermalized and reabsorbed, or be emitted into the air. The mean free path of energetic neutrons in air can be hundreds of feet as opposed to a few feet in dense materials. As such, the flux of neutrons escaping into the air provides a measure of the surface nuclei composition. It has been demonstrated that this effect can be measured at long range using neutron detectors on low flying helicopters. Radiological survey measurements conducted at Government Wash in Las Vegas, Nevada, have shown that the neutron background from the cosmic-soil interactions is repeatable and directly correlated to the geological data. Government Wash has a very unique geology, spanning a wide variety of nuclide mixtures and formations. The results of the preliminary measurements are presented.

The SEMATECH Berkeley Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT) is an EUV-wavelength mask inspection microscope designed for direct aerial image measurements, and pre-commercial EUV mask research. Operating on a synchrotron bending magnet beamline, the AIT uses an off-axis Fresnel zoneplate lens to project a high-magnification EUV image directly onto a CCD camera. We present the results of recent system upgrades that have improved the imaging resolution, illumination uniformity, and partial coherence. Benchmarking tests show image contrast above 75% for 100-nm mask features, and significant improvements and across the full range of measured sizes. The zoneplate lens has been replaced by an array of user-selectable zoneplates with higher magnification and NA values up to 0.0875, emulating the spatial resolution of a 0.35-NA 4 x EUV stepper. Illumination uniformity is above 90% for mask areas 2-{micro}m-wide and smaller. An angle-scanning mirror reduces the high coherence of the synchrotron beamline light source giving measured {sigma} values of approximately 0.125 at 0.0875 NA.

In this paper, we systematically study the echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) free electron laser (FEL). The EEHG FEL uses two modulators in combination with two dispersion sections that allow to generate in the beam a high harmonic density modulation starting with a relatively small initial energy modulation of the beam. After presenting analytical theory of the phenomenon, we address several practically important issues, such as the effect of incoherent synchrotron radiation in the dispersion sections, and the beam transverse size effect in the modulator. Using a representative realistic set of beam parameters, we show how the EEHG scheme enhances the FEL performance and allows to generate a fully (both longitudinally and transversely) coherent radiation. As an example, we demonstrate that 5 nm coherent soft x-rays with GW peak power can be generated directly from the 240 nm seeding laser using the proposed EEHG scheme.

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The beam diagnostics in the linac for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray FEL project at SLAC includes optical transition radiation (OTR) screens for measurements of transverse and longitudinal beam properties. We report on observations of coherent light emission from the OTR screens (COTR) at visible wavelengths from the uncompressed and compressed electron beam at various stages in the accelerator.

Linked CHEETAH is a thermo-chemical code coupled to a 2-D hydrocode. Initially, a quadratic-pressure dependent kinetic rate was used, which worked well in modeling prompt detonation of explosives of large size, but does not work on other aspects of explosive behavior. The variable-pressure Tarantula reactive flow rate model was developed with JWL++ in order to also describe failure and initiation, and we have moved this model into Linked CHEETAH. The model works by turning on only above a pressure threshold, where a slow turn-on creates initiation. At a higher pressure, the rate suddenly leaps to a large value over a small pressure range. A slowly failing cylinder will see a rapidly declining rate, which pushes it quickly into failure. At a high pressure, the detonation rate is constant. A sequential validation procedure is used, which includes metal-confined cylinders, rate-sticks, corner-turning, initiation and threshold, gap tests and air gaps. The size (diameter) effect is central to the calibration.

Similar to the radiative parton energy loss due to gluonbremsstrahlung, elastic energy loss of a parton undergoing multiplescattering in a finite medium is demonstrated to be sensitive tointerference effect. The interference between amplitudes of elasticscattering via a gluon exchange and that of gluon radiation reduces theeffective elastic energy loss in a finite medium and gives rise to anon-trivial length dependence. The reduction is most significant for apropagation length L<4/\pi T in a medium with a temperature T. Thoughthe finite size effect is not significant for the average partonpropagation in the most central heavy-ion collisions, it will affect thecentrality dependence of its effect on jet quenching.

A study of dark currents has been initiated at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator Facility (AWA). Emission of dark current is closely related to a breakdown. Breakdown may include several factors such as local field enhancement, explosive electron emission, Ohmic heating, tensile stress produced by electric field, and others. The AWA is building a dedicated facility to test various models for breakdown mechanisms and to determine the roles of different factors in the breakdown. An imaging system is being put together to identify single emitters on the cathode surface. This will allow us to study dark current properties in the gun. We also plan to trigger breakdown events with a high-powered laser at various wavelengths (IR to UV). Another experimental idea follows from the recent work on a Schottky-enabled photoemission in an RF photoinjector that allows us to determine in situ the field enhancement factor on a cathode surface. Monitoring the field enhancement factor before and after can shed some light on a modification of metal surface after the breakdown.

The Low-Loss shape cavity design has been proposed as a possible alternative to the baseline TESLA cavity design for the ILC main linacs. The advantages of this design over the TESLA cavity are its lower cryogenic loss, and higher achievable gradient due to lower surface fields. High gradient prototypes for such designs have been tested at KEK (ICHIRO) and TJNAF (LL). However, issues related to HOM damping and multipacting still need to be addressed. Preliminary numerical studies of the prototype cavities have shown unacceptable damping factors for some higher-order dipole modes if the typical TESLA HOM couplers are directly adapted to the design. The resulting wakefield will dilute the beam emittance thus reducing the machine luminosity. Furthermore, high gradient tests on a 9-cell prototype at KEK have experienced multipacting barriers although a single LL cell had achieved a high gradient. From simulations, multipacting activities are found to occur in the end-groups of the cavity. In this paper, we will present the optimization results of the end-groups for the Low-Loss designs for effective HOM damping and alleviation of multipacting.

For the users of the high-brightness radiation sources of free-electron lasers it is desirable to reduce the FEL pulse length to 10 fs and below for time-resolved pump and probe experiments. Although it can be achieved by conventional compression methods for the electron beam or the chirped FEL pulse, the technical realization is demanding. In this presentation we study the impact of longitudinal wakefields in the undulator and how their properties can be used to reduced the amplifying part of the bunch to the desired length. Methods of actively controlling the wakefields are presented.

The authors report a Dalitz-plot analysis of the charmless hadronic decays of neutral B mesons to K{sup {+-}}{pi}{sup {-+}}{pi}{sup 0}. With a sample of (231.8 {+-} 2.6) x 10{sup 6}{Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC, they measure the magnitudes and phases of the intermediate resonant and nonresonant amplitudes for B{sup 0} and {bar B}{sup 0} decays and determine the corresponding CP-averaged branching fractions and charge asymmetries. The inclusive branching fraction and CP-violating charge asymmetry are measured to be {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup 0}) = (35.7{sub -1.5}{sup +2.6} {+-} 2.2) x 10{sup -6}, and {Alpha}{sub CP} = -0.030{sub -0.051}{sup +0.045} {+-} 0.055 where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. They observe the decay B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup 0}(892){pi}{sup 0} with the branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup 0}(892){pi}{sup 0}) = (3.6{sub -0.8}{sup +0.7} {+-} 0.4) x 10{sup -6}. This measurement differs from zero by 5.6 standard deviations (including the systematic uncertainties). The selected sample also contains B{sup 0} {yields} {bar D}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0} decays where {bar D}{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, and they measure {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {bar D}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}) = (2.93 …

Electrical and thermal conductivities are presented for aluminum, iron and copper plasmas at various temperatures, and for gold between 15000 and 30000 Kelvin. The calculations are based on the continuum wave functions computed in the potential of the temperature and density dependent self-consistent 'average atom' (AA) model of the plasma. The cross sections are calculated by using the phase shifts of the continuum electron wave functions and also in the Born approximation. We show the combined effect of the thermal and radiative transport on the effective Rosseland mean opacities at temperatures from 1 to 1000 eV. Comparisons with low temperature experimental data are also presented.

An asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-incarvillateine, a natural product having potent analgesic properties, has been achieved in 11 steps and 15.4% overall yield. The key step is a rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular alkylation of an olefinic C-H bond to set two stereocenters. Additionally, this transformation produces an exocyclic, tetrasubstituted alkene through which the bicyclic piperidine moiety can readily be accessed.

The molecular structures of drug target proteins and receptors form the basis for 'rational' or structure guided drug design. The majority of target structures are experimentally determined by protein X-ray crystallography, which as evolved into a highly automated, high throughput drug discovery and screening tool. Process automation has accelerated tasks from parallel protein expression, fully automated crystallization, and rapid data collection to highly efficient structure determination methods. A thoroughly designed automation technology platform supported by a powerful informatics infrastructure forms the basis for optimal workflow implementation and the data mining and analysis tools to generate new leads from experimental protein drug target structures.