Yucca Mountain, Nevada is being investigated as the proposed site for geologic disposal of high level nuclear waste. A massive data collection effort for characterization of the unsaturated zone is being carried out at the site. The USGS is monitoring the subsurface pressure variations due to barometric pumping in several boreholes. Numerical models are used to simulate the observed subsurface pressure variations. Data inversion is used to characterize the unsaturated system and estimate the pneumatic diffusivity of important geologic features. Blind predictions of subsurface response and subsequent comparison to recorded data have built confidence in the models of Yucca Mountain.

None

Seiberg duality in supersymmetric gauge theories is the claim that two different theories describe the same physics in the infrared limit. However, one cannot easily work out physical quantities in strongly coupled theories and hence it has been difficult to compare the physics of the electric and magnetic theories. In order to gain more insight into the equivalence of two theories, we study the ''e{sup +}e{sup -}'' cross sections into ''hadrons'' for both theories in the superconformal window. We describe a technique which allows us to compute the cross sections exactly in the infrared limit. They are indeed equal in the low-energy limit and the equality is guaranteed because of the anomaly matching condition. The ultraviolet behavior of the total ''e{sup +}e{sup -}'' cross section is different for the two theories. We comment on proposed nonsupersymmetric dualities. We also analyze the agreement of the ''{gamma}{gamma}'' and ''WW'' scattering amplitudes in both theories, and in particular try to understand if their equivalence can be explained by the anomaly matching condition.

The authors have implemented in the undulator first-optics enclosure of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-McGill University-IBM Corporation Collaborative Access Team Sector at the Advanced Photon Source an x-ray beamline and a spectrometer optimized for performing small-angle, wide-bandpass, coherent-x-ray-scattering experiments. They describe the novel features of this set-up. The performance of the beamline and the spectrometer has been characterized by measuring static x-ray speckle patterns from isotropically-discarded aerogels. Statistical analysis of the special patterns has been performed from which they extract the speckle widths and contrast versus wave-vector transfer and sample thickness. The measured speckle widths and contrast are compared to direct numerical evaluations of the intensity correlation function. The calculated widths are in poor agreement with the measurements but the calculated contrast agrees well with the measured contrast.

The tritium breeding blanket is one of the most important components of a fusion reactor because it directly involves both energy extraction and tritium production, both of which are critical to fusion power. Because of their overall desirable properties, lithium-containing ceramic solids are recognized as attractive tritium breeding materials for fusion reactor blankets. Indeed, their inherent thermal stability and chemical inertness are significant safety advantages. In numerous in-pile experiments, these materials have performed well, showing good thermal stability and good tritium release characteristics. Tritium release is particularly facile when an argon or helium purge gas containing hydrogen, typically at levels of about 0.1%, is used. However, the addition of hydrogen to the purge gas imposes a penalty when it comes to recovery of the tritium produced in the blanket. In particular, a large amount of hydrogen in the purge gas will necessitate a large multiple-stage tritium purification unit, which could translate into higher costs. Optimizing tritium release while minimizing the amount of hydrogen necessary in the purge gas requires a deeper understanding of the tritium release process, especially the interactions of hydrogen with the surface of the lithium ceramic. This paper reviews the status of ceramic breeder research and highlights …

Lithium batteries are typically constructed from a lithium cobalt oxide cathode and a carbon anode. We have investigated intermetallic anode materials based on tin, which can provide a high capacity at a slightly higher voltage (400 mV) than metallic lithium and thus reduce the safety concerns associated with the carbon anode. In particular, we have investigated the copper-tin system at around the composition Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} and have determined the effect on cycling and capacity of electrodes with various ratios of copper to tin. Anode compositions that are slightly copper rich (Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 4}) were found to exhibit greater utilization of the tin than those with the stoichiometric bronze ratio (Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5}) or those having a slight excess of tin (Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 6}). The differences in electrochemical behavior are explained in terms of an inert matrix model.

Changes in mechanical and corrosion properties caused by the development of radiation-induced microstructure have relevance to the aging and lifetime extension of light water reactors (LWR's). However, much of the current data related to microstructural development in irradiated metals are generated from studies carried out at much higher dose-rates than encountered in LWR's. An opportunity exists to study the influence of low dose-rate irradiation on microstructural development for a variety of structural and surveillance materials extracted from the experimental breeder reactor EBR-II. In this study, irradiated 304 stainless steel hexagonal ''hex'' duct material is examined in order to compare microstructure in the dose-rate range of 10{sup {minus}7}-10{sup {minus}9} dpakec. The samples, taken from the reflector locations in EBR-II, experienced a total dose between 10 and 12 dpa at a temperature of {approximately}375 C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results reveal that there is a moderate dose-rate effect on microstructural development for samples irradiated in the range of 2 x 10{sup {minus}8} to 4 x 10{sup {minus}8} dpa/sec, however a substantial dose rate-effect exists between dose-rates of 2 x 10{sup {minus}8} and 1 x 10{sup {minus}9} dpa/sec Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results will detail the development of the microstructure in terms of …

Plasma, vapor and debris associated with an impact or explosive event have been demonstrated in the laboratory to produce radiofrequency and optical electromagnetic emissions that can be diagnostic of the event. Such effects could potentially interfere with communications or remote sensing equipment if an impact occurred, for example, on a satellite. More seriously, impact generated plasma could end the life of a satellite by mechanisms that are not well understood and not normally taken into account in satellite design. For example, arc/discharge phenomena resulting from highly conductive plasma acting as a current path across normally shielded circuits may have contributed to the loss of the Olympus experimental communications satellite on August 11, 1993. The possibility of significant storm activity during the Leonid meteor showers of November 1998, 1999 and 2000 (impact velocity, 72 km/s) has heightened awareness of potential vulnerabilities from hypervelocity electromagnetic effects to orbital assets. The concern is justified. The amount of plasma, electrostatic charge and the magnitude of the resulting currents and electric fields scale nearly as the cube of the impact velocity. Even for microscopic Leonid impacts, the amount of plasma approaches levels that could be dangerous to spacecraft electronics. The degree of charge separation that …

Laser induced stress waves are being used in a variety of medical applications, including drug delivery and targeted tissue disruption. Stress waves can also be an undesirable side effect in laser procedures such as ophthalmology and angioplasty. Thus, a study of the effects of stress waves on a cellular level is useful. Thermoelastic stress waves were produced using a Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser (@.=532nm) with a pulse duration of 4 ns. The laser radiation was delivered to an absorbing media. A thermoelastic stress wave was produced in the absorbing media and propagated into plated cells. The energy per pulse delivered to a sample and the spot size were varied. Stress waves were quantified. We assayed for cell viability and damage using two methods. The laser parameters within which cells maintain viability were investigated and thresholds for cell damage were defined. A comparison of cell damage thresholds for different cell lines was made.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a deep underground nuclear waste repository certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ,(EPA) to store transuranic defense-related waste contaminated by small amounts of radioactive materials. Located at a depth of about 655 meters below the surface, the facility is sited in southeastern New Mexico, about 40 Department of Energy underground facilities, waste disposal. kilometers east of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The U.S. (DOE) managed the design and construction of the surface and and remains responsible for operation and closure following The managing and operating contractor for the DOE at the WIPP, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, maintains two rechmiant seismic monitoring systems located at the surface and in the underground. This report discusses two earthquakes detected by the seismic monitoring system, one a duratior magnitude 5.0 (Md) event located approximately 60 km east-southeast of the facility, and another a body-wave magnitude 5.6 (rob) event that occurred approximately 260 kilometers to the south-southeast.

Safety is a key concern for a high-power energy storage system such as will be required in a hybrid vehicle. Present lithium-ion technology, which uses a carbon/graphite negative electrode, lacks inherent safety for two main reasons: (1) carbon/graphite intercalates lithium at near lithium potential, and (2) there is no end-of-charge indicator in the voltage profile that can signal the onset of catastrophic oxygen evolution from the cathode (LiCoO{sub 2}). Our approach to solving these safety/life problems is to replace the graphite/carbon negative electrode with an electrode that exhibits stronger two-phase behavior further away from lithium potential, such as Li{sub 4}Ti{sub 5}O{sub 12}. Cycle-life and pulse-power capability data are presented in accordance with the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) test procedures, as well as a full-scale design based on a spreadsheet model.

Mixed-conducting oxides are used in many applications, including fuel cells, gas separation membranes, sensors, and electrocatalysis. This paper describes mixed-conducting ceramic membranes that are being developed to selectively remove oxygen and hydrogen from gas streams in a nongalvanic mode of operation (i.e., with no electrodes or external power supply). Because of its high combined electronic/ionic conductivity and significant oxygen permeability, the mixed-conducting Sr-Fe-Co oxide (SFC) has been developed for high-purity oxygen separation and/or partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas, i.e., syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The electronic and ionic conductivities of SFC were found to be comparable in magnitude and are presented as a function of temperature. The oxygen flux through dense SFC tubes during separation of oxygen from air is compared with the oxygen flux during methane conversion. Unlike SFC, in which the ionic and electronic conductivities are nearly equivalent, BaCe{sub 0.80}Y{sub 0.20}O{sub 3} (BCY) exhibits protonic conductivity that is significantly higher than its electronic conductivity. To enhance the electronic conductivity and increase hydrogen permeation, metal powder was combined with the BCY to form a cermet membrane. Nongalvanic permeation of hydrogen through the cermet membrane was demonstrated and characterized as a function of membrane thickness. …

The combination of increasing turbine rotor diameters and the desire to achieve long lifetimes has placed increased emphasis on understanding the response of flexible turbine structures in a turbulent inflow environment. One approach to increase fatigue lifetimes has been to design structures that can either shed or adequately absorb turbulent loads through the use of flexible rotors and support towers, and hubs and nacelles that exhibit multiple degrees of angular freedom. The inevitable result in such designs is a substantial increase in dynamic complexity. In order to develop a sufficient knowledge of such concepts, extensive measurements coupled with detailed analytical simulations of a flexible turbine design are required. The Wind Eagle 300 turbine, with its lightweight flexible rotor and hub, meets these criteria and is currently being investigated. In this paper we discuss a few early results from our recently completed field measurement effort. We found that the turbine rotor response was dominated by a once-per-revolution oscillation that was responsible for large cyclic variations in the output power. The available evidence points to a rotor imbalance related to structural differences in one of the blades and misalignment of the pitch angles. We also compared the variation in mean out-of-plane bending …

Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) is participating in the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Transuranic Waste Program in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The Laboratory's support currently consists of intrusive characterization of a selected population of drums containing transuranic waste. This characterization is performed in a complex of alpha containment gloveboxes termed the Waste Characterization Gloveboxes. Made up of the Waste Characterization Chamber, Sample Preparation Glovebox, and the Equipment Repair Glovebox, they were designed as a small production characterization facility for support of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). This paper presents salient features of these gloveboxes.

Self-aligned GaAs JFET narrowband amplifiers operating at 2.4 GHz were designed and fabricated with both discrete WETS as a hybrid amplifier and as RFICS. Enhancement-mode JFETs were used in order to be compatible with complementary digital logic. Hybrid amplifiers achieved 8-10 dB of gain at 2.4 GHz and 1 mW DC bias level. The RFIC achieved 10 dB of gain at 24 GHz and 2 mW DC bias level.

We report in this paper a study of the effective mass in thin oxide Si-MOSFETs, using the temperature dependence of the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect and following the methodology developed by Smith and Stiles.

Article on the solubility of anthracene in ternary propanol + butanol + cyclohexane solvent mixtures.

Article on the solubility of anthracene in ternary propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane + cyclohexane and butanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane + cyclohexane solvent mixtures.

None

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories/California have jointly constructed a new stand-alone microprobe facility. Although the facility was built to develop a method to rapidly locate and determine elemental concentrations of micron scale particulates on various media using PIXE, the facility has found numerous applications in biology and materials science. The facility is located at LLNL and uses a General Ionex Corporation Model 358 duoplasmatron negative ion source, a National Electrostatics Corporation 5SDH-2 tandem accelerator, and an Oxford triplet lens. Features of the system include complete computer control of the beam transport using LabVIEW^TM for Macintosh, computer controlled beam collimating and divergence limiting slits, automated sample positioning to micron resolution, and video optics for beam positioning and sample observation. Data collection is accomplished with the simultaneous use of as many as four EG&G Ortec IGLET-X^TM X-Ray detectors, digital amplifiers made by X-Ray Instruments and Associates (XIA), and LabVIEW^TM for Macintosh acquisition software.

Solid targets irradiated with 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2} or greater of 1 {mu}m light in picosecond pulses are found to be radioactive. The strongest activities observed are the result of photonuclear reactions in which an energetic photon excites the nucleus sufficiently to produce particle emission leaving a radioactive daughter. The photoreaction cross sections are known for a wide range of nuclei and provide a quantitative measure of the photon flux produced in the target. Both the delayed daughter activities and measurements of the prompt particles emitted in the reaction can be used as diagnostics. Examples of these techniques applied in diagnosing experiments at the Nova laser facility adapted to generate petawatt pulses using chirped pulse amplification will be presented. These results will be compared with bremsstrahlung photon spectra calculated using electron spectra measured in a magnetic spectrograph. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}

Visualizing bacterial cells and describing their responses to the environment are difficult tasks. Their small size is the chief reason for the difficulty, which means that we must often use many millions of cells in a sample in order to determine what the average response of the bacteria is. However, an average response can sometimes mask important events in bacterial physiology, which means that our understanding of these organisms will suffer. We have used a variety of instruments to visualize bacterial cells, all of which tell us something different about the sample. We use a fluorescence activated cell sorter to sort cells based on the fluorescence provided by bioreporter genes, and these can be used to select for particular genetic mutations. Cells can be visualized by epifluorescent microscopy, and sensitive photodetectors can be added that allow us to find a single bacterial cell that is fluorescent or bioluminescent. We have also used standard photomultipliers to examine cell aggregates as field bioreporter microorganisms. Examples of each of these instruments show how our understanding of bacterial physiology has changed with the technology.

For the characterization of inertial confinement fusion plasmas we implemented a high-energy 4{omega} probe laser at the Nova laser facility. A total energy of > 50 Joules at 4{omega}, a focal spot size of order 100 {micro}m, and a pointing accuracy of 100 {micro}m was demonstrated for target shots. This laser provides intensities of up to 3 x 10{sup 14}W cm{sup -2} and therefore fulfills high-power requirements for laser-plasma interaction experiments. The 4{omega} probe laser is now routinely used for Thomson scattering. Successful experiments were performed in gas-filled hohlraums at electron densities of n{sub e} > 2 X 10{sup 21}cm{sup -3} which represents the highest density plasma so far being diagnosed with Thomson scattering.

A 1 mm square diamond photoconductive detector (PCD) has been installed on the LLNL Nova laser system, for use as a broad band soft x-ray power diagnostic. The PCD is installed behind an array of pinholes, which cast multiple, overlapping images of the source onto the diamond. This allows reduction of the x-ray intensity, to avoid saturation problems, while avoiding the spectral dependency of thin film filters. The diode current is read out on a 5 GHz bandwidth scope. The system is calibrated by comparison to an absolutely calibrated array of filtered vacuum x-ray photodiodes (XRD` s) (``dante``). The time response of the PCD and its bias electronics have been characterized using the 5th harmonic (210 nm) of a short pulse (< 1 ps) Ti:sapphire laser. The data show a fast rise, limited by the 5 GHz scope bandwidth, and a slower fall off, characterized by an RC time of order 200 ps.