Results are presented from experiments relating to magnetic field generation and current amplification in the SSPX spheromak. The SSPX spheromak plasma is driven by DC coaxial helicity injection using a 2MJ capacitor bank. Peak toroidal plasma currents of up to 0.7MA and peak edge poloidal fields of 0.3T are produced; lower current discharges can be sustained up to 3.5msec. When edge magnetic fluctuations are reduced below 1% by driving the plasma near threshold, it is possible to produce plasmas with Te > 150eV, <{beta}{sub e}>-4% and core {chi}{sub e} {approx} 30m{sup 2}/s. Helicity balance for these plasmas suggests that sheath dissipation can be significant, pointing to the importance of maximizing the voltage on the coaxial injector. For most operational modes we find a stiff relationship between peak spheromak field and injector current, and little correlation with plasma temperature, which suggests that other processes than ohmic dissipation may limit field amplification. However, slowing spheromak buildup by limiting the initial current pulse increases the ratio of toroidal current to injected current and points to new operating regimes with more favorable current amplification.

A photon collider interaction region has the possibility of expanding the physics reach of a future TeV scale electron-positron collider. A survey of ongoing efforts to design the required lasers and optics to create a photon collider is presented in this paper.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under construction at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, 351-nm laser system and a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. NIF is being built by the National Nuclear Security Administration and when completed will be the world's largest laser experimental system, providing a national center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF will provide 192 energetic laser beams that will compress small fusion targets to conditions where they will ignite and burn, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF experiments will allow the study of physical processes at temperatures approaching 100 million K and 100 billion times atmospheric pressure. These conditions exist naturally only in the interior of stars and in nuclear weapons explosions. In the course of designing the world's most energetic laser system, a number of significant technology breakthroughs have been achieved. Research is also underway to develop a shorter pulse capability on NIF for very high power and extreme electromagnetic field research and applications. We discuss here the technology challenges …

We report on recent improvements made to our 1 MV accelerator mass spectrometry system that is dedicated to {sup 14}C quantification of biochemical samples. Increased vacuum pumping capacity near the high voltage terminal has resulted in a 2-fold reduction of system backgrounds to 0.04 amol {sup 14}C/mg carbon. Carbon ion transmission through the accelerator has also improved a few percent. We have also developed tritium measurement capability on this spectrometer. The {sup 3}H/{sup 1}H isotopic ratio of a milligram-sized processed tap water sample has been measured at 4 {+-} 1 x 10{sup -16} (430 {+-} 110 {micro}Bq/mg H). Measurement throughput for a typical biochemical {sup 3}H sample is estimated to be {approx}10 minutes/sample.

In preparation for ignition on the National Ignition Facility, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Inertial Confinement Fusion Program, working in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique (CEA), and Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester, has performed a broad range of experiments on the Nova and Omega lasers to test the fundamentals of the NIF target designs. These studies have refined our understanding of the important target physics, and have led to many of the specifications for the NIF laser and the cryogenic ignition targets. Our recent work has been focused in the areas of hohlraum energetics, symmetry, shock physics, and target design optimization & fabrication.

A collection of numerical methods are presented for the advection or remapping of material properties on unstructured and staggered polyhedral meshes in arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian calculations. The methods include several new procedures to track and capture sharp interface boundaries, and to partition radiation energy into multi-material thermal states. The latter is useful for extending and applying consistently single material radiation diffusion solvers to multi-material problems.

With laser-driven tabletop x-ray lasers now operating in the efficient saturation regime, the source characteristics of high photon flux, high monochromaticity, picosecond pulse duration, and coherence are well-matched to many applications involving the probing of matter undergoing rapid changes. We give an overview of recent experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Compact Multipulse Terawatt (COMET) laser using the picosecond 14.7 nm x-ray laser as a compact, ultrafast probe for surface analysis and for interferometry of laser-produced plasmas. The plasma density measurements for known laser conditions allow us to reliably and precisely benchmark hydrodynamics codes. In the former case, the x-ray laser ejects photo-electrons, from the valence band or shallow core-levels of the material, and are measured in a time-of-flight analyzer. Therefore, the electronic structure can be studied directly to determine the physical properties of materials undergoing rapid phase changes.

A new method that combines staggered grid Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) techniques with structured local adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) has been developed for solution of the Euler equations. The novel components of the combined ALE-AMR method hinge upon the integration of traditional AMR techniques with both staggered grid Lagrangian operators as well as elliptic relaxation operators on moving, deforming mesh hierarchies. Numerical examples demonstrate the utility of the method in performing detailed three-dimensional shock-driven instability calculations.

Fast ignition (FI) has significant potential advantages for inertial fusion energy and it is therefore being studied as an exploratory concept in the US fusion energy program. FI is based on short pulse isochoric heating of pre-compressed DT by intense beams of laser accelerated MeV electrons or protons. Recent experimental progress in the study of these two heating processes is discussed. The goal is to benchmark new models in order to predict accurately the requirements for full-scale fast ignition. An overview is presented of the design and experimental testing of a cone target implosion concept for fast ignition. Future prospects and conceptual designs for larger scale FI experiments using planned high energy petawatt upgrades of major lasers in the US are outlined. A long-term roadmap for FI is defined.

The hydroxide anion plays an essential role in many chemical and biochemical reactions. But questions of its hydration state and transport in water are currently controversial. Here we address this situation using the quasi-chemical theory of solutions. The simplest such approach suggests that HO [H20]3- is the most probable species at infinite dilution in aqueous solution under standard conditions, followed by the HO . [H20]2- and HO . [HzO]- forms which are close together in stablity. HO . [H20]4- is less stable, in contrast to recent proposals that the latter structure is the most stable hydration species in solution. Ab initio molecular dynamics results presented here support the dominance of the tri-hydrated form, but that the population distribution is broad and sensitive to solution conditions. On the basis of these results, the mobility of hydroxide can be simply that of a proton hole. This contrasts with recent proposals invoking the interconversion of a stable 'trap' structure HO . [H20]4- to HO . [H20]3- as the rate determining step in the transport process.

This paper presents a new method for calculating the burnup of nuclear reactor fuel, the MCWO-MS method, and describes its application to an experiment currently in progress to assess the suitability for use in light-water reactors of Mixed-OXide (MOX) fuel that contains plutonium derived from excess nuclear weapons material. To demonstrate that the available experience base with Reactor-Grade Mixed uranium-plutonium OXide (RGMOX) can be applied to Weapons-Grade (WG)-MOX in light water reactors, and to support potential licensing of MOX fuel made from weapons-grade plutonium and depleted uranium for use in United States reactors, an experiment containing WG-MOX fuel is being irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Fuel burnup is an important parameter needed for fuel performance evaluation. For the irradiated MOX fuel’s Post-Irradiation Examination, the 148Nd method is used to measure the burnup. The fission product 148Nd is an ideal burnup indicator, when appropriate correction factors are applied. In the ATR test environment, the spectrum-dependent and burnup-dependent correction factors (see Section 5 for detailed discussion) can be substantial in high fuel burnup. The validated Monte Carlo depletion tool (MCWO) used in this study can provide a burnup-dependent correction factor for the …

Structural properties of single-phase films of {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} and {gamma}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} were investigated. Both films were polycrystalline but their microstructure differed considerably. The a-lattice parameter of {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} has been measured. Comparison between these two materials indicates that {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} has a significantly larger unit cell ({Delta}c = 2.5 {+-} 0.2 % and {Delta}a = 13.5 {+-} 0.5%) and a structure more similar to the {alpha}-phase of In{sub 2}Se{sub 3}.

Recently, a method for evaluating the fracture toughness of ceramics has been proposed based on the computed crack-opening displacements of cracks emanating from Vickers hardness indentations. In order to verify this method, experiments were carried out to determine the toughness of a commercial silicon carbide ceramic, Hexaloy SA, by measuring the crack-opening profiles of such Vickers indentation cracks. While the obtained toughness value of Ko = 2.3 MPavm was within 10% of that measured using conventional fracture toughness testing, the computed crack-opening profiles corresponding to this toughness displayed poor agreement with those measured experimentally, raising concerns about the suitability of this method for determining the toughness of ceramics. The effects of subsurface cracking and cracking during loading are considered as possible causes of such discrepancies, with the former based on evidence observed for secondary radial cracking which affected the crack opening profile and deduced toughness values.

We have applied our simulation code "POSINST" to evaluatethe contribution to the growth rate of the electron-cloud instability inproton storage rings. Recent simulation results for the main features ofthe electron cloud in the storage ring of the Spallation Neutron Source(SNS) at Oak Ridge, and updated results for the Proton Storage Ring (PSR)at Los Alamos are presented in this paper. A key ingredient in our modelis a detailed description of the secondary emitted-electron energyspectrum. A refined model for the secondary emission process includingthe so-called true secondary, rediffused and backscattered electrons hasrecently been included in the electron-cloud code.

The requirements for the next generation of reactors include better economics and safety, waste minimization (particularly of the long-lived isotopes), and better proliferation resistance (both intrinsic and extrinsic). A supercritical pressure water cooled reactor has been chosen as one of the lead contenders as a Generation IV reactor due to the high thermal efficiency and compact/simplified plant design. In addition, interest in the use of thorium-based fuels for Generation IV reactors has increased based on the abundance of thorium, and the minimization of transuranics in a neutron flux; as plutonium (and thus the minor actinides) is not a by-product in the thorium chain. In order to better understand the possibility of the combination of these concepts to meet the Generation IV goals, the qualitative burnup potential and discharge isotopics of thorium and uranium fuel were studied using pin cell analyses in a supercritical pressure water cooled reactor environment. Each of these fertile materials were used in both nitride and metallic form, with light water reactor grade plutonium and minor actinides added. While the uranium-based fuels achieved burnups that were 1.3 to 2.7 times greater than their thorium-based counterparts, the thorium-based fuels destroyed 2 to 7 times more of the plutonium …

A muon cooling channel calls for very high acceleratinggradient RF structures to restore the energy lost by muons in theabsorbers. The RF structures have to be operated in a strong magneticfield and thus the use of superconducting RF cavities is excluded. Toachieve a high shunt impedance while maintaining a large enough apertureto accommodate a large transverse emittance muon beam, the cavity designadopted is a pillbox-like geometry with thin Be foils to terminate theelectromagnetic field at the cavity iris. The possibility of using gridsof thin-walled metallic tubes for the termination is also being explored.Many of the RF-related issues for muon cooling channels are being studiedboth theoretically and experimentally using an 805 MHz cavity that has apillbox-like geometry with thin Be windows to terminate the cavityaperture. The design and performance of this cavity are reported here.High-power RF tests of the 805 MHz cavity are in progress at Lab G inFermilab. The cavity has exceeded its design gradient of 30 MV/m,reaching 34 MV/m without external magnetic field. No surface damage wasobserved at this gradient. The cavity is currently under conditioning atLab G with an external magnetic field of 2.5 T. We also present here a201 MHz cavity design for muoncooling channels. The proposed …

Most safety concerns associated with operations at nuclear facilities are very similar to the safety concerns associated with operations at non-nuclear facilities. The potential for a nuclear criticality accident is one concern that is unique to the nuclear industry. However, if managed properly, the risk of a criticality accident can be reduced to an acceptable level. In fact, the risk of a criticality accident can generally be reduced to a level that is much lower than the risk associated with non-nuclear activities that have similar consequences.

Cross sections for photoionization of doubly-chargedscandium ions has been measured using a merged-beams technique. Resultsare compared with the time-reversed process ofphotorecombination.

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Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N layers grown under N-rich and Ga-rich conditions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). Despite a high density of threading dislocations ({approx}10{sup 10} cm{sup -2}) these layers had high PL quantum efficiencies. Both, TEM and PL studies showed significant differences between layers grown under N- and Ga-rich conditions. The results indicate that edge dislocations do contribute to nonradiative recombination in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N layers.

A semi-implicit formulation of the method of spectral deferred corrections (SISDC) for ordinary differential equations with both stiff and non-stiff terms is presented. Several modifications and variations to the original spectral deferred corrections method by Dutt, Greengard, and Rokhlin concerning the choice of integration points and the form of the correction iteration are presented. The stability and accuracy of the resulting ODE methods are explored analytically and numerically. The SISDC methods are intended to be combined with the method of lines approach to yield a flexible framework for creating higher-order semi-implicit methods for partial differential equations. A discussion and numerical examples of the SISDC method applied to advection-diffusion type equations are included. The results suggest that higher-order SISDC methods are more efficient than semi-implicit Runge-Kutta methods for moderately stiff problems in terms of accuracy per function evaluation.

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The total production rate for taus at a hadron collider is not a useful quantity. Taus must have significant transverse momentum (p{sub T}) in order to be observable. Leptonic decays of taus will yield isolated electrons or muons that can be detected but these can also be directly produced so discriminating their origin can be difficult. Hadronic decays of taus result in jets that must be distinguished from jets arising from QCD processes using the particle multiplicity and invariant mass. At the LHC, new particles can be expected that decay to final states involving taus. Examples are given from simulations by the ATLAS experiment showing how such final states can be exploited.

Micro-SRIXE (synchrotron-radiation-induced X-ray emission) and micro-XAS (X-ray absorption spectroscopy) were used to probe the uptake of exogenous metals by cells. The high flux and the sub-micron resolution of the hard X-ray microprobe, offer the experimenter the ability to obtain highly sensitive spatial and structural information of cellular elements. In this work the uptake of carcinogenic Cr(VI) was compared with that of a relatively non-toxic Cr(III) complex by micro-SRIXE mapping of whole cells. High intracellular Cr concentrations were observed in Cr(VI)-treated cells, while no significant Cr uptake was observed for Cr(III)-treated cells, as is consistent with uptake studies performed by other techniques. Micro-XANES analysis of Cr(V)- and Cr(VI)-treated cells showed that the predominant oxidation product following cellular metabolism was Cr(III). As shown by X-ray microscopic analysis of thin-sectioned cells, however, the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) did not occur at a fast enough rate to exclude Cr entry into the cell nucleus.