With the advent of high energy density (HED) experimental facilities, such as high-energy lasers and fast Z-pinch, pulsed-power facilities, mm-scale quantities of matter can be placed in extreme states of density, temperature, and/or velocity. This has enabled the emergence of a new class of experimental science, HED laboratory astrophysics, wherein the properties of matter and the processes that occur under extreme astrophysical conditions can be examined in the laboratory. Areas particularly suitable to this class of experimental astrophysics include the study of opacities relevant to stellar interiors; equations of state relevant to planetary interiors; strong shock driven nonlinear hydrodynamics and radiative dynamics, relevant to supernova explosions and subsequent evolution; protostellar jets and high Mach-number flows; radiatively driven molecular clouds and nonlinear photoevaporation front dynamics; and photoionized plasmas relevant to accretion disks around compact objects, such as black holes and neutron stars.

Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), using a laser-imploded target as a source, can yield the properties of laser-shocked metals on a nanosecond time scale. EXAFS measurements of vanadium shocked to {approx}0.4 Mbar yield the compression and temperature in good agreement with hydrodynamic simulations and shock-speed measurements. In laser-shocked titanium at the same pressure, the EXAFS modulation damping is much higher than warranted by the predicted temperature increase. This is shown to be due to the {alpha}-Ti to {omega}-Ti crystal-phase transformation, known to occur below {approx}0.1 Mbar for slower shock waves. The dynamics of material response to shock loading has been extensively studied in the past [1]. The goal of those studies has been to understand the shock-induced deformation and structural changes at the microscopic level [2]. Laser-generated shocks can be employed to broaden these studies to higher pressures ({approx}1 Mbar) and strain rates ({approx} 10{sup 7}-10{sup 8} s{sup -1}). Recently, laser-shocked materials have been studied with in-situ x-ray diffraction [3,4]. The goal of this work is to examine the use of in-situ EXAFS [5] as a complementary characterization of laser-shocked metals. EXAFS is the modulation in the x-ray absorption above the K edge (or L edge) due to the …

In our quest for accurate linear scaling first-principles molecular dynamics methods for pseudopotential DFT calculations, we investigate the accuracy of real-space grid approaches, with finite differences and spherical localization regions. We examine how the positions of the localization centers affect the accuracy and the convergence rate of the optimization process. In particular we investigate the accuracy of the atomic forces computation compared to the standard O(N{sup 3}) approach. We show the exponential decay of the error on the energy and forces with the size of the localization regions for a variety of realistic physical systems. We propose a new algorithm to automatically adapt the localization centers during the ground state computation which allows for molecular dynamics simulations with diffusion processes. The combination of algorithms proposed lead to a genuine linear scaling First-Principles Molecular Dynamics method with controlled accuracy. We illustrate our approach with examples of microcanonical molecular dynamics with localized orbitals.

Although healthy dentin is invariably hydrated in vivo, from a perspective of examining the mechanisms of fracture in dentin, it is interesting to consider the role of water hydration. Furthermore, it is feasible that exposure to certain polar solvents, e.g., those found in clinical adhesives, can induce dehydration. In the present study, in vitro deformation and fracture experiments, the latter involving a resistance-curve (R-curve) approach (i.e., toughness evolution with crack extension), were conducted in order to assess changes in the constitutive and fracture behavior induced by three common solvents - acetone, ethanol and methanol. In addition, nanoindentation-based experiments to evaluate the deformation behavior at the level of individual collagen fibers and ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy to evaluate changes in bonding were performed. The results indicate a reversible effect of chemical dehydration, with increased fracture resistance, strength, and stiffness associated with lower hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent. These results are analyzed both in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic toughening phenomena to further understand the micromechanisms of fracture in dentin and the specific role of water hydration.

Bulk damage sites in frequency conversion crystals scatter and/or absorb laser light leading to interference and downstream intensification .We find that laser induced bulk damage sites in DKDP exhibit a 'shell' of structurally and/or chemically modified material surrounding a central core as indicated by SEM and optical micrographs and micro Raman spectral maps. We hypothesize that the modified material has been shock wave densified and estimate the amount of densification and its effect on scattering. A simple model indicates that densification of several percent is likely and that the scattering cross section may be larger than the geometric area of the inner core by an order of magnitude.

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This paper describes simulation and experimental results for a 1400A, {+-} 900V peak rated, switch mode power supply for SNS Injection Kicker Magnets. For each magnet (13 m{Omega}, 160{micro}H), the power supply must supply controlled pulses at 60 Hz repetition rate. The pulse current must rise from zero to maximum in less than 1 millisec in a controlled manner, flat top for up to 2 millisec, and should fall in a controlled manner to less than 4A within 500{micro}s. The low current performance during fall time is the biggest challenge in this power supply. The simulation results show that to meet the controlled fall of the current and the current ripple requirements, voltage loop bandwidth of at least 10 kHz and switching frequency of at least 100 kHz are required. To achieve high power high frequency switching with IGBT switches, a series connected topology with three phase shifted (O{sup o}, 60{sup o} & 120{sup o}) converters each with 40 kHz switching frequency (IGBT at 20kHz), has been achieved. In this paper, the circuit topology, relevant system specifications and experimental results that meet the requirements of the power supply are described in detail. A unique six pulse SCR rectifier circuit with …

Small propellant pumps can reduce rocket hardware mass, while increasing chamber pressure to improve specific impulse. The maneuvering requirements for planetary ascent require an emphasis on mass, while those of orbiting spacecraft indicate that I{sub SP} should be prioritized during pump system development. Experimental efforts include initial testing with prototype lightweight components while raising pump efficiency to improve system I{sub SP}.

The Spallation Neutron Source accelerator systems will provide a 1 GeV, 1.44 MW proton beam to a liquid mercury target for neutron production. Beam tuning dumps are provided at the end of the linac (the Linac Dump) and in the Ring-to-Target transport line (the Extraction Dump) [1]. Thin windows are required to separate the accelerator vacuum from the poor vacuum upstream of the beam dump. There are several challenging engineering issues that have been addressed in the window design. Namely, handling of the high local power density deposited by the stripped electrons from the H-beam accelerated in the linac, and the need for low-exposure removal and replacement of an activated window. The thermal design of the linac dump window is presented, as is the design of a vacuum clamp and mechanism that allows remote removal and replacement of the window.

The Optical Sciences Laser (OSL) Upgrade facility, described in last year's proceedings, is a kJ-class, large aperture (100cm{sup 2}) laser system that can accommodate prototype optical components for large-scale inertial confinement fusion lasers. High-energy operation of such lasers is often limited by damage to the optical components. Recent experiments on the OSL Upgrade facility using fused silica components at 4 J/cm{sup 2} (351-nm, 3-ns) have created output surface and bulk damage sites that have been correlated to phase objects in the bulk of the material. Optical Path Difference (OPD) measurements of the phase defects indicate the probability of laser-induced damage is strongly dependent on OPD.

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator systems will provide a 1 GeV, 1.44 MW proton beam to a liquid mercury target for neutron production. In order to satisfy the accelerator systems' portion of the Critical Decision 4 (CD-4) commissioning goal (which marks the completion of the construction phase of the project), a beam pulse with intensity greater than 1 x 10{sup 13} protons must be accumulated in the ring, extracted in a single turn and delivered to the target. A commissioning plan has been formulated for bringing into operation and establishing nominal operating conditions for the various ring and transport line subsystems as well as for establishing beam conditions and parameters which meet the commissioning goal.

Since the summer of 2003, a large Micromegas TPC prototype (1000 channels, 50 cm drift, 50 cm diameter) has been operated in a 2T superconducting magnet at Saclay. A description of this apparatus and first results from cosmic ray tests are presented. Additional measurements using simpler detectors with a laser source, an X-ray gun and radio-active sources are discussed. Drift velocity and gain measurements, electron attachment and aging studies for a Micromegas TPC are presented. In particular, using simulations and measurements, it is shown that an $Argon-CF_4$ mixture is optimal for operation at a future Linear Collider.

The seesaw mechanism is attractive not only because it"explains'' small neutrino mass, but also because of its packaging with the SUSY-GUT, leptogenesis, Dark Matter, and electroweak symmetry breaking. However, this package has the flavor, CP, and gravitino problems. I discuss two alternatives to the seesaw mechanism. In one of them, the anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking solves these problems, while predicts naturally light Dirac neutrinos. In the other, the light Majorana neutrinos arise from supersymmetry breaking with right-handed neutrinos below TeV, and the Dark Matter and collider phenomenology are significantly different.

The increasing gap between processor performance and memory access time warrants the re-examination of data movement in iterative linear solver algorithms. For this reason, we explore and establish the feasibility of modifying a standard iterative linear solver algorithm in a manner that reduces the movement of data through memory. In particular, we present an alternative to the restarted GMRES algorithm for solving a single right-hand side linear system Ax = b based on solving the block linear system AX = B. Algorithm performance, i.e. time to solution, is improved by using the matrix A in operations on groups of vectors. Experimental results demonstrate the importance of implementation choices on data movement as well as the effectiveness of the new method on a variety of problems from different application areas.

We present in situ observations of hydrocarbon formation via carbonate reduction at upper mantle pressures and temperatures. Methane was formed from FeO, CaCO{sub 3}-calcite and water at pressures between 5 and 11 GPa and temperatures ranging from 500 to 1500 C. The results are shown to be consistent with thermodynamic calculations of the relevant chemical reactions based on the thermochemical models and ab initio theory. The study demonstrates the existence of abiogenic pathways for the formation of hydrocarbons in the Earth's interior and suggests that the hydrocarbon budget of the bulk Earth may be larger than conventionally assumed.

We present a natural solution to the strong CP problem in the context of split fermions. By assuming CP is spontaneously broken in the bulk, a weak CKM phase is created in the standard model due to a twisting in flavor space of the bulk fermion wavefunctions. But the strong CP phase remains zero, being essentially protected by parity in the bulk and CP on the branes. As always in models of spontaneous CP breaking, radiative corrections to theta bar from the standard model are tiny, but even higher dimension operators are not that dangerous. The twisting phenomenon was recently shown to be generic, and not to interfere with the way that split fermions naturally weaves small numbers into the standard model. It follows that out approach to strong CP is compatible with flavor, and we sketch a comprehensive model. We also look at deconstructed version of this setup which provides a viable 4D model of spontaneous CP breaking which is not in the Nelson-Barr class.

The interference of the electromagnetic spin-flip amplitude with a hadronic spin-nonflip amplitude in the elastic scattering of hadrons leads to significant spin dependencies at very low 4-momentum transfer t (0.001 < |t| < 0.01 (GeV/c){sup 2}). This kinematical region is known as the Coulomb Nuclear Interference (CNI) region. First results on spin effects in polarized proton-proton elastic scattering in the CNI region at 100 GeV from the 2004 polarized proton run at RHIC are presented. Preliminary results on A{sub N} in the elastic scattering of polarized protons off a carbon target over a wide energy range from 4 GeV to 100 GeV from AGS and RHIC are presented as well. These results allow us to further investigate the spin dependence in elastic scattering and the mechanisms at work.

Commercial building retrocommissioning activity has increased in recent years. LBNL recently conducted a study of 8 participants in Sacramento Municipal Utility District's (SMUD) retrocommissioning program. We evaluated the persistence of energy savings and measure implementation, in an effort to identify and understand factors that affect the longevity of retrocommissioning benefits. The LBNL analysis looked at whole-building energy and the retrocommissioning measure implementation status, incorporating elements from previous work by Texas A&M University and Portland Energy Conservation Inc. When possible, adjustments due to newly discovered major end uses, occupancy patterns and 2001 energy crisis responses were included in the whole-building energy analysis. The measure implementation analysis categorized each recommended measure and tracked the measures to their current operational status. Results showed a 59% implementation rate of recommended measures. The whole-building energy analysis showed an aggregate electricity savings of approximately 10.5% in the second post-retrocommissioning year, diminishing to approximately 8% in the fourth year. Results also showed the 2001 energy crisis played a significant role in the post-retrocommissioning energy use at the candidate sites. When natural gas consumption was included in the analysis, savings were reduced slightly, showing the importance in considering interactive effects between cooling and heating systems. The cost effectiveness …

At the U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site, complex environmental models were required to analyze the performance of a suite of radionuclides, including decay chains consisting of multiple radionuclides. To facilitate preparation of the model for each radionuclide a sophisticated protocol was established to link a database containing material information with a template. The protocol consists of data and special commands in the template, control information in the database and key selection information in the database. A preprocessor program reads a template, incorporates the appropriate information from the database and generates the final model. In effect, the database/template protocol forms a command language. That command language typically allows the user to perform multiple independent analyses merely by setting environmental variables to identify the nuclides to be analyzed and having the template reference those environmental variables. The environmental variables ca n be set by a batch or script that serves as a shell to analyze each radionuclide in a separate subdirectory (if desired) and to conduct any preprocessing and postprocessing functions. The user has complete control to generate the database and how it interacts with the template. This protocol was valuable for analyzing multiple radionuclides for a single disposal unit. …

High current and low emittance are principal requirements for heavy-ion injection into a linac driver for inertial fusion energy. An electrostatic quadrupole (ESQ) injector is capable of providing these high charge density and low emittance beams. We have modified the existing 2-MV Injector to reduce beam emittance and to double the pulse length. We characterize the beam delivered by the modified injector to the High Current Transport Experiment (HCX) and the effects of finite rise time of the extraction voltage pulse in the diode on the beam head. We demonstrate techniques for mitigating aberrations and reducing beam emittance growth in the injector.

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A major concern in the development of hot dry rock (HDR) and hot fractured rock (HFR) reservoirs is achieving and maintaining adequate injectivity, while avoiding the development of preferential short-circuiting flow paths such as those caused by thermally-induced stress cracking. Past analyses of HDR and HFR reservoirs have tended to focus primarily on the coupling between hydrology (flow), heat transfer, and rock mechanics. Recent studies suggest that rock-fluid interactions and associated mineral dissolution and precipitation effects could have a major impact on the long-term performance of HFR reservoirs. The present paper uses recent European studies as a starting point to explore chemically-induced effects of fluid circulation in HFR systems. We examine ways in which the chemical composition of reinjected waters can be modified to improve reservoir performance by maintaining or even enhancing injectivity. Chemical manipulations considered here include pH modification and dilution with fresh water. We performed coupled thermo-hydrologic-chemical simulations in which the fractured medium was represented by a one-dimensional MINC model (multiple interacting continua), using the non-isothermal multi-phase reactive geochemical transport code TOUGHREACT. Results indicate that modifying the injection water chemistry can enhance mineral dissolution and reduce clay swelling. Chemical interactions between rocks and fluids will change a HFR …

This report compares the predicted behavior of several radionuclides disposed in grouted trenches or vaults that exhibited higher aquifer concentrations than if they were disposed in shallow trenches. The general modeling approach is first presented for the vaults and the shallow trenches, then the details for the radionuclides are presented along with explanations or suggestions for the behavior.

Front surface spectral control filters significantly improve the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converters. Tandem filter designs for 0.52 and 0.60 eV cells were fabricated. Energy and angle weighted spectral efficiencies of {approx}83% for the 0.52 eV application and {approx}76% for the 0.60 eV applications were achieved with {approx}78% angle weighted above bandgap transmission. Manufacturing demonstrations of both designs were completed with good yield. Design improvements were made using angle weighted spectral utilization and above bandgap transmission as refinement goals. Current development work addresses elimination of the plasma filter and alternate substrates.