The self-irradiation damage generated by alpha decay of plutonium results in the formation of lattice defects, helium, and uranium atoms. Over time, microstructural evolution resulting from the self-irradiation may influence the physical and mechanical properties of the material. In order to assess microstructural changes, we have developed and applied procedures for the specimen preparation, handling, and transmission electron microscopy characterization of Pu alloys. These transmission electron microscopy investigations of Pu-Ga alloys ranging in age up to 42-years old reveal the presence of nanometer-sized helium bubbles. The number density of bubbles and the average size have been determined for eight different aged materials.

The 18th Annual conference on Fossil Energy Materials was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 2 through June 4, 2004. The meeting was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy through the Advanced Research Materials Program (ARM). The objective of the ARM Program is to conduct research and development on materials for longer-term fossil energy applications, as well as for generic needs of various fossil fuel technologies. The management of the program has been decentralized to the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The research is performed by staff members at ORNL and by researchers at other national laboratories, universities, and in private industry. The work is divided into the following categories: (1) structural, ceramics, (2) new alloys and coatings, (3) functional materials, and (4) technology development and transfer.

Recent developmental advances have allowed silicon (Si) semiconductor technology to approach the theoretical limits of the Si material; however, power device requirements for many applications are at a point that the present Si-based power devices cannot handle. The requirements include higher blocking voltages, switching frequencies, efficiency, and reliability. To overcome these limitations, new semiconductor materials for power device applications are needed. For high power requirements, wide-bandgap semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and diamond, with their superior electrical properties, are likely candidates to replace Si in the near future. This report compares wide-bandgap semiconductors with respect to their promise and applicability for power applications and predicts the future of power device semiconductor materials.

The accuracy of Cartesian embedded boundary methods for the second order wave equation in general two-dimensional domains subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions is analyzed. Based on the analysis, we develop a numerical method where both the solution and its gradient are second order accurate. We avoid the small-cell stiffness problem without sacrificing the second order accuracy by adding a small artificial term to the Dirichlet boundary condition. Long-time stability of the method is obtained by adding a small fourth order dissipative term. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of the method. The method is also used to solve the two-dimensional TM{sub z} problem for Maxwell's equations posed as a second order wave equation for the electric field coupled to ordinary differential equations for the magnetic field.

In the years 1998, 2000, and 2001, long-offset transientelectromagnetic (LOTEM) surveys were carried out at the active volcanoMerapi in Central Java. The measurements investigated the conductivitystructure of the volcanic edifice. Our area of interest, which is belowthe summit and the upper flanks, was investigated using horizontal andvertical magnetic field time derivative data from seventransmitter-receiver setups. Because of topography and athree-dimensional (3-D) underground structure, a 3-D interpretation isused. The method optimizes few parameters of a 3-D model by a stableleast squares joint inversion of the data, providing sufficientresolution capability. Reasonable data fits are achieved with anonhorizontally layered model featuring a very conductive basement belowdepths of 1.5 km. While hydrothermal alteration is also considered, wetentatively explain the high conductivities by aqueous solutions withrelatively high salt contents. A large magma body or a small superficialreservoir below Merapi's central volcanic complex, as discussed by otherauthors, cannot be resolved by the LOTEM data.

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Of the many candidates employed for understanding the erosion of critical Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) components, potential energy damage remains relatively uninvestigated. Unlike the familiar kinetic energy sputtering, which is a consequence of the momentum transferred by an ion to atoms in the target, potential energy sputtering occurs when an ion rapidly collects charge from the target as it neutralizes. Since the neutralization energy of a singly charged ion is typically on the order of 10 eV, potential energy effects are generally neglected for low charge state ions, and hence the bulk of the sputtering literature. As an ion's charge state is increased, the potential energy (PE) increases rapidly, e.g. PE(Xe{sup 1+})= 11 eV, PE(Xe{sup 10+}) = 810 eV, PE(Xe{sup 20+}) = 4.6 keV, etc. By comparison, the binding energy of a single atom on a surface is typically about 5 eV, so even relatively inefficient energy transfer mechanisms can lead to large quantities of material being removed, e.g. 25% efficiency for Xe{sup 10+} corresponds to {approx} 40 atoms/ion. By comparison, singly charged xenon ions with {approx} 20 keV of kinetic energy sputter only about 5 atoms/ion at normal incidence, and less than 1 atom/ion at typical EUV source energies. …

Snow anomalies in the western United States (U.S.) have beenwidely investigated by many researchers due to its impact on wateravailability. This study focuses on how anomalous atmospheric circulationaffects snowpack accumulation in the western U.S. using observations andoutput from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) CommunityClimate Model version 3 (CCM3). Our results indicate that themid-latitude atmospheric circulation anomalies induced by the ElNino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) tend to drive winter precipitationshifts, leading to an anomalous snowpack distribution in the western U.S.The warm phase of ENSO produces increased snowpack in the Southwest,while the cold phase of ENSO generates increased snowpack in theNorthwest. Temperature has a secondary impact on the anomalous snowpackdistribution during ENSO episodes. Additionally, the non-linearatmospheric dynamics-related Pacific-North American (PNA) pattern isfound to strongly affect snow anomalies in the western U.S. independentfrom ENSO. The positive phase of the PNA pattern produces coldertemperature and stronger precipitation due to the lower pressure in theregion, leading to an above normal snowpack. Conversely, the negativephase of the PNA pattern generates warmer temperature and weakerprecipitation resulting from the higher pressure, producing a below thannormal snowpack in the western U.S. In general, the NCAR-CCM3 reproducesthe observed processes. However, model biases are identified andreported. The information provided in this …

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) andthe Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas (CSDA) conductedtechnical studies and organized two training workshops to developcapacity in Central America for the evaluation of climate changeprojects. This paper describes the results of two baseline case studiesconducted for these workshops, one for the power sector and one for thecement industry, that were devised to illustrate certain approaches tobaseline setting. Multiproject baseline emission rates (BERs) for themain Guatemalan electricity grid were calculated from 2001 data. Inrecent years, the Guatemalan power sector has experienced rapid growth;thus, a sufficient number of new plants have been built to estimateviable BERs. We found that BERs for baseload plants offsetting additionalbaseload capacity ranged from 0.702 kgCO2/kWh (using a weighted averagestringency) to 0.507 kgCO2/kWh (using a 10th percentile stringency),while the baseline for plants offsetting load-followingcapacity is lowerat 0.567 kgCO2/kWh. For power displaced from existing load-followingplants, the rate is higher, 0.735 kgCO2/kWh, as a result of the age ofsome plants used for meeting peak loads and the infrequency of their use.The approved consolidated methodology for the Clean Development Mechanismyields a single rate of 0.753 kgCO2/kWh. Due to the relatively smallnumber of cement plants in the region and the regional nature of …

One of the major risks associated with underground coal gasification is contamination of local aquifers with a variety of toxic compounds. It is likely that the rate, volume, extent, and concentrations of contaminant plumes will depend on the local permeability field near the point of gasification. This field depends heavily on the geological history of stratigraphic deposition and the specifics of stratigraphic succession. Some coals are thick and isolated, whereas others are thinner and more regionally expressed. Some coals are overlain by impermeable units, such as marine or lacustrine shales, whereas others are overlain by permeable zones associated with deltaic or fluvial successions. Rapid stratigraphic characterization of the succession provides first order information as to the general risk of contaminant escape, which provides a means of ranking coal contaminant risks by their depositional context. This risk categorization could also be used for ranking the relative risk of CO{sub 2} escape from injected coal seams. Further work is needed to verify accuracy and provide some quantification of risks.

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Absolute partial {gamma}-ray cross sections for the production of discrete {gamma}-rays from the reaction {sup 150}Sm(n,2n{gamma}{sub i}){sup 149}Sm were measured using the GEANIE {gamma}-ray spectrometer coupled with the intense white neutron source at WNR/LANSCE. The measurements were made for incident neutron energies between threshold (8.04 MeV) and 20 MeV. The partial cross sections for 21 {gamma}-rays were extracted from the data. Of these, 17 were compared to calculations performed using the enhanced Hauser-Feshbach code STAPRE. The partial {gamma}-ray cross sections of the observed parallel decay paths to the ground state were summed, forming a lower bound for the (n,2n) reaction channel. A combination of theory and experiment was then used to deduce the (n,2n) reaction channel cross section.

We report on atomic layer deposition of an {approx} 2-nm-thick ZnO layer on the inner surface of ultralow-density ({approx} 0.5% of the full density) nanoporous silica aerogel monoliths with an extremely large effective aspect ratio of {approx} 10{sup 5} (defined as the ratio of the monolith thickness to the average pore size). The resultant monoliths are formed by amorphous-SiO{sub 2}/wurtzite-ZnO nanoparticles which are randomly oriented and interconnected into an open-cell network with an apparent density of {approx} 3% and a surface area of {approx} 100 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}. Secondary ion mass spectrometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging reveal excellent uniformity and crystallinity of ZnO coating. Oxygen K-edge and Zn L{sub 3}-edge soft x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy shows broadened O 2p- as well as Zn 4s-, 5s-, and 3d-projected densities of states in the conduction band.

We have developed a cleaning procedure for aluminum alloys for effective minimization of surface-adsorbed sub-micron particles and non-volatile residue. The procedure consists of a phosphoric acid etch followed by an alkaline detergent wash. To better understand the mechanism whereby this procedure reduces surface contaminants, we characterized the aluminum surface as a function of cleaning step using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). SERS indicates that phosphoric acid etching re-establishes a surface oxide of different characteristics, including deposition of phosphate and increased hydration, while the subsequent alkaline detergent wash appears to remove the phosphate and modify the new surface oxide, possibly leading to a more compact surface oxide. We also studied the zeta potential of <5 micron pure aluminum and aluminum alloy 6061-T6 particles to determine how surface electrostatics may be affected during the cleaning process. The particles show a decrease in the magnitude of their zeta potential in the presence of detergent, and this effect is most pronounced for particles that have been etched with phosphoric acid. This reduction in magnitude of the surface attractive potential is in agreement with our observation that the phosphoric acid etch followed by detergent wash results in a decrease in surface-adsorbed sub-micron particulates.

EUVE and the ROSAT WFC have left a tremendous legacy in astrophysics at EUV wavelengths. More recently, Chandra and XMM-Newton have demonstrated at X-ray wavelengths the power of high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy, which allows the identification of weak emission lines, the measurement of Doppler shifts and line profiles, and the detection of narrow absorption features. This leads to a complete understanding of the density, temperature, abundance, magnetic, and dynamic structure of astrophysical plasmas. However, the termination of the EUVE mission has left a gaping hole in spectral coverage at crucial EUV wavelengths ({approx}100-300 Angstroms), where hot (10{sup 5}-10{sup 8} K) plasmas radiate most strongly and produce critical spectral diagnostics. CHIPS will fill this hole only partially as it is optimized for diffuse emission and has only moderate resolution (R{approx}150). For discrete sources, we have successfully flown a follow-on instrument to the EUVE spectrometer (A{sub eff} {approx}1 cm{sup 2}, R {approx}400), the high-resolution spectrometer J-PEX (A{sub eff} {approx}3 cm{sup 2}, R {approx}3000). Here we build on the J-PEX prototype and present a strawman design for an orbiting spectroscopic observatory, APEX, a SMEX-class instrument containing a suite of 8 spectrometers that together achieve both high effective area (A{sub eff}>20 cm{sup 2}) and high …

Even without grand unification, proton decay can be a powerful probe of physics at the highest energy scales. Supersymmetric theories with conserved R-parity contain Planck-suppressed dimension 5 operators that give important contributions tonucleon decay. These operators are likely controlled by flavor physics, which means current and near future proton decay experiments might yield clues about the fermion mass spectrum. I present a thorough analysis of nucleon partial lifetimes in supersymmetric one-flavon Froggatt-Nielsen models with a single U(1)_X family symmetry which is responsible for the fermionic mass spectrum as well as forbidding R-parity violating interactions. Many of the models naturally lead to nucleon decay near present limits without any reference to grand unification.

We show that a gravitational interaction between the derivative of the Ricci scalar curvature and the baryon-number current dynamically breaks CPT in an expanding universe and, combined with baryon-number-violating interactions, can drive the universe towards an equilibrium baryon asymmetry that is observationally acceptable.

A simple analytic model allows prediction of rate constants and size effect behavior before a hydrocode run if size effect data exists. At infinite radius, it defines not only detonation velocity but also average detonation rate, pressure and energy. This allows the derivation of a generalized radius, which becomes larger as the explosive becomes more non-ideal. The model is applied to near-ideal PBX 9404, in-between ANFO and most non-ideal AN. The power of the pressure declines from 2.3, 1.5 to 0.8 across this set. The power of the burn fraction, F, is 0.8, 0 and 0, so that an F-term is important only for the ideal explosives. The size effect shapes change from concave-down to nearly straight to concave-up. Failure is associated with ideal explosives when the calculated detonation velocity turns in a double-valued way. The effect of the power of the pressure may be simulated by including a pressure cutoff in the detonation rate. The models allows comparison of a wide spectrum of explosives providing that a single detonation rate is feasible.

The Analytical Development Section of Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) was requested by the Facilities Disposition Projects (FDP) to determine the holdup of enriched uranium in the 321-M facility as part of an overall deactivation project of the facility. The 321-M facility was used to fabricate enriched uranium fuel assemblies, lithium-aluminum target tubes, neptunium assemblies, and miscellaneous components for the production reactors. The results of the holdup assays are essential for determining compliance with the Waste Acceptance Criteria, Material Control & Accountability, and to meet criticality safety controls. This report covers holdup measurements on two sawbench components that were used for cutting U-Al fuel rods. The benches contained U-Al residue scattered on the bench tops and bagged up in plastic containers. It was very important to obtain an estimate of the HEU content of this residue in order to remove criticality concerns before vacuuming it into a much smaller volume. A portable high purity germanium (HPGe) detection system and a portable sodium iodide (NaI) detection system were used to determine highly enriched uranium (HEU) holdup and to determine holdup Np-237 and Am-241 that were observed in these components. The measured Np-237 and Am-241 contents were especially important in these components …

The main objective of the Depleted UO{sub 2} Kernels Production Task at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was to conduct two small-scale production campaigns to produce 2 kg of UO{sub 2} kernels with diameters of 500 {+-} 20 {micro}m and 3.5 kg of UO{sub 2} kernels with diameters of 350 {+-} 10 {micro}m for the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative Program. The final acceptance requirements for the UO{sub 2} kernels are provided in the first section of this report. The kernels were prepared for use by the ORNL Metals and Ceramics Division in a development study to perfect the triisotropic (TRISO) coating process. It was important that the kernels be strong and near theoretical density, with excellent sphericity, minimal surface roughness, and no cracking. This report gives a detailed description of the production efforts and results as well as an in-depth description of the internal gelation process and its chemistry. It describes the laboratory-scale gel-forming apparatus, optimum broth formulation and operating conditions, preparation of the acid-deficient uranyl nitrate stock solution, the system used to provide uniform broth droplet formation and control, and the process of calcining and sintering UO{sub 3} {center_dot} 2H{sub 2}O microspheres to form dense …

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The Lynx arc, with a redshift of 3.357, was discovered during spectroscopic follow-up of the z = 0.570 cluster RX J0848+4456 from the ROSAT Deep Cluster Survey. The arc is characterized by a very red R - K color and strong, narrow emission lines. Analysis of HST WFPC 2 imaging and Keck optical and infrared spectroscopy shows that the arc is an H II galaxy magnified by a factor of {approx} 10 by a complex cluster environment. The high intrinsic luminosity, the emission line spectrum, the absorption components seen in Ly{alpha} and C IV, and the restframe ultraviolet continuum are all consistent with a simple H II region model containing {approx} 10{sup 6} hot O stars. The best fit parameters for this model imply a very hot ionizing continuum (T{sub BB} {approx} 80, 000 K), high ionization parameter (log U {approx} -1), and low nebular metallicity (Z/Z{sub {circle_dot}} {approx} 0.05). The narrowness of the emission lines requires a low mass-to-light ratio for the ionizing stars, suggestive of an extremely low metallicity stellar cluster. The apparent overabundance of silicon in the nebula could indicate enrichment by past pair instability supernovae, requiring stars more massive than {approx}140M{sub {circle_dot}}.

We investigate the Butcher-Oemler effect using samples of galaxies brighter than observed frame K* + 1.5 in 33 clusters at 0.1 {approx}< z {approx}< 0.9. We attempt to duplicate as closely as possible the methodology of Butcher & Oemler. Apart from selecting in the K-band, the most important difference is that we use a brightness limit fixed at 1.5 magnitudes below an observed frame K* rather than the nominal limit of rest frame M(V ) = -20 used by Butcher & Oemler. For an early type galaxy at z = 0.1 our sample cutoff is 0.2 magnitudes brighter than rest frame M(V ) = -20, while at z = 0.9 our cutoff is 0.9 magnitudes brighter. If the blue galaxies tend to be faint, then the difference in magnitude limits should result in our measuring lower blue fractions. A more minor difference from the Butcher & Oemler methodology is that the area covered by our galaxy samples has a radius of 0.5 or 0.7 Mpc at all redshifts rather than R{sub 30}, the radius containing 30% of the cluster population. In practice our field sizes are generally similar to those used by Butcher & Oemler. We find the fraction of …

This Annual Progress Report describes the work performed and summarizes some of the key observations to date on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s project Assessment of Food Chain Pathway Parameters in Biosphere Models, which was established to assess and evaluate a number of key parameters used in the food-chain models used in performance assessments of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Section 2 of this report describes activities undertaken to collect samples of soils from three regions of the United States, the Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest, and perform analyses to characterize their physical and chemical properties. Section 3 summarizes information gathered regarding agricultural practices and common and unusual crops grown in each of these three areas. Section 4 describes progress in studying radionuclide uptake in several representative crops from the three soil types in controlled laboratory conditions. Section 5 describes a range of international coordination activities undertaken by Project staff in order to support the underlying data needs of the Project. Section 6 provides a very brief summary of the status of the GENII Version 2 computer program, which is a “client” of the types of data being generated by the Project, and for which the Project will be providing training to …