Objective is to determine if conventional slow-growth methods will be successful for growing single quasicrystals in this system. Reaction schemes, isopleths, and a ternary liquidus diagram were constructed using DTA, XRD, microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Results suggest a peak in the liquidus near the predicted compositions of Al{sub 65}Cu{sub 23}Ru{sub 12} or Al{sub 65}Cu{sub 20}Ru{sub 15} in the face-centered icosahedral phase field. Further study is needed to verify the existence of a congruently melting phase. There appears to be composition for which slow-growth methods will produce a single-quasicrystal. Directional solidification studies were done on 65Al25Cu10Ru.

This dissertation is focused on three problem areas in the performance of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. The noise characteristics of aerosols produced by ICP nebulizers are investigated. A laser beam is scattered by aerosol and detected by a photomultiplier tube and the noise amplitude spectrum of the scattered radiation is measured by a spectrum analyzer. Discrete frequency noise in the aerosol generated by a Meinhard nebulizer or a direct injection nebulizer is primarily caused by pulsation in the liquid flow from the pump. A Scott-type spray chamber suppresses white noise, while a conical, straight-pass spray chamber enhances white noise, relative to the noise seen from the primary aerosol. Simultaneous correction for both spectral interferences and matrix effects in ICP atomic emission spectrometry (AES) can be accomplished by using the generalized standard additions method (GSAM). Results obtained with the application of the GSAM to the Perkin-Elmer Optima 3000 ICP atomic emission spectrometer are presented. The echelle-based polychromator with segmented-array charge-coupled device detectors enables the direct, visual examination of the overlapping lines Cd (1) 228.802 nm and As (1) 228.812 nm. The slit translation capability allows a large number of data points to be sampled, therefore, the advantage of noise averaging …

Laser-induced fluorescence line narrowing and non-line narrowing spectroscopic methods were applied to conformational studies of stable DNA adducts of the 7{beta}, 8{alpha}-dihydoxy-9{alpha}, l0{alpha}-epoxy-7,8,9, 10-tetrahydrobenzo[{alpha}]pyrene (anti-BPDE). Stereochemically distinct (+)-trans-, ({minus})-trans-, (+)-cis- and ({minus})-cis adducts of anti-BPDE bound to exocyclic amino group of the central guanine in an 11-mer oligonucleotide, exist in a mixture of conformations in frozen aqueous buffer matrices. The (+)-trans adduct adopts primarily an external conformation with a smaller fraction ( {approximately} 25 %) exists in a partially base-stacked conformation. Both cis adducts were found to be intercalated with significant {pi}-{pi} stacking interactions between the pyrenyl residues and the bases. Conformations of the trans-adduct of (+)-anti -BPDE in 11-mer oligonucleotides were studied as a function of flanking bases. In single stranded form the adduct at G{sub 2} or G{sub 3} (5 ft-flanking, base guanine) adopts a conformation with strong, interaction with the bases. In contrast, the adduct with a 5ft-flanking, thymine exists in a primarily helixexternal conformation. Similar differences were observed in the double stranded oligonucleotides. The nature of the 3ft-flanking base has little influence on the conformational equilibrium of the (+)-trans-anti BPDE-dG adduct. The formation and repair of BPDE-N{sup 2}-dG in DNA isolated from the skin of mice …

Purpose is to understand how the mobilization, dielectric, orientation, composition, coverage, and structure of self-assembled organic monolayers on metal surfaces affects the surface reactivities and properties of these films in order to facilitate the construction of desired films. Two model systems were used: tiols at Au and aromatic acids at Pt. Surface analysis methods, including contact angle, electrochemistry, ellipsometry, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), and x-ray photospectroscopy, were used to study the self-assembled organic monolayers on Au and Pt. IRRAS, contact angle, and electrochemistry were used to determine the surface pK{sub a} of phenylcarboxylic acids and pyridylcarboxylic acids monolayers on Pt. These techniques were also used to determine the orientation of polymethylene chain axis and the carboxylic follow the structural evolution of the chains and end group of the thiolate monolayers during formation. IRRAS was also used to assess the carboxylic acid group in terms of its possible existence as the non-hydrogen-bonded species, the hydrogen-bonded dimeric group, and the hydrogen-bonded polymeric group. These different forms of the end group were also followed vs coverage, as well as the reactivity vs solution pH. IRRAS and contact angle were used to calculate the rate constant of the esterification of carboxylic acid-terminated monolayers …

In hadronic physics, the nucleon structure and the quarks confinement are still topical issues. The neutral pion electroproduction and virtual Compton scattering (VCS) reactions allow us to access new observables that describe this structure. This work is focused on the VCS experiment performed at Jefferson Lab in 1998.

Techniques for applying ab-initio calculations to the is of atomic spectra are investigated, along with the relationship between the semi-empirical and ab-initio forms of Slater-Condon theory. Slater-Condon theory is reviewed with a focus on the essential features that lead to the effective Hamiltonians associated with the semi-empirical form of the theory. Ab-initio spectroscopic parameters are calculated from wavefunctions obtained via self-consistent field methods, while multi-configuration Hamiltonian matrices are constructed and diagonalized with computer codes written by Robert Cowan of Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Group theoretical analysis demonstrates that wavefunctions more general than Slater determinants (i.e. wavefunctions with radial correlations between electrons) lead to essentially the same parameterization of effective Hamiltonians. In the spirit of this analysis, a strategy is developed for adjusting ab-initio values of the spectroscopic parameters, reproducing parameters obtained by fitting the corresponding effective Hamiltonian. Secondary parameters are used to "screen" the calculated (primary) spectroscopic parameters, their values determined by least squares. Extrapolations of the secondary parameters determined from analyzed spectra are attempted to correct calculations of atoms and ions without experimental levels. The adjustment strategy and extrapolations are tested on the K I sequence from K{sup 0+} through Fe{sup 7+}, fitting to experimental levels for V{sup 4+}, …

Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) techniques were used to investigate the dynamics of excitons and charge carriers in π-conjugated organic semiconductors. Degradation behavior of the negative spin-1/2 electroluminescence-detected magnetic resonance (ELDMR) was observed in Alq3 devices. The increase in the resonance amplitude implies an increasing bipolaron formation during degradation, which might be the result of growth of charge traps in the device. The same behavior of the negative spin-1/2 ELDMR was observed in 2wt% Rubrene doped Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminium (Alq3) devices. However, with increasing injection current, a positive spin-1/2 ELDMR, together with positive spin 1 triplet powder patterns at {delta}m{sub S}={+-}1 and {delta}m{sub S}={+-}2, emerges. Due to the similarities in the frequency dependences of single and double modulated ELDMR and the photoluminescence-detected magnetic resonance (PLDMR) results in poly[2-methoxy-5-(2 -ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenyl ene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) films, the mechanism for this positive spin-1/2 ELDMR was assigned to enhanced triplet-polaron quenching under resonance conditions. The ELDMR in rubrene doped Alq3 devices provides a path to investigate charge distribution in the device under operational conditions. Combining the results of several devices with different carrier blocking properties and the results from transient EL, it was concluded trions not only exist near buffer layer but also exist in the electron …

Recently, our lab has developed monoanionic tridentate ligand, To{sup R}, showing the corresponding coordination chemistry and catalyst reactivity of magnesium, zirconium, zinc and iridium complexes. This thesis details synthetic chemistry, structural study and catalytic reactivity of the To{sup R}-supported rhodium compounds. Tl[To{sup R}] has been proved to be a superior ligand transfer agent for synthesizing rhodium complexes. The salt metathesis route of Tl[To{sup M}] with [Rh({mu}-Cl)(CO)]{sub 2} and [Rh({mu}- Cl)(COE)]{sub 2} gives To{sup M}Rh(CO){sub 2} (2.2) and To{sup M}RhH({eta}{sup 3}-C{sub 8}H{sub 13}) (3.1) respectively while Tl[To{sup P}] with [Rh({mu}-Cl)(CO)]{sub 2} affords To{sup P}Rh(CO){sub 2} (2.3). 2.2 reacts with both strong and weak electrophiles, resulting in the oxazoline N-attacked and the metal center-attacked compounds correspondingly. Using one of the metal center-attacked electrophiles, 2.3 was demonstrated to give high diastereoselectivity. Parallel to COE allylic C-H activation complex 3.1, the propene and allylbenzene allylic C-H activation products have also been synthesized. The subsequent functionalization attempts have been examined by treating with Brønsted acids, Lewis acids, electrophiles, nucleophiles, 1,3-dipolar reagents and reagents containing multiple bonds able to be inserted. Various related complexes have been obtained under these conditions, in which one of the azide insertion compounds reductively eliminates to give an allylic functionalization product …

With the advent of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (FELs), new methods have been developed to extend capabilities at short wavelengths beyond Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE). In particular, seeding of a FEL allows for temporal control of the radiation pulse and increases the peak brightness by orders of magnitude. Most recently, Gennady Stupakov and colleagues at SLAC proposed a new technique: Echo-Enabled Harmonic Generation (EEHG). Here a laser microbunches the beam in an undulator and the beam is sheared in a chicane. This process is repeated with a second laser, undulator and chicane. The interplay between these allows a seeding of the X-ray laser up to the 100th harmonic of the first laser. After introducing the physics of FELs and the EEHG seeding technique, we describe contributions to the experimental effort. We will present detailed studies of the experiment including the choice of parameters and their optimization, the emittance effect, spontaneous emission in the undulators, the second laser phase effect, and measurements of the jitter between RF stations. Finally, the status and preliminary results of the Echo-7 experiment will be outlined.

In this paper I argue for the need for a strong Science and Technology program in the Nuclear Weapons Complex as the basis for maintaining a credible deterrence capability. The current Nuclear Posture Review establishes a New Triad as the basis for the United States deterrence strategy in a changing security environment. A predictive science capability is at the core of a credible National Nuclear Weapons program in the 21st Century. In absence of nuclear testing, the certification of our current Nuclear Weapons relies on predictive simulations and quantification of the associated simulation uncertainties. In addition, a robust nuclear infrastructure needs an active research and development program that considers all the required nuclear scenarios, including new configurations for which there is no nuclear test data. This paper also considers alternative positions to the need for a Science and Technology program in the Nuclear Weapons complex.

While historically hydrogen has been considered an impurity in titanium, when used as a temporary alloying agent it promotes beneficial changes to material properties that increase the hot-workability of the metal. This technique known as thermohydrogen processing was used to temporarily alloy hydrogen with commercially pure titanium sheet as a means of facilitating the friction stir welding process. Specific alloying parameters were developed to increase the overall hydrogen content of the titanium sheet ranging from commercially pure to 30 atomic percent. Each sheet was evaluated to determine the effect of the hydrogen content on process loads and tool deformation during the plunge phase of the friction stir welding process. Two materials, H-13 tool steel and pure tungsten, were used to fabricate friction stir welding tools that were plunged into each of the thermohydrogen processed titanium sheets. Tool wear was characterized and variations in machine loads were quantified for each tool material and weld metal combination. Thermohydrogen processing was shown to beneficially lower plunge forces and stabilize machine torques at specific hydrogen concentrations. The resulting effects of hydrogen addition to titanium metal undergoing the friction stir welding process are compared with modifications in titanium properties documented in modern literature. Such comparative …

Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry (RIMS) has been developed as a method to measure relative uranium isotope abundances. In this approach, RIMS is used as an element-selective ionization process to provide a distinction between uranium atoms and potential isobars without the aid of chemical purification and separation. We explore the laser parameters critical to the ionization process and their effects on the measured isotope ratio. Specifically, the use of broad bandwidth lasers with automated feedback control of wavelength was applied to the measurement of {sup 235}U/{sup 238}U ratios to decrease laser-induced isotopic fractionation. By broadening the bandwidth of the first laser in a 3-color, 3-photon ionization process from a bandwidth of 1.8 GHz to about 10 GHz, the variation in sequential relative isotope abundance measurements decreased from >10% to less than 0.5%. This procedure was demonstrated for the direct interrogation of uranium oxide targets with essentially no sample preparation. A rate equation model for predicting the relative ionization probability has been developed to study the effect of variation in laser parameters on the measured isotope ratio. This work demonstrates that RIMS can be used for the robust measurement of uranium isotope ratios.

None

The explorations of rare-earth, transition metal intermetallics have resulted in the synthesis and characterization, and electronic structure investigation, as well as understanding the structure-bonding property relationships. The work has presented the following results: (1) Understanding the relationship between compositions and properties in LaFe{sub 13-x}Si{sub x} system: A detailed structural and theoretical investigation provided the understanding of the role of a third element on stabilizing the structure and controlling the transformation of cubic NaZn{sub 13}-type structures to the tetragonal derivative, as well as the relationship between the structures and properties. (2) Synthesis of new ternary rare-earth iron silicides Re{sub 2-x}Fe{sub 4}Si{sub 14-y} and proposed superstructure: This compound offers complex structural challenges such as fractional occupancies and their ordering in superstructure. (3) Electronic structure calculation of FeSi{sub 2}: This shows that the metal-semiconductor phase transition depends on the structure. The mechanism of band gap opening is described in terms of bonding and structural distortion. This result shows that the electronic structure calculations are an essential tool for understanding the relationship between structure and chemical bonding in these compounds. (4) Synthesis of new ternary rare-earth Zinc aluminides Tb{sub 3}Zn{sub 3.6}Al{sub 7.4}: Partially ordered structure of Tb{sub 3}Zn{sub 3.6}Al{sub 7.4} compound provides new insights …

Linear elastic fracture mechanics is widely used in industry because it established simple and explicit relationships between the permissible loading conditions and the critical crack size that is allowed in a structure. Stress intensity factors are the above-mentioned functional expressions that relate load with crack size through geometric functions or weight functions. Compliance functions are to determine the crack/flaw size in a structure when optical inspection is inconvenient. As a result, geometric functions, weight functions and compliance functions have been intensively studied to determine the stress intensity factor expressions for different geometries. However, the relations between these functions have received less attention. This work is therefore to investigate the intrinsic relationships between these functions. Theoretical derivation was carried out and the results were verified on single-edge cracked plate under tension and bending. It is found out that the geometric function is essentially the non-dimensional weight function at the loading point. The compliance function is composed of two parts: a varying part due to crack extension and a constant part from the intact structure if no crack exists. The derivative of the compliance function at any location is the product of the geometric function and the weight function at the evaluation …

We present the results of a search for B{sup +} meson decays into {gamma}{ell}{sup +}{nu}{sub {ell}}, where {ell} = e,{mu}. We use a sample of 232 million B{bar B} meson pairs recorded at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B factory. We measure a partial branching fraction {Delta}{beta} in a restricted region of phase space that reduces the effect of theoretical uncertainties, requiring the lepton energy to be in the range 1.875 and 2.850 GeV, the photon energy to be in the range 0.45 and 2.35 GeV, and the cosine of the angle between the lepton and photon momenta to be less than -0.36, with all quantities computed in the {Upsilon}(4S) center-of-mass frame. We find {Delta}{Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {gamma}{ell}{sup +}{nu}{sub {ell}}) = (-0.3{sub 1.5}{sup +1.3}(statistical){sub -0.6}{sup +0.6}(systematic) {+-} 0.1(theoretical)) x 10{sup -6}, under the assumption of lepton universality. Interpreted as a 90% confidence-level Bayesian upper limit, the result corresponds to 1.7 x 10{sup -6} for a prior at in amplitude, and 2.3 x 10{sup -6} for a prior at in branching fraction.

This document describes the measurements of the branching fractions and isospin violations of the radiative electroweak penguin decays B {yields} ({rho}/{omega}){gamma} at the asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} PEP-II collider with the BABAR detector. Together with the previously measured branching fractions of the decays B {yields} K*{gamma} the ratio of CKM-matrix elements |V{sub td}/V{sub ts}| are extracted and the length of the far side of the unitarity triangle is determined.

In this thesis I present two complementary strategies for probing beyond-the-Standard Model physics using data collected in e{sup +}e{sup -} collisions at lepton colliders. One strategy involves searching for effects at low energy mediated by new particles at the TeV mass scale, at which new physics is expected to manifest. Several new physics scenarios, including Supersymmetry and models with leptoquarks or compositeness, may lead to observable rates for charged lepton-flavor violating processes, which are forbidden in the Standard Model. I present a search for lepton-flavor violating decays of the {Upsilon}(3S) using data collected with the BABAR detector. This study establishes the 90% confidence level upper limits BF({Upsilon}(3S) {yields} e{tau}) < 5.0 x 10{sup -6} and BF({Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {mu}{tau}) < 4.1 x 10{sup -6} which are used to place constraints on new physics contributing to lepton-flavor violation at the TeV mass scale. An alternative strategy is to increase the collision energy above the threshold for new particles and produce them directly. I discuss research and development efforts aimed at producing a vertex tracker which achieves the physics performance required of a high energy lepton collider. A small-scale vertex tracker prototype is constructed using Silicon sensors of 50 {mu}m thickness and tested …

Large-scale numerical computations associated with rock mechanics problems have required efficient and economical models for predicting temperature, stress, failure, and deformed structural configuration under various loading conditions. To meet this requirement, the complex dependence of the properties of geological materials on the time and temperature is modified to yield a reduced time scale as a function of time and temperature under the thermorheologically simple material (TSM) postulate. The thermorheologically linear concept is adopted in the finite element formulation by uncoupling thermal and mechanical responses. The thermal responses, based on transient heat conduction or convective-diffusion, are formulated by using the two-point recurrence scheme and the upwinding scheme, respectively. An incremental solution procedure with the implicit time stepping scheme is proposed for the solution of the thermoviscoelastic response. The proposed thermoviscoelastic solution algorithm is based on the uniaxial creep experimental data and the corresponding temperature shift functions, and is intended to minimize computational efforts by allowing large time step size with stable solutions. A thermoelastic fracture formulation is also presented by introducing the degenerate quadratic isoparametric singular element for the thermally-induced line crack problems. The stress intensity factors are computed by use of the displacement method. Efficiency of the presented formulation and …

This document discusses a support provided for use in a thermionic converter to support an end of an emitter to keep it out of contact with a surrounding collector while allowing the emitter end to move axially as its temperature changes. The emitter end is supported by a spring structure that includes a pair of Belleville springs, and the spring structure is supported by a support structure fixed to the housing that includes the collector. The support structure is in the form of a sandwich with a small metal spring-engaging element at the front end, a larger metal main support at the rear end that is attached to the housing, and with a ceramic layer between them that is bonded by hot isostatic pressing to the metal element and metal main support. The spring structure can include a loose wafer captured between the Belleville springs. 7 figs.

A nuclear fuel element and a method of manufacturing the element. The fuel element is comprised of a metal primary container and a fuel pellet which is located inside it and which is often fragmented. The primary container is subjected to elevated pressure and temperature to deform the container such that the container conforms to the fuel pellet, that is, such that the container is in substantial contact with the surface of the pellet. This conformance eliminates clearances which permit rubbing together of fuel pellet fragments and rubbing of fuel pellet fragments against the container, thus reducing the amount of dust inside the fuel container and the amount of dust which may escape in the event of container breach. Also, as a result of the inventive method, fuel pellet fragments tend to adhere to one another to form a coherent non-fragmented mass: this reduces the tendency of a fragment to pierce the container in the event of impact. 1 fig., 1 tab.

A superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) in combination with a superconducting absorber of radiation may function as a highly resolving x-ray spectrometer. Electronic excitations, or quasiparticles, are created when a superconductor absorbs an x ray and are detected as an excess tunnel current through the junction. The number of quasiparticles created and the magnitude of the excess current is proportional to the energy of the absorbed x ray. This is similar to existing semiconductor-based spectrometers that measure electron-hole pairs, but with 1000 times more excitations. The energy measurement therefore can be up to 30 times more precise with a superconducting detector than with a semiconductor detector. This work describes the development and testing of an STJ spectrometer design for x-ray fluorescence applications. First, the basic principles of the STJ spectrometer are explained. This is followed by detailed simulations of the variance in the number of quasiparticles produced by absorption of an x ray. This variance is inherent in the detector and establishes an upper limit on the resolving power of the spectrometer. These simulations include effects due to the materials used in the spectrometer and to the multilayer structure of the device. Next, the spectrometer is characterized as functions of operating …

Motivated by the need for establishing a reliable database useful for the application of x-ray spectroscopic tools for the diagnostic of very high temperature plasmas, high-resolution crystal spectrometer measurements have been performed investigating the characteristic K-shell radiation of highly charged krypton and xenon. The measurements, which have been performed at the Electron-Beam-Ion-Trap (EBIT) facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, include the investigation of the n = 2 {yields} 1 transitions in heliumlike krypton (Kr{sup 34+}) and innershell excited lithiumlike krypton (Kr{sup 33+}) utilizing a conventional reflection-type crystal spectrometer of von Hamos geometry. The electron-excitation-energy selective measurements map the contribution of the dielectronic recombination lines providing the means of accurate interpretation of the line profiles of the characteristic K{alpha} x-ray emission of plasmas. The high-resolution measurements of the n = 2 {yields} 1 transitions in heliumlike xenon (Xe{sup 52+}) and hydrogenlike xenon (Xe{sup 53+}) were based on a new transmission-type crystal spectrometer of DuMond geometry. The resolving power of the developed spectrometer was sufficient for charge state specific observation allowing the determination of the electron-impact excitation cross section for the hydrogen- and heliumlike K{alpha} transitions. The disagreement with theoretically predicted values is a measure of the magnitude of the Breit …

Cross section measurements were made of prompt {gamma}-ray production as a function of incident neutron energy on a {sup 48}Ti sample. Partial {gamma}-ray cross sections for transitions in {sup 45-48}Ti, {sup 44-48}Sc, and {sup 42-45}Ca have been determined. Energetic neutrons were delivered by the Los Alamos National Laboratory spallation neutron source located at the LANSCE/WNR facility. The prompt-reaction {gamma} rays were detected with the large-scale Compton-suppressed germanium array for neutron induced excitations (GEANIE). Neutron energies were determined by the time-of-flight technique. The {gamma}-ray excitation functions were converted to partial {gamma}-ray cross sections taking into account the dead-time correction, target thickness, detector efficiency and neutron flux (monitored with an in-line fission chamber). The data are presented for neutron energies E{sub n} between 1 to 200 MeV. These results are compared with model calculations which include compound nuclear and pre-equilibrium emission. The model calculations are performed using the STAPRE reaction code for E{sub n} up to 20 MeV and the GNASH reaction code for E{sub n} up to 120 MeV. Using the GNASH reaction code the effect of the spin distribution in preequilibrium reactions has been investigated. The preequilibrium reaction spin distribution was calculated using the quantum mechanical theory of Feshbach, Kerman, …