The Standard Model (SM) explains CP violation in terms of the CKM matrix. The BABAR experiment was designed mainly to test the CKM model in B decays. B decays that proceed through b {yields} s loop diagrams, of which B {yields} KKK decays are an example, are sensitive to new physics effects that could lead to deviations from the CKM predictions for CP violation. We present studies of CP violation in the decays B{sup +} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sup +}, B{sup +} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sup +}, and B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sub S}{sup 0}, using a Dalitz plot amplitude analysis. These studies are based on approximately 470 million B{bar B} decays collected by BABAR at the PEP-II collider at SLAC. We perform measurements of time-dependent CP violation in B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sub S}{sup 0}, including B{sup 0} {yields} {phi}K{sub S}{sup 0}. We measure a CP-violating phase {beta}{sub eff} ({phi}K{sub S}{sup 0}) = 0.36 {+-} 0.11 {+-} 0.04 rad., in agreement with the SM. This is the world's most precise measurement of this quantity. We also measure direct CP asymmetries in all three decay modes, including the direct CP asymmetry A{sub CP} ({phi}K{sup +}) = …

To monitor in-flight damage and reduce life-cycle costs associated with CFRP composite aircraft, an autonomous built-in structural health monitoring (SHM) system is preferred over conventional maintenance routines and schedules. This thesis investigates the use of ultrasonic guided waves and piezoelectric transducers for the identification and localization of damage/defects occurring within critical components of CFRP composite aircraft wings, mainly the wing skin-to-spar joints. The guided wave approach for structural diagnostics was demonstrated by the dual application of active and passive monitoring techniques. For active interrogation, the guided wave propagation problem was initially studied numerically by a semi-analytical finite element method, which accounts for viscoelastic damping, in order to identify ideal mode-frequency combinations sensitive to damage occurring within CFRP bonded joints. Active guided wave tests across three representative wing skin-to-spar joints at ambient temperature were then conducted using attached Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) transducers. Results from these experiments demonstrate the importance of intelligent feature extraction for improving the sensitivity to damage. To address the widely neglected effects of temperature on guided wave base damage identification, analytical and experimental analyses were performed to characterize the influence of temperature on guided wave signal features. In addition, statistically-robust detection of simulated damage in a CFRP …

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Experimental, numerical, and analytical work has shown that the response of a shell to a distributed force wave possesses unique characteristics which are dependent on the nature of structure attached to the shell. Specific characteristics which influence the response are the distribution of the discontinuities around the circumference (periodic/aperiodic), the impedance of the discontinuities relative to that of the shell, and the type of impedance (mass or stiffness). Traditional shell theory predicts low frequency, radial-dominated structural mode shapes of a shell with a sinusoidal distribution of displacement amplitudes. Due to the orthogonal nature of these mode shapes, the response of the structure to a traveling radial force wave with sinusoidal content at a given harmonic is due solely to the response of the mode shape with harmonic content of the same order. Introduction of impedance discontinuities to a shell yield complex mode shapes, which may be characterized by the summation of several harmonic components. These modes are no longer orthogonal in the presence of discontinuities, yielding harmonic content across various modal orders. As a result, a purely sinusoidal forcing function can excite several modes of the structure. Structural scattering as discussed in this paper refers to the phenomena in which …

Yucca Mountain, Nevada is the proposed site of a geologic repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States. In the event repository engineered barriers fail, the saturated alluvium located south of Yucca Mountain is expected to serve as a natural barrier to the migration of radionuclides to the accessible environment. The purpose of this study is to improve the characterization of uranium retardation in the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain to support refinement of an assessment model. The distribution of uranium desorption rates from alluvium obtained from Nye County bore holes EWDP-19IM1, EWDP-10SA, EWDP-22SA were studied to address inconsistencies between results from batch sorption and column transport experiments. The alluvium and groundwater were characterized to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the observed behavior. Desorption rate constants were obtained using an activity based mass balance equation and column desorption experiments were analyzed using a mathematical model utilizing multiple sorption sites with different first-order forward and reverse reaction rates. The uranium desorption rate constants decreased over time, suggesting that the alluvium has multiple types of active sorption sites with different affinities for uranium. While a significant fraction of the initially sorbed uranium desorbed …

The equations of motion describing turbulent flows (in both the low and high Reynolds-number regimes) are well established. However, present day computers cannot meet the enormous computational requirement for numerically solving the governing equations for common engineering flows in the high Reynolds number turbulent regime. The characteristics that make turbulent, high Reynolds number flows difficult to simulate is the extreme range of time and space scales of motion. Most current engineering calculations are performed using semi-empirical equations, developed in terms of the flow mean (average) properties. These turbulence{open_quote} models{close_quote} (semi-empirical/analytical approximations) do not explicitly account for the eddy structures and thus, the temporal and spatial flow fluctuations are not resolved. In these averaging approaches, it is necessary to approximate all the turbulent structures using semi-empirical relations, and as a result, the turbulence models must be tailored for specific flow conditions and geometries with parameters obtained (usually) from physical experiments. The motivation for this research is the development of a finite element turbulence modeling approach which will ultimately be used to predict the wind flow around buildings. Accurate turbulence models of building flow are needed to predict the dispersion of airborne pollutants. The building flow turbulence models used today are not …