We report on measurements made on a Nova beamline whose output amplifier stages contain new high damage threshold, platinum particle-free laser glass. We project future operating limits for the Nova ten beam amplifier system. 4 refs.

Ten papers were presented at the meeting. A separate abstract was prepared for each paper. (LCL)

In 2000, a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was undertaken between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Special Metals Corporation (SMC) to determine the mechanical property response of the IN740 alloy to help establish thermo-mechanical processing parameters for the use of this alloy in supercritical and ultra-critical boiler tubes with the potential for other end uses. SMC had developed an alloy, commercially known as INCONEL alloy 740, which exhibited various beneficial physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. As part of SMC's on-going efforts to optimize this alloy for targeted boiler applications there was a need to develop an understanding of the thermo-mechanical response of the material, characterize the resulting microstructure from this processing, and possibly, utilize models to develop the appropriate processing scheme for this product.

Pillar detector is an innovative solid state device structure that leverages advanced semiconductor fabrication technology to produce a device for thermal neutron detection. State-of-the-art thermal neutron detectors have shortcomings in achieving simultaneously high efficiency, low operating voltage while maintaining adequate fieldability performance. By using a 3-dimensional silicon PIN diode pillar array filled with isotopic boron 10, ({sup 10}B) a high efficiency device is theoretically possible. The fabricated pillar structures reported in this work are composed of 2 {micro}m diameter silicon pillars with a 4 {micro}m pitch and pillar heights of 6 and 12 {micro}m. The pillar detector with a 12 {micro}m height achieved a thermal neutron detection efficiency of 7.3% at 2V.

If massive black holes (BHs) are ubiquitous in galaxies and galaxies experience multiple mergers during their cosmic assembly, then BH binaries should be common albeit temporary features of most galactic bulges. Observationally, the paucity of active BH pairs points toward binary lifetimes far shorter than the Hubble time, indicating rapid inspiral of the BHs down to the domain where gravitational waves lead to their coalescence. Here, we review a series of studies on the dynamics of massive BHs in gas-rich galaxy mergers that underscore the vital role played by a cool, gaseous component in promoting the rapid formation of the BH binary. The BH binary is found to reside at the center of a massive self-gravitating nuclear disc resulting from the collision of the two gaseous discs present in the mother galaxies. Hardening by gravitational torques against gas in this grand disc is found to continue down to sub-parsec scales. The eccentricity decreases with time to zero and when the binary is circular, accretion sets in around the two BHs. When this occurs, each BH is endowed with it own small-size ({approx}< 0.01 pc) accretion disc comprising a few percent of the BH mass. Double AGN activity is expected to …

This document addresses the concern raised in the Savannah River Site (SRS) Acceptance Criteria (Reference 1, Section 6.a.3) about receiving an item that is over batched by 1.0 kg of fissile materials. This document shows that the occurrence of this is incredible. Some of the Department of Energy Standard 3013 (DOE-STD-3013) requirements are described in Section 2.1. The SRS requirement is discussed in Section 2.2. Section 2.3 describes the way fissile materials are handled in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Plutonium Facility (B332). Based on the material handling discussed in Section 2.3, there are only three errors that could result in a shipping container being over batched. These are: incorrect measurement of the item, selecting the wrong item to package, and packaging two items into a single shipping container. The analysis in Section 3 shows that the first two events are incredible because of the controls that exist at LLNL. The third event is physically impossible. Therefore, it is incredible for an item to be shipped to SRS that is more than 1.0 kg of fissile materials over batched.

This is an update to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's (OCFO's) multi-year strategy to continue to build a highly effective, efficient and compliant financial and business approach to support the scientific mission of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The guiding principles of this strategy are to provide the greatest capability for the least cost while continually raising the standards of professional financial management in service to the LBNL science mission.

The Hanford Site's 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) processes contaminated aqueous wastes derived from Hanford Site facilities. The treated wastewater occasionally contains tritium, which cannot be removed by the ETF prior to the wastewater being discharged to the 200 Area State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS). During the first 11 months of fiscal year 2008 (FY08) (September 1, 2007, to July 31, 2008), approximately 75.15 million L (19.85 million gal) of water were discharged to the SALDS. Groundwater monitoring for tritium and other constituents, as well as water-level measurements, is required for the SALDS by State Waste Discharge Permit Number ST-4500 (Ecology 2000). The current monitoring network consists of three proximal (compliance) monitoring wells and nine tritium-tracking wells. Quarterly sampling of the proximal wells occurred in October 2007 and in January/February 2008, April 2008, and August 2008. The nine tritium-tracking wells, including groundwater monitoring wells located upgradient and downgradient of the SALDS, were sampled in January through April 2008. Water-level measurements taken in the three proximal SALDS wells indicate that a small groundwater mound is present beneath the facility, which is a result of operational discharges. The mound increased in FY08 due to increased ETF discharges from treating groundwater from …

Wastewater treatment is an energy intensive process which, together with water treatment, comprises about three percent of U.S. annual energy use. Yet, since wastewater treatment facilities are often peripheral to major electricity-using industries, they are frequently an overlooked area for automated demand response opportunities. Demand response is a set of actions taken to reduce electric loads when contingencies, such as emergencies or congestion, occur that threaten supply-demand balance, and/or market conditions occur that raise electric supply costs. Demand response programs are designed to improve the reliability of the electric grid and to lower the use of electricity during peak times to reduce the total system costs. Open automated demand response is a set of continuous, open communication signals and systems provided over the Internet to allow facilities to automate their demand response activities without the need for manual actions. Automated demand response strategies can be implemented as an enhanced use of upgraded equipment and facility control strategies installed as energy efficiency measures. Conversely, installation of controls to support automated demand response may result in improved energy efficiency through real-time access to operational data. This paper argues that the implementation of energy efficiency opportunities in wastewater treatment facilities creates a base …

The main goal of this project was to understand the solution structure of nonlinear boundary value problems arising in self-similar solutions of nonlinear systems of multidimensional conservation laws. This project further extended to study on biocomplex systems including Morphogen gradients systems (reaction-diffusion systems) and tumor growth and its treatment model problems (free boundary, conservation of mass and reaction-diffusion systems). The list of publications and the summary of those publications are listed.

We present an integrated approach for melting determination by monitoring several criteria simultaneously. In particular we combine x-ray diffraction observations with the detection of discontinuities in the optical properties by spectroradiometric measurements. This approach significantly increases the confidence of melt identification, especially with low-Z samples. We demonstrate the method with observations of melt in oxygen at 47 and 55 gigapascals.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), operated a grain storage facility at the northeastern edge of the city of Hanover, Kansas, from 1950 until the early 1970s. During this time, commercial grain fumigants containing carbon tetrachloride were in common use by the grain storage industry to preserve grain in their facilities. In February 1998, trace to low levels of carbon tetrachloride (below the maximum contaminant level [MCL] of 5.0 {micro}g/L) were detected in two private wells near the former grain storage facility at Hanover, as part of a statewide USDA private well sampling program that was implemented by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) near former CCC/USDA facilities. In April 2007, the CCC/USDA collected near-surface soil samples at 1.8-2 ft BGL (below ground level) at 61 locations across the former CCC/USDA facility. All soil samples were analyzed by the rigorous gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer analytical method (purge-and-trap method). No contamination was found in soil samples above the reporting limit of 10 {micro}g/kg. In July 2007, the CCC/USDA sampled indoor air at nine residences on or adjacent to its former facility to address the residents concerns regarding vapor intrusion. Low levels of …

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is a collaborative mega-ampere-class spherical torus research facility with high power heating and current drive systems and the state-of-the-art comprehensive diagnostics. For the 2008 experimental campaign, the high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating efficiency in deuterium improved significantly with lithium evaporation and produced a record central Te of 5 keV. The HHFW heating of NBI-heated discharges was also demonstrated for the first time with lithium application. The EBW emission in H-mode was also improved dramatically with lithium which was shown to be attributable to reduced edge collisional absorption. Newly installed FIDA energetic particle diagnostic measured significant transport of energetic ions associated with TAE avalanche as well as n=1 kink activities. A full 75 channel poloidal CHERS system is now operational yielding tantalizing initial results. In the near term, major upgrade activities include a liquid-lithium divertor target to achieve lower collisionality regime, the HHFW antenna upgrades to double its power handling capability in H-mode, and a beam-emission spectroscopy diagnostic to extend the localized turbulence measurements toward the ion gyro-radius scale from the present concentration on the electron gyro-radius scale. For the longer term, a new center stack to significantly expand the plasma operating parameters is …

A search for diffuse neutrinos with energies in excess of 10{sup 5} GeV is conducted with AMANDA-II data recorded between 2000 and 2002. Above 10{sup 7} GeV, the Earth is essentially opaque to neutrinos. This fact, combined with the limited overburden of the AMANDA-II detector (roughly 1.5 km), concentrates these ultra high-energy neutrinos at the horizon. The primary background for this analysis is bundles of downgoing, high-energy muons from the interaction of cosmic rays in the atmosphere. No statistically significant excess above the expected background is seen in the data, and an upper limit is set on the diffuse all-flavor neutrino flux of E{sup 2} {Phi}{sub 90%CL} < 2.7 x 10{sup -7} GeV cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} sr{sup -1} valid over the energy range of 2 x 10{sup 5} GeV to 10{sup 9} GeV. A number of models which predict neutrino fluxes from active galactic nuclei are excluded at the 90% confidence level.

The Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) for headspace gases distributes blind audit samples in a gas matrix for analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Participating measurement facilities (i.e., fixed laboratories, mobile analysis systems, and on-line analytical systems) are located across the United States. Each sample distribution is termed a PDP cycle. These evaluation cycles provide an objective measure of the reliability of measurements performed for transuranic (TRU) waste characterization. The primary documents governing the conduct of the PDP are the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD) (DOE/CBFO-94-1012) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Analysis Plan (WAP) contained in the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (NM4890139088-TSDF) issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The WAP requires participation in the PDP; the PDP must comply with the QAPD and the WAP. This plan implements the general requirements of the QAPD and the applicable requirements of the WAP for the Headspace Gas (HSG) PDP. Participating measurement facilities analyze blind audit samples of simulated TRU waste package headspace gases according to the criteria set by this PDP Plan. Blind audit samples (hereafter referred to as PDP samples) are used as an independent means to assess each measurement facility’s compliance with the WAP quality assurance …

The purpose of this study is to identify opportunities for photovoltaic (PV) research projects to capitalize on related but non-PV research. The study is performed under the assumption that a considerable body of ongoing semiconductor research in non-PV areas could be of value to its PV Program and the PV community in general. Research related to III-V compounds, thin films, and crystalline silicon materials is included. Research that is known to be PV-related or sponsored by DOE was excluded from consideration. The study resulted in 11 recommendations (research areas) and a subset of 58 specific research projects. In addition, over 75 non-PV research managers in the semiconductor field are identified as potential sources of ideas which could benefit photovoltaics.

The motivation for creating a permanent lunar settlement is sketched, and reasons for doing so in the coming decade are put forward. A basic plan to accomplish this is outlined, along technical and programmatic axes. It is concluded that founding a lunar settlement on the five hundredth anniversary of the Columbus landing - a Columbus Project - could be executed as a volunteer-intensive American enterprise requiring roughly six thousand man-years of skilled endeavor and a total Governmental contribution of the order of a half-billion dollars. 8 figs.

A stable, easy to operate, flow cytometer was built for routine use by research personnel in a biology laboratory. A 5 watt argon-ion laser excites the fluorescent dyes in cells flowing through a quartz flow chamber. A f/0.95 TV camera lens collects the fluorescent and scattered light and directs it through color separation filters and a beam splitter onto two photomultiplier tubes. Two 3-axis positioners are used to align the focused laser beam and the flow chamber with the light collection optics. All of the components, except the laser, are mounted on a rigid aluminum plate. Standard electronics modules are used. A coefficient of variation of about 1% can be obtained with fluorescent microspheres.

A canonical resolution of the multiplicity problem was proven for U(3) and this resolution is extended to a determination of all U(n) tensor operators characterized by maximal null space. 9 references.

The purpose of computer-assisted emergency response in nuclear power plants, and the requirements for achieving such a response, are presented. An important requirement is the attainment of realistic high-speed plant simulations at the reactor site. Currently pursued development programs for plant simulations are reviewed. Five modeling principles are established and a criterion is presented for selecting numerical procedures and efficient computer hardware to achieve high-speed simulations. A newly developed technology for high-speed power plant simulation is described and results are presented. It is shown that simulation speeds ten times greater than real-time process-speeds are possible, and that plant instrumentation can be made part of the computational loop in a small, on-site minicomputer. Additional technical issues are presented which must still be resolved before the newly developed technology can be implemented in a nuclear power plant.

Parts that are manufactured with diamond tools on precision machines typically exhibit high-quality surfaces and contours; however, most materials that are diamond turned easily are also relatively soft and damage easily. Therefore, a noncontact, rotary inspection machine was developed. This machine utilizes a focused beam from a laser interferometer to measure variations in the surfaces of the reflective, spherical test parts used to characterize precision machines. Digital output data from the laser display is converted to an analog signal which is available for additional processing to provide contour and/or surface texture information.

Grazing incidence metal mirrors (GIMMs) have been examined to replace dielectric mirrors for the final elements in a laser beam line for an inertial confinement fusion reactor. For a laser driver with a wavelength from 250 to 500 nm in a 10-ns pulse, irradiated mirrors made of Al, Al alloys, or Mg were found to have calculated laser damage limits of 0.3--2.3 J/cm{sup 2} of beam energy and neutron lifetime fluence limits of over 5 {times} 10{sup 20} 14 MeV n/cm{sup 2} (or 2.4 full power years when used in a 1000-MW reactor) when used at grazing incidence (an angle of incidence of 85 degrees) and operated at room temperature or at 77 K. A final focusing system including mirrors made of Al alloy 7457 at room temperature or at liquid nitrogen temperatures used with a driver which delivers 5 MJ of beam energy in 32 beams would require 32 mirrors of roughly 10 m{sup 2} each. This paper briefly reviews the methods used in calculating the damage limits for GIMMs and discusses critical issues relevant to the integrity and lifetime of such mirrors in a reactor environment. 10 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

Conformal field theories comprise a vast class of exactly solvable two dimensional quantum field theories. Conformal theories with an enlarged symmetry group, the current algebra symmetry, axe a key ingredient to possible string compactification models. The following work explores a Lagrangian approach to these theories. In the first part of this thesis, a large class of conformal theories, the so-called coset models, are derived semi-classically from a gauged version Of the Wess-Zumino-Witten functional. A non-local field transformation to the parafermionic field description is employed in the quantization procedure. Classically, these parafermionic fields satisfy non-trivial Poisson brackets, providing insight into the fractional spin nature of the conformal theory. The W-algebra symmetry is shown to appear naturally in this approach. In the second part of this thesis, the connection between the fusion algebra structure of Wess-Zumino-Witten models and the quantization of the Chern-Simons action on the torus is made explicit. The modular properties of the conformal model are also derived in this context, giving a natural demonstration of the Verlinde conjecture. The effects of background gauge fields and monopoles are also discussed.

For a variety of reasons, the containers that have or currently are being used for packaging radioactive waste have drawbacks which has motivated LLNL to investigate, design and destructively test different Type A containers. The result of this work is manifested in the TX-4, which is comparatively lightweight, increases the net payload, and the simplicity of the design and ease in handling have proved to be timesaving. The TX-4 is readily available, relatively inexpensive and practical to use. It easily meets Type A packaging specifications with a gross payload of 7000 pounds. Although no tests were performed at a higher weight, we feel that the TX-4 could pass the tests at higher gross weights if the need arises. 20 figures.