Annual report with the objectives of evaluating, producing, and maintaining an up-to-date set of basic nuclear data; producing and evaluating multigroup constants; and improving of present day methods of neutronic calculations as related to microscopic and macroscopic nuclear data, for unclassified research sponsored by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission during FY 1968.

Report discussing discrete energy levels observed within certain crystals which are due to perturbations of energy levels of the free ion by an electrostatic field arising from the crystal lattice. The analytic procedures for determining the field from the charge configuration are given, and the resulting fields are classified according to their symmetry. After a general survey of group-theoretical ideas, the applicable groups are analyzed in detail, and characters appropriate for both integral and half-integral angular momenta of the free ion are tabulated. Text includes tabulations, equations, and matrices using Wigner and Racah coefficients.

In this study, a physical-numerical model is used to investigate processes important for cratering, or excavation, physics for high-explosive sources in desert alluvium. High explosives do not vaporize much of the geological environment surrounding the initial cavity containing the explosive. Thus, a relatively simple, and in some cases a well-known, equation of state exists for the high-explosive cavity gas for pressure greater than 1 atmosphere. However, nuclear explosives are known to vaporize a great deal of surrounding geological environment during the early part of cavity life history. This vaporized material is believed to condense late in the life history of the cavity, and prior to vent of the cavity gas to the atmosphere, such that the latent heat of condensation plays an important role in nuclear excavation. So far, no numerical-physical models of the response of a geologic environment to a nuclear explosive includes the effect of condensation on the hydrodynamics of late times. Thus, the calculation of the cavity pressure at late times including the effect of condensation is one of the current unsolved problems in the calculation of a crater formed by nuclear explosives. This study, then, develops a predictive, numerical-physical model for H.E. sources of the cavity …

In any underground nuclear explosion, the shock front that propagates from the shot point carries with it energy from the explosion, and distributes this energy by doing work on the surrounding material. In the process, the material undergoes changes in both its physical and mechanical states. If enough energy is deposited in the material, it will vaporize or melt thus changing its physical state, or cause it to crush or crack. During the past few years, special computer codes have been developed for predicting the close-in phenomena of underground nuclear explosions using the laws of physics, and the knowledge of the properties of the materials in which the detonations occur. As a consequence, a better understanding of experimental observations and measurements has evolved.

The production of energy by nuclear reactions results in the production of radioactive nuclei. Therefore, in considering the possible utilization of nuclear explosives for peaceful purposes it is necessary to be able to predict the expected activities, their amounts, and dispositions. The amounts and kinds of radioactivities produced by detonation of a nuclear explosive are dependent upon the specific design of the explosive. The behavior and ultimate fate of the activities produced by the explosion depend on the composition of the medium in which the detonation occurs, the nature of the detonation, and the chemical species involved.

Recent underground nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission have yielded data on the effects of contained nuclear explosions in four rock mediums: tuff, alluvium, rock salt, and granite. This report presents and compares data obtained primarily through exploratory mining and drilling into the postshot environment of 35 such events.

From Introduction: "In this paper are presented the results obtained to date from the inspections of steel pilings. The investigation will be continued by additional inspections of pilings in other parts if the country in order to cover a wider range of soil environments."

A crystallographic study of the transition element beryllides was undertaken in support of phase diagram work. These beryllides are very high melting, and the use of ordinary methods make it difficult to determine stoichiometry. We have succeeded in establishing the compositions and complete crystal structure description of all of the room temperature stable or metastable compounds of the beryllides of niobium, tantalum, titanium zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, chromium and molybdenum. Since some of the structures found were not previously reported, complete structure determinations had to be done.

Quarterly report describing progress on a project to develop and evaluate high-temperature tungsten alloys. This report discusses properties for specific base alloys at room temperature and under high temperatures.

Activities in a program to develop techniques in the use of pulsed neutron sources to measure shutdown parameters related to large thermal power reactors are reported. In the course of this program, a new theory was suggested and an experimental apparatus was designed and built. Experiments were carried out to test the new model. This present report contains additional data and information extracted from the experiments at PG&E Humboldt Bay Power Reactor at Eureka, California. During the last days of 1963 a number of control rod and fuel bundle worth measurements were made in the ESADA Vallecitos Experimental Superheat Reactor (EVESR) using the (k[beta]/[script l] technique. A description of the experiments is given in the text of the report and some results are reported. A computer program was written to perform the data analysis of the pulsed neutron experiments and the code is discussed in the Appendix.

This report deals with a group of both theoretical and experimental investigations which have been carried out, utilizing Core 15, one in a series of critical assemblies that have been constructed at Atomics International's Epithermal Critical Experiments Laboratory (ECEL).

Harrison and Paskin (HP) have calculated the ordering energy of β-CuZn using recent theoretical techniques of treating electron screening and Mott's polar model of an alloy. Good agreement is obtained between the calculated total energy of the order-disorder transformation and specific heat measurements. A consequence of the HP calculation is that the ordering energy is long-range and oscillates in sign. Walker and Keating recently measured the neutron diffuse scattering of β-CuZn above the critical temperature Tc and find their data is in agreement with order calculated by only considering a nearest neighbor interaction. Using the Cowley statistical theory of order, we compare the order generated by a nearest-neighbor interaction and the long-range interaction of HP at a temperature 1.1Tc. we find the average behavior of the order generated by the nearest-neighbor and long range interaction to be similar, The major difference is the nearest-neighbor interaction generates order that asymptotically, varies smoothly with neighbor distance whereas the order resulting from the long-range interaction fluctuates markedly about the nearest-neighbor generated order. This result may explain the success of statistical theories, based on nearest-neighbor interactions, in both order-disorder of alloys as well as in some magnetic systems which are also believed to have …

The effects of explosion-induced ground motion must be evaluated in planning and executing any nuclear excavation project. For some projects ground use intensity may dictate the use of less-than-optimum yields to minimize damaging effects. In remote areas, weighing the alternatives of outright purchase of some property or use of smaller yields may be required. The cost of indemnifying owners against damage must be considered in any case. Discussions of the effects of ground motion on three broad types of facilities - engineered structures, residential buildings, and equipment required for the support of nuclear excavation operations - are presented. A method of predicting the response of single- and multi-storied buildings, the response spectrum technique, is discussed, with emphasis on the application of explosion-induced spectra.

The kinetic energies of pions from radioactive decays in propane have been determined by using the information given by the angles of the secondary particles. This method is independent of any range-energy relation.

The design status of the Experimental Fast Ceramic Reactor (EFCR) is described for the period up to October 31, 1961. The primary purpose of the facility is to study the dynamic behavior of a fast ceramic reactor, including the experimental demonstration of the effectiveness of the Doppler coefficient in limiting the power excursion following a rapid insertion of reactivity.

Experimental results on the effect of periodic acceleration on a natural circulation, 1000 psia, two-phase flow loop are presented, and related to the topic of marine reactor design. The initial results of this work were given previously in GEAP 3397.

In November 1952 an event took place which was to have a profound effect on political alignments of the world. This event was the detonation of "Mike", the first large thermonuclear device. The political implications of this experiment overshadowed what has come to be a major advance in the development of scientific tools; the experimentally verified, extremely high thermal neutron flux observed in Mike. Subsequent to this observation, the Atomic Energy Commission established a study program to investigate this particular characteristic of nuclear devices. Under the program, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, have studied the mechanisms of high fluxes, capture systematics, general stability characteristics, and more specifically, nuclear design to accomplish this massive neutron irradiation. Utilization of these greatly increased fluxes can be expected to significantly advance understanding in many fields.

Two principle reasons exist for the extension of high pressure research to temperatures near absolute zero. First, the comparison of certain data with theory (such as the pressure-volume relationship) is more meaningful if the effects of thermal vibrations can be ignored. Second, there are phenomena which can be studied only at low temperatures. These include superconductivity, the properties of solid helium and other inert gases, some electronic phenomena, etc.

Introduction: This report describes the Integral Neutron Thermalization activities at General Atomic from October 1, 1962, through September 30, 1963.

The basic similarity in cytochrome physiology between Anacystis nidulans ad Euglena gracilis, strains Z, is impressive in view of their gross dissimilarities in size, structure, and pigment content. We have investigated the cytochrome reactions by sensitive spectrophotometric methods in order to gain some insight into the patterns of energy transfer from the various light receptors to the reaction centers involved in the two photochemical reactions of green plant photosynthesis and also to elucidate the pathways of photosynthetic electron transfer. The major thrust of this presentation will be the implications of experiments on whole cells in which both wavelength and intensity of monochromatic actinic light have been systematically varied. Some preliminary observations of the effect of carbonyl cyanide-m chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) are presented, and the light-driven reduction of cytochrome b6 in Euglena chloroplast fragments is described.

"Abstract: An evaluation of a modulator flux sensitive playback head to be used with an analog magnetic recorder for nuclear pulse information storage was made. The modulator head was found unsultable. A pulse stretching unit was constructed which takes pulses from a standard linear pulse amplifier and provides an output signal suitable for driving a recording head."

The heavy metal intoxications involving the brain may be divided into two groups: One, in which the offending metal is clearly a poison, such as mercury or lead; and a second, in which the offending agent is normally an essential constituent of the body. The latter category would include manganese poisoning, copper poisoning (or Wilson's disease) and, if some recent data are valid, Huntington's chorea, in which iron seems to have been implicated. Our interest in the second category of diseases is due to the fact that these conditions represent special aberrations of normal homeostasis. Homeostasis is the sum of the processes which maintain constant structure, function and constitution in the body and its organs. In manganese poisoning, the homeostatic control is disturbed by virtue of oversupply of this element via an abnormal route (the respiratory tract), while in Wilson's disease homeostasis is disturbed by virtue of genetically transmitted abnormal avidity of the body for dietary copper. In the present paper, we will discuss first some of the clinical features of chronic manganese poisoning in order to raise some questions about extrapyramidal syndrome in general. Thereafter, we will allude to some investigations conducted at this center during the last ten …

A model has been developed for the analysis of current reversal chronopotentiograms in systems where the electrode process is followed by a homogeneous second order reaction. The model is analyzed using the IBM 7094 digital computer programed in FORTRAN language. Working curved, derived with the aid of dimensional analysis, can be used to evaluate rate constants from experimental data. The electroreducation of uranium (VI) to uranium (V) with subsequent second order disproportionation of uranium (V) has been studied as an experimental test of the model. Disproportionation rate constants thus obtained are in satisfactory agreement with previously reported values. Other possible applications of the model are discussed.

A strong motivation for metabolic investigations of essential metals lies with the simple fact that these elements are primordial metabolites and building blocks of living matter, a truism largely forgotten today. Among them, the metals of the first transition group display high physical and chemical flexibility: They can concomitantly coordinate natural or artificial ligands; they can regulate electron and proton transport; they can act as catalysts or as cofactors to catalysis.