A gamma counting system has been assembled that can profile the breakthrough fronts of gamma-emitting radioisotopes longitudinally and axially along a loaded column. This profiling technique has been particularly useful in columns studies such as those performed with IONSP IE-911, a crystalline silicotitanate (CST) manufactured by UOP, in which unusually long operating times are required to observe cesium breakthrough in column effluent. The length of the mass transfer zone and extent of column saturation can be detected early in a column study by viewing the relative emission of gamma emitters along I the length of the column. In this study, gamma scans were used to analyze loaded CST and zeolite columns used in the treatment of process wastewater simulant and actual groundwater. Results indicate good run-to-run reproductibility in acquiring the scans. The longitudinal gamma scans for both {sup 90}Sr and {sup 137}Cs conformed with breakthrough results reported on the basis of column effluent activity. Although not obvious from data obtained by monitoring effluent activity, the gamma scans indicated that both cesium and strontium in the saturated zone of the CST column are slowly displaced by the higher levels of groundwater cations and are then resorbed further down the column. This …

The Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses the U.S. Navy's Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) to supply high-resolution wind data for use in its real-time dispersion modeling system. ARAC has used COAMPS products to support several events and exercises, and COAMPS forecasts appear accurate, based on qualitative examination. Recently ARAC has developed a quantitative verification system which calculates COAMPS error and bias statistics, comparing COAMPS forecasts of various lengths with observational data. This paper shows how this system has been used to guide ARAC operators, who need an estimate of the likely behavior of COAMPS forecasts of various lengths in different regions, seasons, and weather patterns.

We are continuing to study the suitability of modified thermal-battery technology as a potential power source for geothermal borehole applications. Previous work focused on the LiSi/FeS{sub 2} couple over a temperature range of 350 C to 400 C with the LiBr-KBr-LiF eutectic, which melts at 324.5 C. In this work, the discharge processes that take place in LiSi/CsBr-LiBr-KBr eutectic/FeS{sub 2} thermal cells were studied at temperatures between 250 C and 400 C using pelletized cells with immobilized electrolyte. The CsBr-LiBr-KBr eutectic was selected because of its lower melting point (228.5 C). Incorporation of a quasi-reference electrode allowed the determination of the relative contribution of each electrode to the overall cell polarization. The results of single-cell tests and limited battery tests are presented, along with preliminary data for battery stacks tested in a simulated geothermal borehole environment.

We report a systematic study of the Mn 2p, 3s and 3p core-level photoemission and satellite structures for Mn model compounds. Charge-transfer from the ligand state to the 3d metal state is observed and is distinguished by prominent shake-up satellites. We also observe that the Mn 3s multiplet splitting becomes smaller as the Mn oxidation state increases, and that 3s-3d electron correlation reduces the branching ratio of the 7S:5S states in the Mn 3s spectra. In addition, as the ligand electronegativity decreases, the spin state purity is lost in the 3s spectra as evidenced by peak broadening. Our results are best understood in terms of the configuration-interaction (CI) model including intrashell electron correlation, charge-transfer and final-state screening.

The emerging field of haptics represents a fundamental change in human-computer interaction (HCI), and presents solutions to problems that are difficult or impossible to solve with a two-dimensional, mouse-based interface. To take advantage of the potential of haptics, however, innovative interaction techniques and programming environments are needed. This paper describes FGB (FLIGHT GHUI Builder), a programming tool that can be used to create an application specific graphical and haptic user interface (GHUI). FGB is itself a graphical and haptic user interface with which a programmer can intuitively create and manipulate components of a GHUI in real time in a graphical environment through the use of a haptic device. The programmer can create a GHUI without writing any programming code. After a user interface is created, FGB writes the appropriate programming code to a file, using the FLIGHT API, to recreate what the programmer created in the FGB interface. FGB saves programming time and increases productivity, because a programmer can see the end result as it is created, and FGB does much of the programming itself. Interestingly, as FGB was created, it was used to help build itself. The further FGB was in its development, the more easily and quickly it …

The electronic transport properties of Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) determine the charge collection efficiency (i.e. the signal quality) of CZT detectors. These properties vary on both macroscopic and microscopic scale and depend on the presence of impurities and defects introduced during the crystal growth. Ion Beam Induced Charge Collection (IBICC) is a proven method to measure the charge collection efficiency. Using an ion microbeam, the charge collection efficiency can be mapped with submicron resolution, and the map of electronic properties (such as drift length) can be calculated from the measurement. A more sophisticated version of IBICC, the Time Resolved IBICC (TRIBICC) allows them to determine the mobility and the life time of the charge carriers by recording and analyzing the transient waveform of the detector signal. Furthermore, lateral IBICC and TRIBICC can provide information how the charge collection efficiency depends on the depth where the charge carriers are generated. This allows one to deduce information on the distribution of the electric field and transport properties of the charge carriers along the detector axis. IBICC and TRIBICC were used at the Sandia microbeam facility to image electronic properties of several CZT detectors. From the lateral TRIBICC measurement the electron and hole …

Sodium species vaporized from melting batch and molten glass in tank furnaces are the principal agents of corrosion of superstructure refractory and main contributors to emissions of particulate matter from glass melting. The use of oxygen in place of air for combustion of natural gas reduces particulate emissions, but is thought to accelerate corrosion in some melting tanks. Methods for measuring sodium are under investigation as means for identifying the volatilization, transport, and deposition mechanisms and developing strategies for control. Three separate methods were used to measure the concentrations of sodium species at various locations in an oxygen-natural gas-fired soda-lime-silica glass melting tank. Measurements were made inside the furnace using the absorption of visible light and in the flue duct using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). Measurements in both the furnace and flue were also made by withdrawing and analyzing samples of the furnace gas.

A motion planning strategy was developed and implemented to generate motion control instructions from solid model data for controlling a robotically driven solid free-form fabrication process. The planning strategy was tested using a PUMA type robot arm integrated into a LENS{trademark} (Laser Engineered Net Shape) system. Previous systems relied on a series of x, y, and z stages, to provide a minimal coordinated motion control capability. This limited the complexity of geometries that could be constructed. With the coordinated motion provided by a robotic arm, the system can produce three dimensional parts by ''writing'' material onto any face of existing material. The motion planning strategy relied on solid model geometry evaluation and exploited robotic positioning flexibility to allow the construction of geometrically complex parts. The integration of the robotic manipulator into the LENS{trademark} system was tested by producing metal parts directly from CAD models.

The performance of Li-alloy/CsBr-LiBr-KBr/Ag{sub 2}CrO{sub 4} systems was studied over a temperature range of 250 C to 300 C, for possible use as a power source for geothermal borehole applications. Single cells were discharged at current densities of 15.8 and 32.6 mA/cm{sup 2} using Li-Si and Li-Al anodes. When tested in 5-cell batteries, the Li-Si/CsBr-LiBr-KBr/Ag{sub 2}CrO{sub 4} system exhibited thermal runaway. Thermal analytical tests showed that the Ag{sub 2}CrO{sub 4} cathode reacted exothermically with the electrolyte on activation. Consequently, this system would not be practical for the envisioned geothermal borehole applications.

Perturbative coefficients for Wilson loops and the static quark self-energy are extracted from Monte Carlo simulations at large {beta} on finite volumes, where all the lattice momenta are large. The Monte Carlo results are in excellent agreement with perturbation theory through second order. New results for third order coefficients are reported. Twisted boundary conditions are used to eliminate zero modes and to suppress Z{sub 3} tunneling.

The Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) was established in 1989 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) with the principal mission to develop improved methods and tools for the diagnosis, validation and intercomparison of global climate models. The goal of the process is to eventually improve simulation of the regional climate effects of increasing greenhouse gases. In addition to comparing models, PCMDI continues to develop a modeling infrastructure by creating diagnostics that will be shared throughout the research community. PCMDI's early model intercomparison strategy was to solicit a few models that could be run for a specified period with prescribed sea-surface temperatures after being imported and adapted to the LLNL unclassified computer systems. Because of the enormous time required to prepare each model, the experiment was reversed and the modeling groups were asked to perform the controlled simulations themselves. In order to reach out to the entire atmospheric modeling community, the Working Group for Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) became the parent organization and the project was named the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP). Eventually, more than thirty atmospheric modeling groups joined the effort to compare their model output (Gates et al. 1999). The general results showed that the …

Damage to plasma-facing components (PFCs) and structural materials due to loss of plasma confinement in magnetic fusion reactors remains one of the most serious concerns for safe, successful, and reliable tokamak operation. High erosion losses due to surface vaporization, spallation, and melt-layer splashing are expected during such an event. The eroded debris and dust of the PFCs, including trapped tritium, will be contained on the walls or within the reactor chamber therefore, they can significantly influence plasma behavior and tritium inventory during subsequent operations. Tritium containment and behavior in PFCS and in the dust and debris is an important factor in evaluating and choosing the ideal plasma-facing materials (PFMs). Tritium buildup and release in the debris of candidate materials is influenced by the effect of material porosity on diffusion and retention processes. These processes have strong nonlinear behavior due to temperature, volubility, and existing trap sites. A realistic model must therefore account for the nonlinear and multidimensional effects of tritium diffusion in the porous-redeposited and neutron-irradiated materials. A tritium-transport computer model, TRAPS (Tritium Accumulation in Porous Structure), was developed and used to evaluate and predict the kinetics of tritium transport in porous media. This model is coupled with the TRICS …

Atlas is a pulsed power machine designed for hydrodynamic experiments for the Los Alamos High Energy Density Physics Experimental program. It is presently under construction and should be operational in late 2000. Atlas will store 23 MJ at an erected voltage of 240 kV. This will produce a current of 30 MA into a static load and as much as 32 MA into a dynamic load. The current pulse will have a rise time of {approximately}5{micro}s and will produce a magnetic field driving the impactor liner of several hundred Tesla at the target radius of one to two centimeters. The collision can produce shock pressures of {approximately}15 megabars. Design of the pulsed power system will be presented along with data obtained from the Atlas prototype Marx module.

The multi-megabar shock driver development is a series of experiments in support of the Los Alamos High Energy Density Physics Experimental Program. Its purpose is to develop techniques to impact a uniform, stable, composite liner upon a high Z target to produce a multi-megabar shock for EOS studies. To date, experiments have been done on the Pegasus II capacitor bank with a current of {approximately}12MA driving the impactor liner. The driving field is {approximately}200 T at the target radius of 1cm. Data will be presented on the impactor liner. The driving field is {approximately}200 T at the target radius of 1 cm. Data will be presented on the stability and uniformity of the impactor liner when it impacts the target cylinder. Three experiments have been done with emphasis on liner development. Shock pressures greater than a megabar have been done with emphasis on liner development. Shock pressures greater than a megabar have been produced with an Al target cylinder. A Pt target cylinder should produce shock pressures in th e 5-megabar range.

Los Alamos flux compression activities are surveyed, mainly through references in view of space limitations. However, two plasma physics programs done with Sandia National Laboratory are discussed in more detail.

Often helical flux-compressor generator (FCG) design codes are essentially circuit codes which utilize known equations for parameterizing circuit elements such as armature and stator inductance. The authors present an analytical model that is based more on first principals. The stator inductance is calculated using a definition of inductance in terms of the magnetic vector-potential. The calculation accounts for winding-pitch, bifurcations, and works for any ratio of length to diameter. The currents on the armature are calculated self-consistently and are not assumed to simply 'mirror' the stator currents. Resistive losses and magnetic diffusion losses are calculated less rigorously but they are working on better methods. Details of the model and comparison with experiment will be presented.

At Los Alamos, the authors have primarily applied Explosively Formed Fuse (EFF) techniques to high current systems. In these systems, the EFF has interrupted currents from 19 to 25 MA, thus diverting the current to low inductance loads. The magnitude of transferred current is determined by the ratio of storage inductance to load inductance, and with dynamic loads, the current has ranged from 12 to 20 MA. In a system with 18 MJ stored energy, the switch operates at a power up to 6 TW. The authors are now investigating the use of the EFF technique to apply high voltages to high impedance loads in systems that are more compact. In these systems, they are exploring circuits with EFF lengths from 43 to 100 cm, which have storage inductances large enough to apply 300 to 500 kV across high impedance loads. Experimental results and design considerations are presented. Using cylindrical EFF switches of 10 cm diameter and 43 cm length, currents of approximately 3 MA were interrupted producing {approximately}200 kV. This indicate s the switch had an effective resistance of {approximately}100 m{Omega} where 150--200 m{Omega} was expected. To understand the lower performance, several parameters were studied, including: electrical conduction through …

The authors have developed a system for driving hydrodynamic liners at currents approaching 30 MA. Their 43 cm module will deliver currents of interest, and when fully developed, the 1.4 m module will allow similar currents with more total system inductance. With these systems they can perform interesting physics experiments and support the Atlas development effort.

Imploding, cylindrical liners provide a unique, shockless means of simultaneously accessing high strain and high-strain-rate for measurement of strength of materials in plastic flow. The radial convergence in the liner geometry results in the liner thickening as the circumference becomes smaller. Strains of up to {approximately}1.25 and strain rates of up to {approximately}10{sup 6} sec{sup -1} can be readily achieved in a material sample placed inside of an aluminum driver liner, using the Pegasus II capacitor bank. This provides yield strength data at conditions where none presently exists. The heating from work done against the yield strength is measured with multichannel pyrometry from infrared radiation emitted by the material sample. The temperature data as a function of liner position are unfolded to give the yield strength along the strain, strain-rate trajectory. Proper design of the liner and sample configuration ensures that the current diffused into the sample adds negligible heating. An important issue, in this type of temperature measurement, is shielding of the pickup optics from other sources of radiation. At strains greater than those achievable on Pegasus, e.g. the LANL Atlas facility, some materials may be heated all the way to melt by this process. Recent data on 6061-T6 …

LANL and VNIIEF are performing a set of joint experiments to explore the conductivity and possible metalization of argon and krypton compressed to up to five times normal solid density. The experiments use a magnetic field of several megagauss, generated by a Russian MC1 generator, to compress a metallic tube containing solidified argon or krypton. A probe in the center of the tube measures the electrical conductivity to the walls, and a 70-MeV betatron serves as an x-ray source for three radiographic measurements of the compression. Several of these experiments for argon compressed to around 4 to 5 times solid density indicate a conductivity in the range of 10 to 100 {Omega}{sup -1}cm{sup -1}, well below that of a metal. For krypton preliminary results show a conductivity of order 1000 or more, indicating likely metalization of the compressed sample.

A series of experiments to compare imploding liner performance with magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) modeling has been performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Pegasus II pulse power machine. Liner instability growth originating from initial perturbations machined into the liner has been observed with high resolution. Three major diagnostics were used: radiography, Velocity Interferometer for a Surface of Any Reflector (VISAR), and fiber optic impact pins. For radiography, three flash x-ray units were mounted radially to observe liner shape at three different times during the implosion. Liner velocity was measured continuously with the VISAR for the entire distance traveled in two experiments. Optical impact pins provide a high-resolution measure of liner symmetry and shape near the end of travel. Liner performance has compared well with predictions.

A technique is developed for linking the methods of discrete dislocation dynamics simulation and finite element to treat elasto-plasticity problems. The overall formulation views the plastically deforming crystal as an elastic crystal with continuously changing dislocation microstructure which is tracked by the numerical dynamics simulation. The FEM code needed in this regard is based on linear elasticity only. This formulation presented here is focused on a continuous updating of the outer shape of the crystal, for possible regeneration of the FEM mesh, and adjustment of the surface geometry, in particular the surface normal. The method is expected to be potentially applicable to the nano- indentation experiments, where the zone around the indenter-crystal contact undergoes significant permanent deformation, the rigorous determination of which is very important to the calculation of the indentation print area and in turn, the surface hardness. Furthermore, the technique is expected to account for the plastic history of the surface displacement under the indenter. Other potential applications are mentioned in the text.

A non-destructive, one megagauss magnet is now being designed in cooperation between Los Alamos and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) through joint funding by the US Department of Energy and the US NSF. The design combines two types of pulsed magnet now in use at the NHMFL: a capacitor-driven 'insert' magnet with a total pulse width of order 10 ms and a much larger 'outsert' magnet with a total pulse width of order 2 seconds that is driven by a controlled power source. The insert and outsert produce approximately 1/2 megagauss each. Although the design uses CuAg as the principal conductor further design efforts and materials development are exploring CuNb and stainless steel-clad copper as possible future alternatives. A crucial innovation was to employ wound steel strip (sheet) as a reinforcement in both insert and outsert coils. This gives extra strength due to the higher degree of cold-work possible in strip materials. For this leading edge magnet a key role is played by materials development. A major component, the 7 module 560 MVA controlled dc power supply required for the outsert, has been installed and commissioned.

In the concept known as Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) in the United States and Magnitnoye Obzhatiye (MAGO) in Russia, a preheated and magnetized target plasma is hydrodynamically compressed to fusion conditions. Because the magnetic field suppresses losses by electron thermal conduction in the fuel during the target implosion heating process, the compression may be over a much longer time scale than in traditional inertial confinement fusion. Hence ''liner-on-plasma'' compressions, magnetically driven using relatively inexpensive electrical pulsed power, may be practical. One candidate target plasma known as ''MAGO'' was originated in Russia and is now being jointly developed by the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Other possible target plasmas now under investigation at LANL include wall-supported deuterium-fiber-initiated Z-pinches and compact toroids. Detailed computational modeling is being done of such target plasmas. In addition, liner-on-plasma compressions of such target plasmas to fusion conditions are being computationally modeled, and experimental and computational investigation of liner implosions suitable for MTF is continuing. Results will be presented.