This one of NASA`s sponsored activities of the NCRP. In 1983, NASA asked NCRP to examine radiation risks in space and to make recommendations about career radiation limits for astronauts (with cancer considered as the principal risk). In conjunction with that effort, NCRP was asked to convene this symposium; objective is to examine the technical, strategic, and philosophical issues pertaining to acceptable risk and radiation in space. Nine papers are included together with panel discussions and a summary. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Research has been underway at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to build a theoretical and experimental base for the design of ambient-temperature passive magnetic bearings for a variety of possible applications. in the approach taken the limitations imposed by Earnshaw`s theorem with respect to the stability of passive magnetic bearing systems employing axially symmetric permanent-magnet elements are overcome by employing special combinations of elements, as follows: Levitating and restoring forces are provided by combinations of permanent-magnet-excited elements chosen to provide positive stiffnesses (negative force derivatives) for selected displacements (i.e., those involving translations or angular displacement of the axis of rotation). As dictated by Eamshaw`s theorem, any bearing system thus constructed will be statically unstable for at least one of the remaining possible displacements. Stabilization against this displacement is accomplished by using periodic arrays (`Halbach arrays`) of permanent magnets to induce currents in close-packed inductively loaded circuits, thereby producing negative force derivatives stabilizing the system while in rotation. Disengaging mechanical elements stabilize the system when at rest and when below a low critical speed. The paper discusses theory and equations needed for the design of such systems.

If dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking is due to a flavor doublet of color sextet quarks, enhanced electroweak scale QCD instanton interactions may produce a large top mass, raise the {eta}{sub 6} axion mass, and also explain the excesses in the DIS cross-section at HERA and jet cross-sections at the Tevatron.

Magnetic excitations in an array of (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} single crystals have been measured using inelastic neutron scattering. Until now, (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} has been thought of as a two-leg antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin ladder with chains running in the a-direction. The present results show unequivocally that (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} is best described as an alternating spin-chain directed along the crystallographic b-direction. In addition to the expected magnon with magnetic zone-center energy gap {Delta} = 3.1 meV, a second excitation is observed at an energy just below 2{Delta}. The higher mode may be a triplet two-magnon bound state. Numerical results in support of bound modes are presented.

When performing k-eigenvalue solutions with KENO-V.a, two different prompt neutron lifetimes are estimated - a system lifetime and a neutron generation time. The meaning of these two lifetimes has been ascertained by comparing values of various neutron lifespans/lifetimes predicted by MCNP and DANTSYS based on the neutron-balance theory. The system lifetime in KENO-Va corresponds to the unweighted removal lifetime calculated by both MCNP and DANTSYS. The unweighted removal lifetime is the average time between removal events resulting from a neutron absorption or a neutron leakage. The generation time in KENO-V.a corresponds to the fission lifespan calculated by MCNP, where the fission lifespan in MCNP represents the average time for a newly born neutron to cause another fission. As such, the generation time in KENO-Va does not represent the generation time that appears in the point kinetic model. The generation time in the point kinetic model is the adjoint-weighted removal lifetime divided by k{sub eff}, which is identically equal to the adjoint-weighted neutron production rate. In small bare systems operating in the vicinity of delayed critical, the difference between the adjoint-weighted neutron generation time and the fission lifespan can be as small as a few percent. However, in reflected systems, the …

This paper discusses the development and testing of a low-profile, high-voltage, spark-gap switch designed to be closely coupled with other components into an integrated high-energy pulsed-power source. The switch is designed to operate at 100 kV using SF6 gas pressurized to less than 0.7 MPa. The volume of the switch cavity region is less than 1.5 cm3, and the field stress along the gas-dielectric interface is as high as 130 kV/cm. The dielectric switch body has a low profile that is only I -cm tall at its greatest extent and nominally 2-mm thick over most of its area. This design achieves a very low inductance of less than 5 nH, but results in field stresses exceeding 500 kV/cm in the dielectric material. Field modeling was done to determine the appropriate shape for the highly stressed insulator and electrodes, and special manufacturing techniques were employed to mitigate the usual mechanisms that induce breakdown and failure in solid dielectrics. Static breakdown tests verified that the switch operates satisfactorily at 100 kV levels. The unit has been characterized with different shaped electrodes having nominal gap spacings of 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mm. The relationship between self-break voltage and operating pressure agrees well with …

Accurate assessments of reliability and condition based maintenance can only be implemented where a good understanding of ammunition stockpile condition exists. Use of miniaturized intelligent sensors provides an inexpensive means of nondestructively gaining insight into stockpile condition while keeping costs low. In the past, evaluation of ammunition lifetimes has utilized humidity, temperature, pressure, shock, and corrosion. New technologies provide the possibility of obtaining these environmental parameters, as well as a number of other indicators of propellant degradation, including NOx by utilizing a microsensor with capability for remote wireless monitoring. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) like microcantilevers promise to revolutionize the field of sensor design. In the automobile industry, micromachined acceleration sensors are now used for triggering airbags and pressure sensors adjust the air-fuel intake ratio in the engine. By applying coatings to the sensor`s surface the behavior of the microdevice can be measurably altered to respond to chemical species as demonstrated by ORNL using microcantilevers to detect mercury vapor and humidity. Ultimately, single-chip detectors with electronics and telemetry could be developed with conceivably hundreds of individual microsensors on each chip to simultaneously monitor identify, and quantify many important chemical species for ammunition as well as measure environmental parameters.

We recently demonstrated the production of 1.25 PW of peak power in the Nova/Petawatt Laser Facility, generating > 600 J in < 450 fs. Results of the first focused irradiance tests, at 500 J and deployment of a novel targeting system will be presented.

Irradiation of Au and Pb foils with Xe ions at temperatures between 30 and 450 K has been monitored using in-situ transmission electron microscopy. Single ion impacts give rise to surface craters on the irradiated surface with sizes as large as 12 nm. Approximately 2--5% of impinging ions produce craters on Au while only about 0.6% produce craters on Pb. Larger craters on Au frequently have expelled material associated with them. Temporal details of crater formation and annihilation has been recorded on video with a time-resolution of 33 milliseconds. Craters annihilate in discrete steps due to subsequent ion impacts or anneal in a continuous manner due to surface diffusion. Craters production (those persisting for one or more video-frames) as a function of temperature indicates that the surface diffusion process responsible for thermal annealing of craters has an activation energy of 0.76 eV in Au. Crater creation results from plastic flow associated with near surface cascades. Crater annihilation in discrete steps results from plastic flow induced by subsequent ion impacts, including those that do not themselves produce a crater.

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is capable of atomic resolution and is ideally suited for imaging surfaces with uniform work function. A biological sample on a conducting substrate in air does not meet this criteria and requires a conductive coating for stable and reproducible STM imaging. In this paper, the authors describe the STM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization of ultra-thin ion-beam sputtered films of iridium and cathode sputtered gold/palladium and platinum films on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) which were developed for use as biomolecule coatings. The goals were the development of metal coatings sufficiently thin and fine grained that 15--20 {angstrom} features of biological molecules could be resolved using STM, and the development of a substrate/coating system which would allow complementary TEM information to be obtained for films and biological molecules. The authors demonstrate in this paper that ion-beam sputtered iridium on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) has met both these goals. The ion-beam sputtered iridium produced a very fine grained (< 10 {angstrom}) continuous film at 5--6 {angstrom} thickness suitable for stable air STM imaging. In comparison, cathode sputtered platinum produced 16 {angstrom} grains with the thinnest continuous film at 15 {angstrom} thickness, and the sputtered gold/palladium …

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Periodically one needs to re-examine the objectives and the efforts associated with a field of study. In the case of surety which comprises, safety, security and reliability one needs to be sure that theoretical efforts support the needs of systems and design engineers in satisfying stakeholder requirements. The current focus in the surety areas does not appear to address the theoretical foundations needed by the systems engineer. Examination of papers and abstracts demonstrate significant effort along the lines of thermal hydraulics, chemistry, structural response, control theory, etc. which are analytical disciplines which provide support for a surety theoretic but do not constitute a theoretic. The representations currently employed, fault trees etc., define static representations of a system, not the dynamic representation characteristic of response in abnormal, hostile or under degrading conditions. Current methodologies would require a semi-infinite set of scenarios to be examined before a system could be certified as satisfying a surety requirement. The elements that are required of a surety theoretic must include: (1) a dynamic representation of the system; (2) the ability to automatically identify terminal states of the system; and (3) determine the probabilities of specified terminal states under dynamic conditions. This paper examines the requirements …

A source-to-target model for a induction linac driver for heavy ion fusion has been developed and is described here. Design features for a reference case driver that meets the requirements of one current target design are given, and the systems analyses supporting the point design are discussed. Directions for future work are noted.

Article on a thermochemical and theoretical study of some quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides and of pyrazine 1,4-dioxide.

A non-invasive two-color infrared thermometer has been developed for low-temperature biomedical applications. Mid-infrared radiation from the target is collected via a single 700 {mu}m-bore hollow glass optical fiber, simultaneously split into two paths and modulated by a gold-coated reflective optical chopper, and focused onto two thermoelectrically-cooled HgCdZnTe photoconductors (bandpasses of 2- 6 {mu}m and 2-12 {mu}m, respectively) by gold-coated spherical mirrors. The small numerical aperture of the hollow glass fiber provides high spatial resolution (is less than 1 mm), and the hollow bore eliminates reflective losses. The modulated detector signals are recovered using lock-in amplification, permitting measurement of small low-temperature signal buried in the background. A computer algorithm calculates the true temperature and emissivity of the target in real time based on a previous blackbody (emissivity equal to 1) calibration, taking into account reflection of the ambient radiation field from the target surface.

The FXR is an induction linear accelerator used for flash radiography at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Site 300 Test Facility. The FXR was originally completed in 1982 and has been in continuous use as a radiographic tool. At that time the FXR produced a 17MeV, 2.2 kA burst of electrons for a duration of 65 ns. An upgrade of the FXR was recently completed. The purpose of this upgrade was to improve the performance of the FXR by increasing the energy of the electron injector from 1.2 MeV to 2.5 MeV and the beam current from 2.2 kA to 3 kA, improving the magnetic transport system by redesigning the solenoidal transport focus coils, reducing the rf coupling of the electron beam to the accelerator cells, and by adding additional beam diagnostics. We will describe the injector upgrades and performance as well as our efforts to tune the accelerator by minimizing beam corkscrew motion and the impact of Beam Breakup Instability on beam centroid motion throughout the beam line as the current is increased to 3 kA.