The fourth international LTE opacity workshop and code comparison study, WorkOp-IV, was held in Madrid in 1997. Results of this workshop are summarized with a focus on iron opacities. In particular, the astrophysically important photon absorption region between 50 and 80 eV is emphasized for a sequence of iron plasmas at densities and temperatures that produce nearly the same average ionization stage (Z* {approximately} 8.6). Experimental data that addressed this spectral region is also reviewed.

Extending early work, we formulate the large N matrix mechanics of general bosonic, fermionic and supersymmetric matrix models, including Matrix theory: The Hamiltonian framework of large N matrix mechanics provides a natural setting in which to study the algebras of the large N limit, including (reduced) Lie algebras, (reduced) supersymmetry algebras and free algebras. We find in particular a broad array of new free algebras which we call symmetric Cuntz algebras, interacting symmetric Cuntz algebras, symmetric Bose/Fermi/Cuntz algebras and symmetric Cuntz superalgebras, and we discuss the role of these algebras in solving the large N theory. Most important, the interacting Cuntz algebras are associated to a set of new (hidden!) local quantities which are generically conserved only at large N. A number of other new large N phenomena are also observed, including the intrinsic nonlocality of the (reduced) trace class operators of the theory and a closely related large N field identification phenomenon which is associated to another set (this time nonlocal) of new conserved quantities at large N.

Radio continuum emission at cm wavelengths is relatively little affected by extinction. When combined with far-infrared (FIR) surveys this provides for a convenient and unbiased method to select (radio-loud) AGN and starbursts deeply embedded in gas and dust-rich galaxies. Such radio-selected FIR samples are useful for detailed investigations of the complex relationships between (radio) galaxy and starburst activity, and to determine whether ULIRGs are powered by hidden quasars (monsters) or young stars (babies). We present the results of a large program to obtain identifications and spectra of radio-sleected, optically faint IRAS/FSC objects using the FIRST/VLA 20 cm survey (Becker, White and Helfand 1995). These objects are all radio-'quiet' in the sense that their radio power/FIR luminosities follow the well-known radio/FIR relationship for star forming galaxies. We compare these results to a previous study by our group of a sample of radio-'loud' IRAS/FSC ULIRGs selected from the Texas 365 MHz survey (Douglas et al. 1996). Many of these objects also show evidence for dominant, A-type stellar populations, as well as high ionization lines usually associated with AGN. These radio-loud ULIRGs have properties intermediate between those of starbursts and quasars, suggesting a possibile evolutionary connection. Deep Keck spectroscopic observations of three ULIRGs …

Evidence for capillary waves at a liquid/vapor interface are presented from extensive molecular dynamics simulations of a system containing up to 1.24 million Lennard-Jones particles. Careful measurements show that the total interfacial width depends logarithmically on L{sub {parallel}}, the length of the simulation cell parallel to the interface, as predicted theoretically. The strength of the divergence of the interfacial width on L{sub {parallel}} depends inversely on the surface tension {gamma}. This allows us to measure {gamma} two ways since {gamma} can also be obtained from the difference in the pressure parallel and perpendicular to the interface. These two independent measures of {gamma} agree provided that the interfacial order parameter profile is fit to an error function and not a hyperbolic tangent, as often assumed. We explore why these two common fitting functions give different results for {gamma}.

The performance of transparent optics in high fluence applications is often dominated by inhomogeneities in the first few hundred nanometers of material. Defects undetectable with optical methods can cause catastrophic failures when used in critical applications where high strength, chemical or mechanical resistance or extreme smoothness is required. Not only are these defects substantially smaller than the wavelength of visible light, they are often concealed below a layer of glass-like material deposited during the polishing process. In high quality glass, the chemical and material properties of the outermost layer are modified by the grinding, lapping and polishing processes used in fabrication. Each succeeding step in a process is designed to remote damage from the previous operation. However, any force against the surface, no matter how slight will leave evidence of this damage. These processes invariably create dislocations, cracks and plastic deformation in the subsurface region.

Tainter, F.H., and J.W. McMinn. 1999. Early deterioration of coarse woody debris. In: Proc. Tenth Bien. South. Silv. Res. Conf. Shreveport, LA, February 16-18, 1999. Pp. 232-237 Abstract - Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important structural component of southern forest ecosystems. CWD loading may be affected by different decomposition rates on sites of varying quality. Bolts of red oak and loblolly pine were placed on plots at each of three (hydric, mesic. and xerlc) sites at the Savannah River Site and sampled over a I6-week period. Major changes were in moisture content and nonstructural carbohydrate content (total carbohydrates, reducing sugars, and starch) of sapwood. Early changes in nonstructural carbohydrate levels following placement of the bolts were likely due to reallocation of these materials by sapwood parenchyma cells. These carbohydrates later formed pools increasingly metabolized by bacteria and invading fungi. Most prevalent fungi in sapwood were Ceratocysfis spp. in pine and Hypoxy/on spp. in oak. Although pine sapwood became blue stained and oak sapwood exhibited yellow soft decay with black zone lines, estimators of decay (specific gravity, sodium hydroxide solubility, and holocellulose content) were unchanged during the 16-week study period. A small effect of site was detected for starch content …

At the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), the D&D task is enormous. Tons of plutonium has been processed over the years in approximately 1,000 gloveboxes, This represents nearly half of the gloveboxes in the DOE complex. In addition, more than a thousand tanks of various designs, with miles of associated piping, supported the processes. A wide variety of operations were performed at RFETS, including aqueous processing, pyrophoric processing, hydriding and dehydriding, metal casting, and machining of plutonium. Various materials have been handled at the facility, including plutonium, uranium, americium, tantalum, beryllium, chloride salts, and various acids and solvents. Significant amounts of plutonium residues remain in inaccessible equipment in the facilities, which create criticality safety issues. Some of the plutonium has been at RFETS for many years, and there is significant in-growth of americium, a decay product that emits gamma radiation, which potentially increases exposure to the workers. The size reduction portion of the D&D will be difficult and costly. The gloveboxes and tanks are constructed of stainless steel, frequently with lead shielding or double walls that hold water for neutron shielding. Window mountings, glove port rings, site gages, bolted flanges, and various penetrations reinforce the walls. Tanks may be …

Use of Gulf Coast salt domes for construction of very large storage caverns by solution mining has grown significantly in the last several decades. In fact, a nationally important Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) storage occurs in large cavern arrays in some of these domes. Although caverns have been operated economically for these many years, these caverns have a range of relatively poorly understood behaviors, involving creep closure fluid loss and damage from salt falls. It is certainly possible to postulate that many of these behaviors stem from geomechanical or deformational aspects of the salt response. As a result, a method of correlating the cavern response to mechanical creep behavior as determined in the laboratory could be of considerable importance. Recently, detailed study of the creep response of domal salts has cast some insight into the influence of different salt origins on cavern behavior. The study used a simple graphical analysis of the limited non-steady state data to give a bound, or an approach to steady state, as an estimate of the steady state behavior of a given domal salt. This permitted the analysis of sparse creep databases for domal salts. It appears that a shortcoming of the steady state analysis …

SUMMiT (Sandia Ultra-planar Multi-level MEMS Technology) at the Sandia National Laboratories' MDL (Microelectronics Development Laboratory) is a standardized MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) technology that allows designers to fabricate concept prototypes. This technology provides four polysilicon layers plus three sacrificial oxide layers (with the third oxide layer being planarized) to enable fabrication of complex mechanical systems-on-a-chip. Quantified reproducibility of the SUMMiT process is important for process engineers as well as designers. Summary statistics for critical MEMS technology parameters such as film thickness, line width, and sheet resistance will be reported for the SUMMiT process. Additionally, data from Van der Pauw test structures will be presented. Data on film thickness, film uniformity and critical dimensions of etched line widths are collected from both process and monitor wafers during manufacturing using film thickness metrology tools and SEM tools. A standardized diagnostic module is included in each SWiT run to obtain post-processing parametric data to monitor run-to-run reproducibility such as Van der Pauw structures for measuring sheet resistance. This characterization of the SUMMiT process enables design for manufacturability in the SUMMiT technology.

The characteristics of the ultrashort pulse laser (USPL, < 1 ps) ablation of biological tissues are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Effective USPL parameters for minimal damage and high ablation rates are discussed.

We have detected 90 objects with periods and lightcurve structure similar to those of field {delta} Scuti stars, using the Massive Compact Halo Object (MACHO) Project database of Galactic bulge photometry. If we assume similar extinction values for all candidates and absolute magnitudes similar to those of other field high-amplitude {delta} Scuti stars (HADS), the majority of these objects lie in or near the Galactic bulge. At least two of these objects are likely foreground {delta} Scuti stars, one of which may be an evolved nonradial pulsator, similar to other evolved, disk-population {delta} Scuti stars. We have analyzed the light curves of these objects and find that they are similar to the light curves of field {delta} Scuti stars and the {delta} Scuti stars found by the Optical Gravitational Lens Experiment (OGLE). However, the amplitude distribution of these sources lies between those of low- and high-amplitude {delta} Scuti stars, which suggests that they may be an intermediate population. We have found nine double-mode HADS with frequency ratios ranging from 0.75 to 0.79, four probable double- and multiple-mode objects, and another four objects with marginal detections of secondary modes. The low frequencies (5-14 cycles d{sup -1}) and the observed period ratios …

Flux-grown ScPO{sub 4} single crystals exhibit a number of luminescence bands in their x-ray-excited luminescence spectra - including sharp lines arising from rare-earth elements plus a number of broad bands at 5.6 cV, 4.4 eV, and 3 eV. The band at 5.6 eV was attributed to a self-trapped exciton (STE) [l], and it could be excited at 7 eV and higher energies. This luminescence is strongly polarized (P = 70 %) along the optical axes of the crystal and exhibits a kinetic decay time constant that varies from several ns at room temperature to {approximately}10 {micro}s at 60 K and up to {approximately}1 ms at 10 K. It is assumed that the STE is localized on the SC ions. The band at 3 eV can be excited in the range of the ScPO{sub 4} crystal transparency (decay time = 3 to 4 {micro}s.) This band is attributed to a lead impurity that creates different luminescence centers. At high temperatures, the band at 4.4 eV is dominant in the x-ray-excited TSL and afterglow spectra. Its intensity increases with irradiation time beginning at zero at the initial irradiation time. The 4.4 eV band does not appear in a fast process under a …

A portable, autonomous, hand-held chemical laboratory ({micro}ChemLab{trademark}) is being developed for trace detection (ppb) of chemical warfare (CW) agents and explosives in real-world environments containing high concentrations of interfering compounds. Microfabrication is utilized to provide miniature, low-power components that are characterized by rapid, sensitive and selective response. Sensitivity and selectivity are enhanced using two parallel analysis channels, each containing the sequential connection of a front-end sample collector/concentrator, a gas chromatographic (GC) separator, and a surface acoustic wave (SAW) detector. Component design and fabrication and system performance are described.

The spatial arrangement of sodium cations for a series of sodium phosphate glasses, xNa{sub 2}O(100-x)P{sub 2}O{sub 5} (x<55), were investigated using {sup 23}Na spin-echo NMR spectroscopy. The spin-echo decay rate is a function of the Na-Na homonuclear dipolar coupling and is related to the spatial proximity of neighboring Na nuclei. The spin-echo decay rate in these sodium phosphate glasses increases non-linearly with higher sodium number density, and thus provides a measure of the Na-Na extended range order. The results of these {sup 23}Na NMR experiments are discussed within the context of several structural models, including a decimated crystal lattice model, cubic dilation lattice model, a hard sphere (HS) random distribution model and a pair-wise cluster hard sphere model. While the experimental {sup 23}Na spin-echo M{sub 2} are described adequately by both the decimated lattice and the random HS model, it is demonstrated that the slight non-linear behavior of M{sub 2} as a function of sodium number density is more correctly described by the random distribution in the HS model. At low sodium number densities the experimental M{sub 2} is inconsistent with models incorporating Na-Na clustering. The ability to distinguish between Na-Na clusters and non-clustered distributions becomes more difficult at higher …

The FENIX facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was upgraded and refurbished in 1996-1998 for testing CICC superconducting magnets. The FENIX facility was used for superconducting high current, short sample tests for fusion programs in the late 1980s--early 1990s. The new facility includes a 4-m diameter vacuum vessel, two refrigerators, a 40 kA, 42 V computer controlled power supply, a new switchyard with a dump resistor, a new helium distribution valve box, several sets of power leads, data acquisition system and other auxiliary systems, which provide a lot of flexibility in testing of a wide variety of superconducting magnets in a wide range of parameters. The detailed parameters and capabilities of this test facility and its systems are described in the paper.

Rare earth (RE) modification of automotive catalysts (e.g., ZrO{sub 2}) for exhaust gas treatment results in outstanding improvement of the structural stability, catalytic functions and resistance to sintering at high temperatures. Owing to the low redox potential of nonstoichiometric CeO{sub 2}, oxygen release and intake associated with the conversion between the 3+ and 4+ oxidation states of the Ce ions in Ce-doped ZrO{sub 2} provide the oxygen storage capacity that is essentially to effective catalytic functions under dynamic air-to-fuel ratio cycling. Doping tripositive RE ions such as La and Nd in ZrO{sub 2}, on the other hand, introduces oxygen vacancies that affect the electronic and ionic conductivity. These effects, in conjunction with the nanostructure and surface reactivity of the fine powders, present a challenging problem in the development of better ZrO{sub 2}-containing three-way catalysts. We have carried out in-situ small-to-wide angle neutron diffraction at high temperatures and under controlled atmospheres to study the structural phase transitions, sintering behavior, and Ce{sup 3+} {leftrightarrow} Ce{sup 4+} redox process. We found substantial effects due to RE doping on the nature of aggregation of nanoparticles, defect formation, crystal phase transformation, and metal-support interaction in ZrO{sub 2} catalysts for automotive emission control.

The development of hydrogen transport ceramic membranes offers increased opportunities for hydrogen gas separation and utilization. Commercial application of such membranes will most likely take place under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure, where industrial processes producing and or utilizing hydrogen occur, and where such membranes are theoretically expected to have the greatest permeability. Hydrogen separation membrane performance data at elevated temperature is quite limited, and data at elevated pressures is conspicuously lacking. This paper will describe the design, construction, and recent experimental results obtained from a membrane testing unit located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC). The membrane testing unit is capable of operating at temperatures up to 900 C and pressures up to 500 psi. Mixed-oxide ceramic ion-transport membranes, fabricated at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), were evaluated for hydrogen permeability and characterized for surface changes and structural integrity using scanning electron microscopy/X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), as a function of temperature, pressure, and hydrogen exposure.

Horizontal orbit errors at the sextuples in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring can cause changes in tune and modulation of the beta functions around the ring. To determine the significance of these effects requires knowing the orbit relative to the magnetic center of the sextuples. The method considered here to determine the horizontal beam position in a given sextupole is to measure the tune shift caused by a change in the sextupole strength. The tune shift and a beta function for the same plane uniquely determine the horizontal beam position in the sextupole. The beta function at the sextupole was determined by propagating the beta functions measured at nearby quadrupoles to the sextupole location. This method was used to measure the sextupole magnetic center offset relative to an adjacent beam position monitor (BPM) at a number of sextupole locations. We report on the successes and problems of the method as well as an improved method.

Japanese automakers have introduced hybrid passenger cars in Japan and will soon do so in the US. In this paper, we report how we used early computer simulation model results to compare the commercial viability of a hypothetical near-term (next decade) hybrid mid-size passenger car configuration under varying fuel price and driving patterns. The fuel prices and driving patterns evaluated are designed to span likely values for major OECD nations. Two types of models are used. One allows the ''design'' of a hybrid to a specified set of performance requirements and the prediction of fuel economy under a number of possible driving patterns (called driving cycles). Another provides an estimate of the incremental cost of the hybrid in comparison to a comparably performing conventional vehicle. In this paper, the models are applied to predict the NPV cost of conventional gasoline-fueled vehicles vs. parallel hybrid vehicles. The parallel hybrids are assumed to (1) be produced at high volume, (2) use nickel metal hydride battery packs, and (3) have high-strength steel bodies. The conventional vehicle also is assumed to have a high-strength steel body. The simulated vehicles are held constant in many respects, including 0-60 time, engine type, aerodynamic drag coefficient, tire …

We probe the dynamic nature of driven vortex motion in superconductors with a new type of transport experiment. An inhomogeneous Lorentz driving force is applied to the sample, inducing vortex velocity gradients that distinguish the hydrodynamic motion of the vortex liquid from the elastic and-plastic motion of the vortex solid. We observe elastic depinning of the vortex lattice at the critical current, and shear induced plastic slip of the lattice at high Lorentz force gradients.

Microstructural evolution due to aging of solder alloys determines their long-term reliability as electrical, mechanical and thermal interconnects in electronics packages. The ability to accurately determine the reliability of existing electronic components as well as to predict the performance of proposed designs depends upon the development of reliable material models. A kinetic Monte Carlo simulation was used to simulate microstructural evolution in solder-class materials. The grain growth model simulated many of the microstructural features observed experimentally in 63Sn-37Pb, a popular near-eutectic solder alloy. The model was validated by comparing simulation results to new experimental data on coarsening of Sn-Pb solder. The computational and experimental grain growth exponent for two-phase solder was found to be much lower than that for normal, single phase grain growth. The grain size distributions of solders obtained from simulations were narrower than that of normal grain growth. It was found that the phase composition of solder is important in determining grain growth behavior.

Synchrotron radiation interacting with the vacuum chamber walls in a storage ring produce photoelectrons that can be accelerated by the beam, acquiring sufficient energy to produce secondary electrons in collisions with the walls. If the secondary-electron yield (SEY) coefficient of the wall material is greater than one, as is the case with the aluminum chambers in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring, a runaway condition can develop. As the electron cloud builds up along a train of stored positron or electron bunches, the possibility exists that a transverse perturbation of the head bunch will be communicated to trailing bunches due to interaction with the cloud. In order to characterize the electron cloud, a special vacuum chamber was built and inserted into the ring. The chamber contains 10 rudimentary electron-energy analyzers, as well as three targets coated with different materials. Measurements show that the intensity and electron energy distribution are highly dependent on the temporal spacing between adjacent bunches and the amount of current contained in each bunch. Furthermore, measurements using the different targets are consistent with what would be expected based on the SEY of the coatings. Data for both positron and electron beams are presented.

The authors describe the design and microfabrication of an extremely compact optical system as a key element in an integrated capillary-channel electrochromatograph with laser induced fluorescence detection. The optical design uses substrate-mode propagation within the fused silica substrate. The optical system includes a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array, two high performance microlenses and a commercial photodetector. The microlenses are multilevel diffractive optics patterned by electron beam lithography and etched by reactive ion etching in fused silica. Two generations of optical subsystems are described. The first generation design is integrated directly onto the capillary channel-containing substrate with a 6 mm separation between the VCSEL and photodetector. The second generation design separates the optical system onto its own module and the source to detector length is further compressed to 3.5 mm. The systems are designed for indirect fluorescence detection using infrared dyes. The first generation design has been tested with a 750 nm VCSEL exciting a 10{sup -4} M solution of CY-7 dye. The observed signal-to-noise ratio of better than 100:1 demonstrates that the background signal from scattered pump light is low despite the compact size of the optical system and meets the system sensitivity requirements.

This paper reports the status and details of the costs of construction of niobium superconducting resonant cavities for a linear accelerator, presently being built as a booster for the 15 UD tandem Pelletron accelerator at the Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi. The linear accelerator will have three cryostat modules, each holding eight quarter-wave resonators. Construction of a batch of ten resonators for the linac started at Argonne National Laboratory in May 1997. For production, all fabrication and all electron beam welding is being done through commercial vendors. Details of construction and present status of the project are presented.