In 1962, several satellites were lost following high altitude nuclear tests by the United States and the Soviet Union. These satellite failures were caused by energetic electrons injected into the earth's radiation belts from the beta decay of bomb produced fission fragments and neutrons. It has been 40 years since the last high altitude nuclear test; there are now many more satellites in orbit, and it is important to understand their vulnerability to radiation belt pumping from nuclear explosions at high altitude or in space. This report presents the results of a calculation of the contribution of neutron beta decay to artificial belt pumping. For most high altitude nuclear explosions, neutrons are expected to make a smaller contribution than fission products to the total trapped electron inventory, and their contribution is usually neglected. However, the neutron contribution may dominate in cases where the fission product contribution is suppressed due to the altitude or geomagnetic latitude of the nuclear explosion, and for regions of the radiation belts with field lines far from the detonation point. In any case, an accurate model of belt pumping from high altitude nuclear explosions, and a self-consistent explanation of the 1962 data, require inclusion of the …

Void swelling in structural materials used for nuclear reactors is characterized by an incubation period whose duration largely determines the usefulness of the material for core components. Significant evolution of the dislocation and void microstructures that control radiation-induced swelling can occur during this period. Thus, a theory of incubation must treat time-dependent void nucleation in combination with dislocation evolution, in which the sink strengths of voids and dislocations change in concert. We present theoretical results for void nucleation and growth including the time-dependent, self-consistent coupling of point defect concentrations to the evolution of both void populations and dislocation density. Simulations show that the incubation radiation dose is a strong function of the starting dislocation density and of the dislocation bias factors for vacancy and interstitial absorption. Irradiation dose rate and temperature also affect the duration of incubation. The results are in general agreement with experiment for high purity metals.

To date a global kinetic rate law has not been written to accurately describe solid-solid phase transformations of HMX and TATB where contributions from grain size effects, binder contents, and impurity levels are explicitly defined. Our recent work presented at the 2001 SCCM topical APS meeting, Atlanta, GA, demonstrated one can not confidently use the second harmonic generation (SHG) diagnostic to study energetic material phase transitions where non-uniform grain size distributions are present. For example, in HMX, the early arrival of SHG before the XRD in the SHG/XRD simultaneous high temperature experiment clearly indicates the partial molecular conversion from centrosymmetric to non-centrosymmetric without any structural changes as exhibit by the XRD pattern. This conversion is attributed to the changes of the surface molecules due to the differences in potential between the surface and the bulk. The present paper reports on accurate XRD measurements following changes of {beta}-HMX to {delta}-HMX at elevated temperature. The results are compared for sample with 2 different grain sizes for HMX. We report accurate temperature dependent lattice parameters and hence volume and linear thermal expansion coefficients along each crystallographic axis. We have also conducted kinetic studies of the behavior of 2 grain-sizes of HMX and concluded …

In experiments like the spheromak, it becomes interesting to investigate the quality o f the magnetic flux surfaces in the device. One method of doing so is to impose an external perturbation. If the magnetic field without perturbation is tangled and no flux surfaces exist, then the perturbation will have little effect. However, if the field has well defined flux surfaces, the field should react strongly to a perturbation. Magnetic islands should form and potentially cause a degradation of the plasma This paper will assume the second case of good behavior and closed surfaces and will attempt to describe the effects of an external perturbation. Geometry-wise, we begin with the infinite cylinder approximation to a toroidally confined plasma. In the unperturbed state of this cylinder there are a toroidal field (axial field in the cylindrical geometry), a poloidal field and no radial field.

This paper examines the explicit communication characteristics of several sophisticated scientific applications; which, by themselves, constitute a representative suite of publicly available benchmarks for large cluster architectures. By focusing on the Message Passing Interface (MPI) and by using hardware counters on the microprocessor, we observe each application's inherent behavioral characteristics: point-to-point and collective communication, and floating-point operations. Furthermore, we explore the sensitivities of these characteristics to both problem size and number of processors. Our analysis reveals several striking similarities across, our diverse set of applications including the use of collective operations, especially those collectives with very small data payloads. We also highlight a trend of novel applications parting with regimented, static communication patterns in favor of dynamically evolving patterns, as evidenced by our experiments on applications that use implicit linear solvers and adaptive mesh refinement. Overall, our study contributes a better understanding of the requirements of current and emerging paradigms of scientific computing in terms of their computation and communication demands.

Wavefront Reconstruction using the Fast Fourier Transform and spatial filtering is shown to be computationally tractable and sufficiently accurate for use in large Shack Hartmann-based adaptive optics systems (up to at least 10,000 actuators). This method is significantly faster and can have lower noise propagation than traditional VMM reconstructors. The boundary problem which prevented the accurate reconstruction of phase in circular apertures using square-grid FTs is identified and solved. The methods are adapted for use on the Fried-geometry. Detailed performance analysis of mean squared error and noise propagation for FT methods is presented, using both theory and simulation.

Achieving public acceptance has become a central issue in discussions regarding the future of nuclear power and associated nuclear activities. Effective public communication and public participation are often put forward as the key building blocks in garnering public acceptance. A recent international workshop in Finland provided insights into other features that might also be important to building and sustaining public confidence in nuclear activities. The workshop was held in Finland in close cooperation with Finnish stakeholders. This was most appropriate because of the recent successes in achieving positive decisions at the municipal, governmental, and Parliamentary levels, allowing the Finnish high-level radioactive waste repository program to proceed, including the identification and approval of a proposed candidate repository site Much of the workshop discussion appropriately focused on the roles of public participation and public communications in building public confidence. It was clear that well constructed and implemented programs of public involvement and communication and a sense of fairness were essential in building the extent of public confidence needed to allow the repository program in Finland to proceed. It was also clear that there were a number of other elements beyond public involvement that contributed substantially to the success in Finland to date. …

A Fresnel zone plate lens made with solar sail material could be used as the primary optic for a very large aperture telescope on deep space probes propelled by solar sails. The large aperture telescope capability could enable significant science on fly-by missions to the asteroids, Pluto, Kuiper belt or the tort cloud and could also enable meaningful interstellar fly-by missions for laser propelled sails. This type of lens may also have some potential for laser communications and as a solar concentrator. The techniques for fabrication of meter size and larger Fresnel phase plate optics are under development at LLNL, and we are extending this technology to amplitude zone plates made from sail materials. Corrector optics to greatly extend the bandwidth of these Fresnel optics will be demonstrated in the future. This novel telescope concept will require new understanding of the fabrication, deployment and control of gossamer space structures. It will also require new materials technology for fabricating these optics and understanding their long term stability in a space environment.

This report is the second in a series detailing the procedures used and the results obtained from studies designed to determine the impacts of erosion control structures on fish habitat at Willapa Bay, Washington. The erosion control structure, consisting of a 1600-ft rock groin and an attached 930-ft underwater dike was placed on Washaway Beach in 1998 to protect State Route (SR) 105 from erosion. The objectives of the study are to develop an understanding about whether groin-type structures on the outer coast can alter migratory movement or predation pressure on juvenile and adult salmon. Field surveys in this report were conducted from October 14-21, 2001, and consisted of gillnetting, passive drifter surveys, diver surveys, interviews with fishers and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) personnel, bird and mammal surveys, and split beam hydroacoustic surveys. Field sampling activities were begun on October 14 and were suspended during the commercial gillnet season from October 16-18. Interviews with fishers and WDFW were conducted during that period, and field sampling recommenced on October 19. The hydroacoustic surveys were conducted from October 19-21. The migration pattern of fish, presumed to be salmon, was documented relative to the tidal phase. Fish were observed to …

The U.S. is developing fusion energy based on inertial confinement of the burning fusion fuel, as a complement to the magnetic confinement approach. DOE's Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program within the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) is coordinated with, and gains leverage from, the much larger Inertial Confinement Fusion program of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Advanced plasma and particle beam simulations play a major role in the IFE effort, and the program is well poised to benefit from an Earth Simulator-class resource. Progress in all key physics areas of IFE, including heavy-ion ''drivers'' which impart the energy to the fusion fuel, the targets for both ion- and laser-driven approaches, and an advanced concept known as fast ignition, would be dramatically accelerated by an Earth Simulator-class resource.

Understanding changes in global climate is a challenging scientific problem. Simulated and observed data include signals from many sources, and untangling their respective effects is difficult. In order to make meaningful comparisons between different models, and to understand human effects on global climate, we need to isolate the effects of different sources. Recent eruptions of the El Chichon and Mt. Pinatubo volcanoes coincided with large El Nino and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, which complicates the separation of their contributions on global temperatures. Current approaches for separating volcano and ENSO signals in global mean data involve parametric models and iterative techniques [3]. We investigate alternative methods based on principal component analysis (PCA) [2] and independent component analysis (ICA) [1]. Our goal is to determine if such techniques can automatically identify the signals corresponding to the different sources, without relying on parametric models.

Support utilization of the RINSC reactor for student and faculty instructions and research

A collection of 6,000 mutant yeast strains spanning nearlyevery gene offers new promise for identifying human genes involved incellular responses to drugs, radiation and other treatments.

Research into indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and itseffects on health, comfort, and performance of occupants is becoming anincreasing priority as interest in high performance buildings andorganizational productivity advances. Facility managers are interested inIEQ's close relationship to energy use in facilities and employers wantto enhance employee comfort and productivity, reduce absenteeism andhealth costs, and reduce or even eliminate litigation by providingexcellent indoor environments to employees. The increasing interest inthis field as architects, engineers, facility managers, buildinginvestors, health officials, jurists, and the public seek simple andgeneral guidelines on creating safe, healthy, and comfortable indoorenvironment, has put additional pressure on the research community. Inthe last twenty years, IEQresearchers have advanced our understanding ofthe influence of IEQ on health and productivity, but many uncertaintiesremain. Consequently, there is a critical need to expand research in thisfield, particularly research that is highly multidisciplinary. Inaddition, there is a strong need to better communicate knowledgecurrently documented in research publications to building professionalsin order to encourage implementation of designs and practices thatenhance health and productivity. Against this background, the IndoorHealth and Productivity (IHP) project aims to develop a fullerunderstanding of the relationships between physical attributes of theworkplace (e.g. thermal, lighting, ventilation, and air quality) innon-residential and non-industrial buildings and …

16th National Conference of Black Physics Students - The agenda and its report.

Final report for Nuclear Reactor Sharing Program

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This report provides data on federal employee unions and employees who will be potentially affected by the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

This report offers an overview of the availability of intellectual property rights for plants, focusing upon the seed industry. It initially offers an introduction to seed innovation. The report then reviews the three intellectual property regimes applicable to plant innovation: utility patents, plant patents and plant variety protection certificates. It then details a 2001 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, J.E.M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., which held that sexually reproducing plants may be subject to utility patents.

This report discusses the statutory and regulatory requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), judicial decisions, and the concept of mediation as it applies to special education.

This report includes information regarding U.S. relations and bilateral issues within Syria. External relations, Syria's role in Lebanon, and U.S. aid are among topics discussed in this report.

P.L. 104-193 (the 1996 welfare reform legislation) made major changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Some of the changes include requiring states to increase the percentage of fathers identified, establishing an integrated, automated network linking all states to information about the location and assets of parents, and requiring states to implement more enforcement techniques to obtain collections from debtor parents. Additional legislative changes were made in 1997, 1998, and 1999, but not in 2000, 2001, or 2002. This report describes several aspects of the revised CSE program and discusses three issues that probably will be reexamined by the 108th Congress — CSE financing, parental access by noncustodial parents, and distribution of support payments.

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