Quasi-phase-matched (QPM) optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) in periodically poled materials such as periodically poled LiNbO{sub 3} (PPLN) and periodically poled KTiOPO{sub 4} (PPKTP) has been shown to exhibit advantages over the OPCPA in bulk nonlinear crystals. [GHH98, RPN02] The use of the maximum material nonlinear coefficient results in ultra-high gain with low pump peak power. Furthermore, propagation of signal, pump, and idler beams along one of the crystal principal axes eliminates the birefringent walk-off, reduces angular sensitivity, and improves beam quality. Relatively high level of parasitic parametric fluorescence (PF) in QPM OPCPA represents an impediment for simple, single-stage, high-gain amplification of optical pulses from nJ to mJ energies. PF in QPM is increased when compared to PF in critical phase matching in bulk crystals as a result of broader angular acceptance of the nonlinear conversion process. PF reduces prepulse contrast and conversion efficiency by competition with the signal pulse for pump pulse energy. Previous experiments with QPM OPCPA have thus resulted in pulse energies limited to tens of {mu}J. [JSE03] Optical parametric amplification of a narrowband signal pulse in PPKTP utilizing two pump beams has been demonstrated at a mJ-level, [FPK03] but the conversion efficiency has been limited by …

Natural convection plays an important role in determining the thermal load from molten core accumulated in the reactor vessel lower head during a severe accident. Several numerical and experimental programs were conducted to study the heat transfer in the molten pool. Previous investigations were mostly related to the rectangular and semicircular pools. Except for COPO, UCLA, ACOPO, and BALI, previous investigations suffer from inadequate representation of high modified Rayleigh number (Ra') in the hemispherical pool that may be formed in the reactor core and lower plenum. Thus, experimental work is conducted utilizing SIGMA SP (Simulant Internal Gravitated Material Apparatus Spherical Pool) producing high Ra' turbulent natural convection in a hemispherical pool up to 5.3 x ~1011. The heating method has already been tested in SIGMA CP (Circular Pool). Six thin cable-type heaters, each with a diameter of 6 mm, are employed to simulate internal heating in the pool. They are uniformly distributed in the hemispherical pool to supply a maximum of 7.8 kW power to the pool. SIGMA SP has the inner and outer diameters of 500 mm and 520 mm, respectively. The upper flat plate and the curved wall of pool, with a 10 mm thick stainless steel plate, …

A combinative approach of microhardness testing, tensile testing, and TEM microstructural analysis was employed to study the microstructure and mechanical instability of a water-quenched U-6wt.% Nb (WQU6Nb) alloy subjected to different aging schedules including artificial aging at 200 C, 15-year natural aging at ambient temperatures, and 15-year natural aging followed by accelerative aging at 200 C. The changes in mechanical property during and after the aging processes were examined using microhardness and tensile-testing methods. During the early stages of artificial aging at 200 C, the microhardness of WQ-U6Nb alloy increased, i.e., age hardening, as a result of the development of nanoscale modulation caused by spinodal decomposition. Coarsening of the modulated structure occurred after a prolonged aging at 200 C for 16 hours, and it led to a decrease of microhardness, i.e., age softening. Phase instability was also found to occur in WQ-U6Nb alloy that was subjected to a 15-year natural aging at ambient temperatures. The formation of partially ordered domains resulting from a spinodal modulation with an atomic-scale wavelength rendered the appearance of swirl-shape antiphase domain boundaries (APBs) observed in TEM images. Although it did not cause a significant change in microhardness, 15-year natural aging has dramatically affected the aging …

Secondary neutron-production cross-sections have been measured from interactions of 290 MeV/nucleon C and 600 MeV/nucleon Ne in a target composed of simulated Martian regolith and polyethylene, and from 400 MeV/nucleon Ne interactions in wall material from the International Space Station. The data were measured between 5 and 80 deg in the laboratory. We report the double-differential cross sections, angular distributions, and total neutron-production cross sections from all three systems. The spectra from all three systems exhibit behavior previously reported in other heavy-ion, neutron production experiments; namely, a peak at forward angles near the energy corresponding to the beam velocity, with the remaining spectra generated by pre-equilibrium and equilibrium processes. The double differential cross sections are fitted with a moving-source parameterization. Also reported are the data without corrections for neutron flux attenuation in the target and other intervening materials, and for neutron production in non-target materials near the target position. These uncorrected spectra are compared with SHIELD-HIT and PHITS transport model calculations. The transport model calculations reproduce the spectral shapes well, but, on average, underestimate the magnitudes of the cross sections.

This paper presents the results of inclusive searches for the strange pentaquark states {Theta}{sup +}(1540), {Xi}{sub 5}{sup --}(1860) and {Xi}{sub 5}(1860){sup 0} as well as the anti-charm pentaquark state {Theta}{sub c}(3099){sup 0} in a dataset of 123.4 fb{sup -1} collected on and 40MeV below the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance by the BABAR detector at the e{sup +}e{sup -} PEP-II storage rings. No evidence for the pentaquark states is found and upper limits on the rate of {Theta}{sup +}(1540) and {Xi}{sub 5}{sup --}(1860) production in e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation are obtained.

The authors present preliminary BaBar measurements of hadronic cross sections in e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation using the radiative return technique. The cross sections for e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} p{bar p}, 3({pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}), 2({pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})2{pi}{sup 0}, and K{sup +}K{sup -}2({pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) are measured. Measurements of the proton form factor and of the ratio G{sub E}/G{sub M} are also shown.

We present arguments demonstrating that the Miller, Schwartz, and Tromp (MST) correlation function is the only computationally reasonable choice with regard to minimizing the extent of recrossing flux. However, using accurate numerical results, we point out that the MST flux-flux correlation function almost always exhibits non-vanishing negative parts, even for the simplest physical systems. We argue that, in order to best handle the residual recrossing flux, one must not rely on the ''no recrossing'' assumption in the development of quantum transition state theories. To provide accurate numerical examples, we derive the analytical expressions for the flux-flux correlation and spectral functions for the symmetric Eckart and rectangular potential barriers.

The main noise source in detection of faint companions such as extrasolar planets near bright stars with AO is speckle noise - residual PSF structure caused by wavefront errors due to the atmosphere, the AO system, and static optical effects. Of these, the most fundamental are atmospheric speckles - even given infinite wavefront SNR and a perfect DM, timelag between sensing and correction will always lead to a residual atmospheric speckle pattern. There have been several suggestions as to the lifetime of these atmospheric speckles, none strongly supported by theory or simulation. We have carried out a systematic series of simulations and analysis to explore this question. We show that speckles have different behavior in the regime in which diffraction is significant (first-order speckles, which are rapidly modulated as a phase error translates across the aperture) and in the coronagraphic regime (second-order speckles, which evolve only as the phase screen completely clears the aperture). We use simulations to analyze the behavior of speckles in a variety of regimes, showing that the second-order atmospheric speckle lifetime is almost constant irrespective of the properties of the AO system, and is set primarily by the atmospheric clearing time of the telescope aperture.

Many emerging large-scale data science applications require searching large graphs distributed across multiple memories and processors. This paper presents a distributed breadth-first search (BFS) scheme that scales for random graphs with up to three billion vertices and 30 billion edges. Scalability was tested on IBM BlueGene/L with 32,768 nodes at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Scalability was obtained through a series of optimizations, in particular, those that ensure scalable use of memory. We use 2D (edge) partitioning of the graph instead of conventional 1D (vertex) partitioning to reduce communication overhead. For Poisson random graphs, we show that the expected size of the messages is scalable for both 2D and 1D partitionings. Finally, we have developed efficient collective communication functions for the 3D torus architecture of BlueGene/L that also take advantage of the structure in the problem. The performance and characteristics of the algorithm are measured and reported.

This presentation was given at the DOE Office of Science-Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) High-Level Waste Workshop held on January 19-20, 2005 at the Savannah River Site.

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The primary mission of the Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) is to extract tritium from tritium producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) that have been irradiated in a commercial light water reactor and to deliver tritium-containing gas to the Savannah River Site Facility 233-H. The tritium extraction segment provides the capability to deliver three (3) kilograms per year to the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The TEF includes processes, equipment and facilities capable of production-scale extraction of tritium while minimizing personnel radiation exposure, environmental releases, and waste generation.

Lepton flavor violation (LFV) experiments have probed sensitivities corresponding to mass scales of well over 100 TeV, making life difficult for models predicting accessible LFV in kaon decay and discouraging new dedicated experiments of this type.

Nature's inherent ability to cleanse itself is at the heart of Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA). The complexity comes when one attempts to measure and calculate this inherent ability, called the Natural Attenuation Capacity (NAC), and determine if it is sufficient to cleanse the system to agreed upon criteria. An approach that is simple in concept for determining whether the NAC is sufficient for MNA to work is the concept of a mass balance. Mass balance is a robust framework upon which all decisions can be made. The inflows to and outflows from the system are balanced against the NAC of the subsurface system. For MNA to be acceptable, the NAC is balanced against the contaminant loading to the subsurface system with the resulting outflow from the system being in a range that is acceptable to the regulating and decision-making parties. When the system is such that the resulting outflow is not within an acceptable range, the idea of taking actions that are sustainable and that will bring the system within the acceptable range of outflows is evaluated. These sustainable enhancements are being developed under the Enhanced Attenuation (EA) concept.

Article about Arthouse's "5x7 Art Splurge and Exhibition," popular culture, a birthday party at the Broken Spoke, and Ballet Austin's Fete 2005.

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PLEIADES (Picosecond Laser Electron Interaction for the Dynamic Evaluation of Structures) produces tunable 30-140 keV x-rays with 0.3-5 ps pulse lengths and up to 10{sup 7} photons/pulse by colliding a high brightness electron beam with a high power laser. The electron beam is created by an rf photo-injector system, accelerated by a 120 MeV linac, and focused to 20 {micro}m with novel permanent magnet quadrupoles. To produce Compton back scattered x-rays, the electron bunch is overlapped with a Ti:Sapphire laser that delivers 500 mJ, 100 fs, pulses to the interaction point. K-edge radiography at 115 keV on Uranium has verified the angle correlated energy spectrum inherent in Compton scattering and high-energy tunability of the Livermore source. Current upgrades to the facility will allow laser pumping of targets synchronized to the x-ray source enabling dynamic diffraction and time-resolved studies of high Z materials. Near future plans include extending the radiation energies to >400 keV, allowing for nuclear fluorescence studies of materials.