Environmental Monitoring and Ecology Annual Program Report for 2012. (open access)

Environmental Monitoring and Ecology Annual Program Report for 2012.

None
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Holland, Robert C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library

U.S. Department of Energy Summary of 2012 Occupational Radiation Exposure

This poster provides graphic data for 2010-2012 of collective total effective dose (TED) by site, and graphical data for 2008-2012 of components of TED, average measurable TED, percentage of collective TED above dose, collective dose and average measurable dose (1974-2012), and numbers of individuals in the DOE workforce, total number of records of monitored individuals, and number of individuals with a measurable dose. Also, there is a table of the number of individuals receiving >2 rems administrative control level and >5 rems annual limit for 2008-2012.
Date: February 2, 2012
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Poster
System: The UNT Digital Library
2011 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach Site, New Mexico (open access)

2011 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach Site, New Mexico

Gnome-Coach was the site of a 3-kiloton underground nuclear test in 1961. Surface and subsurface contamination resulted from the underground nuclear testing, post-test drilling, and groundwater tracer test performed at the site. The State of New Mexico is currently proceeding with a conditional certificate of completion for the surface. As for the subsurface, monitoring activities that include hydraulic head monitoring and groundwater sampling of the wells onsite are conducted as part of the annual site inspection. These activities were conducted on January 19, 2011. The site roads, monitoring well heads, and the monument at surface ground zero were observed as being in good condition at the time of the site inspection. An evaluation of the hydraulic head data obtained from the site indicates that water levels in wells USGS-4 and USGS-8 appear to respond to the on/off cycling of the dedicated pump in well USGS-1 and that water levels in wells LRL-7 and DD-1 increased during this annual monitoring period. Analytical results obtained from the sampling indicate that concentrations of tritium, strontium-90, and cesium-137 were consistent with concentrations from historical sampling events.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Search for Hadronic Decays of a Light Higgs Boson in the Radiative Decay (open access)

Search for Hadronic Decays of a Light Higgs Boson in the Radiative Decay

The authors search for hadronic decays of a light Higgs boson (A{sup 0}) produced in radiative decays of an {Upsilon}(2S) or {Upsilon}(3S) meson, {Upsilon} {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}. The data have been recorded by the BABAR experiment at the {Upsilon}(3S) and {Upsilon}(2S) center of mass energies, and include (121.3 {+-} 1.2) x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(3S) and (98.3 {+-} 0.9) x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(2S) mesons. No significant signal is observed. We set 90% confidence level upper limits on the product branching fractions {beta}({Upsilon}(nS) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}) {center_dot} {beta}(A{sup 0} {yields} hadrons) (n = 2 or 3) that range from 1 x 10{sup -6} for an A{sup 0} mass of 0.3 GeV/c{sup 2} to 8 x 10{sup -5} at 7 GeV/c{sup 2}.
Date: February 16, 2012
Creator: Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J.; Grauges, E.; Martinelli, M. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, III: Analysis of the First 16 Months of Data (open access)

Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, III: Analysis of the First 16 Months of Data

New transiting planet candidates are identified in sixteen months (May 2009 - September 2010) of data from the Kepler spacecraft. Nearly five thousand periodic transit-like signals are vetted against astrophysical and instrumental false positives yielding 1091 viable new planet candidates, bringing the total count up to over 2,300. Improved vetting metrics are employed, contributing to higher catalog reliability. Most notable is the noise-weighted robust averaging of multiquarter photo-center offsets derived from difference image analysis which identifies likely background eclipsing binaries. Twenty-two months of photometry are used for the purpose of characterizing each of the new candidates. Ephemerides (transit epoch, T{sub 0}, and orbital period, P) are tabulated as well as the products of light curve modeling: reduced radius (R{sub P}/R{sub {star}}), reduced semi-major axis (d/R{sub {star}}), and impact parameter (b). The largest fractional increases are seen for the smallest planet candidates (197% for candidates smaller than 2R{sub {circle_plus}} compared to 52% for candidates larger than 2R{sub {circle_plus}}) and those at longer orbital periods (123% for candidates outside of 50 day orbits versus 85% for candidates inside of 50 day orbits). The gains are larger than expected from increasing the observing window from thirteen months (Quarter 1 - Quarter 5) to …
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Batalha, Natalie M.; Rowe, Jason F.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Barclay, Thomas; Burke, Christopher J.; Caldwell, Douglas A. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
PREPARATION OF U-PLANT FOR FINAL DEMOLITION AND DISPOSAL - 12109E (open access)

PREPARATION OF U-PLANT FOR FINAL DEMOLITION AND DISPOSAL - 12109E

The U-Plant is one of the five major nuclear materials processing facilities at Hanford and was chosen as a pilot project to develop the modalities for closure of the other four facilities at Hanford and the rest of the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The remedy for this facility was determined by a Record of Decision (ROD) pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). That remedy was to 'Close in Place - Partially Demolished Structure'. The U-Plant facility is identified as the 221-U Building and is a large, concrete structure nominally 247m (810 ft) long, 20 M (66 ft) wide and 24 m (77 ft) high with approximately 9 m (30 ft) being below grade level. It is a robust facility with walls ranging from 0.9 m to 2.7 m (3 ft to 9 ft) thick. One large room extends the entire length of the building that provides access to 40 sub-grade processing cells containing tanks, piping and other components. The work breakdown was divided into three major deliverables: (1) Tank D-10 Removal: removal of Tank D-10, which contained TRU waste; (2) Equipment Disposition: placement of contaminated equipment in the sub-grade cells; and (3) …
Date: February 16, 2012
Creator: Herzog, B.; Farabee, O. A. & Cameron, C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Neutron Scattering Studies of Vortex Matter in Type-II Superconductors (open access)

Neutron Scattering Studies of Vortex Matter in Type-II Superconductors

The proposed program is an experimental study of the fundamental properties of Abrikosov vortex matter in type-II superconductors. Most superconducting materials used in applications such as MRI are type II and their transport properties are determined by the interplay between random pinning, interaction and thermal fluctuation effects in the vortex state. Given the technological importance of these materials, a fundamental understanding of the vortex matter is necessary. The vortex lines in type-II superconductors also form a useful model system for fundamental studies of a number of important issues in condensed matter physics, such as the presence of a symmetry-breaking phase transition in the presence of random pinning. Recent advances in neutron scattering facilities such as the major upgrade of the NIST cold source and the Spallation Neutron Source are providing unprecedented opportunities in addressing some of the longstanding issues in vortex physics. The core component of the proposed program is to use small angle neutron scattering and Bitter decoration experiments to provide the most stringent test of the Bragg glass theory by measuring the structure factor in both the real and reciprocal spaces. The proposed experiments include a neutron reflectometry experiment to measure the precise Q-dependence of the structure factor …
Date: February 2, 2012
Creator: Ling, X.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
SPE2 Far-field Seismic Data Quicklook (open access)

SPE2 Far-field Seismic Data Quicklook

The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of the far-field seismic data collected by the array of instruments (Figures 1 and 2) deployed by the Source Physics experiment for shots 1 (roughly 100 kg TNT equivalent at a depth of 60 m) and shot 2, (roughly 2000 kg TNT equivalent at a depth of 45 m). 'Far-field' is taken to refer to instruments in the zone of purely elastic response at distances of 100 m or greater. The primary focus is data from the main instrument array and hence data from other groups is not considered. Infrasound data is not addressed nor any remote sensing data. Data processing was done at LLNL in parallel with the effort at UNR. Raw reftek data was sent via hard disk from NsTec. Reftek data was converted to SEGY and then to SAC format. Data files were renamed according to station and channel information. Reftek logs were reviewed. These data have been reviewed for consistency with the UNR data on the server. The primary goal was quality check and a summary is provided in Tables 1 and 2.
Date: February 14, 2012
Creator: Mellors, R. J.; Harben, P.; Ford, S.; Walter, W. R.; Hauk, T.; Ruppert, S. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
MELTING OF GLASS BATCH - MODEL FOR MULTIPLE OVERLAPPING GAS-EVOLVING REACTIONS (open access)

MELTING OF GLASS BATCH - MODEL FOR MULTIPLE OVERLAPPING GAS-EVOLVING REACTIONS

In this study, we present a model for the kinetics of multiple overlapping reactions. Mathematical representation of the kinetics of gas-evolving reactions is crucial for the modeling of the feed-to-glass conversion in a waste-glass melter. The model simulates multiple gas-evolving reactions that occur during heating of a high-alumina high-level waste melter feed. To obtain satisfactory kinetic parameters, we employed Kissinger's method combined with least-squares analysis. The power-law kinetics with variable reaction order sufficed for obtaining excellent agreement with measured thermogravimetric analysis data.
Date: February 7, 2012
Creator: Kruger, A. A.; Pierce, D. A.; Pokorny, R. & Hrma, P. R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
TORUS: Theory of Reactions for Unstable iSotopes Annual Continuation and Progress Report Year-2: March 1, 2011 - February 29, 2012 (open access)

TORUS: Theory of Reactions for Unstable iSotopes Annual Continuation and Progress Report Year-2: March 1, 2011 - February 29, 2012

The TORUS collaboration derives its name from the research it focuses on, namely the Theory of Reactions for Unstable iSotopes. It is a Topical Collaboration in Nuclear Theory, and funded by the Nuclear Theory Division of the Office of Nuclear Physics in the Office of Science of the Department of Energy. The funding supports one postdoctoral researcher for the years 1 through 3. The collaboration brings together as Principal Investigators a large fraction of the nuclear reaction theorists currently active within the USA. The mission of the TORUS Topical Collaboration is to develop new methods that will advance nuclear reaction theory for unstable isotopes by using three-body techniques to improve direct-reaction calculations, and, by using a new partial-fusion theory, to integrate descriptions of direct and compound-nucleus reactions. This multi-institution collaborative effort is directly relevant to three areas of interest: the properties of nuclei far from stability; microscopic studies of nuclear input parameters for astrophysics, and microscopic nuclear reaction theory.
Date: February 24, 2012
Creator: Arbanas, Goran; Elster, Charlotte; Escher, Jutta; Mukhamedzanov, Akram; Nunes, Filomena & Thompson, Ian J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The role of members of viral quasispecies in adaptation to new host environments (open access)

The role of members of viral quasispecies in adaptation to new host environments

None
Date: February 10, 2012
Creator: Borucki, M.; Allen, J. E.; Chen-Harris, H.; Mabery, S.; Vanier, G.; Torres, C. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oklahoma Center for High Energy Physics (OCHEP) (open access)

Oklahoma Center for High Energy Physics (OCHEP)

The DOE EPSCoR implementation grant, with the support from the State of Oklahoma and from the three universities, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma and Langston University, resulted in establishing of the Oklahoma Center for High Energy Physics (OCHEP) in 2004. Currently, OCHEP continues to flourish as a vibrant hub for research in experimental and theoretical particle physics and an educational center in the State of Oklahoma. All goals of the original proposal were successfully accomplished. These include foun- dation of a new experimental particle physics group at OSU, the establishment of a Tier 2 computing facility for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and Tevatron data analysis at OU and organization of a vital particle physics research center in Oklahoma based on resources of the three universities. OSU has hired two tenure-track faculty members with initial support from the grant funds. Now both positions are supported through OSU budget. This new HEP Experimental Group at OSU has established itself as a full member of the Fermilab D0 Collaboration and LHC ATLAS Experiment and has secured external funds from the DOE and the NSF. These funds currently support 2 graduate students, 1 postdoctoral fellow, and 1 part-time engineer. The grant initiated …
Date: February 29, 2012
Creator: Nandi, Satyanarayan; Strauss, Mike J.; Snow, Joel; Rizatdinova, Flera; Abbott, Braden K.; Babu, Kaladi S. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Search for CP Violation in the Decay tau- \to pi- K^0_S (>= 0 pi0) nu_tau (open access)

Search for CP Violation in the Decay tau- \to pi- K^0_S (>= 0 pi0) nu_tau

We report a search for CP violation in the decay {tau}{sup -} {yields} {pi}{sup -}K{sub S}{sup 0}({>=} 0{pi}{sup 0}){nu}{sub {tau}} using a dataset of 437 million {tau} lepton pairs, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 476 fb{sup -1}, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric energy e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings. The CP-violating decay-rate asymmetry is determined to be (-0.45 {+-} 0.24 {+-} 0.11)%, approximately three standard deviations from the Standard Model prediction of (0.33 {+-} 0.01)%.
Date: February 16, 2012
Creator: Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J.; Grauges, E.; Martinelli, M. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Observation and Study of the Baryonic B-meson Decays B to D(*) p pbar (pi) (pi) (open access)

Observation and Study of the Baryonic B-meson Decays B to D(*) p pbar (pi) (pi)

We present results for B-meson decay modes involving a charm meson, protons, and pions using 455 x 10{sup 6} B{bar B} pairs recorded by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider. The branching fractions are measured for the following ten decays: {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup 0}p{bar p}, {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup 0}p{bar p}, {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup +}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}, {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}, B{sup -} {yields} D{sup 0}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}, B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup 0}pp{pi}{sup -}, {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup 0}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup 0}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, B{sup -} {yields} D{sup +}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}, and B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup +}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}. The four B{sup -} and the two five-body B{sup 0} modes are observed for the first time. The four-body modes are enhanced compared to the three- and the five-body modes. In the three-body modes, the M(p{bar p}) and M(D{sup (*)0}p) invariant mass distributions show enhancements near threshold values. In the four-body mode {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup +}p{bar p}{pi}{sup -}, the M(p{pi}{sup -}) distribution shows a narrow structure of unknown origin near 1.5GeV/c{sup 2}. The distributions …
Date: February 15, 2012
Creator: del Amo Sanchez, P.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Vortex Diode Analysis and Testing for Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors (open access)

Vortex Diode Analysis and Testing for Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors

Fluidic diodes are presently being considered for use in several fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor designs. A fluidic diode is a passive device that acts as a leaky check valve. These devices are installed in emergency heat removal systems that are designed to passively remove reactor decay heat using natural circulation. The direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS) uses DRACS salt-to-salt heat exchangers (DHXs) that operate in a path parallel to the core flow. Because of this geometry, under normal operating conditions some flow bypasses the core and flows through the DHX. A flow diode, operating in reverse direction, is-used to minimize this flow when the primary coolant pumps are in operation, while allowing forward flow through the DHX under natural circulation conditions. The DRACSs reject the core decay heat to the environment under loss-of-flow accident conditions and as such are a reactor safety feature. Fluidic diodes have not previously been used in an operating reactor system, and therefore their characteristics must be quantified to ensure successful operation. This report parametrically examines multiple design parameters of a vortex-type fluidic diode to determine the size of diode needed to reject a particular amount of decay heat. Additional calculations were performed to size …
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Yoder, Graydon L., Jr.; Elkassabgi, Yousri M.; De Leon, Gerardo I.; Fetterly, Caitlin N.; Ramos, Jorge A. & Cunningham, Richard Burns
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hydrogen Corrosion of Plutonium: Evidence for fast grain-boundary reaction and slower intragrain reaction (open access)

Hydrogen Corrosion of Plutonium: Evidence for fast grain-boundary reaction and slower intragrain reaction

None
Date: February 13, 2012
Creator: Saw, C. K.; Haschke, J. M.; Allen, P. G.; McLean, W., II & Dinh, L. N.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library