Anomalous small angle x-ray scattering (ASAXS) was performed on an Fe-O.9 wt.% Cu-1.0 wt.% Mn alloy subjected to annealing or electron irradiation. ASAXS takes advantage of natural variations in the atomic scattering factor which exist at energies very near an element's x-ray absorption edge. By performing systematic SAXS experiments at energies near these absorption edges of the constituent alloy elements it is possible to vary the contrast of scattering centers containing the elements and in doing so quantify scatterer composition. The results of such an analysis for the samples in this work indicate the presence of Cu-rich, Cu{sub 85}Mn{sub 15} precipitates in the alloy. By applying the maximum entropy technique to the scattering data, it was possible to extract size distributions of scattering centers fog the different treatments. The results demonstrate the ability to detect and characterize small (11 {angstrom} radius) scatterers at quite low irradiation damage levels (5x10{sup {minus} 4} displacements per atom).

A model is developed herein for predicting the mechanical response of inelastic crystalline solids. Particular emphasis is given to the development of microstructural damage along grain boundaries, and the interaction of this damage with intragranular inelasticity caused by dislocation dissipation mechanisms. The model is developed within the concepts of continuum mechanics, with special emphasis on the development of internal boundaries in the continuum by utilizing a cohesive zone model based on fracture mechanics. In addition, the crystalline grains are assumed to be characterized by nonlinear viscoplastic mechanical material behavior in order to account for dislocation generation and migration. Due to the nonlinearities introduced by the crack growth and viscoplastic constitution, a numerical algorithm is utilized to solve representative problems. Implementation of the model to a finite element computational algorithm is therefore briefly described. Finally, sample calculations are presented for a polycrystalline titanium alloy with particular focus on effects of scale on the predicted response.

While many research and development activities take place at Sandia National Laboratories' Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC), where the "rubber meets the road" is in the ISRC'S delivered systems. The ISRC has delivered several systems over the last few years that handle hazardous materials on a daily basis, and allow human workers to move to a safer, supervisory role than the "hands-on" operations that they used to perform. The ISRC at Sandia performs a large range of research and development activities, including development and delivery of one-of-a-kind robotic systems for use with hazardous materials. Our mission is to create systems for operations where people can't or don't want to perform the operations by hand, and the systems described in this article are several of our first-of-a-kind deliveries to achieve that mission.

The exact solution of the classical nonlinear equation of motion for a relativistic electron in the field of two electromagnetic (EM) waves is obtained. For the particular case of the linearly polarized standing EM wave in the planar optical cavity, the intensity of the nonlinear Compton scattering, the time of flight, and the momentum variation after the relativistic electron passes along the cavity axis are calculated in weak and strong field limits. The extent of these effects depends on the initial phase of the EM wave when the electron enters the cavity. This can be used for the production, diagnosis, and acceleration of relativistic electron (positron) microbunches.

We report on neutron diffraction studies of UCo{sub 1/3}T{sub 2/3}Al (T = Ru, Pt, Rh). All three solid solutions form in the hexagonal ZrNiAl structure. The Ru-containing compound is found to be chemically ordered, while the Pt-containing compound is nearly disordered and the Rh-containing compound is purely disordered. All three compounds exhibit long-range magnetic order with rather small U moments.

Many applications produce three-dimensional points that must be further processed to generate a surface. Surface reconstruction algorithms that start with a set of unorganized points are extremely time-consuming. Often, however, points are generated such that there is additional information available to the reconstruction algorithm. We present a specialized algorithm for surface reconstruction that is three orders of magnitude faster than algorithms for the general case. In addition to sample point locations, our algorithm starts with normal information and knowledge of each point's neighbors. Our algorithm produces a localized approximation to the surface by creating a star-shaped triangulation between a point and a subset of its nearest neighbors. This surface patch is extended by locally triangulating each of the points along the edge of the patch. As each edge point is triangulated, it is removed from the edge and new edge points along the patch's edge are inserted in its place. The updated edge spirals out over the surface until the edge encounters a surface boundary and stops growing in that direction, or until the edge reduces to a small hole that fills itself in.

Experimental data on directional and bulk solidification of hydrogen-charged samples of aluminum alloy A356 and nickel alloy Inconel 718 are discussed. The solidification structure of the porous zone is shown to be dependent on many process variables. Of these variables, hydrogen content in the melt prior to solidification, and furnace atmospheric pressure during solidification play the decisive role. Also important are the furnace atmosphere composition, the solidification velocity, and the temperature distribution of the liquid metal inside the mold.

The performance of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), especially in terms of laser focusability, will be determined by several key factors. One of these key factors is the optical specification for the thousands of large aperture optics that will comprise the 192 beamlines. We have previously reported on the importance of the specification of the power spectral density (PSD) on NIF performance. Recently, we have been studying the importance of long spatial wavelength (>33 mm) phase errors on focusability. We have concluded that the preferred metric for determining the impact of these long spatial wavelength phase errors is the rms phase gradient. In this paper, we outline the overall approach to NIF optical specifications, detail the impact of the rms phase gradient on NIF focusability, discuss its trade-off with the PSD in determining the spot size and review measurements of optics similar to those to be manufactured for NIF.

GaN Schottky diodes were exposed to N₂ or H₂ Inductively Coupled Plasmas prior to deposition of the rectifying contact. Subsequent annealing, wet photochemical etching or (NH₄)₂S surface passivation treatments were examined for their effect on diode current- voltage characteristics. We found that either annealing at 750 °C under N₂, or removal of ~500-600 Å of the surface essentially restored the initial I-V characteristics. There was no measurable improvement in the plasma-exposed diode behavior with (NH₄)₂S treatments.

The role of cesium seeding in increasing the negative ion current in volume sources is described. By a reduction in the local plasma potential the current of extracted electrons is vastly reduced. As a result, cesium increases the fraction of the transverse space charge limit available to the ions by as much as a factor of three. In addition, cesium can increase the total space charge limit by injection of Cs+ into the presheath-a newly recognized phenomenon consistent with experimental measurements and determined from application of a Double-Vlasov model for negative ion extraction.

It is well known that cesium seeding in volume hydrogen negative ion sources leads to a large reduction of the extracted electron current and in some cases to the enhancement of the negative ion current. The cooling of the electrons due to the addition of this heavy impurity was proposed as a possible cause of the mentioned observations. In order to verify this assumption, the authors seeded the hydrogen plasma with xenon, which has an atomic weight almost equal to that of cesium. The plasma properties were studied in the extraction region of the negative ion source Camembert III using a cylindrical electrostatic probe while the negative ion relative density was studied using laser photodetachment. It is shown that the xenon mixing does not enhance the negative ion density and leads to the increase of the electron density, while the cesium seeding reduces the electron density.

The Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant operates its Criticality Accident Alarm System (CAAS) according to the guidance of Standard ANSI/ANS-8.3-1986. This standard requires that the detector shall not fail to initiate an alarm when subjected to a radiation field of at least 0.1 Gy/s (10 rad/s). It also requires that the system shall be designed to immediately detect the minimum accident of concern and shall produce an alarm within one half second of activation. Sixty-three new detectors that use plastic scintillators have been obtained to upgrade the current Y-12 Plant CAAS. To ensure that these detectors can support the above criteria, testing was done using the SPR III reactor at the Sandia Pulsed Reactor Facility.

The US Department of Defense (DoD), in cooperation with other federal agencies, has taken many initiatives to improve its ability to support civilian response to a domestic biological terrorism incident. This paper discusses one initiative, the 911-Bio Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations (ACTDs), conducted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense during 1997 to better understand: (1) the capability of newly developed chemical and biological collection and identification technologies in a field environment; (2) the ability of specialized DoD response teams to use these new technologies within the structure of cooperating DoD and civilian consequence management organizations; and (3) the adequacy of current modeling tools for predicting the dispersal of biological hazards. This paper discusses the experience of the ACTDs from the civilian community support perspective. The 911-Bio ACTD project provided a valuable opportunity for DoD and civilian officials to learn how they should use their combined capabilities to manage the aftermath of a domestic biological terrorism incident.

We review the status of the experimental campaign being carried out at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, involving scaled investigations of the acceleration and transport of space-charge dominated heavy ion beams. The ultimate goal of these experiments is to help lay the groundwork for a larger scale ion driven inertial fusion reactor, the purpose of which is to produce inexpensive and clean electric power.

Recirculating induction accelerators (recirculators) have been investigated as possible drivers for inertial fusion energy production because of their potential cost advantage over linear induction accelerators. Point designs were obtained and many of the critical physics and technology issues that would need to be addressed were detailed. A collaboration involving Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers is now developing a small prototype recirculator in order to demonstrate an understanding of nearly all of the critical beam dynamics issues that have been raised. We review the design equations for recirculators and demonstrate how, by keeping crucial dimensionless quantities constant, a small prototype recirculator was designed which will simulate the essential beam physics of a driver. We further show how important physical quantities such as the sensitivity to errors of optical elements (in both field strength and placement), insertion/extraction, vacuum requirements, and emittance growth, scale from small-prototype to driver-size accelerator.

Advanced, coal-fueled, power generation systems utilizing pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC) and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technologies are currently being developed for high-efficiency, low emissions, and low-cost power generation. In spite of the advantages of these promising technologies, the severe operating environment often leads to material degradation and loss of performance in the barrier filters used for particle entrapment. To address this problem, LoTEC Inc., and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are jointly designing and developing a monolithic cross-flow ceramic hot-gas filter. The filter concept involves a truly monolithic cross-flow design that is resistant to delamination, can be easily fabricated, and offers flexibility of geometry and material make-up. During Phase I of the program, a thermo-mechanical analysis was performed to determine how a cross-flow filter would respond both thermally and mechanically to a series of thermal and mechanical loads. The cross-flow filter mold was designed accordingly, and the materials selection was narrowed down to Ca{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 4}P{sub 6}O{sub 24} (CS-50) and 2Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-3SiO{sub 2} (mullite). A fabrication process was developed using gelcasting technology and monolithic cross-flow filters were fabricated. The program focuses on obtaining optimum filter permeability and testing the corrosion resistance of the candidate materials.

The United States and the Russian Federation entered into a cooperative agreement in 1994 that resulted in a nuclear weapons non-proliferation program within the United States (US) Department of Energy (DOE) currently known as the Russia/Newly Independent States (NIS) Nuclear Material Security Task Force. In 1996, a project was initiated with the Murmansk Shipping Company to enhance material protection, control, and accounting of highly enriched nuclear fuel assemblies used for the Icebreaker Fleet. The commissioning ceremony for this project is scheduled for August 1999. This paper describes the physical protection, material control, and accounting measures implemented for the Icebreaker Fleet.

As part of a new, compact heavy ion injector for AGS/RHIC complex at Brookhaven National Laboratory we are developing an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) that would satisfy present and future requirements. Such a source should be capable of producing intensities of e.g. Al{sup 35+} ions of about 3 x 10{sup 9} particles/pulse or U{sup 45+} of about 2 x 10{sup 9} particles/pulse. To achieve this, the required e-beam intensity is 10A, at a pulse length of 100ms. An EBIS test stand has been constructed, designed for the full electron beam power and having close to 1/2 of the trap length of an EBIS for RHIC. Initial electron beam tests have resulted in a 50{micro}s, 13A electron beam. Ion production and extraction has been shown with a 3.1 A, 50 ms electron beam, achieving an ion yield of 19 nC/pulse (neutralization degree of 61%); fast extraction trials have yielded extracted ion pulses of 1mA peak current and 18{micro}s at FWHM. Details of the test stand construction, results of the electron beam studies, and properties of the extracted ion pulse are presented.

Two vacuum systems were designed and built for the RFQ (Radio Frequency Quadrupole) cavity in the APT/LEDA (Low Energy Demonstration Accelerator) linac. The gas load from the proton beam required very high hydrogen pump speed and capacity. The gas load from the high power RF windows also required very high hydrogen pump speed for the RF window vacuum system. Cryopumps were chosen for the RFQ vacuum system and ST185 sintered non- evaporable getter (NEG) cartridges were chosen for the RF window vacuum system. Hydrogen pump speed and capacity measurements were carried out for a commercial cryopump and a NEG pump. This paper will discuss the test procedures and the results of the measurements.

A future nuclear energy scenario with a closed, thorium-uranium-oxide (ThUOX) fuel cycle and new light water reactors (TULWRs) supported by Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW) systems could provide several improvements beyond today's once-through, UO{sub 2}-fueled nuclear technology. A deployment scenario with TULWRs plus ATWs to burn the actinides produced by these LWRs and to close the back-end of the ThUOX fuel cycle was modeled to satisfy a US demand that increases linearly from 80 GWe in 2020 to 200 GWe by 2100. During the first 20 years of the scenario (2000-2020), nuclear energy production in the US declines from today's 100 GWe to about 80 GWe, in accordance with forecasts of the US DOE's Energy Information Administration. No new nuclear systems are added during this declining nuclear energy period, and all existing LWRs are shut down by 2045. Beginning in 2020, ATWs that transmute the actinides from existing LWRs are deployed, along with TULWRs and additional ATWs with a support ratio of 1 ATW to 7 TULWRs to meet the energy demand scenario. A final mix of 174 GWe from TULWRs and 26 GWe from ATWs provides the 200 GWe demand in 2100. Compared to a once-through LWR scenario that …

The Savannah River Site (SRS) began production of radioactive glass in the Defense Waste Process Facility (DWPF) in 1996 following an extensive test program discussed earlier. Currently DWPF is operating in a `sludge only` mode to produce radioactive glass consisting of washed high-level waste sludge and glass frit. Future operations will produce radioactive glass consisting of washed high-level waste sludge, precipitated cesium, and glass frit. This paper provides an update of processing activities to date, operational problems encountered since entering radioactive operations, and the programs underway to solve them.

This article discusses a computational study of the reaction kinetics of methyl radicals with trifluorohalomethanes.

Sputtering of Au thin films has been determined for Xe ions with energies between 50 and 600 keV. In-situ transmission electron microscopy was used to observe sputtered Au during deposition on a carbon foil near the specimen. Total reflection and transmission sputtering yields for a 62 nm thick Au thin film were determined by ex-situ measurement of the total amount of Au on the carbon foils. In situ observations show that individual Xe ions eject Au nanoparticles as large as 7 nm in diameter with an average diameter of approximately 3 nm. Particle emission correlates with crater formation due to single ion impacts. Nanoparticle emission contributes significantly to the total sputtering yield for Xe ions in this energy range in either reflection or transmission geometry.

This article outlines the content and performance of some of the ScaLAPACK software. ScaLAPACK is a collection of mathematical software for linear algebra computations on distributed-memory computers. The importance of developing standards for computational and message-passing interfaces is discussed. We present the different components and building blocks of ScaLAPACK and provide initial performance results for selected PBLAS routines and a subset of ScaLAPACK driver routines.