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Heating of figure-8 ions by odd-parity rotating magnetic fields (RMFο) applied to an elongated field-reversed configuration (FRC) is investigated. The largest energy gain occurs at resonances (s ≡ ω(sub)R⁄ω) of the RMFο frequency, ω(sub)R, with the figure-8 orbital frequency, ω, and is proportional to s^2 for s – even resonances and to s for s – odd resonances. The threshold for the transition from regular to stochastic orbits explains both the onset and saturation of heating. The FRC magnetic geometry lowers the threshold for heating below that in the tokamak by an order of magnitude.

We measure the branching fraction of the top quark to longitudinally and right-handed polarized W bosons, F{sub 0} and F{sub +}, using approximately 200 pb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions collected by the CDF II detector. We analyze two quantities sensitive to the W helicity: the invariant mass of the charged lepton and the bottom-quark jet in the decay t {yields} Wb {yields} {ell}{nu}b (where {ell} = e or {mu}), and the transverse momentum of the charged lepton. We find F{sub 0} = 0.74{sub -0.34}{sup +0.22}, and F{sub +} < 0.27 at the 95% confidence level. These measurements are in agreement with the standard model predictions.

High-purity AlPt thin films prepared by self-propagating, high temperature combustion synthesis show evidence for a new rhombohedral phase. Sputter deposited Al/Pt multilayers of various designs are reacted at different rates in air and in vacuum, and each form a new trigonal/hexagonal aluminide phase with unit cell parameters a = 15.571(8) {angstrom}, c = 5.304(1) {angstrom}, space group R-3 (148), and Z, the number of formula units within a unit cell, = 39. The lattice is isostructural to that of the AlPd R-3 lattice as reported by Matkovic and Schubert (Matkovic, 1977). Reacted films have a random in-plane crystallographic texture, a modest out-of-plane (001) texture, and equiaxed grains with dimensions on the order of film thickness.

The PV Systems Performance and Reliability R & D group currently has seven grid-tied 1-2 kilowatt PV systems deployed at NREL's Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) and two 6 kilowatt systems mounted on the roof of NREL's Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF). The systems, which employ several PV module technologies including crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium diselenide (CIS), are being monitored to determine the long-term performance and reliability of the modules and arrays under actual field conditions. The length of observation ranges from 2 months for our newest system to 11 years for our oldest systems. The annual degradation and seasonal fluctuation of the systems' power output are calculated using the PV for Utility-Scale Applications (PVUSA) power rating regression model.

Only seven radio-quiet isolated neutron stars (INSs) emitting thermal X rays are known, a sample that has yet to definitively address such fundamental issues as the equation of state of degenerate neutron matter. We describe a selection algorithm based on a cross-correlation of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) that identifies X-ray error circles devoid of plausible optical counterparts to the SDSS g {approx} 22 magnitudes limit. We quantitatively characterize these error circles as optically blank; they may host INSs or other similarly exotic X-ray sources such as radio-quiet BL Lacs, obscured AGN, etc. Our search is an order of magnitude more selective than previous searches for optically blank RASS error circles, and excludes the 99.9% of error circles that contain more common X-ray-emitting subclasses. We find 11 candidates, nine of which are new. While our search is designed to find the best INS candidates and not to produce a complete list of INSs in the RASS, it is reassuring that our number of candidates is consistent with predictions from INS population models. Further X-ray observations will obtain pinpoint positions and determine whether these sources are entirely optically blank at g {approx} 22, supporting …

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Oxygen during vapor CdCl2 (VCC) treatments significantly reduced resistive shunts observed in CdS/CdTe polycrystalline devices using thinner CdS layers during 100 deg C, open-circuit, 1-sun accelerated stress testing. Cu oxidation resulting from the reduction of various trace oxides present in as-grown and VCC treated films is the proposed mechanism by which Cu diffusion, and subsequent shunts are controlled. Graphite paste layers between metallization and CdTe behave like diffusion barriers and similarly benefit device stability. Ni-based contacts form a protective Ni2Te3 intermetallic layer that reduces metal diffusion but degrades performance through increased series resistance.

A fleet of six 2001 International Class 6 trucks operating in southern California was selected for an operability and emissions study using gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel and catalyzed diesel particle filters (CDPF). Three vehicles were fueled with CARB specification diesel fuel and no emission control devices (current technology), and three vehicles were fueled with GTL fuel and retrofit with Johnson Matthey's CCRT diesel particulate filter. No engine modifications were made.

A 2002 Cummins ISM engine was modified to be optimized for operation on gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel and advanced emission control devices. The engine modifications included increased exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), decreased compression ratio, and reshaped piston and bowl configuration.

The authors address known discrepancies between the heavy flavor properties of jets produced at the Tevatron collider and the prediction of conventional-QCD simulations. In this study, they entertain the possibility that these effects are real and due to new physics. They show that all anomalies can be simultaneously fitted by postulating the additional pair production of light bottom squarks with a 100% semileptonic branching fraction.

Recent advancement in digital signal processing (DSP) using fast processors and computer makes it possible to be used in pulse shape discrimination applications. In this study, we have investigated the feasibility of using a DSP to distinguish between the neutrons and gamma rays by the shape of their pulses in a liquid scintillator detector (BC501), and have investigated pulse shape-based techniques to improve the resolution performance of room-temperature cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors. For the neutron/gamma discrimination, the advantage of using a DSP over the analog method is that in analog system two separate charge-sensitive ADC's are required. One ADC is used to integrate the beginning of the pulse risetime while the second ADC is for integrating the tail part. Using a DSP eliminates the need for separate ADCs as one can easily get the integration of two parts of the pulse from the digital waveforms. This work describes the performance of these DSP techniques and compares the results with the analog method.

The Surface Analysis project provides measurement support and leadership for collaborative research activities involving surface chemistry and physics in all areas of the PV program. Significant results from the past fiscal year include the following: i) in-situ XPS, UPS, and AES studies of chemical-bath exposure of CIGS surfaces demonstrated that Group-III elements are preferentially removed from the surface, that type conversion of the surface occurs, and that the addition of a surfactant improves CdS deposition and thus device performance; ii) XPS studies of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) candidate backsheet materials have shown that plasma exposure prior to oxide-barrier deposition results in the formation of low-molecular-weight fragments that result in the formation of a weak interfacial layer that fails during damp-heat exposure; iii) an empirical relation was derived for the source geometry that leads to optimal film-thickness uniformity in rotating-substrate physical-vapor deposition (PVD) systems; and iv) PVD flux-distribution calculations were performed to develop a novel method for combinatorial thin-film synthesis.

This report summarizes results generated on a 5-year cable-aging program that constituted part of the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization (NEPO) program, an effort cosponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The NEPO cable-aging effort concentrated on two important issues involving the development of better lifetime prediction methods as well as the development and testing of novel cable condition-monitoring (CM) techniques. To address improved life prediction methods, we first describe the use of time-temperature superposition principles, indicating how this approach improves the testing of the Arrhenius model by utilizing all of the experimentally generated data instead of a few selected and processed data points. Although reasonable superposition is often found, we show several cases where non-superposition is evident, a situation that violates the constant acceleration assumption normally used in accelerated aging studies. Long-term aging results over extended temperature ranges allow us to show that curvature in Arrhenius plots for elongation is a common occurrence. In all cases the curvature results in a lowering of the Arrhenius activation energy at lower temperatures implying that typical extrapolation of high temperature results over-estimates material lifetimes. The long-term results also allow us to test the significance …

This report documents research to develop robust and efficient solution techniques for solving large-scale systems of nonlinear equations. The most widely used method for solving systems of nonlinear equations is Newton's method. While much research has been devoted to augmenting Newton-based solvers (usually with globalization techniques), little has been devoted to exploring the application of different models. Our research has been directed at evaluating techniques using different models than Newton's method: a lower order model, Broyden's method, and a higher order model, the tensor method. We have developed large-scale versions of each of these models and have demonstrated their use in important applications at Sandia. Broyden's method replaces the Jacobian with an approximation, allowing codes that cannot evaluate a Jacobian or have an inaccurate Jacobian to converge to a solution. Limited-memory methods, which have been successful in optimization, allow us to extend this approach to large-scale problems. We compare the robustness and efficiency of Newton's method, modified Newton's method, Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method, and our limited-memory Broyden method. Comparisons are carried out for large-scale applications of fluid flow simulations and electronic circuit simulations. Results show that, in cases where the Jacobian was inaccurate or could not be computed, Broyden's method converged …

We present the results of a one year LDRD program that has focused on evaluating the use of newly developed deep ultraviolet LEDs in water purification. We describe our development efforts that have produced an LED-based water exposure set-up and enumerate the advances that have been made in deep UV LED performance throughout the project. The results of E. coli inactivation with 270-295 nm LEDs are presented along with an assessment of the potential for applying deep ultraviolet LED-based water purification to mobile point-of-use applications as well as to rural and international environments where the benefits of photovoltaic-powered systems can be realized.

The present quarterly report describes some of the investigations on the structural properties of dense OTM bars provided by Praxair and studies on newer composition of Ti doped LSF. In the current research, the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were measured as a function of temperature in air. Based on these measurements, the charge carrier concentration, net acceptor dopant concentration, activation energy of conduction and mobility were estimated. The studies on the fracture toughness of the LSFT and dual phase membranes at room temperature have been completed and reported previously. The membranes that are exposed to high temperatures at an inert and a reactive atmosphere undergo many structural and chemical changes which affects the mechanical properties. To study the effect of temperature on the membranes when exposed to an inert environment, the membranes (LAFT and Dual phase) were heat treated at 1000 C in air and N{sub 2} atmosphere and hardness and fracture toughness of the membranes were studied after the treatment. The indentation method was used to find the fracture toughness and the effect of the heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the membranes. Further results on the investigation of the origin of the slow kinetics on reduction …

Gravity in five-dimensional braneworld backgrounds often exhibits problematic features, including kinetic ghosts, strong coupling, and the vDVZ discontinuity. These problems are an obstacle to producing and analyzing braneworld models with interesting and potentially observable modifications of 4d gravity. We examine these problems in a general AdS{sub 5}/AdS{sub 4} setup with two branes and localized curvature from arbitrary brane kinetic terms. We use the interval approach and an explicit ''straight'' gauge-fixing. We compute the complete quadratic gauge-fixed effective 4d action, as well as the leading cubic order corrections. We compute the exact Green's function for gravity as seen on the brane. In the full parameter space, we exhibit the regions which avoid kinetic ghosts and tachyons. We give a general formula for the strong coupling scale, i.e. the energy scale at which the linearized treatment of gravity breaks down, for relevant regions of the parameter space. We show how the vDVZ discontinuity can be naturally but nontrivially avoided by ultralight graviton modes. We present a direct comparison of warping versus localized curvature in terms of their effects on graviton mode couplings. We exhibit the first example of DGP-like crossover behavior in a general warped setup.

The 216-B-3 Pond system was a series of ponds used for disposal of liquid effluent from past Hanford production facilities. In operation from 1945 to 1997, the B Pond System has been a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facility since 1986, with RCRA interim-status groundwater monitoring in place since 1988. In 1994 the expansion ponds of the facility were clean closed, leaving only the main pond and a portion of the 216-B-3-3 ditch as the currently regulated facility. In 2001, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued a letter providing guidance for a two-year, trial evaluation of an alternate, intrawell statistical approach to contaminant detection monitoring at the B Pond system. This temporary variance was allowed because the standard indicator-parameters evaluation (pH, specific conductance, total organic carbon, and total organic halides) and accompanying interim status statistical approach is ineffective for detecting potential B-Pond-derived contaminants in groundwater, primarily because this method fails to account for variability in the background data and because B Pond leachate is not expected to affect the indicator parameters. In July 2003, the final samples were collected for the two-year variance period. An evaluation of the results of the alternate statistical approach is currently in …

This paper discusses efforts led by two companies (PowerMark Corporation and Sunset Technologies Inc.) to support both U.S. domestic and international photovoltaic (PV) system and component certification and test facility accreditation programs and the operation of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 82 (TC-82) Photovoltaic Energy Systems. International and national PV certification/accreditation programs are successfully facilitating entry of only the highest quality PV products into the marketplace. Standards also continue to be a cornerstone for assuring global PV product conformity assessment, reducing non-tariff trade barriers, and ultimately improving PV products while lowering cost.

The author reports results on the X(3872) from the Tevatron. Mass and other properties have been studied, with a focus on new results on the dipion mass spectrum in X {yields} J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} decays. Dipions favor interpreting the decay as J/{psi}{rho}, implying even C-parity for the X. Modeling uncertainties do not allow distinguishing between S- and P-wave decays of the J/{psi}-{rho} mode. Effects of {rho}-{omega} interference in X decay are also introduced.

Although the energy efficiency of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment has increased substantially in recent years, new approaches are needed to continue this trend. Conventional unitary equipment and system designs have matured to a point where cost-effective, dramatic efficiency improvements that meet near-zero-energy housing (NZEH) goals require a radical rethinking of opportunities to improve system performance. The large reductions in HVAC energy consumption necessary to support the NZEH goals require a systems-oriented analysis approach that characterizes each element of energy consumption, identifies alternatives, and determines the most cost-effective combination of options. In particular, HVAC equipment must be developed that addresses the range of special needs of NZEH applications in the areas of reduced HVAC and water heating energy use, humidity control, ventilation, uniform comfort, and ease of zoning. This report describes results of a scoping assessment of HVAC system options for NZEH homes. ORNL has completed a preliminary adaptation, for consideration by The U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, Building Technologies (BT) Program, of Cooper's (2001) stage and gate planning process to the HVAC and Water Heating element of BT's multi-year plan, as illustrated in Figure 1. In order to adapt to R&D the Cooper …

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