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Yoffe's linear theory of dynamic brittle fracture suggests that crack motion will be unstable beyond {approx}70% of the Rayleigh speed, a prediction that is not supported by experiment. We show by atomistic simulations that hyperelasticity, the elasticity of large strains, plays a governing role in the instability dynamics of brittle fracture. A simple scaling model based on an effective elastic modulus, coupled with Yoffe's solution, gives successful predictions for the onset speed of the crack instability.

The direct gap of the In{sub 1-x}Ga{sub x}N alloy system extends continuously from InN (0.7 eV, in the near IR) to GaN (3.4 eV, in the mid-ultraviolet). This opens the intriguing possibility of using this single ternary alloy system in single or multi-junction (MJ) solar cells of the type used for space-based surveillance satellites. To evaluate the suitability of In{sub 1-x}Ga{sub x}N as a material for space applications, high quality thin films were grown with molecular beam epitaxy and extensive damage testing with electron, proton, and alpha particle radiation was performed. Using the room temperature photoluminescence intensity as a indirect measure of minority carrier lifetime, it is shown that In{sub 1-x}Ga{sub x}N retains its optoelectronic properties at radiation damage doses at least 2 orders of magnitude higher than the damage thresholds of the materials (GaAs and GaInP) currently used in high efficiency MJ cells. This indicates that the In{sub 1-x}Ga{sub x}N is well-suited for the future development of ultra radiation-hard optoelectronics. Critical issues affecting development of solar cells using this material system were addressed. The presence of an electron-rich surface layer in InN and In{sub 1-x}Ga{sub x}N (0 < x < 0.63) was investigated; it was shown that this is …

Air pollution arising from the emission of nitrogen oxides as a result of combustion taking place in boilers, furnaces and engines, has increasingly been recognized as a problem. New methods to remove NO{sub x} emissions significantly and economically must be developed. The current technology for post-combustion removal of NO is the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by ammonia or possibly by a hydrocarbon such as methane. The catalytic decomposition of NO to give N{sub 2} will be preferable to the SCR process because it will eliminate the costs and operating problems associated with the use of an external reducing species. The most promising decomposition catalysts are transition metal (especially copper)-exchanged zeolites, perovskites, and noble metals supported on metal oxides such as alumina, silica, and ceria. The main shortcoming of the noble metal reducible oxide (NMRO) catalysts is that they are prone to deactivation by oxygen. It has been reported that catalysts containing tin oxide show oxygen adsorption behavior that may involve hydroxyl groups attached to the tin oxide. This is different than that observed with other noble metal-metal oxide combinations, which have the oxygen adsorbing on the noble metal and subsequently spilling over to the metal oxide. This observation …

The primary purpose of this project was to employ two geophysical imaging techniques, electrical resistivity tomography and cross-borehole ground penetrating radar, to image a controlled infiltration of a saline tracer under unsaturated flow conditions. The geophysical techniques have been correlated to other more traditional hydrologic measurements including neutron moisture measurements and induction conductivity logs. Images that resulted during two successive infiltrations indicate the development of what appear to be preferential pathways through the finer grained materials, although the results could also be produced by cationic capture of free ions in clays. In addition the site as well as the developing solute plume exhibits electrical anisotropy which is likely related to flow properties. However the geologic significance of this phenomenon is still under investigation.

Bioenergy crops, which displace fossil fuels when used to produce ethanol, biobased products, and/or electricity, have the potential to further reduce atmospheric carbon levels by building up soil carbon levels, especially when planted on lands where these levels have been reduced by intensive tillage. The purpose of this study is to improve the characterization of the soil carbon (C) sequestration for bioenergy crops (switchgrass, poplars, and willows) in the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model (Wang 1999) by using the latest results reported in the literature and by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Because soil carbon sequestration for bioenergy crops can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for cellulosic ethanol, it is important to periodically update the estimates of soil carbon sequestration from bioenergy crops as new and better data become available. We used the three-step process described below to conduct our study.

The highest priority of the Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Experiment Working Group is the development of a real-time, precision experiment that measures the pp solar neutrino flux. A measurement of the pp solar neutrino flux, in comparison with the existing precision measurements of the high energy {sup 8}B neutrino flux, will demonstrate the transition between vacuum and matter-dominated oscillations, thereby quantitatively testing a fundamental prediction of the standard scenario of neutrino flavor transformation. The initial solar neutrino beam is pure {nu}{sub e}, which also permits sensitive tests for sterile neutrinos. The pp experiment will also permit a significantly improved determination of {theta}{sub 12} and, together with other solar neutrino measurements, either a measurement of {theta}{sub 13} or a constraint a factor of two lower than existing bounds. In combination with the essential pre-requisite experiments that will measure the {sup 7}Be solar neutrino flux with a precision of 5%, a measurement of the pp solar neutrino flux will constitute a sensitive test for non-standard energy generation mechanisms within the Sun. The Standard Solar Model predicts that the pp and {sup 7}Be neutrinos together constitute more than 98% of the solar neutrino flux. The comparison of the solar luminosity measured via neutrinos …

Recovery and comparison of toolmarks, footprint impressions, and fractured surfaces connected to a crime scene are of great importance in forensic science. The purpose of this project is to provide statistical tools for the validation of the proposition that particular manufacturing processes produce marks on the work-product (or tool) that are substantially different from tool to tool. The approach to validation involves the collection of digital images of toolmarks produced by various tool manufacturing methods on produced work-products and the development of statistical methods for data reduction and analysis of the images. The developed statistical methods provide a means to objectively calculate a ''degree of association'' between matches of similarly produced toolmarks. The basis for statistical method development relies on ''discriminating criteria'' that examiners use to identify features and spatial relationships in their analysis of forensic samples. The developed data reduction algorithms utilize the same rules used by examiners for classification and association of toolmarks.

Although there are five effective shear moduli for any layered VTI medium, one and only one effective shear modulus of the layered system (namely the uniaxial shear) contains all the dependence of pore fluids on the elastic or poroelastic constants that can be observed in vertically polarized shear waves. Pore fluids can increase the magnitude the shear energy stored in this modulus by an amount that ranges from the smallest to the largest effective shear moduli of the VTI system. But, since there are five shear moduli in play, the overall increase in shear energy due to fluids is reduced by a factor of about 5 in general. We can therefore give definite bounds on the maximum increase of overall shear modulus, being about 20% of the allowed range as liquid is fully substituted for gas. An attendant increase of density (depending on porosity and fluid density) by approximately 5 to 10% decreases the shear wave speed and, thereby, partially offsets the effect of this shear modulus increase. The final result is an increase of shear wave speed on the order of 5 to 10%. This increase is shown to be possible under most favorable circumstances - i.e. when the …

The growth of nanocrystalline MoO{sub 3} islands on Au(111) using physical vapor deposition of Mo has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). The growth conditions affect the shape and distribution of the MoO{sub 3} nanostructures, providing a means of preparing materials with different percentages of edge sites that may have different chemical and physical properties than atoms in the interior of the nanostructures. MoO{sub 3} islands were prepared by physical vapor deposition of Mo and subsequent oxidation by NO{sub 2}exposure at temperatures between 450 K and 600 K. They exhibit a crystalline structure with a c(4x2) periodicity relative to unreconstructed Au(111). While the atomic-scale structure is identical to that of MoO{sub 3} islands prepared by chemical vapor deposition, we demonstrate that the distribution of MoO{sub 3} islands on the Au(111) surface reflects the distribution of Mo clusters prior to oxidation although the growth of MoO{sub 3} involves long-range mass transport via volatile MoO{sub 3} precursor species. The island morphology is kinetically controlled at 450 K, whereas an equilibrium shape is approached at higher preparation temperatures or after prolonged annealing at the elevated temperature. Mo deposition at or above 525 K leads to the …

A dosage analysis of gene expression was conducted using aneuploids of maize. The findings of this project led to the concept that regulatory genes in higher eukaryotes has mostly dosage dependent and are the underlying basis of quantitative traits and aneuploid syndromes.

The current experimental lower bound on the Higgs mass significantly restricts the allowed parameter space in most realistic supersymmetric models, with the consequence that these models exhibit significant fine-tuning. We propose a solution to this `supersymmetric little hierarchy problem'. We consider scenarios where the stop masses are relatively heavy - in the 500 GeV to a TeV range. Radiative stability of the Higgs soft mass against quantum corrections from the top quark Yukawa coupling is achieved by imposing a global SU(3) symmetry on this interaction. This global symmetry is only approximate - it is not respected by the gauge interactions. A subgroup of the global symmetry is gauged by the familiar SU(2) of the Standard Model. The physical Higgs is significantly lighter than the other scalars because it is the pseudo-Goldstone boson associated with the breaking of this symmetry. Radiative corrections to the Higgs potential naturally lead to the right pattern of gauge and global symmetry breaking. We show that both the gauge and global symmetries can be embedded into a single SU(6) grand unifying group, thereby maintaining the prediction of gauge coupling unification. Among the firm predictions of this class of models are new states with the quantum numbers …

This is a brief prepared for the NSF management to explain the particle and accelerator physics motivations for MICE.

In this report is described the work effort to develop and demonstrate a software framework to support advanced process simulations to evaluate the performance of advanced power systems. Integrated into the framework are a broad range of models, analysis tools, and visualization methods that can be used for the plant evaluation. The framework provides a tightly integrated problem-solving environment, with plug-and-play functionality, and includes a hierarchy of models, ranging from fast running process models to detailed reacting CFD models. The framework places no inherent limitations on the type of physics that can be modeled, numerical techniques, or programming languages used to implement the equipment models, or the type or amount of data that can be exchanged between models. Tools are provided to analyze simulation results at multiple levels of detail, ranging from simple tabular outputs to advanced solution visualization methods. All models and tools communicate in a seamless manner. The framework can be coupled to other software frameworks that provide different modeling capabilities. Three software frameworks were developed during the course of the project. The first framework focused on simulating the performance of the DOE Low Emissions Boiler System Proof of Concept facility, an advanced pulverized-coal combustion-based power plant. The …

DWPF Engineering personnel requested that a new minimum backup film cooler air flow rate, which will meet the off-gas safety basis limits for both normal and seismic sludge-only operations, be calculated when the air purge to the borescope cameras is isolated from the melter. Specifically, it was requested that the latest calculations which were used to set the off-gas flammability safety bases for the sludge batch 2 and 3 feeds be revised, while maintaining all other process variables affecting off-gas flammability such as total organic carbon (TOC), feed rate, melter air purges, and vapor space temperature at their current respective maximum or minimum limits. Before attempting to calculate the new minimum backup film cooler air flow, some of the key elements of the combustion model were reviewed, and it was determined that the current minimum backup film cooler air flow of 233 lb/hr is adequate to satisfy the off-gas flammability safety bases for both normal and seismic operations i n the absence of any borescope camera air purge. It is, therefore, concluded that there is no need to revise the reference E-7 calculations. This conclusion is in essence based on the fact that the current minimum backup film cooler air …

Significant differences (approximately 30 percent) have been observed in the sulfur measurements in high-level waste sludge by the Analytical Development Section (ADS) using the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) method compared with the ADS ion chromatography (IC) method. Since the measured concentrations of sulfur in the sludge approached the maximum concentration that can be processed in the DWPF, experiments were performed to determine the source of the differences and assess the true accuracy of sulfur measurements.

It was recently discovered that waste being disposed of onsite contained radionuclides that had not been analyzed by the Performance Assessment (PA). These radionuclides had been eliminated from the PA in an earlier screening evaluation because they were not expected to be contained in SRS-generated waste or that received from offsite generators. This Special Analysis (SA) is being prepared to establish the screening criteria and level of evaluation for all radionuclides potentially significant to a Low Level Waste PA or Composite Analysis (CA). The screening methodology recommended by the National Council on Radiological Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has been used to identify those radionuclides that require detailed analysis to derive disposal limits. Of the approximately 2800 radionuclides, a total of 826 were considered by the NCRP to be potentially significant. Approximately 686 radionuclides were eliminated from this analysis due to their short half-life or other properties. Approximately 40 of the 140 remaining radionuclides have been analyzed in the existing PA and waste acceptance criteria established. This SA develops the screening criteria and establishes trigger values to be used to determine the level of analysis required for those radionuclides not analyzed in PA. The results of the SA identified 20 radionuclides …

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We establish time-domain hierarchy between structural andelectronic effects in the strongly correlated system VO2. Theinsulator-to-metal transition is driven directly by structural changerather than by electron-electron correlations.

Effective and reliable nuclear monitoring requires discrimination between small magnitude explosions and earthquakes based on the use of limited regional data. Lg is generally the largest seismic phase from both explosion and earthquake sources recorded at regional distances. For small events, Lg may sometimes be the only well-recorded seismic phase so that discriminants based only on the use of Lg are especially desirable. Recent research has provided significantly better understanding of Lg by demonstrating that the explosion-generated Rg makes significant contribution to the low-frequency S or Lg from explosions. Near-source scattering of explosion-generated Rg appears to be a viable mechanism for generating low-frequency(< 2 Hz) Lg waves from explosions. Detailed knowledge of the complex scattering process is, however, still incomplete and is in fact the subject of several ongoing studies. Our analysis of regional data from nuclear explosions from both Nevada Test Site (NTS) and Kazakh Test Site (KTS) and nearby earthquakes in Phase I has suggested that there are several reliable source discrimination methods only based on the use of Lg at regional distances. These discriminants should be. especially useful for small magnitude seismic events for which Lg may be the only well-recorded seismic phase. Our results suggest four …

This paper contains three analytical solutions of transport problems which can be used to test ray-effect errors in the numerical solutions of the Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE). We derived the first two solutions and the third was shown to us by M. Prasad. Since this paper is intended to be an internal LLNL report, no attempt was made to find the original derivations of the solutions in the literature in order to cite the authors for their work.

There is significant motivation to provide robotic systems with improved autonomy as a means to significantly accelerate deactivation and decommissioning operations while also reducing the associated costs, removing human operators from hazardous environments, and reducing the required burden and skill of human operators. To achieve improved autonomy, fundamental research is focused on the challenges of developing visual servo controllers. The challenge in developing these controllers is that a camera provides 2-dimensional image information about the 3-dimensional Euclidean-space through a perspective (range dependent) projection that can be corrupted by uncertainty in the camera calibration matrix. Disturbances in this relationship (i.e., corruption in the sensor information) propagate erroneous information to the feedback controller of the robot, leading to potentially unpredictable task execution. This technical manual describes 3 proof-of-concept demonstrations of visual servo controllers developed from fundamental research aimed at these challenges. Specifically, one section describes the implementation of a cooperative visual servo control scheme with a camera-in-hand and a fixed camera to track a moving target despite uncertainty in the camera calibration and the unknown constant distance from the camera to a target where the camera is mounted on the end-effector of a 6 degrees-of-freedom hydraulic robot manipulator. The next section describes …

We observe a laser-driven supersonic ionization wave heating a mm-scale plasma of sub-critical density up to 2-3 keV electron temperatures. Propagation velocities initially 10 times the sound speed were measured by means of time-resolved x-ray imaging diagnostics. The measured ionization wave trajectory is modeled analytically and by a 2D radiation-hydrodynamics code. The comparison to the modeling suggests that nonlocal heat transport effects may contribute to the attenuation of the heat wave propagation.

Rapid deployment and the use of objective force aggressively reduce logistic footprints and replenishment demands. Maneuver Sustainment requires that Future Combat Systems be equipped with water systems that are lightweight, have small footprints, and are highly adaptable to a variety of environments. Technologies employed in these settings must be able to meet these demands. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has designed and previously field tested nano-engineered materials for the treatment of water. These materials have been either based on silica aerogel materials or consist of composites of these aerogels with granular activated carbon (GAC). Recent tests have proven successful for the removal of contaminants including uranium, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic. Silica aerogels were evaluated for their ability to purify water that had been spiked with the nerve agent VX (O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothiolate). These results demonstrated that silica aerogels were able to remove the VX from the supply water and were nearly 30 times more adsorbent than GAC. This performance could result in REDUCING CHANGEOUT FREQUENCY BY A FACTOR OF 30 or DECREASING the VOLUME of adsorbent BY A FACTOR OF 30; thereby significantly reducing logistic footprints and replenishment demands. The use of the nano-engineered Silica Aerogel/GAC composites would provide a water …