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We illustrate preliminary results obtained through Monte Carlo (HERWIG) and detector (ATLFAST) simulations of the H{sup {+-}} {yields} {tau}{sup {+-}}{nu}{sub {tau}} signature of charged Higgs bosons with masses comparable to that of the top quark.

The electronic structure, crystalline feature and morphology of the tetrahydrofuran (THF) treated magnesium, along with its hydriding and dehydriding properties have been investigated. The THF treated magnesium absorbs 6.3 wt per cent hydrogen at 723K and 3.5 MPa. After hydrogenation, in addition to the expected MgH2, a new less-stable hydride phase appears at 673K, but not at a lower temperature. Desorption produces 5.5 wt per cent hydrogen at 723K against a back pressure of 1.3 Pa after 20 cycles of hydriding-dehydriding. The THF treatment improves the kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption significantly. From 723K to 623K, the THF treated Mg demonstrates acceptable reaction rates. XPS studies show that tetrahydrofuran treatment causes the electronic energy state of the magnesium surface atoms to change, but the XRD studies show the crystal structure remains unchanged. Metallographic observation of the bulk hydrides of THF treated magnesium reveal they are poly-crystalline wi th the wide-spreading slip bands and twins within the crystals, indicating the phase transformation upon hydriding causes serious stress and distortion. It appears this microstructural deformation explains the much higher energy requirements (higher pressure and temperature) for magnesium hydrogenation than the simple lattice expansion that accompany hydrogen uptake for LaNi5 and FeTi.

A rigorous extraction of the deuteron charge form factors from tensor polarization data in elastic electron-deuteron scattering, at given values of the 4-momentum transfer, is presented. Then the world data for elastic electron-deuteron scattering is used to parameterize, in three different ways, the three electromagnetic form factors of the deuteron in the 4-momentum transfer range 0-7 fm. This procedure is made possible with the advent of recent polarization measurements. The parameterizations allow a phenomenological characterization of the deuteron electromagnetic structure. They can be used to remove ambiguities in the form factors extraction from future polarization data.

The floor of a black liquor recovey boiler at a mill in central Canada has experienced cracking and delamination of the composite tubing near the spout wall and deformation of the floor panels that is most severe in the vicinity of the spout wall. One possible explanation for the observed damage is impacts of salt cake falling from the convective section onto the floor. In order to determine if such impacts do occur, strain gauges and thermocouples were installed on the boiler floor in areas where cracking and deformation were most frequent. The data obtained from these instruments indicate that brief, sudden temperature fluctuations do occur, and changes in the strain experienced by the affected tube occur simultaneously. These fluctuations appear to occur less often along the spout wall and more frequently with increasing distance from the wall. The frequency of these temperature fluctuations is insufficient for thermal fatigue to be the sole cause of the cracking observed on the tubes, but the data are consistent with what might be expected from pieces of falling salt cake.

The development of neutron detectors makes extensive use of the predictions of detector response through the use of Monte Carlo techniques in conjunction with the point reactor model. Unfortunately, the point reactor model fails to accurately predict detector response in common applications. For this reason, the general Monte Carlo N-Particle code (MCNP) was modified to simulate the pulse streams that would be generated by a neutron detector and normally analyzed by a shift register. This modified code, MCNP - Random Exponentially Distributed Neutron Source (MCNP-REN), along with the Time Analysis Program (TAP) predict neutron detector response without using the point reactor model, making it unnecessary for the user to decide whether or not the assumptions of the point model are met for their application. MCNP-REN is capable of simulating standard neutron coincidence counting as well as neutron multiplicity counting. Measurements of MOX fresh fuel made using the Underwater Coincidence Counter (UWCC) as well as measurements of HEU reactor fuel using the active neutron Research Reactor Fuel Counter (RRFC) are compared with calculations. The method used in MCNP-REN is demonstrated to be fundamentally sound and shown to eliminate the need to use the point model for detector performance predictions.

Insulated pressure vessels are cryogenic-capable pressure vessels that can be fueled with liquid hydrogen (LH{sub 2}) or ambient-temperature compressed hydrogen (CH{sub 2}). Insulated pressure vessels offer the advantages of liquid hydrogen tanks (low weight and volume), with reduced disadvantages (fuel flexibility, lower energy requirement for hydrogen liquefaction and reduced evaporative losses). The work described here is directed at verifying that commercially available pressure vessels can be safely used to store liquid hydrogen. The use of commercially available pressure vessels significantly reduces the cost and complexity of the insulated pressure vessel development effort. This paper describes a series of tests that have been done with aluminum-lined, fiber-wrapped vessels to evaluate the damage caused by low temperature operation. All analysis and experiments to date indicate that no significant damage has resulted. Required future tests are described that will prove that no technical barriers exist to the safe use of aluminum-fiber vessels at cryogenic temperatures.

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a new combustion technology that may develop as an alternative to diesel engines with high efficiency and low NOx and particulate matter emissions. This paper describes the HCCI research activities being currently pursued at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and at the University of California Berkeley. Current activities include analysis as well as experimental work.

Rolling contact fatigue experiments were performed on all-steel and hybrid Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-M50 steel rolling bearing systems using particulate contaminated lubricants. The particulate contaminants used were glycothermally synthesized {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} platelets or Arizona test dust. The effects of contaminant composition and morphology on rolling contact fatigue and wear behavior were explored. The effects of bearing element material properties on fatigue and wear behavior were also examined. Rolling wear behavior is related to bearing component material configuration and the type of particulate contaminant present in the lubricant. Component and particulate material properties such as hardness and elastic modulus are observed to affect rolling wear behavior. Wear mechanisms such as contact stress fatigue, indenting, cutting and plowing are observed.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently evaluating alternative treatment standards for radioactively contaminated high mercury (Hg) subcategory wastes, which do not require the removal of mercury from the waste. The Sulfur Polymer Stabilization/Solidification (SPSS) process developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of several candidate technologies capable of successfully treating various Hg waste streams. To supplement previously supplied data on treatment of soils, EPA needed additional data concerning stabilization of high Hg subcategory waste sludges. To this end, a 5000 ppm sludge surrogate, containing approximately 50 wt% water, was successfully treated by pilot-scale SPSS processing. In two process runs, 85 and 95 wt% of water was recovered from the sludge during processing. At waste loadings of 46 wt% (30 wt% dry) sludge, the treated waste form had no detectable mercury (<10 ppb) in TCLP leachates. Data gathered from the demonstration of treatment of this sludge will provide the EPA with information to support revisions to current treatment requirements for high Hg subcategory wastes.

The NIF Power Conditioning System (PCS) is required to deliver -68 kJ to each of the 3840 flashlamp pairs in the NIF laser in a current pulse with a peak of -500 kA and rise time of- 150 µs. The PCS will consist of 192 modules each of which drive 20 lamp-pairs. Each module will basically be a 6 rnF capacitor bank with a nominal charge voltage of 23.5 kV which is switched by a single pressurized air gas switch to 20 RG-220 cables that are connected to individual lamp loads. In addition each module will have a number of subsystems including; a lamp pre-ionization system, power supplies, isolation circuits, trigger systems, safety dump systems, gas system, and an embedded control system. A module will also include components whose primary function is to limit fault currents and thus minimize collateral damage in faults. In the Prototype Development and Testing effort at Sandia National Laboratories all of these were integrated into a single system and proper fimctionality was demonstrated. Extensive testing was done at nominal operating levels into resistive dummy loads and some testing in fault modes was also done. A description of the system and a summary of testing is …

Azimuthal correlations for large transverse momentum charged hadrons have been measured over a wide pseudo-rapidity range and full azimuth in Au+Au and p+p collisions at = {radical}s{sub NN} = 200 GeV. The small-angle correlations observed in p+p collisions and at all centralities of Au+Au collisions are characteristic of hard-scattering processes already observed in elementary collisions. A strong back-to-back correlation exists for p+p and peripheral Au + Au. In contrast, the back-to-back correlations are reduced considerably in the most central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial interaction as the hard-scattered partons or their fragmentation products traverse the medium.

Single crystals of magnesium-aluminate spinel were implanted with 170 keV He{sup +} ions to fluences ranging from 1 x 10{sup 16}--1 x 10{sup 21} ions/m{sup 2} at 120 K. The effects of ion implantation were studied using optical absorption spectroscopy, Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy and Ion Channeling (RBS/C) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). In absorption spectra obtained from the implanted samples, growth of an F-center band at 5.3 eV was observed. At the fluence of 3 x 10{sup 20} ions/m{sup 2}, the growth of this band not only ceases but the intensity suddenly decreases. This may be due to formation of a new phase at this fluence. This is partially confirmed by the fact that beginning at this dose, a modulated absorbance becomes apparent in the absorption spectrum of spinel. This effect is caused by formation of a buried layer with refraction index lower than that of an unimplanted sample. RBS/C and TEM measurements show that spinel is not amorphized over the fluence range examined in this study. TEM microdiffraction observations show that in the damaged region the intensities of superlattice spots decrease significantly, suggesting that ion beam irradiation induces either an order-disorder phase transition or a transformation into the so-called …

Magnesium-aluminate spinel (MAS) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) are being considered for use as ceramic matrices in proliferation resistant fuels and radioactive storage systems, and may be used either as individual entities or as constituents in multicomponent ceramic systems. It is worthwhile, therefore, to compare radiation damage in these two potentially important materials when subjected to similar irradiation conditions, e.g., ion beam irradiation. To compare radiation damage properties of these two materials, single crystals of spinel and zirconia were irradiated with 340 keV Xe{sup ++} ions at 120 K, and subsequently investigated by Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling (RBS/C), and optical absorption spectroscopy. Results indicate that damage accumulation in both spinel and zirconia follow a three stage process: (1) very slow damage accumulation over a wide range of dose; (2) rapid changes in damage over a range of doses from about 0.25 to 25 displacements per atom (DPA); (3) slower damage accumulation at very high doses and possibly saturation. Optical absorption results indicate that F-centers form in Xe ion-irradiated spinel and that the concentration of these centers saturates at high dose. Absorption bands are also formed in both spinel and zirconia that are due to point defect complexes formed upon irradiation. …

The amount of data generated by CT scanners is enormous, making the reconstruction operation slow, especially for 3-D and limited-data scans requiring iterative algorithms. The Radon transform and its inverse, commonly used for CT image reconstruction from projections, are computationally burdensome for today's single-processor computer architectures. If the processing times for the forward and inverse Radon transforms were comparatively small, a large set of new CT algorithms would become feasible, especially those for 3-D and iterative tomographic image reconstructions. In addition to image reconstruction, a fast Radon Transform Computer'' could be naturally applied in other areas of multidimensional signal processing including 2-D power spectrum estimation, modeling of human perception, Hough transforms, image representation, synthetic aperture radar processing, and others. A high speed processor for this operation is likely to motivate new algorithms for general multidimensional signal processing using the Radon transform. In the proposed workshop paper, we will first describe interpolation schemes useful in computation of the discrete Radon transform and backprojection and compare their errors and hardware complexities. We then will evaluate through statistical means the fixed-point number system required to accept and generate 12-bit input and output data with acceptable error using the linear interpolation scheme selected. These …

We discuss field activities designed to characterize seepage into an underground opening at the potential site for geologic storage of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and the use of these data for development and calibration of a model for predicting seepage into planned HLRW emplacement drifts. Air-injection tests were conducted to characterize the permeability of the fractured rock, and liquid-release tests (LRTs) were conducted and seepage monitored to characterize the seepage-relevant properties of the fractured rock. Both air-injection and liquid-release tests were performed in the same borehole intervals, located above the underground openings. For modeling, three-dimensional, heterogeneous permeability fields were generated, conditioned on the air-permeability data. The initial seepage data collected were used to calibrate the model and test the appropriateness of the modeling approach. A capillary-strength parameter and porosity were the model parameters selected for estimation by data inversion. However, due to the short-term nature of the initial data, the inversion process was unable to independently determine the capillary strength and porosity of the fractured rock. Subsequent seepage data collection focused on longer-term tests, a representative selection of which was used for data inversion. Field observations also played a key role by identifying factors such as …

The SPARC project has entered its installation phase at the Frascati National Laboratories of INFN: its main goal, the promotion of an R&D activity oriented to the development of a high brightness photoinjector to drive SASE-FEL experiments, is being vigorously pursued by a collaboration among ENEA-INFN-CNR-Universita di Roma Tor Vergata-INFM-ST. In this paper we will report on the installation and test of some major components, like Ti:Sa laser system, RF gun and RF power system. Advancements in the control and beam diagnostics systems will also be reported, in particular on the emittance-meter device for beam emittance measurements in the drift space downstream the RF gun. Recent results on laser pulse shaping show the feasibility of producing 10 ps flat-top laser pulses in the UV with rise time below 1 ps. First FEL experiments have been proposed, using SASE, seeding and non-linear resonant harmonics.

A part of a new EBIS-based heavy ion preinjector, the low energy beam transport (LEBT) section between the high current EBIS and the RFQ is a challenging design, because it must serve many functions. In addition to the requirement to provide an efficient matching between the EBIS and the RFQ, this line must serve as a fast ''switchyard'', allowing singly charged ions from external sources to be transported into the EBIS trap region, and extracted, highly charged ions to be deflected to off-axis diagnostics (time-of-flight or emittance). The space charge of the 5-10 mA extracted heavy ion beam is a major consideration in the design, and the space charge force varies for different ion beams having Q/m from 1-0.16. The line includes electrostatic lenses, spherical and parallel-plate deflectors, magnetic solenoid, and diagnostics for measuring current, charge state distributions, emittance, and profile. A prototype of this beamline has been built, and results of tests are presented.

An Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS), capable of producing high charge states and high beam currents of any heavy ion species in short pulses, is ideally suited for injection into a synchrotron. An EBIS-based, high current, heavy ion preinjector is now being built at Brookhaven to provide increased capabilities for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), and the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL). Benefits of the new preinjector include the ability to produce ions of any species, fast switching between species to serve the simultaneous needs of multiple programs, and lower operating and maintenance costs. A state-of-the-art EBIS, operating with an electron beam current of up to 10 A, and producing multi-milliamperes of high charge state heavy ions, has been developed at Brookhaven, and has been operating very successfully on a test bench for several years. The present performance of this high-current EBIS is presented, along with details of the design of the scaled-up EBIS for RHIC, and the status of its construction. Other aspects of the project, including design and construction of the heavy ion RFQ, Linac, and matching beamlines, are also mentioned.

This report addresses the design and performance of the matching beamline between the BNL EBIS and an RFQ.

Theoretical analysis and preliminary experiment on ionization instability of intense laser pulses in ionizing plasmas are presented. The ionization instability is due to the dependence of the ionization rate on the laser intensity and scatters the laser energy off the original propagation direction.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a repository for defense transuranic (TRU) waste, was built and is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) required initial certification of compliance of the WIPP by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition, a recertification decision is required by the LWA every five years, dated from the initial receipt of TRU waste. The first TRU waste shipment arrived at the WIPP on March 26, 1999, and therefore the first recertification application is due from DOE to EPA by March 25, 2004. The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) provides technical oversight of the WIPP project on behalf of the State of New Mexico. The EEG considers the first recertification as a precedent setting event. Therefore, the EEG began the identification of recertification issues immediately following the initial certification decision. These issues have evolved since that time, based on discussions with the DOE and EEG's understanding of DOE's ongoing research. Performance assessment is required by the EPA certification and its results are needed to determine whether the facility remains in compliance at the time of the recertification application. The DOE must submit periodic change reports to the EPA …

In thinking about this issue, one comes to fundamental question: Why are we concerned at all? Why have all of us gathered here, rather than simply continue to clean up what we should from the past and control our emissions for the present and the future? The answer, I think, may be hinted at by several scenarios (which, although plausible given current trends, are intended to be hypothetical).

InGaAsN is a new semiconductor alloy system with the remarkable property that the inclusion of only 2% nitrogen reduces the bandgap by more than 30%. In order to help understand the physical origin of this extreme deviation from the typically observed nearly linear dependence of alloy properties on concentration, we have investigated the pressure dependence of the excited state energies using both experimental and theoretical methods. We report measurements of the low temperature photohnninescence energy of the material for pressures between ambient and 110 kbar. We describe a simple, density-functional-theory-based approach to calculating the pressure dependence of low lying excitation energies for low concentration alloys. The theoretically predicted pressure dependence of the bandgap is in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Based on the results of our calculations, we suggest an explanation for the strongly non-linear pressure dependence of the bandgap that, surprisingly, does not involve a nitrogen impurity band. Addhionally, conduction-band mass measurements, measured by three different techniques, will be described and finally, the magnetoluminescence determined pressure coefficient for the conduction-band mass is measured.