High power pulse copper vapor laser systems consist of a master oscillator and numerous power amplifiers. Large systems used in laser isotope separation experiments require several automatic control systems. The rapid development of compact mini computers over the past several years has enabled the implementation of sophisticated computer controlled copper vapor laser systems. Present systems provide automatic time synchronization and input power stabilization. Future systems will incorporate semi-automatic start-up capabilities.

Transient processes in radiative transfer have recently become of interest in the modeling of astrophysical phenomena, particularly with regard to the brightness of novae, supernovae, and perhaps even galactic clouds adjacent to quasars. Analytic solutions to a particular class of Marshak wave problems are presented with and without the Marshak (Milne) boundary condition. The choice of boundary condition can have a decisive effect on the coupling of radiative energy to the material energy in the vicinity of a material boundary. The analytic solution obtained can be useful as a tool for calibrating numerical calculation techniques.

Some criteria for identifying dense plasmas are given. The theoretical analysis gives the following: general characteristics of dense plasmas, statistical model for compressed atoms, and ionization equilibrium in dense plasmas. (MOW)

Fission product cesium may contribute to cladding strain in low oxygen-to-metal ratio (O/M) FBR fuel pins through localized reaction with fuel or UO/sub 2/ blanket pellets. Titanium oxide pellets were laboratory irradiation tested as candidate cesium getters for FBR fuel pins. Results indicate satisfactory performance.

Final design is more than 85 percent complete on the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility, the facility for post-irradiation examination of the fuels and materials tests irradiated in the FFTF and for fuel process development, experimental test pin fabrication and supporting storage, assay, and analytical chemistry functions. The overall facility is generally described with specific information given on some of the design features. Construction has been initiated and more than 10% of the construction contracts have been awarded on a fixed price basis.

The concentrations of plutonium in samples collected from the north equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean are presented. The results discussed in this abstract are preliminary, and some of the conclusions and descriptions of results may be revised after results from similar tests made by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute are critically compared. An early exchange of these data is warranted because the results are directly related to the objectives of the workshop--to assess the processes, behavior, and fate of radionuclides in oceanic environments.

The Fusion Materials Irradiation Test Facility (FMIT) is a high-energy, high-flux neutron source for fusion materials development. The FMIT linear accelerator will produce a 35 MeV beam of deuterons that generates high-energy neutrons by a nuclear stripping reaction with flowing liquid lithium targets. The targets will be located in two identical irradiation test cells, either of which will provide an irradiation volume of 10 cm/sup 3/ at a neutron flux of 10/sup 15/ n/cm/sup 2/-s and 500 cm/sup 3/ at a flux of 10/sup 14/ n/cm/sup 2/-s. FMIT has been authorized by the US Congress and will be constructed and operated by the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) at Richland, Washington, in collaboration with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) which is providing the accelerator design. The project is currently entering the detailed design phase, targeting for start of construction in early 1980 and operaion in 1983-84. Research and development programs are underway at both HEDL and LASL to resolve uncertainties in the lithium target and accelerator designs.

The spurious pressures and acceptable velocities generated when using certain combinations of velocity and pressure approximations in a Galerkin finite element discretization of the primitive variable form of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are analyzed both theoretically and numerically for grids composed of quadrilateral finite elements. Schemes for obtaining usable pressure fields from the spurious numerical results are presented for certain cases.

Actinide cross section data at thermonuclear neutron energies are needed for the calculation of ICF pellet center burnup of fission reactor waste, viz. 14 MeV neutron fission of the very long-lived actinides that pose storage problems. A major advantage of pellet center burnup is safety: only milligrams of highly toxic and active material need to be present in the fusion chamber, whereas blanket burnup requires the continued presence of tons of actinides in a small volume. The actinide data tables required for Monte Carlo calculations of the burnup of /sup 241/Am and /sup 243/Am are discussed in connection with typical burnup reactor fusion and fission spectra. 2 figures.

The Shiva and Argus laser systems at Livermore have been developed to study the physics of inertial confinement fusion. Both laser system designs are predicated on the use of large aperture Nd-glass disk amplifiers and high power spatial filters. During the past year we have irradiated DT filled microshell targets with and without polymer coatings. Recently new instruments have been developed to investigate implosion dynamics and to determine the maximum fuel density achieved by these imploded fusion pellets. A series of target irradiations with thin wall microshells at 15 to 20 TW, exploding pusher designs, resulted in a maximum neutron yield of 3 x 10/sup 10/. Polymer coated microshells designed for high compression were subjected to 4 kJ for 0.2 ns and reached fuel densities of 2.0 to 3.0 gm/cm/sup 3/. Results of these and other recent experiments will be reviewed.

The promise of an abundant energy supply has inspired many approaches to controlling thermal nuclear fusion. One approach to initiating fusion is to use a hypervelocity projectile to impact a deuterium--tritium (DT) pellet. For this purpose, magnetic accelerators have been propsed for accelerating macroparticles to velocities greater than 100 km/s. This paper summarizes a portion of a study that assesses the feasibility of accelerating a 0.1-g payload to a velocity of 150 km/s or more. In that study it was concluded that magnetic-gradient and railgun accelerators could achieve the goal. The critical factors that limit the design and operation of railgun accelerators are discussed. These factors are combined with a simulation code to assess potential railgun performance in this regime.