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Recent results from the SSPX spheromak experiment demonstrate the potential for obtaining good energy confinement (Te > 350eV and radial electron thermal diffusivity comparable to tokamak L-mode values) in a completely self-organized toroidal plasma. A strong decrease in thermal conductivity with temperature is observed and at the highest temperatures, transport is well below that expected from the Rechester-Rosenbluth model. Addition of a new capacitor bank has produced 60% higher magnetic fields and almost tripled the pulse length to 11ms. For plasmas with T{sub e} > 300eV, it becomes feasible to use modest (1.8MW) neutral beam injection (NBI) heating to significantly change the power balance in the core plasma, making it an effective tool for improving transport analysis. We are now developing detailed designs for adding NBI to SSPX and have developed a new module for the CORSICA transport code to compute the correct fast-ion orbits in SSPX so that we can simulate the effect of adding NBI; initial results predict that such heating can raise the electron temperature and total plasma pressure in the core by a factor of two.

Advantages afforded by the development of new directional neutron detectors and imagers are discussed. Thermal neutrons have mean free paths in air of about 20 meters, and can be effectively imaged using coded apertures. Fission spectrum neutrons have ranges greater than 100 meters, and carry enough energy to scatter at least twice in multilayer detectors which can yield both directional and spectral information. Such strategies allow better discrimination between a localized spontaneous fission source and the low, but fluctuating, level of background neutrons generated by cosmic rays. A coded aperture thermal neutron imager will be discussed as well as a proton-recoil double-scatter fast-neutron directional detector with time-of-flight energy discrimination.

We construct metastable configurations of branes and anti-branes wrapping 2-spheres inside local Calabi-Yau manifolds and study their large N duals. These duals are Calabi-Yau manifolds in which the wrapped 2-spheres have been replaced by 3-spheres with flux through them, and supersymmetry is spontaneously broken. The geometry of the non-supersymmetric vacuum is exactly calculable to all orders of the't Hooft parameter, and to the leading order in 1/N. The computation utilizes the same matrix model techniques that were used in the supersymmetric context. This provides a novel mechanism for breaking supersymmetry in the context of flux compactifications.

We measure the laminar deflagration rate of LX-17 (92.5 wt% TATB, 7.5 wt% Kel-F 800) at high pressure and temperature in a strand burner, thereby obtaining reaction rate data for prediction of thermal explosion violence. Simultaneous measurements of flame front time-of-arrival and temporal pressure history allow for the direct calculation of deflagration rate as a function of pressure. Additionally, deflagrating surface areas are calculated in order to provide quantitative insight into the dynamic surface structure during deflagration and its relationship to explosion violence. Deflagration rate data show that LX-17 burns in a smooth fashion at ambient temperature and is represented by the burn rate equation B = 0.2P{sup 0.9}. At 225 C, deflagration is more rapid and erratic. Dynamic deflagrating surface area calculations show that ambient temperature LX-17 deflagrating surface areas remain near unity over the pressure range studied.

Shimming systems are required to provide sufficient fieldhomogeneity for high resolution NMR. In certain specialized applications,such as rotating-field NMR and portable (ex-situ) NMR, permanentmagnet-based shimming systems can provide considerable advantages. Wepresent a simple two-dimensional shimming method based on harmoniccorrector rings which can provide arbitrary multipole order shimmingcorrections. Results demonstrate, for example, that quadrupolar ordershimming improves the linewidth by up to and order of magnitude. Anadditional order of magnitude reduction is in principle achievable byultilizing this shimming method for z-gradient correction and higherorder xy gradients.

We study the behavior of hydrogen-bonded systems under high-pressure and temperature. First principle calculations of formic acid under isotropic pressure up to 70 GPa reveal the existence of a polymerization phase at around 20 GPa, in support of recent IR, Raman, and XRD experiments. In this phase, covalent bonding develops between molecules of the same chain through symmetrization of hydrogen bonds. We also performed molecular dynamics simulations of water at pressures up to 115 GPa and 2000 K. Along this isotherm, we are able to define three different phases. We observe a molecular fluid phase with superionic diffusion of the hydrogens for pressure 34 GPa to 58 GPa. We report a transformation to a phase dominated by transient networks of symmetric O-H hydrogen bonds at 95-115 GPa. As in formic acid, the network can be attributed to the symmetrization of the hydrogen bond, similar to the ice VII to ice X transition.

Passivity breakdown of 316L SS in the presence of aggressive Cl{sup -} and inhibitive NO{sub 3}{sup -} anions has been experimentally studied and the results have been interpreted in terms of the Point Defect Model (PDM). By introducing the competitive adsorption of Cl{sup -} and NO{sub 3}{sup -} into surface oxygen vacancies at the passive film/solution interface, the PDM yields a critical breakdown potential (V{sub c}) that is predicted to vary linearly with log[Cl{sup -}], or with log ([Cl{sup -}]/[NO{sub 3}{sup -}]) [1] when nitrate ions are present, which is shown in Fig. 1. The Point Defect Model also explains the fact that the slope of V{sub c} vs. log[Cl{sup -}] does not change in the presence of NO{sub 3}{sup -}, which is attributed to the quasi-equilibrium ejection of a cation from the barrier layer to form the vacancy pair V{sub M}V{sub O}{sup (2-{chi})} at the barrier layer/solution interface. The Point Defect Model predicts that measured V{sub c} increases linearly with the square root of voltage scan rate {nu}{sup 1/2} [1]. From this correlation, the critical, areal concentration of cation vacancies at the metal/barrier layer interface, {zeta}, has been estimated and found to be comparable to that calculated from the …

Energetic materials are unique for having a strong exothermic reactivity, which has made them desirable for both military and commercial applications. Energetic materials are commonly divided into high explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics. We will focus on high explosive (HE) materials here, although there is a great deal of commonality between the classes of energetic materials. Although the history of HE materials is long, their condensed-phase properties are poorly understood. Understanding the condensed-phase properties of HE materials is important for determining stability and performance. Information regarding HE material properties (for example, the physical, chemical, and mechanical behaviors of the constituents in plastic-bonded explosive, or PBX, formulations) is necessary for efficiently building the next generation of explosives as the quest for more powerful energetic materials (in terms of energy per volume) moves forward. In modeling HE materials there is a need to better understand the physical, chemical, and mechanical behaviors from fundamental theoretical principles. Among the quantities of interest in plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs), for example, are thermodynamic stabilities, reaction kinetics, equilibrium transport coefficients, mechanical moduli, and interfacial properties between HE materials and the polymeric binders. These properties are needed (as functions of stress state and temperature) for the development of improved micro-mechanical …

In this short article the accurate labeling of the O4,5 edges of the light actinides is addressed. The O4 and O5 edges are both contained in what is termed the ''giant resonance'' and the smaller ''pre-peak'' that is observed is a consequence of first-order perturbation by the 5d spin-orbit interaction. Thus, the small prepeak in the actinide 5d {yields} 5f transition should not be labeled the O5 peak, but rather the {Delta}S=1 peak.

In order to study the molecular structure and dynamics of liquid water with soft x-ray probes, samples with nanoscale dimensions are needed. This paper describes a simple method for preparing nanofluidic water cells. The idea is to confine a thin layer of water between two silicon nitride windows. The windows are 1 mm x 1 mm and 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm in size and have a thickness of 150 nm. The thickness of the water layer was measured experimentally by probing the infrared spectrum of water in the cells with a Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) apparatus and from soft x-ray static measurements at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Water layers ranging from 10 nm to more than 2 {micro}m were observed. Evidence for changes in the water structure compared to bulk water is observed in the ultrathin cells.

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS) requires compact and reliable joints for its Cable-in-Conduit Conductor (CICC). The baseline design is a diffusion bonded butt joint. In such a joint the mating cables are compacted to a very low void fraction in a copper sleeve and then heat treated. After the heat treatment the ends are cut, polished and aligned against each other and then diffusion bonded under high compression in a vacuum chamber at 750 C. The jacket is then welded on the conductor to complete the joint, which remarkably does not require more room than a regular conductor. This joint design is based on a proven concept developed for the ITER CS Model Coil that was successfully tested in the previous R&D phase.

The Sivers mechanism for the single-spin asymmetry in unpolarized lepton scattering from a transversely polarized nucleon is driven by the orbital angular momentum carried by its quark and gluon constituents, combined with QCD final-state interactions. Both quark and gluon mechanisms can generate such a single-spin asymmetry, though only the quark mechanism can explain the small single-spin asymmetry measured by the COMPASS collaboration on the deuteron, suggesting the gluon mechanism is small relative to the quark mechanism. We detail empirical studies through which the gluon and quark orbital angular momentum contributions, quark-flavor by quark-flavor, can be elucidated.

X-ray fluorescence microCT (computed tomography) is a novel technique that allows non-destructive determination of the 3D distribution of chemical elements inside a sample. This is especially important in samples for which sectioning is undesirable either due to the risk of contamination or the requirement for further analysis by different characterization techniques. Developments made by third generation synchrotron facilities and laboratory X-ray focusing systems have made these kinds of measurements more attractive by significantly reducing scan times and beam size. First results from the x-ray fluorescence microCT experiments performed at SSRL beamline 6-2 are reported here. Beamline 6-2 is a 54 pole wiggler that uses a two mirror optical system for focusing the x-rays onto a virtual source slit which is then reimaged with a set of KB mirrors to a (2 x 4) {micro}{sup 2} beam spot. An energy dispersive fluorescence detector is located in plane at 90 degrees to the incident beam to reduce the scattering contribution. A PIN diode located behind the sample simultaneously measures the x-ray attenuation in the sample. Several porous micrometeorite samples were measured and the reconstructed element density distribution including self-absorption correction is presented. Ultimately, this system will be used to analyze particles from …

Presented here is the complete genome sequence ofThiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2, representative of ubiquitouschemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from deep-seahydrothermal vents. This gammaproteobacterium has a single chromosome(2,427,734 bp), and its genome illustrates many of the adaptations thathave enabled it to thrive at vents globally. It has 14 methyl-acceptingchemotaxis protein genes, including four that may assist in positioningit in the redoxcline. A relative abundance of CDSs encoding regulatoryproteins likely control the expression of genes encoding carboxysomes,multiple dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate transporters, as wellas a phosphonate operon, which provide this species with a variety ofoptions for acquiring these substrates from the environment. T. crunogenaXCL-2 is unusual among obligate sulfur oxidizing bacteria in relying onthe Sox system for the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds. A 38 kbprophage is present, and a high level of prophage induction was observed,which may play a role in keeping competing populations of close relativesin check. The genome has characteristics consistent with an obligatelychemolithoautotrophic lifestyle, including few transporters predicted tohave organic allocrits, and Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle CDSs scatteredthroughout the genome.

We report a measurement of the B {yields} {pi}{ell}{nu} branching fraction based on 211 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the BABAR detector. We use samples of B{sup 0} and B{sup +} mesons tagged by a second B meson reconstructed in a semileptonic or hadronic decay, and combine the results assuming isospin symmetry to obtain {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.33 {+-} 0.17{sub stat} {+-} 0.11{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. We determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V{sub ub}| by combining the partial branching fractions measured in ranges of the momentum transfer squared and theoretical calculations of the form factor. Using a recent lattice QCD calculation, we find |{sub ub}| = (4.5 {+-} 0.5{sub stat} {+-} 0.3{sub syst} {sub -0.5}{sup +0.7}FF) x 10{sup -3}, where the last error is due to the normalization of the form factor.

The authors present a measurement of the branching fraction and time-dependent CP asymmetry of B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}K{sup 0}. The results are obtained from a data sample of 227 x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit yielding 111 {+-} 19 signal events they find {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}K{sup 0}) = (4.9 {+-} 0.8 {+-} 0.9) x 10{sup -6}, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. They report the measurement of the CP parameters S{sub {rho}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}} = 0.20 {+-} 0.52 {+-} 0.24 and C{sub {rho}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}} = 0.64 {+-} 0.41 {+-} 0.20.

We report measurements of time-dependent CP asymmetries related to the CKM angle {beta}/{phi}{sub 1}, using decays of neutral B mesons to charmonium, open charm and in b {yields} s loop-dominated processes. A preliminary measurement of time-dependent CP asymmetries in B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}(770)K{sub S}{sup 0} decays from the BABAR experiment is given here.

The initial stage of the oxidation of Ge(111) surfaces etched by HF, HCl and HBr solutions is systematically studied using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-PES). We perform controlled experiments to differentiate the effects of different oxidation factors. SR-PES results show that both moisture and oxygen contribute to the oxidation of the surfaces; however, they play different roles in the oxidation process. Moisture effectively replaces the hydrogen and halogen termination layers with hydroxyl (OH), but hardly oxidizes the surfaces further. On the other hand, dry oxygen does not replace the termination layers, but breaks the Ge-Ge back bonds and oxidizes the substrates with the aid of moisture. In addition, room light enhances the oxidation rate significantly.

The authors develop a plane-wave-based transfer matrix method in curvilinear coordinates to study the guided modes in curved nanoribbon waveguides. The problem of a curved structure is transformed into an equivalent one of a straight structure with spatially dependent tensors of dielectric constant and magnetic permeability. The authors investigate the coupling between the eigenmodes of the straight part and those of the curved part when the waveguide is bent. The authors show that curved sections can result in strong oscillations in the transmission spectrum similar to the recent experimental results of Lawet al.

We recently demonstrated the ability of semiconductor quantum dots to convert alpha radiation into visible photons. In this letter, we report on the scintillation of quantum dots under gamma-ray irradiation, and compare the energy resolution of the 59 keV line of Americium 241 obtained with our quantum dot-glass nanocomposite material to that of a standard sodium iodide scintillator. A factor 2 improvement is demonstrated experimentally and interpreted theoretically using a combination of energy-loss and photon transport models. These results demonstrate the potential of quantum dots for room-temperature gamma-ray detection, which has applications in medical imaging, environmental monitoring, as well as security and defense. Present technology in gamma radiation detection suffers from flexibility and scalability issues. For example, bulk Germanium provides fine energy resolution (0.2% energy resolution at 1.33 MeV) but requires operation at liquid nitrogen temperature. On the other hand, Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride is a good room temperature detector ( 1% at 662 keV) but the size of the crystals that can be grown is limited to a few centimeters in each direction. Finally, the most commonly used scintillator, Sodium Iodide (NaI), can be grown as large crystals but suffers from a lack of energy resolution (7% energy resolution at 662 keV). …

Experimental data indicates that the limiting crack speed in brittle materials is less than the Rayleigh wave speed. One reason for this is that dynamic instabilities produce surface roughness and microcracks that branch from the main crack. These processes increase dissipation near the crack tip over a range of crack speeds. When the scale of observation (or mesh resolution) becomes much larger than the typical sizes of these features, effective-medium theories are required to predict the coarse-grained fracture dynamics. Two approaches to modeling these phenomena are described and used in numerical simulations. The first approach is based on cohesive elements that utilize a rate-dependent weakening law for the nodal cohesive forces. The second approach uses a continuum damage model which has a weakening effect that lowers the effective Rayleigh wave speed in the material surrounding the crack tip. Simulations in this paper show that while both models are capable of increasing the energy dissipated during fracture when the mesh size is larger than the process zone size, only the continuum damage model is able to limit the crack speed over a range of applied loads. Numerical simulations of straight-running cracks demonstrate good agreement between the theoretical predictions of the combined …

In this report the event data model (EDM) relevant for tracking in the ATLAS experiment is presented. The core component of the tracking EDM is a common track object which is suited to describe tracks in the innermost tracking sub-detectors and in the muon detectors in offline as well as online reconstruction. The design of the EDM was driven by a demand for modularity and extensibility while taking into account the different requirements of the clients. The structure of the track object and the representation of the tracking-relevant information are described in detail.

We calculate {Delta}I = 3/2 kaon decay matrix elements using domain wall fermions and the DBW2 gauge action at one coarse lattice spacing corresponding to a{sup -1} = 1.3 GeV. We employ the Lellouch and Luescher formula and its extension for non-zero total momentum to extract the infinite volume, center-of-mass frame decay amplitudes. The decay amplitudes obtained from the methods correspond to those from the indirect method with full order chiral perturbation theory. We confirm that the result is consistent with the previous result calculated with H-parity (anti-periodic) boundary condition by investigating the relative momentum dependence. We evaluate the decay amplitude ReA{sub 2} at the physical point by a chiral extrapolation with a polynomial function of m{sub {pi}}{sup 2} and the relative momentum as well as the {Delta}I = 3/2 electroweak penguin contributions to {var_epsilon}{prime}/{var_epsilon}. We found that the result of ReA{sub 2} reasonably agrees with the experiment.