This research program involved direct observation of the complicated plasma dynamics underlying spheromak formation. Spheromaks are self-organizing magnetically dominated plasma configurations which potentially offer a simple, low-cost means for confining the plasma in a controlled thermonuclear fusion reactor. The spheromak source used in these studies was a coaxial co-planar magnetized plasma gun which was specifically designed to have the simplest relevant geometry. The simplicity of the geometry facilitated understanding of the basic physics and minimized confusion that would otherwise have resulted from complexities due to the experimental geometry. The coaxial plasma gun was mounted on one end of a large vacuum tank that had excellent optical access so the spheromak formation process could be tracked in detail using ultra-high speed cameras. The main accomplishments of this research program were (1) obtaining experimental data characterizing the detailed physics underlying spheromak formation and the development of new theoretical models motivated by these observations, (2) determining the relationship between spheromak physics and astrophysical jets, (3) developing a new high-speed camera diagnostic for the SSPX spheromak at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, and (4) training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

The overall purpose of this project is to evaluate the biological and economic feasibility of restoring high-quality forests on mined land, and to measure carbon sequestration and wood production benefits that would be achieved from forest restoration procedures. During the reporting period (October-December 2004) we completed the validation of a forest productivity classification model for mined land. A coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}) of 0.68 confirms the model's ability to predict SI based on a selection of mine soil properties. To determine carbon sequestration under different forest management scenarios, a field study was installed as a 3 x 3 factorial in a random complete block design with three replications at each of three locations, Ohio (Figure 1), West Virginia (Figure 2), and Virginia (Figure 3). The treatments included three forest types (white pine, hybrid poplar, mixed hardwood) and three silvicultural regimes (competition control, competition control plus tillage, competition control plus tillage plus fertilization). For hybrid poplar, total plant biomass differences increased significantly with the intensity of silvicultural input. Root, stem, and foliage biomass also increased with the level of silvicultural intensity. Financial feasibility analyses of reforestation on mined lands previously reclaimed to grassland have been completed for conversion to white …

The purpose of this memo is to lay out the uncertainties associated with the measurement of density of Be ablators by the weigh and volume method. I am counting on the readers to point out any faulty assumptions about the techniques or uncertainties associated with them. Based on the analysis presented below we should expect that 30 {micro}m thick shells will have an uncertainty in the measured density of about 2% of the value, coming more or less equally from the mass and volume measurement. The uncertainty is roughly inversely proportional to the coating thickness, thus a 60 {micro}m walled shell would result in a 1% uncertainty in the density.

In an effort to determine spill characteristics, information about a spill's spatial distribution with time is being studied. For permeable surfaces, spill phenomenology is controlled by liquid and soil properties, the most relevant of which are presented in this report. The pertinent liquid and soil properties were tabulated for ten liquids and four soils. The liquids represented an array of organic compounds, some of which are or are soon to be documented in the liquid spectra library by the Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The soils were chosen based on ongoing surface spectra work and to represent a range of relevant soil properties. The effect of the liquid and soil properties on spill phenomenology were explored using a spill model that couples overland flow described by gravity currents with the Green-Ampt infiltration model. From the simulations, liquid viscosity was found to be a controlling liquid property in determining the amount of time a spill remains on the surface, with the surface vanish time decreasing as viscosity decreased. This was attributed to decreasing viscosity increasing both the hydraulic conductivity of the soil and allowing for the spill to more quickly spread out onto an unsaturated soil surface. …

The team of the Fellowship for Interpretation of Genomes (FIG) under the leadership of Ross Overbeek, began working on this Project in November 2003. During the previous year, the Project was performed at Integrated Genomics Inc. A transition from the industrial environment to the public domain prompted us to adjust some aspects of the Project. Notwithstanding the challenges, we believe that these adjustments had a strong positive impact on our deliverables. Most importantly, the work of the research team led by R. Overbeek resulted in the deployment of a new open source genomic platform, the SEED (Specific Aim 1). This platform provided a foundation for the development of CyanoSEED a specialized portal to comparative analysis and metabolic reconstruction of all available cyanobacterial genomes (Specific Aim 3). The SEED represents a new generation of software for genome analysis. Briefly, it is a portable and extendable system, containing one of the largest and permanently growing collections of complete and partial genomes. The complete system with annotations and tools is freely available via browsing or via installation on a user's Mac or Linux computer. One of the important unique features of the SEED is the support of metabolic reconstruction and comparative genome analysis …

Transparent ceramic materials have several major advantages over single crystals in laser applications, not the least of which is the ability to make large aperture parts in a robust manufacturing process. After more than a decade of working on making transparent YAG:Nd, Japanese workers have recently succeeded in demonstrating samples that performed as laser gain media as well as their single crystal counterparts. Since then several laser materials have been made and evaluated. For these reasons, developing ceramic laser materials is the most exciting and futuristic materials topic in today's major solid-state laser conferences. We have established a good working relationship with Konoshima Ltd., the Japanese producer of the best ceramic laser materials, and have procured and evaluated slabs designed by us for use in our high-powered SSHCL. Our measurements indicate that these materials will work in the SSHCL, and we have nearly completed retrofitting the SSHCL with four of the largest transparent ceramic YAG:Nd slabs in existence. We have also begun our own effort to make this material and have produced samples with various degrees of transparency/translucency. We are in the process of carrying out an extensive design-of-experiments to establish the significant process variables for making transparent YAG. Finally …

The petroleum refining industry in the United States is the largest in the world, providing inputs to virtually any economic sector,including the transport sector and the chemical industry. The industry operates 146 refineries (as of January 2004) around the country,employing over 65,000 employees. The refining industry produces a mix of products with a total value exceeding $151 billion. Refineries spend typically 50 percent of cash operating costs (i.e., excluding capital costs and depreciation) on energy, making energy a major cost factor and also an important opportunity for cost reduction. Energy use is also a major source of emissions in the refinery industry making energy efficiency improvement an attractive opportunity to reduce emissions and operating costs. Voluntary government programs aim to assist industry to improve competitiveness through increased energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. ENERGY STAR (R), a voluntary program managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, stresses the need for strong and strategic corporate energy management programs. ENERGY STAR provides energy management tools and strategies for successful corporate energy management programs. This Energy Guide describes research conducted to support ENERGY STAR and its work with the petroleum refining industry.This research provides information on potential energy efficiency opportunities for petroleum refineries. …