PHENIX is a large detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at BNL. RHIC and PHENIX have recently operated for the first time, producing and detecting collisions of gold ions at beam energies of 30 and 65 GeV per nucleon. The current performance and future plans of PHENIX and of RHIC are presented.

Nuclear level densities and radiative strength functions (RSF) in {sup 56}Fe and {sup 57}Fe were measured using the {sup 57}Fe({sup 3}He,{alpha}{gamma}) and {sup 57}Fe({sup 3}He, {sup 3}He{prime}{gamma}) reactions, respectively, at Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory. A low-energy enhancement in the RSF below 4 MeV energy was observed. This finding cannot be explained by common theoretical models. In a second experiment, two-step cascade intensities with soft primary transitions from the {sup 56}Fe(n,2{gamma}) reaction were measured. The agreement between the two experiments confirms the low-energy enhancement in the RSF. In a third experiment, the neutron evaporation spectrum from the {sup 55}Mn(dn,N){sup 56}Fe reaction was measured at 7-MeV deuteron energy at John Edwards Accelerator Laboratory at Ohio University. Comparison of the level density of {sup 56}Fe obtained from the first and third experiments gives an overall good agreement. Furthermore, observed enhancement for soft {gamma} rays is supported by the last experiment.

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The Department of Energy must treat and dispose of large volumes of radioactive waste stored in underground storage tanks at five DOE sites. Technology development has been focused on the separation and removal of various radionuclides from the supernatant contained in the Hanford waste tanks.

The current status of the 2mrad crossing angle layout for the ILC is reviewed. The scheme developed in the UK and France is described and the performance discussed for a TeV machine. Secondly, the scheme developed at SLAC and BNL is then studied and modified for a TeV machine. We find that both schemes can handle the higher energy beam with modifications, and share many common features.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is shipping, for disposition purposes, bulk quantities of fissile materials, primarily highly enriched uranium (HEU). The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) specification 6M container has been the workhorse for NNSA and many other shippers of radioactive material since the 1980s. However, the 6M does not conform to the packaging requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 71) and, for that reason, is being phased out for use in the DOE secure transportation system by the end of 2006. BWXT Y-12 developed and licensed the ES-3100 container to replace the DOT 6M. The ES-3100 was certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in April 2006. The process of deploying the new package began in June 2005 and is planned to be completed in July 2006. The package will be fully operational and completely replace the DOT 6M at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) by October 2006. This paper reviews the deployment process and the mock loading station that was installed at National Transportation Research Center (NTRC) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Specialized equipment, tools, and instrumentation that support the handling and loading operations of the ES-3100 are …

A high current, high voltage, all solid-state pulse modulator has been developed for use in the Plasma Electrode Pockels Cell (PEPC) subsystem in the National Ignition Facility. The MOSFET-switched pulse generator, designed to be a more capable plug-in replacement for the thyratron-switched units currently deployed in NIF, offers unprecedented capabilities including burst-mode operation, pulse width agility and a steady-state pulse repetition frequency exceeding 1 Hz. Capable of delivering requisite fast risetime, 17 kV flattop pulses into a 6 {Omega} load, the pulser employs a modular architecture characteristic of the inductive adder technology, pioneered at LLNL for use in acceleration applications, which keeps primary voltages low (and well within the capabilities of existing FET technology), reduces fabrication costs and is amenable to rapid assembly and quick field repairs.

In effort to develop reversible metallic borohydrides with high hydrogen storage capacity and low dehydriding temperature, several new materials have been synthesized by modifying LiBH{sub 4} with various metal halides and hydrides. The investigation shows that the halide modification effectively reduced the dehydriding temperature through ion exchange interaction. The effective halides are TiCl{sub 3}, TiF{sub 3}, ZnF{sub 2} and AlF{sub 3}. The material LiBH{sub 4}+0.1TiF{sub 3} desorbs 3.5wt% and 8.5wt% hydrogen at 150 C and 450 C respectively. It re-absorbed 6wt% hydrogen at 500 C and 70 bar after dehydrogenation. The XRD of the rehydrided samples confirmed the formation of LiBH{sub 4}. It indicates that the materials are reversible at the conditions given. However, a number of other halides: MgF{sub 2}, MgCl{sub 2}, CaCl{sub 2}, SrCl{sub 2} and FeCl{sub 3}, did not reduce dehydriding temperature of LiBH{sub 4} significantly. TGA-RGA analysis indicated that some halide modified lithium borohydrides such as LiBH{sub 4}+0.1ZnF{sub 2} evolved diborane during dehydrogenation, but some did not such as LiBH{sub 4}+0.1TiCl{sub 3}. The formation of diborane caused unrecoverable capacity loss resulting in irreversibility. It is suggested that the lithium borohydrides modified by the halides containing the metals that can not form metal borides with boron are …

We present a study of the dynamics in B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sub S}{sup 0} decays with approximately 230 million B{bar B} events collected by the BABAR detector at SLAC. They find that the Dalitz plot distribution is best parameterized with the {phi}K{sub S}{sup 0} mode, an S-wave K{sup +}K{sup -} resonance near 1500 MeV/c{sup 2}, and a large non-resonant contribution. We set limits on resonances not included in the model, and study models for the non-resonant contribution.

The authors present a preliminary measurement of the CP-violating parameters in fully reconstructed B{sup 0} {yields} D{sup (*){+-}}{pi}{sup {-+}} and B{sup 0} {yields} D{sup {+-}}{rho}{sup {-+}} decays in approximately 232 million {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC.

The authors present a simultaneous measurement of the {bar B}{sup 0} lifetime {tau}{sub B{sup 0}} and B{sup 0}{bar B}{sup 0} oscillation frequency {Delta}m{sub d}. We use a sample of about 50,000 partially reconstructed {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} decays identified with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} storage ring at SLAC. The flavor of the other B meson in the event is determined from the charge of another high-momentum lepton.

We search for the rare leptonic decay B{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{nu}{sub {tau}} in a sample of 232 x 10{sup 6} B{bar B} pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II B-Factory. Signal events are selected by examining the properties of the B meson recoiling against the semileptonic decay B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup 0}{ell}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}. We find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching fraction of {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +} {nu}{sub {tau}}) < 2.8 x 10{sup -4} at the 90% confidence level. We combine this result with a previous, statistically independent BABAR search for B{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +} {nu}{sub {tau}} to give an upper limit of {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +} {nu}{sub {tau}}) < 2.6 10{sup -4} at the 90% confidence level.

We present results of a search for the X(3872) in B{sup 0} {yields} X(3872)K{sub S}{sup 0}, X(3872) {yields} J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, improved measurements of B{sup -} {yields} X(3872)K{sup -}, and a study of the J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} mass region above the X(3872). We use 232 million B{bar B} pairs collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} asymmetric-energy storage rings. The results include the 90% confidence interval 1.34 x 10{sup -6} < {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} X(3872)K{sup 0}, X {yields} J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) < 10.3 x 10{sup -6} and the branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} X(3872)K{sup -}, X {yields} J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = (10.1 {+-} 2.5 {+-} 1.0) x 10{sup -6}. We observe a (2.7 {+-} 1.3 {+-} 0.2) MeV/c{sup 2} mass difference of the X(3872) produced in the two decay modes. Furthermore, we find an excess of J/{psi}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} events with an invariant mass just above 4.2 GeV/c{sup 2} that is consistent with recent observations in initial state radiation events.

The Plasma Electrode Pockels Cell (PEPC) subsystem is a key component of the National Ignition Facility, enabling the laser to employ an efficient four-pass main amplifier architecture. PEPC relies on a pulsed power technology to initiate and maintain plasma within the cells and to provide the necessary high voltage bias to the cells nonlinear crystals. Ultimately, nearly 300 high-voltage, high-current pulse generators will be deployed in the NIF in support of PEPC. Production of solid-state plasma pulse generators and thyratron-switched pulse generators is now complete, with the majority of the hardware deployed in the facility. An entire cluster (one-fourth of a complete NIF) has been commissioned and is operating on a routine basis, supporting laser shot operations. Another cluster has been deployed, awaiting final commissioning. Activation and commissioning of new hardware continues to progress in parallel, driving toward a goal of completing the PEPC subsystem in late 2007.

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This report summarizes the data analysis achieved during Heather Bedle's eleven-week Technical Scholar internship at Lawrence Livermore National Labs during the early summer 2006. The work completed during this internship resulted in constraints on the crustal and upper mantle S-velocity structure in Northern Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Europe, through the fitting of regional waveform data. This data extends current raypath coverage and will be included in a joint inversion along with data from surface wave group velocity measurements, S and P teleseismic arrival time data, and receiver function data to create an improved velocity model of the upper mantle in this region. The tectonic structure of the North African/Mediterranean/Europe/Middle Eastern study region is extremely heterogeneous. This region consists of, among others, stable cratons and platforms such as the West Africa Craton, and Baltica in Northern Europe; oceanic subduction zones throughout the Mediterranean Sea where the African and Eurasian plate collide; regions of continental collision as the Arabian Plate moves northward into the Turkish Plate; and rifting in the Red Sea, separating the Arabian and Nubian shields. With such diverse tectonic structures, many of the waveforms were difficult to fit. This is not unexpected as the waveforms are …

In this paper we use numerical simulation to investigate shock-induced ignition and combustion of a hydrocarbon gas. The focus of this paper is on quantifying the effect of fidelity in the chemical kinetics on the overall solution. We model the system using the compressible Navier Stokes equations for a reacting mixture. These equations express conservation of species mass, momentum, total energy.

We present three-dimensional, time-dependent simulations of a full-size laboratory-scale rod-stabilized premixed turbulent V-flame. The computations use an adaptive projection method based on a low Mach number formulation that incorporates detailed chemical kinetics and transport. The simulations are performed without introducing models for turbulence or turbulence chemistry interaction. We outline the numerical procedure and experimental setup, and compare computed results to mean flame location and surface wrinkling statistics gathered from experiment.

In this paper we discuss the application of a new diagnostic tool for analysis of flame simulations. This methodology is based on following specific chemical elements, e.g., carbon or nitrogen, as they move through the system. From this perspective an ''atom'' is a component of a molecule that is being transported through the simulation domain by advection and diffusion. Reactions cause the atom to shift from one species to another with the subsequent transport of the atom determined by the movement of the new species.

The Conceptual Design Assessment for the Co-Firing of Bio-Refinery Supplied Lignin Project was successfully kicked off on July 23, 2000 during a meeting at the TVA-PPI facility in Muscle Shoals, AL. An initial timeline for the study was distributed, issues of concern were identified and a priority actions list was developed. Next steps include meeting with NETL to discuss de-watering and lignin fuel testing, the development of the mass balance model and ethanol facility design criteria, providing TVA-Colbert with preliminary lignin fuel analysis and the procurement of representative feed materials for the pilot and bench scale testing of the hydrolysis process.