Hydrologic analyses are commonly based on a single conceptual-mathematical model. Yet hydrologic environments are open and complex, rendering them prone to multiple interpretations and mathematical descriptions. Considering conceptual model uncertainty is a critical process in hydrologic uncertainty assessment. This study assesses recharge and geologic model uncertainty for the Climax mine area of the Nevada Test Site, Nevada. Five alternative recharge models have been independently developed for Nevada and the Death Valley area of California. These models are (1) the Maxey-Eakin model, (2 and 3) a distributed parameter watershed model with and without a runon-runoff component, and (4 and 5) a chloride mass-balance model with two zero-recharge masks, one for alluvium and one for both alluvium and elevation. Similarly, five geological models have been developed based on different interpretations of available geologic information. One of them was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Death Valley Regional Flow System (DVRFS) model; the other four were developed by Bechtel Nevada for the Yucca Flat Corrective Action Unit (CAU). The Climax mine area is in the northern part of the Yucca Flat CAU, which is within the DVRFS. A total of 25 conceptual models are thus formulated based on the five recharge …

Nationwide, the demand for electricity due to population and industrial growth is on the rise. However, climate change and air quality issues raise serious questions about the wisdom of addressing these shortages through the construction of additional fossil fueled power plants. In 1997, the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology Energy Research and Development Panel determined that restoring a viable nuclear energy option was essential and that the DOE should implement a R&D effort to address principal obstacles to achieving this option. This work has addressed the need for improved thermal/fluid analysis capabilities, through the use of computational fluid dynamics, which are necessary to support the design of generation IV gas-cooled and supercritical water reactors.

The Fast Ignition (FI) concept for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) has the potential to provide a significant advance in the technical attractiveness of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) reactors. FI differs from conventional 'central hot spot' (CHS) target ignition by using one driver (laser, heavy ion beam or Z-pinch) to create a dense fuel and a separate ultra-short, ultra-intense laser beam to ignite the dense core. FI targets can burn with {approx} 3X lower density fuel than CHS targets, resulting in (all other things being equal) lower required compression energy, relaxed drive symmetry, relaxed target smoothness tolerances, and, importantly, higher gain. The short, intense ignition pulse that drives this process interacts with extremely high energy density plasmas; the physics that controls this interaction is only now becoming accessible in the lab, and is still not well understood. The attraction of obtaining higher gains in smaller facilities has led to a worldwide explosion of effort in the studies of FI. In particular, two new US facilities to be completed in 2009/2010, OMEGA/OMEGA EP and NIF-ARC (as well as others overseas) will include FI investigations as part of their program. These new facilities will be able to approach FI conditions much more closely …

Experiments planned to address the issue of electron correlation in the Pu 5f states are described herein. The key is the utilization of the Fano Effect, the observation of spin polarization in nonmagnetic systems, using chiral excitation such as circularly polarized X-rays.

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The purpose of this paper is to report on processing of raw waveform data from 4547 events recorded at 12 stations between 2001 and 2005 by the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF) seismic network. We identified a central region of the network where vertically elongated distributions of hypocenters have previously been located from regional network analysis. We process the data from the local network by first autopicking first P and S arrivals; second, improving these with hand picks when necessary; then, using cross-correlation to provide very precise P and S relative arrival times. We used the HypoDD earthquake location algorithm to locate the events. We found that the originally elongated distributions of hypocenters became more tightly clustered and extend down the extent of the study volume at 10 Km. However, we found the shapes to depend on choices of location parameters. We speculate that these narrow elongated zones of seismicity may be due to stress release caused by fluid flow.

A permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of a physical system would require time-reversal (T) violation, which is equivalent to charge-conjugation-parity (CP) violation by CPT invariance. Experimental programs are currently pushing the limits on EDMs in atoms, nuclei, and the neutron to regimes of fundamental theoretical interest. Nuclear EDMs can be studied at ion storage rings with sensitivities that may be competitive with atomic and neutron measurements. Here we calculate the magnitude of the CP-violating EDM of {sup 3}He and the expected sensitivity of such a measurement to the underlying CP-violating interactions. Assuming that the coupling constants are of comparable magnitude for {pi}-, {rho}-, and {omega}-exchanges, we find that the pion-exchange contribution dominates. Finally, our results suggest that a measurement of the {sup 3}He EDM is complementary to the planned neutron and deuteron experiments, and could provide a powerful constraint for the theoretical models of the pion-nucleon P,T-violating interaction.

Identifying the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in the recently-discovered ferrooxypnictide family of superconductors, RFeAsO{sub 1-x}F{sub y}, where R is a rare earth, is a high priority. Many of the proposed order parameters have internal {pi} phase shifts, like the d-wave order found in the cuprates, which would result in direction-dependent phase shifts in tunneling. In dense polycrystalline samples, these phase shifts in turn would result in spontaneous orbital currents and magnetization in the superconducting state. We perform scanning SQUID microscopy on a dense polycrystalline sample of NdFeAsO{sub 0.94}F{sub 0.06} with T{sub c} = 48K and find no such spontaneous currents, ruling out many of the proposed order parameters.

Models of late-time neutrino mass generation contain new interactions of the cosmic background neutrinos with supernova relic neutrinos (SRNs). Exchange of an on-shell light scalar may lead to significant modification of the differential SRN flux observed at earth. We consider an Abelian U(1) model for generating neutrino masses at low scales, and show that there are cases for which the changes induced in the flux allow one to distinguish the Majorana or Dirac nature of neutrinos, as well as the type of neutrino mass hierarchy (normal or inverted or quasi-degenerate). In some region of parameter space the determination of the absolute values of the neutrino masses is also conceivable. Measurements of the presence of these effects may be possible at the next-generation water Cerenkov detectors enriched with Gadolinium, or a 100 kton liquid argon detector.

It has been successfully demonstrated in this program that a zirconia multilayer structure with rhodium-based porous electrodes performs well as an amperometric NOx sensor. The sensitivity of the sensor bodies operating at 650 to 700 C is large, with demonstrated current outputs of 14 mA at 500 ppm NOx from sensors with 30 layers. The sensor bodies are small (4.5 x 4.2 x 3.1 mm), rugged, and inexpensive. It is projected the sensor bodies will cost $5 - $10 in production. This program has built on another successful development program for an oxygen sensor based on the same principles and sponsored by DOE. This oxygen sensor is not sensitive to NOx. A significant technical hurdle has been identified and solved. It was found that the 100% Rh electrodes oxidize rapidly at the preferred operating temperatures of 650 - 700 C, and this oxidation is accompanied by a volume change which delaminates the sensors. The problem was solved by using alloys of Rh and Pt. It was found that a 10%/90% Rh/Pt alloy dropped the oxidation rate of the electrodes by orders of magnitude without degrading the NOx sensitivity of the sensors, allowing long-term stable operation at the preferred operating temperatures. …

Thanks to imperatives for limiting waste heat, maximizing performance, and controlling operating cost, energy efficiency has been a driving force in the evolution of supercomputers. The challenge going forward will be to extend these gains to offset the steeply rising demands for computing services and performance.

The authors report a measurement of the branching fractions for {bar B} {yields} D{sup (*)}{pi}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} decays based on 341.1 fb{sup -1} of data collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings. Events are tagged by fully reconstructing one of the B mesons in a hadronic decay mode. The obtain {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D{sup 0}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (2.33 {+-} 0.09{sub stat.} {+-} 0.09{sub syst.})%, {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup 0}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = 5.83 {+-} 0.15{sub stat.} {+-} 0.30{sub syst.}%, {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (2.21 {+-} 0.11{sub stat.} {+-} 0.12{sub syst.})% {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = 5.49 {+-} 0.16{sub stat.} {+-} 0.25{sub syst.}%, {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (0.42 {+-} 0.06{sub stat.} {+-} 0.03{sub syst.})%, {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup +} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (0.59 {+-} 0.05{sub stat.} {+-} 0.04{sub syst.})%, {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (0.43 {+-} 0.08{sub stat.} {+-} 0.03{sub syst.})% and {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup 0} {pi}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (0.48 {+-} 0.08{sub stat.} {+-} 0.04{sub syst.})%.

This is the final technical/scientific report for a heavy ion research program on the PHOBOS experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The Siemens Advanced Quantra Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer was evaluated as an alternative instrument to large double focusing mass spectrometers for gas analysis. High resolution mass spectrometers capable of resolving the common mass isomers of the hydrogen isotopes are used to provide data for accurate loading of reservoirs and to monitor separation of tritium, deuterium, and helium. Conventional double focusing magnetic sector instruments have a resolution that is limited to about 5000. The Siemens FTICR instrument achieves resolution beyond 400,000 and could possibly resolve the tritium ion from the helium-3 ion, which differ by the weight of an electron, 0.00549 amu. Working with Y-12 and LANL, SRNL requested Siemens to modify their commercial Quantra system for low mass analysis. To achieve the required performance, Siemens had to increase the available waveform operating frequency from 5 MHz to 40 MHz and completely redesign the control electronics and software. However, they were able to use the previous ion trap, magnet, passive pump, and piezo-electric pulsed inlet valve design. NNSA invested $1M in this project and acquired four systems, two for Y-12 and one each for SRNL and LANL. Siemens claimed a $10M investment in the Quantra systems. The …

On January 3, 1961, at the National Reactor Testing Station, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the Stationary Low Power Reactor No. 1 (SL-1) experienced a major nuclear excursion, killing three people, and destroying the reactor core. The SL-1 reactor, a 3 MW{sub t} boiling water reactor, was shut down and undergoing routine maintenance work at the time. This paper presents an analysis of the SL-1 reactor excursion using the RELAP5-3D thermal-hydraulic and nuclear analysis code, with the intent of simulating the accident from the point of reactivity insertion to destruction and vaporization of the fuel. Results are presented, along with a discussion of sensitivity to some reactor and transient parameters (many of the details are only known with a high level of uncertainty).

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The Supersymmetry Les Houches Accord (SLHA) [1] provides a universal set of conventions for conveying spectral and decay information for supersymmetry analysis problems in high energy physics. Here, we propose extensions of the conventions of the first SLHA to include various generalizations: the minimal supersymmetric standard model with violation of CP, R-parity, and flavor, as well as the simplest next-to-minimal model.

Rising atmospheric concentrations of CO2, and their role inglobal warming, have prompted efforts to reduce emissions of CO2 fromburning of fossil fuels. An attractive mitigation option underconsideration in many countries is the injection of CO2 from stationarysources, such as fossil-fueled power plants, into deep, stable geologicformations, where it would be stored and kept out of the atmosphere fortime periods of hundreds to thousands of years or more. Potentialgeologic storage reservoirs include depleted or depleting oil and gasreservoirs, unmineable coal seams, and saline formations. While oil andgas reservoirs may provide some attractive early targets for CO2 storage,estimates for geographic regions worldwide have suggested that onlysaline formations would provide sufficient storage capacity tosubstantially impact atmospheric releases. This paper will focus on CO2storage in saline formations.Injection of CO2 into a saline aquifer willgive rise to immiscible displacement of brine by the advancing CO2. Thelower viscosity of CO2 relative to aqueous fluids provides a potentialfor hydrodynamic instabilities during the displacement process. Attypical subsurface conditions of temperature and pressure, CO2 is lessdense than aqueous fluids and is subject to upward buoyancy force inenvironments where pressures are controlled by an ambient aqueous phase.Thus CO2 would tend to rise towards the top of a permeable formation andaccumulate …

The objective of this task was to demonstrate that metal hydrides could be produced by mechanical alloying in the quantities needed to support the tritium production facilities at the Savannah River Site. The objective for the FY07 portion of this task was to demonstrate the production of Zr-Fe getter materials by mechanical alloying and begin to optimize the milling parameters. Three starting compositions (ratios of elemental Zr and Fe powders) were selected and attritor milled under argon for times of 8 to 60 hours. Hexane and liquid nitrogen were used as process control agents. In general, milling times of at least 24 hours were required to form the desired Zr{sub 2}Fe and Zr{sub 3}Fe phases, although a considerable amount of unalloyed Zr and Fe remained. Milling in liquid nitrogen does not appear to provide any advantages over milling in hexane, particularly due to the formation of ZrN after longer milling times. Carbides of Zr formed during some of the milling experiments in hexane. Formation of carbides during milling appears to be much less of an issue than formation of nitrides, although some of the phases that were not able to be identified in the XRD results may also be carbides. …

We analyze data from the Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) that simulates a CIE plasma by sweeping the electron beam to approximate a Maxwellian velocity distribution. These results are compared to spectra of confirmed astronomical CIE plasmas (e.g. outer regions of x-ray clusters) observed by XMM/RGS. We utilize the Photon Clean Method (PCM) to quantify these spectra (EBIT and XMM/RGS) in the form of ratios of Fe L lines in the emission complex near 1 keV. The variances of line fluxes are measured with bootstrap methods (Efron 1979). Both of these observations are further compared with theoretical predictions of Fe L line fluxes from APED and similar atomic databases.

The order parameter of the recently-discovered ferric arsenide family of superconductors remains uncertain. Some early experiments on polycrystalline samples suggested line nodes in the order parameter, however later experiments on single crystals have strongly supported fully-gapped superconductivity. An absence of nodes does not rule out unconventional order: {pi} phase shifts between the separate Fermi sheets and time-reversal symmetry-breaking components in the order parameter remain possibilities. One test for unconventional order is scanning magnetic microscopy on well-coupled polycrystalline samples: d- or p-wave order would result in orbital frustration, leading to spontaneous currents and magnetization in the superconducting state. We have performed scanning SQUID microscopy on SmFeAsO{sub 0.85} and NdFeAsO{sub 0.94}F{sub 0.06}, and in neither material do we find spontaneous orbital currents, ruling out p- or d-wave order.

We demonstrate a significant reduction of stimulated Brillouin scattering by polarization smoothing. The intensity threshold is measured to increase by a factor of 1.7 {+-} 0.2 when polarization smoothing is applied. The results were obtained in a high-temperature (T{sub 3} {approx_equal} 3 keV) hohlraum plasma where filamentation is negligible in determining the backscatter threshold. These results are explained by an analytical model relevant to ICF plasma conditions that modifies the linear gain exponent to account for polarization smoothing.

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This research and development program was designed to improve nondestructive evaluation of large mechanical objects by providing both fast and thermal neutron sources for radiography. Neutron radiography permits inspection inside objects that x-rays cannot penetrate and permits imaging of corrosion and cracks in low-density materials. Discovering of fatigue cracks and corrosion in piping without the necessity of insulation removal is possible. Neutron radiography sources can provide for the nondestructive testing interests of commercial and military aircraft, public utilities and petrochemical organizations. Three neutron prototype neutron generators were designed and fabricated based on original research done at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The research and development of these generators was successfully continued by LBNL and Adelphi Technology Inc. under this STTR. The original design goals of high neutron yield and generator robustness have been achieved, using new technology developed under this grant. In one prototype generator, the fast neutron yield and brightness was roughly 10 times larger than previously marketed neutron generators using the same deuterium-deuterium reaction. In another generator, we integrate a moderator with a fast neutron source, resulting in a high brightness thermal neutron generator. The moderator acts as both conventional moderator and mechanical and electrical support structure …