Physics Commons^™

Modeling Radioactive Decay Chains With Branching Fraction Uncertainties, Timothy M. Higley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a parameter study of the effects of branching fraction uncertainty from nuclear decay on isotope quantities at later times. Development of how to calculate and accurately draw random samples of branching fractions is done. Overall effects as well as isotope quantity uncertainty distributions are also explored. Isotope quantities are calculated using exponential moments methods with transmutation matrices. Uncertainty from both half-lives and branching fractions is carried through these calculations by Monte Carlo methods. Results of the study show that uncertainty from branching fractions dominates most isotopes present from neutron fission after approximately one month. Another result is …

Cathodoluminescence And Thermoluminescence Of Undoped Ltb And Ltb:A (A = Cu, Ag, Mn), Zachary L. Hadfield

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is interested in lithium tetraborate (Li₂B₄O₇) crystals for their possible use as a solid state neutron detection material. With large concentrations of ⁶Li and ¹⁰B, it has a high neutron capture cross section. Furthermore, the crystal fluoresces in the presence of ionizing radiation, making it an attractive candidate for a scintillating detection device. However, there is a lack of fundamental knowledge about the material characteristics, particularly with regard to its fluorescent spectrum. Cathodoluminescence measurements were conducted on undoped and doped samples of lithium tetraborate in order to characterize …

Neutron Spectroscopy Using Lif Thin-Film Detectors, Michael A. Ford

Theses and Dissertations

A stacked array of segmented micro-structured semiconductor neutron detectors (MSNDs) has been fabricated to perform as a neutron spectrometer simultaneously capable of differentiating fast and thermal neutrons. The MSND devices consist of thin-film perforated diodes constructed from LiF powder back-filled into an etched silicon wafer. Geant4 simulations demonstrate than an eight-layer spectrometer consisting of alternating layers of MSND and hydrogenous moderator can successfully resolve neutron energies at a resolution dependent upon the number of layers and the thickness of the adjacent moderating materials. The simulated spectrometer response was compared to that obtained experimentally with mono-energetic neutrons from a D+D neutron …

Electronic Characteristics Of Rare Earth Doped Gan Schottky Diodes, Aaron B. Blanning

Theses and Dissertations

The Schottky barrier height (SBH) was measured on GaN based diodes with three different dopant types; Gd, Er and Yb. Two methods were used to determine the SBH. The first method was the Juergen Werner method to evaluate the I-V characteristics. The calculated SBH of the diodes using this method was 1.41 ± 0.20eV, 1.71 ± 0.25eV and 1.75 ± 0.28eV for the Gd-, Er- and Yb-doped diodes respectively. It was observed that using an ad-hoc effective Richardson constant value of 0.006Axcm^-2xK^-2 to calculate the SBH rendered results that were in no greater than 2% disagreement (neglecting …

Three Dimensional Positron Annihilation Momentum Spectroscopy Of Lithium Tetraborate Crystals, Stefan B. Fagan-Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Previous endeavors in positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) at AFIT have resulted in the design and characterization of a second-generation three-dimensional positron annihilation momentum spectroscopy system (3DPAMSS) which combines two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation (2D ACAR) and coincident Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation (CDBAR) in order to measure electron momentum distributions in samples and thus characterize material defects. The focus of this particular research is to nondestructively measure negative defects in the crystal lattice of copper-doped, silver-doped, and undoped lithium tetraborate by 3DPAMSS spectroscopy using a Na-22 source and two high-purity germanium (HPGe) position-resolvable strip detectors. Lithium tetraborate is a …

Analysis Of A Van De Graaff Generator For Emp Direct Current Survivability Testing, Robert J. Kress

Theses and Dissertations

The direct current produced from the Van de Graaff (VDG) at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has been measured and analyzed. The current pulse produced from the VDG is oscillatory. Experimental data show complete damping occurs after 8 oscillations and within 10^-6 seconds. The spark gap distance and circuit resistance were varied to determine if the circuit could convert to an overdamped RLC circuit in order to reduce the oscillations. The data establishes that the VDG produces at least 3 full wave Fourier frequencies of: 3, 7, and 15 MHz ± 2.0 MHz, while the first oscillation had …

Depth-Resolved Cathodoluminescence Of Tho2, Michael G. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Single crystal thorium dioxide (ThO₂) samples were hydrothermally grown and studied using depth-resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) to characterize the surface and bulk electronic states. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were collected to confirm that these crystals were ThO₂ in the fluorite structure. Understanding the chemical and structural quality of ThO₂ will aid in the fabrication of better neutron detectors as well as in the power production with thorium breeder reactors. Monte Carlo simulations predicted the expected energy-dependent electron interaction depths in the ThO₂ crystals. CL was conducted with electron energy range of 1.5 - 12 keV, a …

Passive, Low Cost Neutron Detectors For Neutron Diagnostics At The National Ignition Facility, Nathaniel C. Loyd

Theses and Dissertations

Experimental validation of neutron fluence models of fusion events at the National Ignition Facility is necessary to predict radiation damage to measurement electronics. Due to programmatic and facility limitations, traditional neutron measurement techniques are not well suited for this application. Notably, a low cost and passive measurement technique that provides a permanent record is preferred. A detector was designed using gadolinium oxide contained within an aluminum reservoir. The reservoir is secured by a thin layer of Mylar and x-ray film, and vacuum sealed in a light tight package. In the presence of a thermal neutron flux, the gadolinium atoms absorb …

Modeling Sodium Iodide Detector Response Using A Parametric Equations, Neeraj Sethi

Theses and Dissertations

This research utilizes the relationship between source location, background radiation and detector placement to quantify an expected detector response from a 3x3 Sodium Iodide gamma detector. A parametric equation is developed to calculate the detector response as a function of distance and source photon energy. Using MCNP particle current and pulse height tally functions, backscattering photons are quantified as a function of material thickness and energy distribution. Three configurations of source - detector - scattering medium were modeled in MCNP using the pulse height tally functions, integrated over a 70keV - 360keV energy window and plotted as a function of …

Neutron Shielding Effectiveness Of Multifunctional Composite Materials, Anthony D. Marchand

Theses and Dissertations

Composite materials offer a greater degree of flexibility in design and engineering of specialized space vehicle shielding applications compared to aluminum. A new design for shielding materials has been developed by including specific neutron absorbers and conductive materials into the composite structure. In this research, the neutron shielding capability of two types of custom-designed nanocomposite materials are compared to that of T6061 aluminum.

Solving Point-Reactor Kinetics Equations Using Exponential Moment Methods, Paul M. Thelen

Theses and Dissertations

A robust method of solving the reactor point kinetic equations was designed using exponential moment methods. Although the method requires a relatively large number of calculations to complete, the accuracy ensured by each individual step calculation allows larger time steps to be used. The algorithm designed was verified to converge to the correct value as step size was reduced. Additionally, the algorithm can take steps much larger than the average neutron lifetime while maintaining some precision. An error control scheme was designed based on changes observed in the results as a function of time step size. The error control adaptively …

Superfluidity In Neutron Stars, Samuel J. Witte

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Nucleon pairing is studied with specific considerations directed toward the possible influence on neutron star cooling. We present an in-depth analysis of BCS theory using realistic nuclear potentials and consider the impact short-range correlations can have on the gap. Gap calculations are incorporated into neutron star cooling simulations and the significance of the 3P2 −3F2 channel in various hadronic cooling models is closely examined. An analysis of the 1S0 gap in neutron matter suggests short-range correlations can drastically alter the magnitude, density range, and temperature dependence of the gap. While the newly constructed 1S0 gap does not significantly alter the …

Battery Energy Storage System In Solar Power Generation, Radhey Shyam Meena Er., Deepa Sharma

Radhey Shyam Meena

Grid-connected solar PV dramatically changes the load profile of an electric utility customer. The expected widespread adoption of solar generation by customers on the distribution system poses significant challenges to system operators both in transient and steady state operation, from issues including voltage swings, sudden weather-induced changes in generation, and legacy protective devices designed with one-way power flow in mind

Density Functional Theory And The Calculation Of Tcmg2O4 Spinel Lattice Parameters, Jon Karlo Macias

Physics

The cohesive energy, lattice constant and bulk modulus of two simple HCP crystal structures of magnesium and technetium were calculated using the vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) which is based on density functional theory (DFT). The same properties were determined for TcMg₂O₄ spinel. The theoretical results of the lattice constant of the pure crystals were compared to experimental results and found to be in excellent agreement with a difference of less than 2%. The results for the lattice constant of the TcMg₂O₄ spinel were found to be in excellent agreement as well with …

Battery Energy Storage System In Solar Power Generation, Radhey Shyam Meena Er.

Radhey Shyam Meena

As solar photovoltaic power generation becomes more commonplace, the inherent intermittency of the solar resource poses one of the great challenges to those who would design and implement the next generation smart grid. Specifically, grid-tied solar power generation is a distributed resource whose output can change extremely rapidly, resulting in many issues for the distribution system operator with a large quantity of installed photovoltaic devices. Battery energy storage systems are increasingly being used to help integrate solar power into the grid. These systems are capable of absorbing and delivering both real and reactive power with sub-second response times. With these …

Everyday Particle Physics, Andrea Pocar

Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars

No abstract provided.

Computer Code Verification And Cross Section Calculation For Promethium-147, Rita Inez Zell-Lusk

Nuclear Engineering Reports

The goals of this research are to (1) verify the predictions and accuracy of two computer codes which will be utilized in future research on Pm-147 production with data from a previous experiment and to (2) measure the cross section of Pm-147 for single neutron capture producing Pm-148 ground state and Pm-148 metastable state. The research in goal (1) used previous data obtained by James H. Hinderer in 2010 and a sample of Promethium-147 prepared by Rose Boll in 2006. The main elements of the new research done here included a correction of Mr. Hinderer’s data and the subsequent use …

Investigation Of Spin-Independent Cp Violation In Neutron And Nuclear Radiative Β Decays, Daheng He

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

CP violation is an important condition to explain the preponderance of baryons in our universe, yet the available CP violation in the Standard Model (SM) via the so-called Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism seems to not provide enough CP violation. Thus searching for new sources of CP violation is one of the central tasks of modern physics. In this thesis, we focus on a new possible source of CP violation which generates triple-product correlations in momenta which can appear in neutron and nuclear radiative β decay. We show that at low energies such a CP violating correlation may arise from the exotic coupling …

Second Order And Fluctuating Hydrodynamic Theory Of Two-Particle Transverse Momentum Correlations In Nuclear Collisions, Rajendra Kumar Pokharel

Wayne State University Dissertations

Relativistic heavy ion collision experiments show clear evidence of creation of a very short-lived phase of nuclear matter consisting of color-deconfined quarks and gluons. This matter is known as the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Fluctuation and correlation measurements of the detected particles have played a very important role in revealing the properties of QGP. In particular, these measurements have shown that the QGP behaves like a nearly perfect liquid. Relativistic hydrodynamics has been successfully used to study how the QGP evolves before the system hadronizes and ultimately produces the final state particles. Transport properties like shear viscosity constitute an important part …

Single Spin Asymmetry An In Polarized Proton–Proton Elastic Scattering At √S = 200 Gev, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, A. V. Alakhverdyants, I. Alekseev, J. Alford, C. D. Anson, D. Arkhipkin, E. Aschenauer, S. Bültmann, I. Koralt, D. Plyku

Physics Faculty Publications

We report a high precision measurement of the transverse single spin asymmetry A_N at the center of mass energy √s = 200 GeV in elastic proton–proton scattering by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The A_N was measured in the four-momentum transfer squared t range 0.003 ⩽ | t | ⩽ 0.035 ( GeV / c ) ² , the region of a significant interference between the electromagnetic and hadronic scattering amplitudes. The measured values of A_N and its t-dependence are consistent with a vanishing hadronic spin-flip amplitude, thus providing strong constraints on the ratio of the …

Design Evolution And Properties Of Superconducting Parallel-Bar Rf-Dipole Detecting And Crabbing Cavities, S. U. De Silva, J. R. Delayen

Physics Faculty Publications

Deflecting/crabbing cavities serve a variety of purposes in different accelerator applications, primarily in separating a single beam into multiple beams and in rotating bunches for head-on collisions at the interaction point in particle colliders. Deflecting/crabbing cavities are also used for transverse and longitudinal emittance exchange in beams, x-ray pulse compression, and for beam diagnostics. Compact superconducting deflecting/crabbing cavities are under development due to strict dimensional constraints and requirements for higher field gradients with low surface losses. The TEM-like superconducting parallel-bar cavity supports low operating frequencies, thus making the design favorable for many of the deflecting/crabbing cavity applications. The design of …

Fluctuations Of Charge Separation Perpendicular To The Event Plane And Local Parity Violation In √ˢᴺᴺ = 200 Gev Au + Au Collisions At The Bnl Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, L. Adamczyk, J. K. Adkins, G. Agakishiev, S. Bültmann, M. Zyzak, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Previous experimental results based on data (~ 15 x 10⁶ events) collected by the STAR detector at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider suggest event-by-event charge-separation fluctuations perpendicular to the event plane in noncentral heavy-ion collisions. Here we present the correlator previously used split into its two component parts to reveal correlations parallel and perpendicular to the event plane. The results are from a high-statistics 200-GeV Au + Au collisions data set (57 x 10⁶ events) collected by the STAR experiment. We explicitly count units of charge separation from which we find clear evidence for more charge-separation fluctuations …

Experimental Studies Of Di-Jets In Au + Au Collisions Using Angular Correlations With Respect To Back-To-Back Leading Hadrons, L. Adamczyk, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, I. Koralt, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Jet-medium interactions are studied via a multihadron correlation technique ( called "2 + 1"), where a pair of back-to-back hadron triggers with large transverse momentum is used as a proxy for a di-jet. This work extends the previous analysis for nearly symmetric trigger pairs with the highest momentum threshold of trigger hadron of 5 GeV/c with the new calorimeter-based triggers with energy thresholds of up to 10 GeV and above. The distributions of associated hadrons are studied in terms of correlation shapes and per-trigger yields on each trigger side. In contrast with di-hadron correlation results with single triggers, the associated …

Elliptic Flow Of Identified Hadrons In Au + Au Collisions At √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7- 62.4 Gev, L. Adamczyk, J. K. Adkins, G. Agakishiev, M. M. Aggarwal, S. Bültmann, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Measurements of the elliptic flow, υ₂, of identified hadrons (π^±, , K^±, , K^O_s, p, p¯, ɸ, Λ, Λ¯, Ξ-, Ξ¯+, Ω-, Ω¯+ in Au + Au collisions at √ˢᴺᴺ = 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and 62.4 GeV are presented. The measurements were done at midrapidity using the time-projection chamber and the time-of-flight detectors of the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC experiment during the beam-energy scan program at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. A significant difference in the υ₂ values for particles and the corresponding antiparticles was observed at all transverse momenta for …

Deep Exclusive Π+ Electroproduction Off The Proton At Clas, K. P. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, R. P. Bennett, G. E. Dodge, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer, C. S. Nepali, H. Seraydaryan, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

The exclusive electroproduction of π ⁺ above the resonance region was studied using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Laboratory by scattering a 6GeV continuous electron beam off a hydrogen target. The large acceptance and good resolution of CLAS, together with the high luminosity, allowed us to measure the cross section for the γ ^* p → nπ ⁺ process in 140 (Q ², x _B , t) bins: 0.16 < x _B < 0.58, 1.6 GeV² < Q ² < 4.5 GeV² and 0.1 GeV² < −t < 5.3 GeV². For most bins, the statistical accuracy is on the order of a …

Measurement Of Transparency Ratios For Protons From Short-Range Correlated Pairs, Clas Collaboration, L. B. Weinstein, K. P. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, H. Baghdasaryan, G. E. Dodge, C. E. Hyde, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer, H. Seradaryan

Physics Faculty Publications

Nuclear transparency, T_p(A), is a measure of the average probability for a struck proton to escape the nucleus without significant re-interaction. Previously, nuclear transparencies were extracted for quasi-elastic A(e,e′p) knockout of protons with momentum below the Fermi momentum, where the spectral functions are well known. In this Letter we extract a novel observable, the transparency ratio, T_p(A)/T_p(¹²C), for knockout of high-missing-momentum protons from the breakup of short-range correlated pairs (2N-SRC) in Al, Fe and Pb nuclei relative to C. The ratios were measured at momentum transfer Q² ⩾1.5(GeV/c)² and x …

Transverse Polarization Of Σ+ (1189) In Photoproduction On A Hydrogen Target In Clas, Clas Collaboration, C. S. Nepali, M. Amaryan, K. P. Adhikari, H. Baghdasaryan, S. Bültmann, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer, H. Seraydaryan, B. Torayev, L. B. Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

Experimental results on the Σ⁺(1189) hyperon transverse polarization in photoproduction on a hydrogen target using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory are presented. The Σ⁺(1189) was reconstructed in the exclusive reaction γ+p→K⁰_S+Σ+(1189) via the Σ+→pπ⁰ decay mode. The K⁰_S was reconstructed in the invariant mass of two oppositely charged pions with the π⁰ identified in the missing mass of the detected pπ⁺π⁻ final state. Experimental data were collected in the photon energy range Eγ=1.0 –3.5 GeV (√s range 1.66–2.73 GeV). We observe a large negative polarization …

Beam Asymmetry Σ For Π+ And Π0 Photoproduction On The Proton For Photon Energies From 1.102 To 1.862 Gev, K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, M. J. Amaryan, C. S. Nepali, Y. Prok, Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Beam asymmetries for the reactions ˠp -> pπ⁰ and ˠp -> nπ⁺have been measured with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) and a tagged, linearly polarized photon beam with energies from 1.102-1.862 GeV. A Fourier moment technique for extracting beam asymmetries from experimental data is described. The results reported here possess greater precision and finer energy resolution than previous measurements. Our data for both pion reactions appear to favor the SAID and Bonn-Gatchina scattering analyses over the older Mainz MAID predictions. After incorporating the present set of beam asymmetries into the world database, exploratory fits made with …

Cross Sections For The Ɣp → K*+Ʌ And Ɣp → K*+Σº Reactions Measured At Clas, K.P. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, C. E. Hyde, S. Koirala, M. Mayer, Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

The first high-statistics cross sections for the reactions ɣp → K*+Ʌ and ɣp → K*+Σº were measured using the CLAS detector at photon energies between threshold and 3.9 GeV at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Differential cross sections are presented over the full range of the center-of-mass angles, and then fitted to Legendre polynomials to extract the total cross section. Results for the K*+Ʌ final state are compared with two different calculations in an isobar and a Regge model, respectively. Theoretical calculations significantly underestimate the K*+Ʌ total cross sections between 2.1 and 2.6 GeV, but are in better agreement …

Measurement Of Polarized Proton-Proton Elastic Scattering At The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (Rhic), Ivan Koralt

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Elastic proton-proton (pp) scattering is one of the most fundamental processes in nature and yet, it is one of the most difficult to describe. There are two interactions involved in this process: electromagnetic (Coulomb) and hadronic (strong) interactions. Underlying exchange mechanisms of these two interactions are the virtual photon and the Pomeron exchange, respectively. The difficulty of elastic pp scattering arises from the fact that the nature of the Pomeron and its exchange are not well understood and need a theoretical approach, which is still under development.

At the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab …