Nuclear Commons^™

Production Of Protactinium-229 Via Deuteron Irradiation Of Thorium-232, Naser Burahmah

Doctoral Dissertations

²²⁵Ac [Actinium-225] is a promising radionuclide for targeted alpha therapy of cancer. ²²⁹Pa can lead to the production of ²²⁹Th [Thorium-229] and ²²⁵Ac [Actinium-225]. Deuteron bombardment on natural thorium targets has been investigated to measure cross sections of protactinium isotopes. In this work, ²²⁹Pa [Protactinium-229] excitation function was measured via deuteron energies up to 50 MeV [Mega electron volt] of thin thorium foils. The irradiation took place at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) 88-Inch Cyclotron. The target processing and analysis were performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The target consisted of 4 thin foils …

Theory Of Change, Center For Complexity

Horizon 2045

Horizon 2045 (H2045) is a 25-year initiative to end the nuclear weapons century.

We urgently need to manage the intertwined existential risks of the Anthropocene—the geological era that began with the 1945 Trinity Test and is characterized by humankind’s newfound capacity to destroy itself along with all life on the planet.

Recent research has shown that concerns about existential threats have become palpable, as has the desire to solve human-made problems and move to a brighter future. This offers an important opportunity: By considering nuclear weapons in the context of other dangers, we can dismantle conventional wisdom that nuclear weapons …

Reinvigorating A Technical Countering Weapons Of Mass Destruction Distance Learning Graduate Certificate Program, James C. Petrosky, Gaiven Varshney, Jeremy Slagley, Sara Shaghaghi

Faculty Publications

Current Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) demands can be divided broadly into policy and science. The science of chemical, biological, and radiological/nuclear weapons informs the limits of development, production, employment, operation, detection, risk characterization, human and material protection, and medical intervention. In short, the science of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) should precede and inform the development of policy. It is to this end that the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) CWMD program was re-established, providing a technical educational option for practitioners to understand the science behind a very technically challenging subject.

Efficient Neuromorphic Algorithms For Gamma-Ray Spectrum Denoising And Radionuclide Identification, Merlin Phillip Carson

Dissertations and Theses

Radionuclide detection and identification are important tasks for deterring a potentially catastrophic nuclear event. Due to high levels of background radiation from both terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources, some form of noise reduction pre-processing is required for a gamma-ray spectrum prior to being analyzed by an identification algorithm so as to determine the identity of anomalous sources. This research focuses on the use of neuromorphic algorithms for the purpose of developing low power, accurate radionuclide identification devices that can filter out non-anomalous background radiation and other artifacts created by gamma-ray detector measurement equipment, along with identifying clandestine, radioactive material.

A sparse …

Development Of A Low Field Mri-Based Approach For Observation Of Water Penetration Into Clay: Preliminary Results, Shivam Gupta

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are considered one of the most efficient and non-invasive methods of observing water content in permeable substances. MRI can visualize and quantify the movement of water in real time. In this study, MRI was used to observe the water penetration through clay. Furthermore, MRI can acquire three-dimensional data due to its radio-frequency signals from any orientation. The contrast of the images produced by MRI is a display of the fluid concentration. As such, any change in the contrast intensity is interpreted as a regional change in the concentration of fluid. This report summarizes the preliminary results …

Electromagnetic Transitions And Beta Decays In Nuclei From The Ab Initio Symmetry-Adapted No-Core Shell Model, Grigor Sargsyan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nuclear physics today is a diverse field, involving research that extends from the minus- cule scales of neutrons and protons to the colossal dimensions of astrophysical objects in the universe. And since the ab initio methods in nuclear physics use realistic internucleon interactions, nuclear modeling has gained predictive capabilities that enable us to probe ever more deeply into the fundamental nature of matter. One of these models – the symmetry- adapted no-core shell model (SA-NCSM) – is capable of reaching the medium-mass region of the chart of the nuclides, by exploiting the emergent symmetries of nuclei, and is therefore well-suited …

Modeling Hyperpolarized Nmr Phenomena In Optically Pumped Semiconductors, Michael Eric West

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a widely-used technique that measures the local environments of nuclei. It is able to detect small differences in energy, making it a highly-valued tool. However, the technique is challenged by inherently low sensitivities, requiring either large sample volumes or long periods of time to overcome this. In semiconductors, optical pumping (OP) can overcome this low sensitivity by creating incredibly large and dynamic nuclear spin polarizations (``hyperpolarization''), which is detectable as a large NMR signal. The combined technique of optically-pumped NMR (OPNMR) is a valuable tool that can explore electronic and nuclear phenomena within semiconductors. In …

Proximal Policy Optimization For Radiation Source Search, Philippe Erol Proctor

Dissertations and Theses

Rapid localization and search for lost nuclear sources in a given area of interest is an important task for the safety of society and the reduction of human harm. Detection, localization and identification are based upon the measured gamma radiation spectrum from a radiation detector. The nonlinear relationship of electromagnetic wave propagation paired with the probabilistic nature of gamma ray emission and background radiation from the environment leads to ambiguity in the estimation of a source's location. In the case of a single mobile detector, there are numerous challenges to overcome such as weak source activity, multiple sources, or the …

In Situ Cosmogenic Backgrounds In The Majorana Demonstrator, Andrew Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

Neutrino-less double-beta decay is a proposed type of radioactive decay that, if observed, could answer several outstanding physics questions, such as "Is the neutrino its own antiparticle otherwise known as a Majorana particle?", "What is the mass of the neutrino?", and "What is the neutrino mass hierarchy?" As technology and experimental techniques improve, the sensitivity of experiments looking for rare events becomes more dependent on the backgrounds. Some of these backgrounds can be reduced using shielding techniques such as implementing a veto system, selecting radiopure components, and conducting the experiment deep underground. However some amount of cosmogenically induced backgrounds remain …

Machine Learning Applications For Waveform Analysis, Micah R. Cruz

Masters Theses

Since the later 20th century, the search for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) has been paramount to many nuclear and particle physicists. Neutron and nuclear beta decay experiments provide one avenue to search for evidence of BSM physics by contributing to the unitarity check of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix. Many of these experiments detect neutron decay products as digitized waveforms. As computing power increases and novel algorithms are developed, it is compelling to investigate machine learning methods as an analytic tool for such waveform data. These methods can allow for very fast data exploration techniques, and if pseudodata is available …

X Radiation Dose Monitoring For Adolescent And Adult Patients In Selected Health Care Environment Related Places, Kevin Riandi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

A study on patient absorption dose according to age group was carried out. The amount of absorbed A study on patient absorption dose according to age group was carried out. The amount of absorbed dose of X-ray radiation affect the body cells. Health care hospitals such as clinics, environments that use ionizing radiation. Based on the procedure for using ionizing radiation for medical purposes, the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency recommends monitoring radiation doses for health workers on health service environment. Likewise with the patient, because the patient is directly exposed to the ionizing radiation. Some researh explained that the …

54fe(D,P)55fe Single Neutron Transfer Presentation, Matthew Quirin, Raymond Saunders

Physics and Astronomy Presentations

During our summer research at the John D Fox Laboratory, we used the 9 MV Tandem van de Graaff accelerator and the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph to make measurements of the neutron transfer reaction 54Fe(d,p) 55Fe to observe and explore excited states of 55Fe and shell structure beyond the magic number N=28. We have created momentum spectra and angular distribution plots of the protons from the reaction which will be analyzed to determine the angular momentum values of states and single-neutron energies in 55Fe in an effort to better understand nuclear structure.

54fe(D,P)55fe Single Neutron Transfer, Matthew Quirin, Raymond Saunders

Physics and Astronomy Summer Fellows

During our summer research at the John D Fox Laboratory, we used the 9 MV Tandem van de Graaff accelerator and the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph to make measurements of the neutron transfer reaction 54Fe(d,p) 55Fe to observe and explore excited states of 55Fe and shell structure beyond the magic number N=28. We have created momentum spectra and angular distribution plots of the protons from the reaction which will be analyzed to determine the angular momentum values of states and single-neutron energies in 55Fe in an effort to better understand nuclear structure.

Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation Solitons On Quantum Droplets, A. Ludu, A.S. Carstea

Publications

Irrotational flow of a spherical thin liquid layer surrounding a rigid core is described using the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Accordingly, azimuthal moving nonlinear waves are modeled by periodic dark solitons expressed by elliptic functions. In the quantum regime the algebraic Bethe ansatz is used in order to capture the energy levels of such motions, which we expect to be relevant for the dynamics of the nuclear clusters in deformed heavy nuclei surface modeled by quantum liquid drops. In order to validate the model we match our theoretical energy spectra with experimental results on energy, angular momentum, and parity for …

Structural Shielding Considerations For Vmat, Ana Lucia Dieguez

LSU Master's Theses

Introduction: As noted in National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report 151, the medical physicist or other qualified expert has the responsibility to keep abreast of any new technology or treatment method that could potentially impact structural shielding design. Volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) became prevalent after the publication of Report 151 and thus was not explicitly addressed in Report 151. If the shielding-related characteristics of VMAT differ enough from the expectations of Report 151, especially in the circumstance of a vault utilized exclusively for VMAT, a shielding design based on Report 151 could potentially be inadequate. The …

Efficient, Dual-Particle Directional Detection System Using A Rotating Scatter Mask, Robert Olesen, Bryan V. Egner, Darren E. Holland, Valerie Martin, James E. Bevins, Larry W. Burggraf, Buckley E. O'Day Iii

AFIT Patents

A directional radiation detection system and an omnidirectional radiation detector. The omnidirectional radiation detector detects radiation comprising at least one of: (i) gamma rays; and (ii) neutron particles. A radiation scatter mask (RSM) of the radiation detection system includes a rotating sleeve received over the omnidirectional radiation detector and rotating about a longitudinal axis. The RSM further includes: (i) a fin extending longitudinally from one side of the rotating sleeve; and (ii) a wall extending from the rotating sleeve and spaced apart from the fin having an upper end distally positioned on the rotating sleeve spaced apart or next to …

Probing The Structure Of Deuteron At Very Short Distances, Frank Vera

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We study the electro-disintegration of deuteron at quasi-elastic kinematics and high transferred momentum as a probe for the short distance structure in nuclei. In this reaction, an electron hits a nucleus of deuterium, which breaks up into a pair of nucleons (proton-neutron). We focus our attention on events where fast nucleons emerge, corresponding to nuclear configurations where the bound nucleons have a high relative momentum (exceeding 700 MeV/c). The present research is relevant to physical systems where high-density nuclear matter is present. This condition covers a wide range of physics, from neutron stars to nuclei stability and the repulsive nuclear …

J/Ψ Photoproduction Near Threshold With Clas12, Joseph Newton

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The structure of the proton is comprised of quarks and a sea of gluons. A mechanism that can extract the characteristics of the hidden-color correlations of the nuclear wavefunction is the production of charm near threshold. Due to the fact that momentum transfer is large near threshold in the production of J/ψ , all three valence quarks must act coherently to ex- change energy for the reaction to occur. Models have been developed to predict the nature of J/ψ photoproduction at these specific energies. These include production mechanisms with the two-gluon and three-gluon exchanges. The transferred momentum dependence of the …

Rotating Scatter Mask For Directional Radiation Detection And Imaging, Darren Holland, Robert Olesen, Larry Burggraf, Buckley O'Day, James E. Bevins

AFIT Patents

A radiation imaging system images a distributed source of radiation from an unknown direction by rotating a scatter mask around a central axis. The scatter mask has a pixelated outer surface of tangentially oriented, flat geometric surfaces that are spherically varying in radial dimension that corresponds to a discrete amount of attenuation. Rotation position of the scatter mask is tracked as a function of time. Radiation counts from gamma and/or neutron radiation are received from at least one radiation detector that is positioned at or near the central axis. A rotation-angle dependent detector response curve (DRC) is generated based on …

Neutron Pulse-Time Extension Through Conversion To Positronium, Shawn T. Mctaggart

Theses and Dissertations

Laser-Plasma interactions have strong potential as future neutron sources. Measuring the neutron rate is difficult due to several issues: the very short duration of the laser pulse and subsequent fusion events (on the order of a few picoseconds), the corresponding short duration of the neutron pulse, and the simultaneous emission of other ionizing particles such as protons and electrons. A system was designed to measure neutron emission by imposing a delay from the emission of other radiation by conversion of the neutrons into ortho-positronium (o-Ps), the triplet state of positronium. This lifetime extension enables more sensitive and selective detection of …