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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Cathodoluminescence And Thermoluminescence Of Undoped Ltb And Ltb:A (A = Cu, Ag, Mn), Zachary L. Hadfield
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 …
Depth-Resolved Cathodoluminescence Of Tho2, Michael G. Lee
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 …
Neutron Shielding Effectiveness Of Multifunctional Composite Materials, Anthony D. Marchand
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
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 …
Changes To Tensile Strength And Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness In Neutron Irradiated Carbon Nanocomposites, James F. Shinn
Changes To Tensile Strength And Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness In Neutron Irradiated Carbon Nanocomposites, James F. Shinn
Theses and Dissertations
Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) and tensile strength of nanocomposites containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are investigated following neutron irradiation. This nanocomposite material consists of two plies of MWNTs in an epoxy resin, and 4 plies of an E-glass substrate. EMI-SE measurements over the X-band frequency spectrum and monotonic tension tests to determine Young’s Modulus were performed before and after irradiation on the nanocomposite material. The nanocomposite and the MWNT plies were irradiated to a total fluence of 1.4 × 1014 1 MeV (Si-eq) n/cm2. The nanocomposites showed an average increase of 8 dB in shielding effectiveness …
Electronic Characteristics Of Rare Earth Doped Gan Schottky Diodes, Aaron B. Blanning
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 …
Electron Damage Effects On Carbon Nanotube Thin Films, Jeremy S. Best
Electron Damage Effects On Carbon Nanotube Thin Films, Jeremy S. Best
Theses and Dissertations
This research investigated the effects of electron damage on single walled carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films. CNT thin films were irradiated by electrons with energies of 500 keV and 1 MeV to determine what damage was created in the CNT thin film structure, how it affected conductivity, and what changes were evident in the Raman spectra.
Modeling Radioactive Decay Chains With Branching Fraction Uncertainties, Timothy M. Higley
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 …
Neutron Spectroscopy Using Lif Thin-Film Detectors, Michael A. Ford
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 …
Three Dimensional Positron Annihilation Momentum Spectroscopy Of Lithium Tetraborate Crystals, Stefan B. Fagan-Kelly
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
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 …
Passive, Low Cost Neutron Detectors For Neutron Diagnostics At The National Ignition Facility, Nathaniel C. Loyd
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
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 …