Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Radiogenic Second Cancer Risk Differences In Female Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated With Proton Versus Photon Radiotherapies, Kenneth L. Homann

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is the most common cancer diagnosis of young adults in the United States. Advances in curative treatments for HL, including the use of photon radiation therapy (RT) techniques, have increased 10 year survival rates to approximately 90% among young patients. These RT treatments, however, contribute to an increased incidence of radiogenic second cancer (RSC) formation to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor volume relative to the general population. These RSCs are the leading cause of death among long-term HL survivors. Proton therapy has been shown to reduce the therapeutic dose, and therefore, the risk of developing a …

Criticality And Characteristic Neutronic Analysis Of A Transient-State Shockwave In A Pulsed Spherical Gaseous Uranium-Hexafluoride Reactor, Jeremiah Boles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to analyze the theoretical criticality of a spherical uranium-hexafluoride reactor with a transient, pulsed shockwave emanating from the center of the sphere in an outward-radial direction. This novel nuclear reactor design, based upon pulsed fission in a spherical enclosure is proposed for possible use in direct energy conversion, where the energy from fission products is captured through the use of electrostatic fields or through induction. An analysis of the dynamic behavior of the shockwave in this reactor is the subject of this thesis. As a shockwave travels through a fluid medium, the characteristics of …

Measurement Of The Spin Structure Function Gd1 Of The Deuteron And Its Moments At Low Q2, Krishna P. Adhikari

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Double polarization cross section differences (Δσ ||) for proton and deuteron targets have been measured in the EG4 experiment using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. Longitudinally polarized electron beams at relatively low energies of 1.056, 1.337, 1.989, 2.256 and 3.0 GeV from the CEBAF accelerator were scattered off longitudinally polarized NH₃ and ND₃ targets. Scattered electrons were recorded at very low scattering angles (down to θ= 6°) with the help of a new dedicated Cherenkov counter and a special magnetic field setting of the CLAS detector in order to measure the cross section differences in the …

The Study Of Nuclear Structure Of Neutron-Rich 81ge And Its Contribution In The R-Process Via The Neutron Transfer Reaction 80ge(D,P), Sunghoon Ahn

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of low-lying levels of nuclei near closed shells not only elucidates the evolution of nuclear shell structure far from stability, but also affects estimates of heavy element nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions. Especially, the properties of the low-lying levels in ⁸¹Ge[Germanium 81] are important because the sensitivity study of the r-process pointed out that the properties of the nucleus can affect the final bundance pattern. Also, the spins and parities measurements of the states are essential to understand the shape coexistence in odd-mass N = 49 isotones.

This work describes the study of the odd-mass N = …

Investigation Of Time And Position Resolved Alpha Transducers For Multi-Modal Imaging With A D-T Neutron Generator, Joshua William Cates

Doctoral Dissertations

Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) neutron generators have been used as an active interrogation source for associated particle imaging (API) techniques. The D-T reaction yields a 14.1 MeV neutron and a 3.5 MeV alpha (or assoicated) particle, projected nearly back-to-back. The kinetics of the reaction allow the direction and initial time of the neutron to be determined utilizing position sensitive detectors for both the alpha and neutron. This information facilitates multi-modal fast neutron imaging of inspection objects and closed containers to infer the geometry within them and the presence of special nuclear material (SNM). Since position and time of interaction of the alpha …

Neutron Scintillation Detectors Based On Polymers Containing Lithium-6 For Radiation Portal Monitor Applications, Andrew Neil Mabe

Doctoral Dissertations

The work presented herein describes an investigation of four main types of thin film polymer scintillators containing ⁶Li [lithium-6] for neutron detection: polystyrene containing ⁶LiF [lithium-6 fluoride] and a preblended fluor mixture comprising 2,5-diphenyloxazole and 1,4-bis(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl)benzene; poly(styrene-co-lithium maleate) containing salicylic acid; poly[styrene-co-lithium maleate-co-2-phenyl-5-(4-vinylphenyl)oxazole]; and poly(styrene-co-lithium 4-vinylbenzoate). A variety of chemical and physical characterizations as well as optical and scintillation characterizations were performed to guide the development of optimized compositions of each type of polymer film. The scintillation performances of optimized compositions of each type of polymer film were calibrated using …

Investigation Of Storage-Phosphor Autoradiography For The Rapid Quantitative Screening Of Air Filters For Emergency Response Purposes, Athena Marie Gallardo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Past nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl, resulted in a large release of radionuclides into the atmosphere. Radiological assessment of the vicinity of the site of the incident is vital to assess the exposure levels and dose received by the population and workers. Therefore, it is critical to thoroughly understand the situation and risks associated with a particular event in a timely manner in order to properly manage the event. Current atmospheric radiological assessments of alpha emitting radioisotopes include acquiring large quantities of air samples, chemical separation of radionuclides, sample mounting, counting through alpha spectrometry, and analysis of the data. The …

Contributions To The Cuore Collaboration, Samuel Joseph Meijer

Physics

This paper describes work done between 2010 and 2013 to contribute to the CUORE collaboration, a physics collaboration searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in tellurium. Measurement of this decay would indicate fundamental information about the nature of the neutrino. The implementation of a parylene-coated detector frame is described. Also, a temperature stabilization system for an automated gluing system was constructed. An image recognition algorithm is described for locating spots of glue and evaluating their acceptability.

Finding Nuclear Drip Lines And Studying Two Proton Emission, Alexander Matthew Perhac

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Contributions To Background Reduction And Computer Simulations For Cuore & Cuore-0, Ivo J. Plamenac

Physics

CUORE and CUORE-0 aim to observe neutrinoless double beta decay in ¹³⁰Te; observing such this particular decay would substantiate the Majorana model for the neutrino and expand our current understanding of particle physics. This report will provide an overview of the Standard Model, our current framework for particle interactions, as well as the technical details of the CUORE experiment. Over the summers of 2010 and 2011, I contributed to the efforts of the CUORE collaboration by assisting in aspects such as background reduction, and explored detector behavior using computer simulations.

Spin Dependence In Polarized Proton-Proton Elastic Scattering At Rhic, Donika Plyku

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The STAR (Solenoidal Tracker At RHIC - Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) experiment is equipped with Roman Pots, insertion devices that allow detectors to be moved close to the beam for the measurement of high energy protons scattered at very small angles. This setup, together with the unique capability of RHIC to collide spin-polarized proton beams, allows STAR to study both the dynamics and the spin-dependence of the proton-proton ( pp) elastic scattering process. Silicon strip detectors, installed inside the Roman Pots, measure tracks of protons scattered diffractively at very small angles. In a dedicated run with special beam optics …

Double Spin Asymmetry In D →(E→E'P)N, Michael Mayer

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab, double spin asymmetries (A ∥) for quasi-elastic electron scattering off the deuteron have been measured at several beam energies. The data were collected during the EG1 experiment, which scattered longitudinally polarized electrons with energies from 1.6 to 5.8 GeV off a longitudinally polarized cryogenic ND₃ target. The double spin asymmetries were measured as a function of photon virtuality Q² (0.13-3.17 (GeV/c)2), missing momentum (0.0-0.5 GeV/c), and the angle between the (inferred) "spectator" neutron and the momentum transfer direction (θ_ng). The results from EG1b are compared with a recent model …

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

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

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

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

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 …

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 …

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

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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …