359 Matching Results

Search Results

Results: 1 - 24 next

Three dimensional winds: A maximum cross-correlation application to elastic lidar data

Description: Maximum cross-correlation techniques have been used with satellite data to estimate winds and sea surface velocities for several years. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is currently using a variation of the basic maximum cross-correlation technique, coupled with a deterministic application of a vector median filter, to measure transverse winds as a function of range and altitude from incoherent elastic backscatter lidar (light detection and ranging) data taken throughout large volumes within the atmospheric boundary layer. Hourly representations of three-dimensional wind fields, derived from elastic lidar data taken during an air-quality study performed in a region of complex terrain near Sunland Park, New Mexico, are presented and compared with results from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved laser doppler velocimeter. The wind fields showed persistent large scale eddies as well as general terrain-following winds in the Rio Grande valley.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Buttler, W.T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Simulation of a field scale tritium tracer experiment in a fractured, weathered shale using discrete-fracture/matrix-diffusion and equivalent porous medium models

Description: Simulations of a tritium tracer experiment in fractured shale saprolite, conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, were performed using 1D and 2D equivalent porous medium (EPM) and discrete-fracture/matrix-diffusion (DFMD) models. The models successfully reproduced the general shape of the breakthrough curves in down-gradient monitoring wells which are characterized by rapid first arrival, a slow-moving center of mass, and a persistent ``tail`` of low concentration. In plan view, the plume shows a large degree of transverse spreading with the width almost as great as the length. EPM models were sensitive to dispersivity coefficient values which had to be large (relative to the 3.7m distance between the injection and monitoring wells) to fit the tail and transverse spreading. For example, to fit the tail a longitudinal dispersivity coefficient, {alpha}{sub L}, of 0.8 meters for the 2D simulations was used. To fit the transverse spreading, a transverse dispersivity coefficient, {alpha}{sub T}, of 0.8 to 0.08 meters was used indicating an {alpha}{sub L}/{alpha}{sub T} ratio between 10 and 1. Transverse spreading trends were also simulated using a 2D DFMD model using a few larger aperture fractures superimposed onto an EPM. Of the fracture networks studied, only those with truncated fractures caused transverse spreading. Simulated tritium levels in all of the cases were larger than observed values by a factor of approximately 100. Although this is partly due to input of too much tritium mass by the models it appears that dilution in the wells, which were not purged prior to sampling, is also a significant factor. The 1D and 2D EPM models were fitted to monitoring data from the first five years of the experiment and then used to predict future tritium concentrations.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Stafford, P.L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

New methods and materials for solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography

Description: This paper describes methods for solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The following are described: Effects of Resin Sulfonation on the Retention of Polar Organic Compounds in Solid Phase Extraction; Ion-Chromatographic Separation of Alkali Metals In Non-Aqueous Solvents; Cation-Exchange Chromatography in Non-Aqueous Solvents; and Silicalite As a Stationary Phase For HPLC.
Date: April 23, 1996
Creator: Dumont, P.J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Characterization and refinement of carbide coating formation rates and dissolution kinetics in the Ta-C system

Description: The interaction between carbide coating formation rates and dissolution kinetics in the tantalum-carbon system was investigated. The research was driven by the need to characterize carbide coating formation rates. The characterization of the carbide coating formation rates was required to engineer an optimum processing scheme for the fabrication of the ultracorrosion-resistant composite, carbon-saturated tantalum. A packed-bed carburization process was successfully engineered and employed. The packed-bed carburization process produced consistent, predictable, and repeatable carbide coatings. A digital imaging analysis measurement process for accurate and consistent measurement of carbide coating thicknesses was developed. A process for removing the chemically stable and extremely hard tantalum-carbide coatings was also developed in this work.
Date: October 1, 1996
Creator: Rodriguez, P.J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

NMR studies of DNA oligomers and their interactions with minor groove binding ligands

Description: The cationic peptide ligands distamycin and netropsin bind noncovalently to the minor groove of DNA. The binding site, orientation, stoichiometry, and qualitative affinity of distamycin binding to several short DNA oligomers were investigated by NMR spectroscopy. The oligomers studied contain A,T-rich or I,C-rich binding sites, where I = 2-desaminodeoxyguanosine. I{center_dot}C base pairs are functional analogs of A{center_dot}T base pairs in the minor groove. The different behaviors exhibited by distamycin and netropsin binding to various DNA sequences suggested that these ligands are sensitive probes of DNA structure. For sites of five or more base pairs, distamycin can form 1:1 or 2:1 ligand:DNA complexes. Cooperativity in distamycin binding is low in sites such as AAAAA which has narrow minor grooves, and is higher in sites with wider minor grooves such as ATATAT. The distamycin binding and base pair opening lifetimes of I,C-containing DNA oligomers suggest that the I,C minor groove is structurally different from the A,T minor groove. Molecules which direct chemistry to a specific DNA sequence could be used as antiviral compounds, diagnostic probes, or molecular biology tools. The author studied two ligands in which reactive groups were tethered to a distamycin to increase the sequence specificity of the reactive agent.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Fagan, P.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

The photosynthetic acclimation of Lolium perenne in response to three years growth in a free-air CO{sub 2} enrichment (FACE) system

Description: Pure stands of Ryegrass were in their third year of growth in the field, exposed to either ambient (355 {mu}mol mol{sup -1}), or elevated (600 {mu}mol mol{sup -1}) atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentration. A Free-Air CO{sub 2} Enrichment (FACE) system was used to maintain the elevated CO{sub 2} concentration whilst limiting experimental constraints on the field conditions. The theoretically predicted increase in the net rates of CO{sub 2} uptake per unit leaf area (A {mu}mol mol{sup -1}) as a consequence, primarily, of the suppression of photorespiration by CO{sub 2} a competitive inhibitor of RubP oxygenation by Rubisco, was observed for the Lolium perenne studied. Also observed was a general decline in leaf evapotranspiration (E) consistent with observations of increased water use efficiency of crops grown in elevated CO{sub 2}. Enhancement of leaf A in the FACE grown L. perenne ranged from 26.5 1 % to 44.95% over the course of a diurnal set of measurements. Whilst reductions in leaf E reached a maximum of 16.61% over the same diurnal course of-measurements. The increase in A was reconciled with an absence of the commonly observed decline in V{sub c}{sub max} as a measure of the maximum in vivo carboxylation capacity of the primary carboxylasing enzyme Rubisco and J{sub max} a measure of the maximum rate of electron transport. The manipulation of the source sink balance of the crop, stage of canopy regrowth or height in the canopy had no effect on the observation of a lack of response. The findings of this study will be interpreted with respect to the long term implications of C{sub 3} crops being able to adapt physiologically to maximize the potential benefits conferred by growth in elevated CO{sub 2}.
Date: August 1, 1996
Creator: Hymus, G.J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Multifragmentation in intermediate energy {sup 129}Xe-induced heavy-ion reactions

Description: The {sup 129}Xe-induced reactions on {sup nat}Cu, {sup 89}Y, {sup 165}Ho, and {sup 197}Au at bombarding energies of E/A = 40 & 60 MeV have been studied theoretically and experimentally in order to establish the underlying mechanism of multifragmentation at intermediate energy heavy-Ion collisions. Nuclear disks formed in central heavy-ion collisions, as simulated by means of Boltzmann-like kinetic equations, break up into several fragments due to a new kind of Rayleigh-like surface instability. A sheet of liquid, stable in the limit of non-interacting surfaces, is shown to become unstable due to surface-surface interactions. The onset of this instability is determined analytically. A thin bubble behaves like a sheet and is susceptible to the surface instability through the crispation mode. The Coulomb effects associated with the depletion of charges in the central cavity of nuclear bubbles are investigated. The onset of Coulomb instability is demonstrated for perturbations of the radial mode. Experimental intermediate-mass-fragment multiplicity distributions for the {sup 129}Xe-induced reactions are shown to be binomial at each transverse energy. From these distributions, independent of the specific target, an elementary binary decay probability p can be extracted that has a thermal dependence. Thus it is inferred that multifragmentation is reducible to a combination of nearly independent emission processes. If sequential decay is assumed, the increase of p with transverse energy implies a contraction of the emission time scale. The sensitivity of p to the lower Z threshold in the definition of intermediate-mass-fragments points to a physical Poisson simulations of the particle multiplicities show that the weak auto-correlation between the fragment multiplicity and the transverse energy does not distort a Poisson distribution into a binomial distribution. The effect of device efficiency on the experimental results has also been studied.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Tso, Kin
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Interactive graphical tools for three-dimensional mesh redistribution

Description: Three-dimensional meshes modeling nonlinear problems such as sheet metal forming, metal forging, heat transfer during welding, the propagation of microwaves through gases, and automobile crashes require highly refined meshes in local areas to accurately represent areas of high curvature, stress, and strain. These locally refined areas develop late in the simulation and/or move during the course of the simulation, thus making it difficult to predict their exact location. This thesis is a systematic study of new tools scientists can use with redistribution algorithms to enhance the solution results and reduce the time to build, solve, and analyze nonlinear finite element problems. Participatory design techniques including Contextual Inquiry and Design were used to study and analyze the process of solving such problems. This study and analysis led to the in-depth understanding of the types of interactions performed by FEM scientists. Based on this understanding, a prototype tool was designed to support these interactions. Scientists participated in evaluating the design as well as the implementation of the prototype tool. The study, analysis, prototype tool design, and the results of the evaluation of the prototype tool are described in this thesis.
Date: March 1, 1996
Creator: Dobbs, L.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

RHEED studies of Ag/Si(111) growth at low temperatures

Description: This thesis showed that it is possible to achieve well ordered growth at low temperatures when chaing fluxes during the course of the deposition. It was also demonstrated that nucleation theory fails to predict or explain at least part of the results, in particular when deposition takes place at an initially low rate, with presumably a relatively low nucleation density, followed by a change to a high flux rate. This points to an inherent lack of nucleation theory; alternative explanations are presented based on flux-independent growth as reported by Roos (Surf. Sci. 302 (1994) 37).
Date: January 2, 1996
Creator: Koehler, U.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Development of a high-resolution soft x-ray (30--1500 eV) beamline at the Advanced Light Source and its use for the study of angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure

Description: ALS Bending magnet beamline 9.3.2 is for high resolution spectroscopy, with circularly polarized light. Fixed included-angle SGM uses three gratings for 30--1500 eV photons; circular polarization is produced by an aperture for selecting the beam above or below the horizontal plane. Photocurrent from upper and lower jaws of entrance slit sets a piezoelectric drive feedback loop on the vertically deflecting mirror for stable beam. End station has a movable platform. With photomeission data from Stanford, structure of c(2{times}2)P/Fe(100) was determined using angle-resolved photoemission extended fine structure (ARPEFS). Multiple-scattering spherical-wave (MSSW) calculations indicate that P atoms adsorb in fourfold hollow sites 1.02A above the first Fe layer. Self-consistent-field X{alpha} scattered wave calculation confirm that the Fe{sub 1}-Fe{sub 2} space is contracted for S/Fe but not for P/Fe; comparison is made to atomic N and O on Fe(100). Final-state effects on ARPEFS curves used literature data from the S 1s and 2p core levels of c(2{times}2)S/Ni(001); a generalized Ramsauer-Townsend splitting is present in the 1s but not 2p data. An approximate method for analyzing ARPEFS data from a non-s initial state using only the higher-{ell} partial wave was tested successfully. ARPEFS data from clean surfaces were collected normal to Ni(111) (3p core levels) and 5{degree} off-normal from Cu(111)(3s, 3p). Fourier transforms (FT) resemble adsorbate systems, showing backscattering signals from atoms up to 4 layers below emitters. 3p FTs show scattering from 6 nearest neighbors in the same crystal layer as the emitters. MSSW calulation indicate that Cu 3p photoemission is mostly d-wave. FTs also indicate double-scattering and single-scattering from laterally distant atoms; calculations indicate that the signal is dominated by photoemission from the first 2 crystal layers.
Date: February 1, 1996
Creator: Huff, W. R. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Radon entry into buildings: Effects of atmospheric pressure fluctuations and building structural factors

Description: An improved understanding of the factors that control radon entry into buildings is needed in order to reduce the public health risks caused by exposure to indoor radon. This dissertation examines three issues associated with radon entry into buildings: (1) the influence of a subslab gravel layer and the size of the openings between the soil and the building interior on radon entry; (2) the effect of atmospheric pressure fluctuations on radon entry; and (3) the development and validation of mathematical models which simulate radon and soil-gas entry into houses. Experiments were conducted using two experimental basements to examine the influence of a subslab gravel layer on advective radon entry driven by steady indoor-outdoor pressure differences. These basement structures are identical except that in one the floor slab lies directly on native soil whereas in the other the slab lies on a high-permeability gravel layer. The measurements indicate that a high permeability subslab gravel layer increases the advective radon entry rate into the structure by as much as a factor of 30. The magnitude of the enhancement caused by the subslab gravel layer depends on the area of the openings in the structure floor; the smaller the area of these openings the larger the enhancement in the radon entry rate caused by the subslab gravel layer. A three-dimensional, finite-difference model correctly predicts the effect of a subslab gravel layer and open area configuration on advective radon entry driven by steady indoor-outdoor pressure differences; however, the model underpredicts the absolute entry rate into each structure by a factor of 1.5.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Robinson, A.L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Polarization dependence of two-photon transition intensities in rare-earth doped crystals

Description: A polarization dependence technique has been developed as a tool to investigate phonon scattering (PS), electronic Raman scattering (ERS), and two-photon absorption (TPA) transition intensities in vanadate and phosphate crystals. A general theory for the polarization dependence (PD) of two-photon transition intensities has been given. Expressions for the polarization dependent behavior of two-photon transition intensities have been tabulated for the 32 crystallographic point groups. When the wavefunctions for the initial and final states of a rare-earth doped in crystals are known, explicit PD expressions with no unknown parameters can be obtained. A spectroscopic method for measuring and interpreting phonon and ERS intensities has been developed to study PrVO{sub 4}, NdVO{sub 4}, ErVO{sub 4}, and TmVO{sub 4} crystals. Relative phonon intensities with the polarization of the incident and scattered light arbitrarily varied were accurately predicted and subsequently used for alignment and calibration in ERS measurements in these systems for the first time. Since ERS and PS intensities generally follow different polarization curves as a function of polar angles, the two can be uniquely identified by comparing their respective polarization behavior. The most crucial application of the technique in ERS spectroscopy is the establishment of a stringent test for the Axe theory. For the first time, the F{sub 1}/F{sub 2} ratio extracted from the experimental fits of the ERS intensities were compared with those predicted by theories which include both the second- and third-order contributions. Relatively good agreement between the fitted values of F{sub 1}/F{sub 2} and the predicted values using the second-order theory has been found.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Le Nguyen, An-Dien
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

The Waste Package Project. Final report, July 1, 1995--February 27, 1996: Volume 1, The structural performance of the shell and fuel rods of a high level nuclear waste container

Description: This dissertation proposal covers research work that started in the spring of 1992. The aim of the research has been to study the structural performance and stability of proposed nuclear waste containers and the enclosed fuel rods to be used in the long term storage of High Level Nuclear Waste (HLNW). This research is in two phases, computational and experimental. The computational phase deals with the linear and nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of the different containers due to various loading conditions during normal handling conditions and due to the effect of long term corrosion while the canister is stored in the drift of a backfilled geological repository. The elastoplastic stability of the nuclear fuel rods were studied under body forces resulting from acceleration vectors at varying angles, resulting from a sudden drop of the canister at an angle onto a hard surface.
Date: June 1, 1996
Creator: Ladkany, S.G. & Rajagopalan, R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Studies of thin films and surfaces with optical harmonic generation and electron spectroscopy

Description: Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG) were used to study C{sup 60} thin solid films (low energy ED forbidden electronic excitations), and electron spectroscopy was used to study organic overlayers (xylenes) on Pt(111). Theory of SHG from a thin film is described in terms of surface and bulk contributions as well as local and nonlocal contributions to the optical nonlinearities. (1)In situ SHG data on C{sub 60} films during UHV film growth can be described in terms of only nonlocal contributions to both surface and bulk nonlinear susceptibilities. Microscopic origin of SHG response is discussed in terms of electric quadrupole and ED transitions of C{sub 60}. (2)Adsorption and thermal decomposition of ortho- and para-xylene on Pt(111) is studied using HREELS, LEED, AES, and thermal desorption spectroscopy. We have observed preferential decomposition of the methyl groups which leads to distinct decomposition pathways for ortho- and para-xylene on Pt(111).
Date: January 1, 1996
Creator: Wilk, D.E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

High-resolution spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation for surface structure determination and the study of correlated electron systems

Description: The surface structure of three molecular adsorbate systems on transition metal surfaces, ({radical}3 x {radical}3)R30{degrees} and (1.5 x 1.5)R18{degrees} CO adsorbed on Cu(111), and c(2x2) N2/Ni(100), have been determined using Angle-Resolved Photoemission Extended Fine Structure (ARPEFS). The adsorption site and bond lengths are reported for the adsorbate-metal bond and the first two substrate layers. The ARPEFS diffraction pattern of the shake-up peak for c(2x2) N2/Ni(100) is also discussed. A unique method of experimentally determining the angular momentum and intrinsic/extrinsic origin of core-level satellites is presented. We show for the first time that satellite peaks not associated with chemically differentiated atomic species display an ARPEFS intensity oscillation. Specifically, we present data for the C 1s from ({radical}3x{radical}3)R30 CO/Cu(111) and p2mg(2x1)CO/Ni(110), N is from c(2x2) N2/Ni(100), and Ni 3p from clean nickel(111). The satellite peaks in all cases exhibit ARPEFS curves which indicate an angular momentum identical to the main peak and are of an intrinsic nature. A Fourier Transform Soft X-ray spectrometer (FF-SX) has been designed and is under construction for the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The spectrometer is designed for ultra-high resolution theoretical resolving power E/{Delta}E{approx}-10{sup 6} in the photon energy region of 60-120 eV. This instrument is expected to provide experimental results which sensitively test models of correlated electron processes in atomic and molecular physics. The design criteria and consequent technical challenges posed by the short wavelengths of x-rays and desired resolving power are discussed. The fundamental and practical aspects of soft x-ray interferometry are also explored.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Moler, E.J. Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Amperometric detection and electrochemical oxidation of aliphatic amines and ammonia on silver-lead oxide thin-film electrodes

Description: This thesis comprises three parts: Electrocatalysis of anodic oxygen-transfer reactions: aliphatic amines at mixed Ag-Pb oxide thin-film electrodes; oxidation of ammonia at anodized Ag-Pb eutectic alloy electrodes; and temperature effects on oxidation of ethylamine, alanine, and aquated ammonia.
Date: January 8, 1996
Creator: Ge, Jisheng
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

A numerical model of hydro-thermo-mechanical coupling in a fractured rock mass

Description: Coupled hydro-thermo-mechanical codes with the ability to model fractured materials are used for predicting groundwater flow behavior in fractured aquifers containing thermal sources. The potential applications of such a code include the analysis of groundwater behavior within a geothermal reservoir. The capability of modeling hydro-thermo systems with a dual porosity, fracture flow model has been previously developed in the finite element code, FEHM. FEHM has been modified to include stress coupling with the dual porosity feature. FEHM has been further developed to implicitly couple the dependence of fracture hydraulic conductivity on effective stress within two dimensional, saturated aquifers containing fracture systems. The cubic law for flow between parallel plates was used to model fracture permeability. The Bartin-Bandis relationship was used to determine the fracture aperture within the cubic law. The code used a Newton Raphson iteration to implicitly solve for six unknowns at each node. Results from a model of heat flow from a reservoir to the moving fluid in a single fracture compared well with analytic results. Results of a model showing the increase in fracture flow due to a single fracture opening under fluid pressure compared well with analytic results. A hot dry rock, geothermal reservoir was modeled with realistic time steps indicating that the modified FEHM code does successfully model coupled flow problems with no convergence problems.
Date: June 1, 1996
Creator: Bower, K.M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Stability of eutectic interface during directional solidification

Description: Directional solidification of eutectic alloys shows different types of eutectic morphologies. These include lamellar, rod, oscillating and tilting modes. The growth of these morphologies occurs with a macroscopically planar interface. However, under certain conditions, the planar eutectic front becomes unstable and gives rise to a cellular or a dendritic structure. This instability leads to the cellular/dendritic structure of either a primary phase or a two-phase structure. The objective of this work is to develop a fundamental understanding of the instability of eutectic structure into cellular/dendritic structures of a single phase and of two-phases. Experimental studies have been carried out to examine the transition from a planar to two-phase cellular and dendritic structures in a ceramic system of Alumina-Zirconia (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-ZrO{sub 2}) and in a transparent organic system of carbon tetrabromide and hexachloroethane (CBr{sub 4}-C{sub 2}Cl{sub 6}). Several aspects of eutectic interface stability have been examined.
Date: April 23, 1996
Creator: Han, S.H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Photodissociation of ketene: CH{sub 2}CO {yields} CH{sub 2}(a{sup 1}A{sub 1}) + CO(v=1) rates and dynamics

Description: The rotational energy release in the dissociation of ketene (CH{sub 2}CO) along its singlet potential energy surface is observed and compared with several statistical and dynamical theories. Rotational distributions for the product, CO(X{sup 1}{Sigma}+)(v=1), are measured from the threshold for production of CH{sub 2}(a {sup 1}A{sub 1}) (0,0,0) + CO(X{sup 1}{Sigma}+)(v=1) to 1720 cm{sup -1} above. Near threshold (E{le} 200 cm{sup -1} over threshold), phase space theory (PST) matches the observed distributions. At 357 and 490 cm{sup -1}, PST constrained by the measured state distributions of the methylene fragment, provides a good fit to these CO(v=1) rotational distributions. For E > 490 cm{sup -1}, the constrained PST matches the average rotational energy observed but predicts distributions which are broader than observed. This contrasts to the rotational distributions of the {sup 1}CH{sub 2} fragment which become shifted to lower rotational states than PST as energy increases from 200 cm{sup -1} above threshold. Dynamical models, the impulsive model and Franck-Condon mapping, do not account for the product rotational state distributions. The CO(v=1) rotational distributions for E > 200 cm{sup -1} contain no measurable product from triplet channel fragmentation. Therefore, they can be compared with the previously determined CO(v=0) rotational distributions in order to partition the CO(v=0) yield between singlet and triplet channels and recalculate the singlet yield. This new yield is found to be at the upper limits of the range previously reported. Rate constants and quantum yields have been determined for the photodissociation of ketene to produce CH{sub 2}(a {sup 1}A{sub 1}) (0,0,0) + CO(X {sup 1}{Sigma}+)(v=1). At 57, 110, 200, 357, and 490 cm{sup -1} above this product threshold, vibrational branching ratios for the singlet products were measured and compared to phase space theory (PST), separate statistical ensembles (SSE), and variational RRKM (var. RRKM).
Date: December 1, 1996
Creator: Wade, E.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Lithium pellet injection experiments on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

Description: A pellet enhanced performance mode, showing significantly reduced core transport, is regularly obtained after the injection of deeply penetrating lithium pellets into Alcator C-Mod discharges. These transient modes, which typically persist about two energy confinement times, are characterized by a steep pressure gradient ({ell}{sub p} {le} a/5) in the inner third of the plasma, indicating the presence of an internal transport barrier. Inside this barrier, particle and energy diffusivities are greatly reduced, with ion thermal diffusivity dropping to near neoclassical values. Meanwhile, the global energy confinement time shows a 30% improvement over ITER89-P L-mode scaling. The addition of ICRF auxiliary heating shortly after the pellet injection leads to high fusion reactivity with neutron rates enhanced by an order of magnitude over L-mode discharges with similar input powers. A diagnostic system for measuring equilibrium current density profiles of tokamak plasmas, employing high speed lithium pellets, is also presented. Because ions are confined to move along field lines, imaging the Li{sup +} emission from the toroidally extended pellet ablation cloud gives the direction of the magnetic field. To convert from temporal to radial measurements, the 3-D trajectory of the pellet is determined using a stereoscopic tracking system. These measurements, along with external magnetic measurements, are used to solve the Grad-Shafranov equation for the magnetic equilibrium of the plasma. This diagnostic is used to determine the current density profile of PEP modes by injection of a second pellet during the period of good confinement. This measurement indicates that a region of reversed magnetic shear exists at the plasma core. This current density profile is consistent with TRANSP calculations for the bootstrap current created by the pressure gradient. MHD stability analysis indicates that these plasmas are near the n = {infinity} and the n = 1 marginal stability limits.
Date: June 1, 1996
Creator: Garnier, D.T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Inertial fusion energy: A clearer view of the environmental and safety perspectives

Description: If fusion energy is to achieve its full potential for safety and environmental (S&E) advantages, the S&E characteristics of fusion power plant designs must be quantified and understood, and the resulting insights must be embodied in the ongoing process of development of fusion energy. As part of this task, the present work compares S&E characteristics of five inertial and two magnetic fusion power plant designs. For each design, a set of radiological hazard indices has been calculated with a system of computer codes and data libraries assembled for this purpose. These indices quantify the radiological hazards associated with the operation of fusion power plants with respect to three classes of hazard: accidents, occupational exposure, and waste disposal. The three classes of hazard have been qualitatively integrated to rank the best and worst fusion power plant designs with respect to S&E characteristics. From these rankings, the specific designs, and other S&E trends, design features that result in S&E advantages have been identified. Additionally, key areas for future fusion research have been identified. Specific experiments needed include the investigation of elemental release rates (expanded to include many more materials) and the verification of sequential charged-particle reactions. Improvements to the calculational methodology are recommended to enable future comparative analyses to represent more accurately the radiological hazards presented by fusion power plants. Finally, future work must consider economic effects. Trade-offs among design features will be decided not by S&E characteristics alone, but also by cost-benefit analyses. 118 refs., 35 figs., 35 tabs.
Date: November 1, 1996
Creator: Latkowski, J.F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Fluorescence spectroscopy of single molecules at room temperature and its applications

Description: We performed fluorescence spectroscopy of single and pairs of dye molecules on a surface at room temperature. Near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) and far field scanning optical microscope with multi-color excitation/detection capability were built. The instrument is capable of optical imaging with 100nm resolution and has the sensitivity necessary for single molecule detection. A variety of dynamic events which cannot be observed from an ensemble of molecules is revealed when the molecules are probed one at a time. They include (1) spectral jumps correlated with dark states, (2) individually resolved quantum jumps to and from the meta-stable triplet state, (3) rotational jumps due to desorption/readsorption events of single molecules on the surface. For these studies, a computer controlled optical system which automatically and rapidly locates and performs spectroscopic measurements on single molecules was developed. We also studied the interaction between closely spaced pairs of molecules. In particular, fluorescence resonance energy transfer between a single resonant pair of donor and acceptor molecules was measured. Photodestruction dynamics of the donor or acceptor were used to determine the presence and efficiency of energy transfer Dual molecule spectroscopy was extended to a non-resonant pair of molecules to obtain high resolution differential distance information. By combining NSOM and dual color scheme, we studied the co-localization of parasite proteins and host proteins on a human red blood cell membrane infected with malaria. These dual-molecule techniques can be used to measure distances, relative orientations, and changes in distances/orientations of biological macromolecules with very good spatial, angular and temporal resolutions, hence opening new capabilities in the study of such systems.
Date: December 1, 1996
Creator: Ha, Taekjip
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Fully implicit kinetic modelling of collisional plasmas

Description: This dissertation describes a numerical technique, Matrix-Free Newton Krylov, for solving a simplified Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equation. This method is both deterministic and fully implicit, and may not have been a viable option before current developments in numerical methods. Results are presented that indicate the efficiency of the Matrix-Free Newton Krylov method for these fully-coupled, nonlinear integro-differential equations. The use and requirement for advanced differencing is also shown. To this end, implementations of Chang-Cooper differencing and flux limited Quadratic Upstream Interpolation for Convective Kinematics (QUICK) are presented. Results are given for a fully kinetic ion-electron problem with a self consistent electric field calculated from the ion and electron distribution functions. This numerical method, including advanced differencing, provides accurate solutions, which quickly converge on workstation class machines. It is demonstrated that efficient steady-state solutions can be achieved to the non-linear integro-differential equation, obtaining quadratic convergence, without incurring the large memory requirements of an integral operator. Model problems are presented which simulate plasma impinging on a plate with both high and low neutral particle recycling typical of a divertor in a Tokamak device. These model problems demonstrate the performance of the new solution method.
Date: May 1, 1996
Creator: Mousseau, V.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

Optimization of the Mini-Flo flow cytometer

Description: A new method of collecting light scattering from a liquid flow cytometer has been proposed; this apparatus is named the Mini-Flo flow cytometer. The Mini-Flo uses a high numerical aperture collection immersed in the flow stream. The collector consists of a conically tipped fiber optic pipe and terminating optical detector. This study was performed to improve the signal/noise ration and optimize the Mini-Flo`s performance for HIV blood detection applications. Experiments were performed to gauge the effects of Raman scattering, lens/filter fluorescence, and fiber optic fluorescence on the Mini-Flo`s performance and signal/noise ratio. Results indicated that the fiber optic was a major source of fluorescence noise and reducing its length from 33 cm to 10 cm increased the signal noise ratio from 8 to 75. Therefore, one of the key issues in optimizing the Mini-Flo`s performance is a redesign of the holding structure such that the fiber optic length is minimized. Further improvements of the Mini-Flo`s performance can be achieved by studying the polish of the fiber optic, the flow over the fiber optics`s conical tip, and the optimal particle rates.
Date: June 1, 1996
Creator: Venkatesh, M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department