Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2015 Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics
Volume 60, Number 13
Wednesday–Saturday, October 28–31, 2015; Santa Fe, New Mexico
Session KH: Mini-Symposium on Applications of Nuclear Physics V |
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Chair: Michael Huber, National Institute of Standards and Technology Room: General Kearny |
Friday, October 30, 2015 2:00PM - 2:12PM |
KH.00001: Seaborg's Plutonium? A Case Study in Nuclear Forensics Eric B. Norman, Keenan J. Thomas, Kristina E. Telhami Passive X-ray and gamma--ray analysis was performed on UC Berkeley's EH{\&}S Sample S338. The object was found to contain $^{239}$Pu. No other radioactive isotopes were observed. The mass of $^{239}$Pu contained in this object was determined to be 2.0 $+$- 0.3 $\mu $g. These observations are consistent with the identification of this object as containing the 2.77-$\mu $g PuO$_{2}$ (2.44 $\mu $g $^{239}$Pu) sample produced in 1942 and described by Glenn Seaborg and his collaborators as the first sample of $^{239}$Pu that was large enough to be weighed [1,2].\\[4pt] [1] G. T. Seaborg, ``The Plutonium Story,$'' $LBL-13492 (1981) and http://www.osti.gov/scitech/biblio/5808140.\\[0pt] [2] B. B. Cunningham and L. B. Werner, ``The First Isolation of Plutonium,'' Journ. Amer. Chem. Soc. \textbf{71(5)} 1521-1528 (1949). [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 2:12PM - 2:24PM |
KH.00002: Cosmic-ray imaging of spent fuel casks Elena Guardincerri, J. Matthew Durham, Christopher Morris, Daniel Poulson, Kenie Plaud-Ramos, Joseph Fabritius, Jeffrey Bacon, Philip Winston, David Chichester Muon radiography was used to image the inside of a partially loaded Westinghouse MC-10 dry cask containing spent nuclear fuel at Idaho National Laboratory. We present here the results of a 100 hours long measurement taken in May 2015 with two muon trackers placed outside the cask. The data clearly show the location of the missing fuel bundles and demonstrate the feasibility of using cosmic rays to monitor fuel casks against illicit diversion of their content. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 2:24PM - 2:36PM |
KH.00003: Measured 19F($\alpha$,n) with VANDLE for Nuclear Safeguards William Peters, R.C.C. Clement, M.S. Smith, S. Pain, M. Febbraro, S. Pittman, S. Thomspon, M. Grinder, J.A. Cizewski, C. Reingold, B. Manning, S. Burcher, D.W. Bardayan, W.-P. Tan, E. Stech, M.K. Smith, R. Avetisyan, A. Gyurjinyan, M. Lowe, S. Ilyushkin, R. Grzywacz, M. Madurga, S.V. Paulauskas, S.Z. Taylor, K. Smith One of the most promising non-destructive assay (NDA) methods to monitor UF6 canisters consists of measuring gross neutron rates induced by uranium-decay alpha particles reacting with the fluorine and emitting a neutron. This method currently lacks reliable nuclear data on the $^{19}$F($\alpha$,n) reaction cross section to determine an accurate neutron yield rate for a given sample of UF6. We have measured the cross section and coincident neutron spectrum for the alpha-decay energy range using the VANDLE system. This experiment had two parts: first at Notre Dame with a LaF3 target and and a pulsed alpha-particle beam, and second at ORNL with a windowless He-gas target and a 19F beam. The motivation for this measurement and cross section results will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 2:36PM - 2:48PM |
KH.00004: Proton radiography, nuclear cross sections and multiple scattering Sky Sjue Proton radiography is a valuable tool for assessing dynamic experiments over times as short as 100 nanoseconds. Facilities now exist or are in development in the China, Germany, Russia and the United States with proton energies ranging from 800 MeV to 50 GeV. The multiple Coulomb scattering distribution of protons and the cross sections for proton interactions with the nucleus both depend on the proton energy. A detailed understanding of these effects is necessary to gain the best possible quantitative information from proton generated radiographs. We will present an analysis of the integrated nuclear cross sections for various metals at 800 MeV kinetic energy using step wedges at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at 800 MeV, along with results at 24 GeV from Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at 24 GeV. The results will be compared with models of multiple scattering and several models of the nuclear interactions. Finally, we will discuss trends in the interplay between nuclear attenuation and multiple scattering as a function of proton energy. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 2:48PM - 3:00PM |
KH.00005: Measuring X-ray Spectra of Flash Radiographic Sources Amanda Gehring, Michelle Espy, Todd Haines, Jacob Mendez, David Moir, Robert Sedillo, Petr Volegov, Tim Webb A Compton spectrometer has been re-commissioned for measurements of flash radiographic sources. The determination of the energy spectrum provides information about the x-ray production mechanisms of these sources (ie. reaction history of plasmas, electron-target interactions) and benefits the analysis of images obtained at radiographic facilities. However, the measurements of the spectra are difficult due to the high count rates and short nature of the pulses ($\sim$ 50 ns). The spectrometer is a 300 kg neodymium-iron magnet which measures spectra in the \textless 1 MeV to 20 MeV energy range. Incoming x-rays are collimated into a narrow beam incident on a converter foil. The ejected Compton electrons are collimated so that the forward-directed electrons enter the magnetic field region of the spectrometer. The position of the electrons at the focal plane of the magnet is a function of their momentum, allowing the x-ray spectrum to be reconstructed. Recent measurements of both flash and continuous radiographic sources will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:00PM - 3:12PM |
KH.00006: (n,p) and (n,alpha) measurements using LENZ instrument to improve reaction model prediction Hye Young Lee, Matthew Devlin, Robert Haight, Brett Manning, Shea Mosby Understanding neutron-induced charged particle reactions is of interest for nuclear astrophysics and applied nuclear energy. Often, direct measurements of these reactions are not feasible at neutron beam facilities due to the short half-lives of the targets and the reduced cross sections at astrophysically relevant energies given the large Coulomb barriers. Instead, the Hauser-Feshbach formalism is used to study this reaction mechanism for predicting cross sections. We have developed the LENZ (Low Energy n,z) instrument to measure the (n,p) and (n,$\alpha$) reactions using a time-of-flight method for incident neutron energies from thermal to several tens of MeV at LANSCE. The LENZ has improved capabilities including a large solid angle, a low detection threshold, and good signal-to-background ratios using waveform digitizers. We have performed an in-beam commissioning measurement on $^{59}$Co(n,$\alpha $/p) at E$_{\mathrm{n}} = $ 0.7 -- 12 MeV. In this paper, we will discuss the results of the $^{59}$Co(n,$\alpha $/p) measurements and present the status of the reaction studies on $^{16}$O(n,$\alpha$) for nuclear energy applications and $^{77}$Se(n,p) for reaction mechanism studies. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:12PM - 3:24PM |
KH.00007: Application of the Statistical ICA Technique in the DANCE Data Analysis Bayarbadrakh Baramsai, M. Jandel, T.A. Bredeweg, G. Rusev, C.L. Walker, A. Couture, S. Mosby, J.L. Ullmann The Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center is used to improve our understanding of the neutron capture reaction. DANCE is a highly efficient 4$\pi$ $\gamma$-ray detector array consisting of 160 BaF$_2$ crystals which make it an ideal tool for neutron capture experiments. The (n,$\gamma)$ reaction Q-value equals to the sum energy of all $\gamma$-rays emitted in the de-excitation cascades from the excited capture state to the ground state. The total $\gamma$-ray energy is used to identify reactions on different isotopes as well as the background. However, it's challenging to identify contribution in the Esum spectra from different isotopes with the similar Q-values. Recently we have tested the applicability of modern statistical methods such as Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to identify and separate different (n,$\gamma)$ reaction yields on different isotopes that are present in the target material. ICA is a recently developed computational tool for separating multidimensional data into statistically independent additive subcomponents. In this conference talk, we present some results of the application of ICA algorithms and its modification for the DANCE experimental data analysis. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:24PM - 3:36PM |
KH.00008: Advice for Gaining Upper Administration Support for Research at an Undergraduate Institution Donald Isenhower This talk has its beginnings in questions asked after my invited talk for the 2015 APS Prize for Outstanding Research at an Undergraduate Institution at the April APS Meeting. A common question was how to gain support from one's university's administration to start an undergraduate research program. As my talk was addressing work done during 28 years at a university that had a long history of undergraduate research, I was not prepared to answer the question. It is easy to point out what one must do to obtain funding, even if actually obtaining the funding is difficult. Many other aspects of choosing appropriate research projects, collaborations, and such can also be relatively easy to do. Answers and advice in how to get upper level university administrators to notice and help you start a research program is not as easy or obvious, but is what this talk will address. It will be based on the premiss that one is at a university that is centered on providing high quality undergraduate education. Thus you have the job of showing your administration that having students working on a research program under you will help provide the highest level of education possible. Experience over many years of interactions at ACU will be drawn on for the advice provided. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 30, 2015 3:36PM - 3:48PM |
KH.00009: Growing the Nuclear Workforce Through Outreach Micha Kilburn Many students don't encounter physics in the classroom until college or the end of high school. Most college students never encounter nuclear physics in the classroom. In order to grow the nuclear science workforce, students need to be aware of the field much earlier in the education. However, teaching teens about nuclear science can be a daunting task at the outset. I will present and describe successful outreach curricula and programs that can be duplicated by any college, university or laboratory. These include workshops for boy scouts and girl scouts as well as teaching nuclear science with magnetic marbles. I will also present some results from assessments of JINA-CEE's more intensive programs aimed at recruiting youth to the field. [Preview Abstract] |
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