High gradient RF test results of S-band and C-band cavities for medical linear accelerators

DOE PAGES

Degiovanni, A.; Bonomi, R.; Garlasche, M.; ...

2018-02-09

TERA Foundation has proposed and designed hadrontherapy facilities based on novel linacs, i.e. high gradient linacs which accelerate either protons or light ions. The overall length of the linac, and therefore its cost, is almost inversely proportional to the average accelerating gradient. With the scope of studying the limiting factors for high gradient operation and to optimize the linac design, TERA, in collaboration with the CLIC Structure Development Group, has conducted a series of high gradient experiments. The main goals were to study the high gradient behavior and to evaluate the maximum gradient reached in 3 and 5.7 GHz structuresmore » to direct the design of medical accelerators based on high gradient linacs. Lastly, this paper summarizes the results of the high power tests of 3.0 and 5.7 GHz single-cell cavities.« less

High gradient RF test results of S-band and C-band cavities for medical linear accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Degiovanni, A.; Bonomi, R.; Garlasche, M.

TERA Foundation has proposed and designed hadrontherapy facilities based on novel linacs, i.e. high gradient linacs which accelerate either protons or light ions. The overall length of the linac, and therefore its cost, is almost inversely proportional to the average accelerating gradient. With the scope of studying the limiting factors for high gradient operation and to optimize the linac design, TERA, in collaboration with the CLIC Structure Development Group, has conducted a series of high gradient experiments. The main goals were to study the high gradient behavior and to evaluate the maximum gradient reached in 3 and 5.7 GHz structuresmore » to direct the design of medical accelerators based on high gradient linacs. Lastly, this paper summarizes the results of the high power tests of 3.0 and 5.7 GHz single-cell cavities.« less

Observation of acceleration and deceleration in gigaelectron-volt-per-metre gradient dielectric wakefield accelerators

DOE PAGES

O’Shea, B. D.; Andonian, G.; Barber, S. K.; ...

2016-09-14

There is urgent need to develop new acceleration techniques capable of exceeding gigaelectron-volt-per-metre (GeV m –1) gradients in order to enable future generations of both light sources and high-energy physics experiments. To address this need, short wavelength accelerators based on wakefields, where an intense relativistic electron beam radiates the demanded fields directly into the accelerator structure or medium, are currently under intense investigation. One such wakefield based accelerator, the dielectric wakefield accelerator, uses a dielectric lined-waveguide to support a wakefield used for acceleration. Here we show gradients of 1.347±0.020 GeV m –1 using a dielectric wakefield accelerator of 15 cmmore » length, with sub-millimetre transverse aperture, by measuring changes of the kinetic state of relativistic electron beams. We follow this measurement by demonstrating accelerating gradients of 320±17 MeV m –1. As a result, both measurements improve on previous measurements by and order of magnitude and show promise for dielectric wakefield accelerators as sources of high-energy electrons.« less

Investigations into dual-grating THz-driven accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y.; Ischebeck, R.; Dehler, M.; Ferrari, E.; Hiller, N.; Jamison, S.; Xia, G.; Hanahoe, K.; Li, Y.; Smith, J. D. A.; Welsch, C. P.

2018-01-01

Advanced acceleration technologies are receiving considerable interest in order to miniaturize future particle accelerators. One such technology is the dual-grating dielectric structures, which can support accelerating fields one to two orders of magnitude higher than the metal RF cavities in conventional accelerators. This opens up the possibility of enabling high accelerating gradients of up to several GV/m. This paper investigates numerically a quartz dual-grating structure which is driven by THz pulses to accelerate electrons. Geometry optimizations are carried out to achieve the trade-offs between accelerating gradient and vacuum channel gap. A realistic electron bunch available from the future Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications (CLARA) is loaded into an optimized 100-period dual-grating structure for a detailed wakefield study. A THz pulse is then employed to interact with this CLARA bunch in the optimized structure. The computed beam quality is analyzed in terms of emittance, energy spread and loaded accelerating gradient. The simulations show that an accelerating gradient of 348 ± 12 MV/m with an emittance growth of 3.0% can be obtained.

Observation of acceleration and deceleration in gigaelectron-volt-per-metre gradient dielectric wakefield accelerators

PubMed Central

O'Shea, B. D.; Andonian, G.; Barber, S. K.; Fitzmorris, K. L.; Hakimi, S.; Harrison, J.; Hoang, P. D.; Hogan, M. J.; Naranjo, B.; Williams, O. B.; Yakimenko, V.; Rosenzweig, J. B.

2016-01-01

There is urgent need to develop new acceleration techniques capable of exceeding gigaelectron-volt-per-metre (GeV m−1) gradients in order to enable future generations of both light sources and high-energy physics experiments. To address this need, short wavelength accelerators based on wakefields, where an intense relativistic electron beam radiates the demanded fields directly into the accelerator structure or medium, are currently under intense investigation. One such wakefield based accelerator, the dielectric wakefield accelerator, uses a dielectric lined-waveguide to support a wakefield used for acceleration. Here we show gradients of 1.347±0.020 GeV m−1 using a dielectric wakefield accelerator of 15 cm length, with sub-millimetre transverse aperture, by measuring changes of the kinetic state of relativistic electron beams. We follow this measurement by demonstrating accelerating gradients of 320±17 MeV m−1. Both measurements improve on previous measurements by and order of magnitude and show promise for dielectric wakefield accelerators as sources of high-energy electrons. PMID:27624348

High Gradient Accelerator Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Temkin, Richard

The goal of the MIT program of research on high gradient acceleration is the development of advanced acceleration concepts that lead to a practical and affordable next generation linear collider at the TeV energy level. Other applications, which are more near-term, include accelerators for materials processing; medicine; defense; mining; security; and inspection. The specific goals of the MIT program are: • Pioneering theoretical research on advanced structures for high gradient acceleration, including photonic structures and metamaterial structures; evaluation of the wakefields in these advanced structures • Experimental research to demonstrate the properties of advanced structures both in low-power microwave coldmore » test and high-power, high-gradient test at megawatt power levels • Experimental research on microwave breakdown at high gradient including studies of breakdown phenomena induced by RF electric fields and RF magnetic fields; development of new diagnostics of the breakdown process • Theoretical research on the physics and engineering features of RF vacuum breakdown • Maintaining and improving the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator, the highest frequency operational accelerator in the world, a unique facility for accelerator research • Providing the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator facility as a facility for outside users • Active participation in the US DOE program of High Gradient Collaboration, including joint work with SLAC and with Los Alamos National Laboratory; participation of MIT students in research at the national laboratories • Training the next generation of Ph. D. students in the field of accelerator physics.« less

Sex differences in cue perception in a visual scene: investigation of cue type.

PubMed

Barkley, Cynthia L; Gabriel, Kara I

2007-04-01

Sex differences in spatial navigation indicate that women may focus on positional, landmark cues whereas men favor Euclidean, directional cues. Some studies have investigated sex differences in proximal and distal cue use; however, sex differences in gradient (i.e., graded features) and pinpoint (i.e., single, defined) cue perception remain unexamined. In the current experiments, paired photographs were presented in which the 2nd photograph showed the same scene with cues removed (Experiment 1) or isolated (Experiment 2) from the 1st photograph. In Experiment 1, women showed less disruption of task performance than men showed following cue removal but were slowest after proximal pinpoint cue removal. Male performance was slowed by distal gradient and proximal pinpoint cue removal. In Experiment 2, women were faster than men at identifying isolated proximal and distal pinpoint cues and were more accurate at identifying isolated distal gradient and distal pinpoint cues. Better pinpoint cue perception and memory in women indicates one possible mechanism underlying female preference for landmark-based navigation strategies. Findings also show that whereas men may preferentially rely on distal gradient cues they are not better at perceiving those cues than are women. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved

Ultra-High Gradient S-band Linac for Laboratory and Industrial Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faillace, L.; Agustsson, R.; Dolgashev, V.; Frigola, P.; Murokh, A.; Rosenzweig, J.; Yakimenko, V.

2010-11-01

A strong demand for high gradient structures arises from the limited real estate available for linear accelerators. RadiaBeam Technologies is developing a Doubled Energy Compact Accelerator (DECA) structure: an S-band standing wave electron linac designed to operate at accelerating gradients of up to 50 MV/m. In this paper, we present the radio-frequency design of the DECA S-band accelerating structure, operating at 2.856 GHz in the π-mode. The structure design is heavily influenced by NLC collaboration experience with ultra high gradient X-band structures; S-band, however, is chosen to take advantage of commonly available high power S-band klystrons.

Effect of Changes in Hydrostatic Pressure in Peritubular Capillaries on the Permeability of the Proximal Tubule

PubMed Central

Hayslett, John P.

1973-01-01

The effect of increased hydrostatic pressure in the peritubular vessels on net sodium reabsorption from the proximal tubule was examined in the Necturus. An increase in the pressure gradient of 2.0 cm H2O across the wall of the proximal tubule, produced by ligation of the postcaval vein was associated with a marked reduction in net reabsorption and an increased back flux of water and electrolytes. This change was accompanied by a slight, but significant drop in the transepithelial electrical potential but not by an alteration in the steady-state chemical gradient. These studies highlight the importance of changes in the permeability characteristics of the proximal tubule on net sodium transport. Images PMID:4703221

Accelerated fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithms for sparsity-regularized cone-beam CT image reconstruction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Qiaofeng; Sawatzky, Alex; Anastasio, Mark A., E-mail: anastasio@wustl.edu

Purpose: The development of iterative image reconstruction algorithms for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) remains an active and important research area. Even with hardware acceleration, the overwhelming majority of the available 3D iterative algorithms that implement nonsmooth regularizers remain computationally burdensome and have not been translated for routine use in time-sensitive applications such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). In this work, two variants of the fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (FISTA) are proposed and investigated for accelerated iterative image reconstruction in CBCT. Methods: Algorithm acceleration was achieved by replacing the original gradient-descent step in the FISTAs by a subproblem that ismore » solved by use of the ordered subset simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (OS-SART). Due to the preconditioning matrix adopted in the OS-SART method, two new weighted proximal problems were introduced and corresponding fast gradient projection-type algorithms were developed for solving them. We also provided efficient numerical implementations of the proposed algorithms that exploit the massive data parallelism of multiple graphics processing units. Results: The improved rates of convergence of the proposed algorithms were quantified in computer-simulation studies and by use of clinical projection data corresponding to an IGRT study. The accelerated FISTAs were shown to possess dramatically improved convergence properties as compared to the standard FISTAs. For example, the number of iterations to achieve a specified reconstruction error could be reduced by an order of magnitude. Volumetric images reconstructed from clinical data were produced in under 4 min. Conclusions: The FISTA achieves a quadratic convergence rate and can therefore potentially reduce the number of iterations required to produce an image of a specified image quality as compared to first-order methods. We have proposed and investigated accelerated FISTAs for use with two nonsmooth penalty functions that will lead to further reductions in image reconstruction times while preserving image quality. Moreover, with the help of a mixed sparsity-regularization, better preservation of soft-tissue structures can be potentially obtained. The algorithms were systematically evaluated by use of computer-simulated and clinical data sets.« less

Accelerated fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithms for sparsity-regularized cone-beam CT image reconstruction.

PubMed

Xu, Qiaofeng; Yang, Deshan; Tan, Jun; Sawatzky, Alex; Anastasio, Mark A

2016-04-01

The development of iterative image reconstruction algorithms for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) remains an active and important research area. Even with hardware acceleration, the overwhelming majority of the available 3D iterative algorithms that implement nonsmooth regularizers remain computationally burdensome and have not been translated for routine use in time-sensitive applications such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). In this work, two variants of the fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (FISTA) are proposed and investigated for accelerated iterative image reconstruction in CBCT. Algorithm acceleration was achieved by replacing the original gradient-descent step in the FISTAs by a subproblem that is solved by use of the ordered subset simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (OS-SART). Due to the preconditioning matrix adopted in the OS-SART method, two new weighted proximal problems were introduced and corresponding fast gradient projection-type algorithms were developed for solving them. We also provided efficient numerical implementations of the proposed algorithms that exploit the massive data parallelism of multiple graphics processing units. The improved rates of convergence of the proposed algorithms were quantified in computer-simulation studies and by use of clinical projection data corresponding to an IGRT study. The accelerated FISTAs were shown to possess dramatically improved convergence properties as compared to the standard FISTAs. For example, the number of iterations to achieve a specified reconstruction error could be reduced by an order of magnitude. Volumetric images reconstructed from clinical data were produced in under 4 min. The FISTA achieves a quadratic convergence rate and can therefore potentially reduce the number of iterations required to produce an image of a specified image quality as compared to first-order methods. We have proposed and investigated accelerated FISTAs for use with two nonsmooth penalty functions that will lead to further reductions in image reconstruction times while preserving image quality. Moreover, with the help of a mixed sparsity-regularization, better preservation of soft-tissue structures can be potentially obtained. The algorithms were systematically evaluated by use of computer-simulated and clinical data sets.

Accelerated fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithms for sparsity-regularized cone-beam CT image reconstruction

PubMed Central

Xu, Qiaofeng; Yang, Deshan; Tan, Jun; Sawatzky, Alex; Anastasio, Mark A.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The development of iterative image reconstruction algorithms for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) remains an active and important research area. Even with hardware acceleration, the overwhelming majority of the available 3D iterative algorithms that implement nonsmooth regularizers remain computationally burdensome and have not been translated for routine use in time-sensitive applications such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). In this work, two variants of the fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (FISTA) are proposed and investigated for accelerated iterative image reconstruction in CBCT. Methods: Algorithm acceleration was achieved by replacing the original gradient-descent step in the FISTAs by a subproblem that is solved by use of the ordered subset simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (OS-SART). Due to the preconditioning matrix adopted in the OS-SART method, two new weighted proximal problems were introduced and corresponding fast gradient projection-type algorithms were developed for solving them. We also provided efficient numerical implementations of the proposed algorithms that exploit the massive data parallelism of multiple graphics processing units. Results: The improved rates of convergence of the proposed algorithms were quantified in computer-simulation studies and by use of clinical projection data corresponding to an IGRT study. The accelerated FISTAs were shown to possess dramatically improved convergence properties as compared to the standard FISTAs. For example, the number of iterations to achieve a specified reconstruction error could be reduced by an order of magnitude. Volumetric images reconstructed from clinical data were produced in under 4 min. Conclusions: The FISTA achieves a quadratic convergence rate and can therefore potentially reduce the number of iterations required to produce an image of a specified image quality as compared to first-order methods. We have proposed and investigated accelerated FISTAs for use with two nonsmooth penalty functions that will lead to further reductions in image reconstruction times while preserving image quality. Moreover, with the help of a mixed sparsity-regularization, better preservation of soft-tissue structures can be potentially obtained. The algorithms were systematically evaluated by use of computer-simulated and clinical data sets. PMID:27036582

Method for computationally efficient design of dielectric laser accelerator structures

DOE PAGES

Hughes, Tyler; Veronis, Georgios; Wootton, Kent P.; ...

2017-06-22

Here, dielectric microstructures have generated much interest in recent years as a means of accelerating charged particles when powered by solid state lasers. The acceleration gradient (or particle energy gain per unit length) is an important figure of merit. To design structures with high acceleration gradients, we explore the adjoint variable method, a highly efficient technique used to compute the sensitivity of an objective with respect to a large number of parameters. With this formalism, the sensitivity of the acceleration gradient of a dielectric structure with respect to its entire spatial permittivity distribution is calculated by the use of onlymore » two full-field electromagnetic simulations, the original and ‘adjoint’. The adjoint simulation corresponds physically to the reciprocal situation of a point charge moving through the accelerator gap and radiating. Using this formalism, we perform numerical optimizations aimed at maximizing acceleration gradients, which generate fabricable structures of greatly improved performance in comparison to previously examined geometries.« less

Error measure comparison of currently employed dose-modulation schemes for e-beam proximity effect control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peckerar, Martin C.; Marrian, Christie R.

1995-05-01

Standard matrix inversion methods of e-beam proximity correction are compared with a variety of pseudoinverse approaches based on gradient descent. It is shown that the gradient descent methods can be modified using 'regularizers' (terms added to the cost function minimized during gradient descent). This modification solves the 'negative dose' problem in a mathematically sound way. Different techniques are contrasted using a weighted error measure approach. It is shown that the regularization approach leads to the highest quality images. In some cases, ignoring negative doses yields results which are worse than employing an uncorrected dose file.

High gradient tests of metallic mm-wave accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2017-05-10

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in high gradient mm-wave accelerating structures. We performed a series of experiments with 100 GHz and 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This paper presents the experimental results of rf tests of 100 GHz travelling-wave accelerating structures, made of hard copper-silver alloy. The results are compared with pure hard copper structures. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultra-relativistic electron beam. The accelerating structures have open geometries, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated bymore » a variable gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changed from 90 GHz to 140 GHz. The measured frequency and pulse length are consistent with our simulations. When the beam travels off-axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the decelerating longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and used this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. We present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 100 GHz copper-silver accelerating structure, which was 10 –3 per pulse, with peak electric field of 0.42 GV/m, an accelerating gradient of 127 MV/m, at a pulse length of 2.3 ns. The goal of our studies is to understand the physics of gradient limitations in order to increase the energy reach of future accelerators.« less

High gradient tests of metallic mm-wave accelerating structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in high gradient mm-wave accelerating structures. We performed a series of experiments with 100 GHz and 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This paper presents the experimental results of rf tests of 100 GHz travelling-wave accelerating structures, made of hard copper-silver alloy. The results are compared with pure hard copper structures. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultra-relativistic electron beam. The accelerating structures have open geometries, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated bymore » a variable gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changed from 90 GHz to 140 GHz. The measured frequency and pulse length are consistent with our simulations. When the beam travels off-axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the decelerating longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and used this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. We present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 100 GHz copper-silver accelerating structure, which was 10 –3 per pulse, with peak electric field of 0.42 GV/m, an accelerating gradient of 127 MV/m, at a pulse length of 2.3 ns. The goal of our studies is to understand the physics of gradient limitations in order to increase the energy reach of future accelerators.« less

Accelerating gradient improvement from hole-boring to light-sail stage using shape-tailored laser front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W. P.; Shen, B. F.; Xu, Z. Z.

2017-01-01

The accelerating gradient of a proton beam is a crucial factor for the stable radiation pressure acceleration, because quickly accelerating protons into the relativistic region may reduce the multidimensional instability grow to a certain extent. In this letter, a shape-tailored laser is designed to accelerate the protons in a controllable high accelerating gradient in theory. Finally, a proton beam in the gigaelectronvolt range with an energy spread of ˜2.4% is obtained in one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. With the future development of the high-intense laser, the ability to accelerate a high energy proton beam using a shape-tailored laser will be important for realistic proton applications, such as fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, medical therapy, and proton imaging.

Optimized operation of dielectric laser accelerators: Single bunch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-05-01

We introduce a general approach to determine the optimal charge, efficiency and gradient for laser driven accelerators in a self-consistent way. We propose a way to enhance the operational gradient of dielectric laser accelerators by leverage of beam-loading effect. While the latter may be detrimental from the perspective of the effective gradient experienced by the particles, it can be beneficial as the effective field experienced by the accelerating structure, is weaker. As a result, the constraint imposed by the damage threshold fluence is accordingly weakened and our self-consistent approach predicts permissible gradients of ˜10 GV /m , one order of magnitude higher than previously reported experimental results—with unbunched pulse of electrons. Our approach leads to maximum efficiency to occur for higher gradients as compared with a scenario in which the beam-loading effect on the material is ignored. In any case, maximum gradient does not occur for the same conditions that maximum efficiency does—a trade-off set of parameters is suggested.

Ultra-High Accelerating Gradients in Radio-Frequency Cryogenic Copper Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahill, Alexander David

Normal conducting radio-frequency (rf) particle accelerators have many applications, including colliders for high energy physics, high-intensity synchrotron light sources, non-destructive testing for security, and medical radiation therapy. In these applications, the accelerating gradient is an important parameter. Specifically for high energy physics, increasing the accelerating gradient extends the potential energy reach and is viewed as a way to mitigate their considerable cost. Furthermore, a gradient increase will enable for more compact and thus accessible free electron lasers (FELs). The major factor limiting larger accelerating gradients is vacuum rf breakdown. Basic physics of this phenomenon has been extensively studied over the last few decades. During which, the occurrence of rf breakdowns was shown to be probabilistic, and can be characterized by a breakdown rate. The current consensus is that vacuum rf breakdowns are caused by movements of crystal defects induced by periodic mechanical stress. The stress may be caused by pulsed surface heating and large electric fields. A compelling piece of evidence that supports this hypothesis is that accelerating structures constructed from harder materials exhibit larger accelerating gradients for similar breakdown rates. One possible method to increase sustained electric fields in copper cavities is to cool them to temperatures below 77 K, where the rf surface resistance and coefficient of thermal expansion decrease, while the yield strength (which correlates with hardness) and thermal conductivity increase. These changes in material properties at low temperature increases metal hardness and decreases the mechanical stress from exposure to rf electromagnetic fields. To test the validity of the improvement in breakdown rate, experiments were conducted with cryogenic accelerating cavities in the Accelerator Structure Test Area (ASTA) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. A short 11.4 GHz standing wave accelerating structure was conditioned to an accelerating gradient of 250 MV/m at 45 K with 108 rf pulses. At gradients greater than 150 MV/m I observed a degradation in the intrinsic quality factor of the cavity, Q0. I developed a model for the change in Q0 using measured field emission currents and rf signals. I found that the Q 0 degradation is consistent with the rf power being absorbed by strong field emission currents accelerated inside the cavity. I measured rf breakdown rates for 45 K and found 2*10-4/pulse/meter when accounting for any change in Q0. These are the largest accelerating gradients for a structure with similar breakdown rates. The final chapter presents the design of an rf photoinjector electron source that uses the cryogenic normal conducting accelerator technology: the TOPGUN. With this cryogenic rf photoinjector, the beam brightness will increase by over an order of a magnitude when compared to the current photoinjector for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). When using the TOPGUN as the source for an X-ray Free Electron Laser, the higher brightness would allow for a decrease in the required length of the LCLS undulator by more than a factor of two.

An accelerated proximal augmented Lagrangian method and its application in compressive sensing.

PubMed

Sun, Min; Liu, Jing

2017-01-01

As a first-order method, the augmented Lagrangian method (ALM) is a benchmark solver for linearly constrained convex programming, and in practice some semi-definite proximal terms are often added to its primal variable's subproblem to make it more implementable. In this paper, we propose an accelerated PALM with indefinite proximal regularization (PALM-IPR) for convex programming with linear constraints, which generalizes the proximal terms from semi-definite to indefinite. Under mild assumptions, we establish the worst-case [Formula: see text] convergence rate of PALM-IPR in a non-ergodic sense. Finally, numerical results show that our new method is feasible and efficient for solving compressive sensing.

Prototyping high-gradient mm-wave accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Nanni, Emilio A.; Dolgashev, Valery A.; Haase, Andrew; ...

2017-01-01

We present single-cell accelerating structures designed for high-gradient testing at 110 GHz. The purpose of this work is to study the basic physics of ultrahigh vacuum RF breakdown in high-gradient RF accelerators. The accelerating structures are π-mode standing-wave cavities fed with a TM 01 circular waveguide. The structures are fabricated using precision milling out of two metal blocks, and the blocks are joined with diffusion bonding and brazing. The impact of fabrication and joining techniques on the cell geometry and RF performance will be discussed. First prototypes had a measured Q 0 of 2800, approaching the theoretical design value ofmore » 3300. The geometry of these accelerating structures are as close as practical to singlecell standing-wave X-band accelerating structures more than 40 of which were tested at SLAC. This wealth of X-band data will serve as a baseline for these 110 GHz tests. Furthermore, the structures will be powered with short pulses from a MW gyrotron oscillator. RF power of 1 MW may allow an accelerating gradient of 400 MeV/m to be reached.« less

High power tests of an electroforming cavity operating at 11.424 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolgashev, V. A.; Gatti, G.; Higashi, Y.; Leonardi, O.; Lewandowski, J. R.; Marcelli, A.; Rosenzweig, J.; Spataro, B.; Tantawi, S. G.; Yeremian, D. A.

2016-03-01

The achievement of ultra high accelerating gradients is mandatory in order to fabricate compact accelerators at 11.424 GHz for scientific and industrial applications. An extensive experimental and theoretical program to determine a reliable ultra high gradient operation of the future linear accelerators is under way in many laboratories. In particular, systematic studies on the 11.424 GHz frequency accelerator structures, R&D on new materials and the associated microwave technology are in progress to achieve accelerating gradients well above 120 MeV/m. Among the many, the electroforming procedure is a promising approach to manufacture high performance RF devices in order to avoid the high temperature brazing and to produce precise RF structures. We report here the characterization of a hard high gradient RF accelerating structure at 11.424 GHz fabricated using the electroforming technique. Low-level RF measurements and high power RF tests carried out at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory on this prototype are presented and discussed. In addition, we present also a possible layout where the water-cooling of irises based on the electroforming process has been considered for the first time.

Field Emission in Superconducting Accelerators: Instrumented Measurements for Its Understanding and Mitigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geng, Rongli; Freyberger, Arne P.; Legg, Robert A.

Several new accelerator projects are adopting superconducting accelerator technology. When accelerating cavities maintain high RF gradients, field emission, the emission of electrons from cavity walls, can occur and may impact operational cavity gradient, radiological environment via activated components, and reliability. In this talk, we will discuss instrumented measurements of field emission from the two 1.1 GeV superconducting continuous wave (CW) linacs in CEBAF. The goal is to improve the understanding of field emission sources originating from cryomodule production, installation and operation. Such basic knowledge is needed in guiding field emission control, mitigation, and reduction toward high gradient and reliable operationmore » of superconducting accelerators.« less

Protein structure estimation from NMR data by matrix completion.

PubMed

Li, Zhicheng; Li, Yang; Lei, Qiang; Zhao, Qing

2017-09-01

Knowledge of protein structures is very important to understand their corresponding physical and chemical properties. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the main methods to measure protein structure. In this paper, we propose a two-stage approach to calculate the structure of a protein from a highly incomplete distance matrix, where most data are obtained from NMR. We first randomly "guess" a small part of unobservable distances by utilizing the triangle inequality, which is crucial for the second stage. Then we use matrix completion to calculate the protein structure from the obtained incomplete distance matrix. We apply the accelerated proximal gradient algorithm to solve the corresponding optimization problem. Furthermore, the recovery error of our method is analyzed, and its efficiency is demonstrated by several practical examples.

High-gradient low-β accelerating structure using the first negative spatial harmonic of the fundamental mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutsaev, Sergey V.; Agustsson, Ronald; Boucher, Salime; Fischer, Richard; Murokh, Alex; Mustapha, Brahim; Nassiri, Alireza; Ostroumov, Peter N.; Plastun, Alexander; Savin, Evgeny; Smirnov, Alexander Yu.

2017-12-01

The development of high-gradient accelerating structures for low-β particles is the key for compact hadron linear accelerators. A particular example of such a machine is a hadron therapy linac, which is a promising alternative to cyclic machines, traditionally used for cancer treatment. Currently, the practical utilization of linear accelerators in radiation therapy is limited by the requirement to be under 50 m in length. A usable device for cancer therapy should produce 200-250 MeV protons and/or 400 - 450 MeV /u carbon ions, which sets the requirement of having 35 MV /m average "real-estate gradient" or gradient per unit of actual accelerator length, including different accelerating sections, focusing elements and beam transport lines, and at least 50 MV /m accelerating gradients in the high-energy section of the linac. Such high accelerating gradients for ion linacs have recently become feasible for operations at S-band frequencies. However, the reasonable application of traditional S-band structures is practically limited to β =v /c >0.4 . However, the simulations show that for lower phase velocities, these structures have either high surface fields (>200 MV /m ) or low shunt impedances (<35 M Ω /m ). At the same time, a significant (˜10 % ) reduction in the linac length can be achieved by using the 50 MV /m structures starting from β ˜0.3 . To address this issue, we have designed a novel radio frequency structure where the beam is synchronous with the higher spatial harmonic of the electromagnetic field. In this paper, we discuss the principles of this approach, the related beam dynamics and especially the electromagnetic and thermomechanical designs of this novel structure. Besides the application to ion therapy, the technology described in this paper can be applied to future high gradient normal conducting ion linacs and high energy physics machines, such as a compact hadron collider. This approach preserves linac compactness in settings with limited space availability.

Development of High-Gradient Dielectric Laser-Driven Particle Accelerator Structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Byer, Robert L.

2013-11-07

The thrust of Stanford's program is to conduct research on high-gradient dielectric accelerator structures driven with high repetition-rate, tabletop infrared lasers. The close collaboration between Stanford and SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) is critical to the success of this project, because it provides a unique environment where prototype dielectric accelerator structures can be rapidly fabricated and tested with a relativistic electron beam.

Beam-driven acceleration in ultra-dense plasma media

DOE PAGES

Shin, Young-Min

2014-09-15

Accelerating parameters of beam-driven wakefield acceleration in an extremely dense plasma column has been analyzed with the dynamic framed particle-in-cell plasma simulator, and compared with analytic calculations. In the model, a witness beam undergoes a TeV/m scale alternating potential gradient excited by a micro-bunched drive beam in a 10 25 m -3 and 1.6 x 10 28 m -3 plasma column. The acceleration gradient, energy gain, and transformer ratio have been extensively studied in quasi-linear, linear-, and blowout-regimes. The simulation analysis indicated that in the beam-driven acceleration system a hollow plasma channel offers 20 % higher acceleration gradient by enlargingmore » the channel radius (r) from 0.2 Ap to 0.6 .Ap in a blowout regime. This paper suggests a feasibility of TeV/m scale acceleration with a hollow crystalline structure (e.g. nanotubes) of high electron plasma density.« less

Relativistic klystron driven compact high gradient accelerator as an injector to an X-ray synchrotron radiation ring

DOEpatents

Yu, David U. L.

1990-01-01

A compact high gradient accelerator driven by a relativistic klystron is utilized to inject high energy electrons into an X-ray synchrotron radiation ring. The high gradients provided by the relativistic klystron enables accelerator structure to be much shorter (typically 3 meters) than conventional injectors. This in turn enables manufacturers which utilize high energy, high intensity X-rays to produce various devices, such as computer chips, to do so on a cost effective basis.

Luminosity Limitations of Linear Colliders Based on Plasma Acceleration

DOE PAGES

Lebedev, Valeri; Burov, Alexey; Nagaitsev, Sergei

2016-01-01

Particle acceleration in plasma creates a possibility of exceptionally high accelerating gradients and appears as a very attractive option for future linear electron-positron and/or photon-photon colliders. These high accelerating gradients were already demonstrated in a number of experiments. Furthermore, a linear collider requires exceptionally high beam brightness which still needs to be demonstrated. In this article we discuss major phenomena which limit the beam brightness of accelerated beam and, consequently, the collider luminosity.

Demonstration of acceleration of relativistic electrons at a dielectric microstructure using femtosecond laser pulses

DOE PAGES

Wootton, Kent P.; Wu, Ziran; Cowan, Benjamin M.; ...

2016-06-02

Acceleration of electrons using laser-driven dielectric microstructures is a promising technology for the miniaturization of particle accelerators. Achieving the desired GV m –1 accelerating gradients is possible only with laser pulse durations shorter than ~1 ps. In this Letter, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of acceleration of relativistic electrons at a dielectric microstructure driven by femtosecond duration laser pulses. Furthermore, using this technique, an electron accelerating gradient of 690±100 MV m –1 was measured—a record for dielectric laser accelerators.

Assessment of fluctuating pressure gradient using acceleration spectra in near wall flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadel, Daniel; Lowe, K. Todd

2015-11-01

Separation of contributions to the fluctuating acceleration from pressure gradient fluctuations and viscous shear fluctuations in the frequency domain is examined in a turbulent boundary layer. Past work leveraging turbulent accelerations for pressure gradient measurements has neglected the viscous shear term from the momentum equation--an invalid assumption in the case of near wall flows. The present study seeks to account for the influence of the viscous shear term and spectrally reject its contribution, which is thought to be concentrated at higher frequencies. Spectra of velocity and acceleration fluctuations in a flat plate, zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer at a momentum thickness Reynolds number of 7500 are measured using a spatially resolving three-component laser Doppler velocimeter. This canonical case data is applied for validation of the spectral approach for future application in more complex aerodynamic flows.

A traveling-wave forward coupler design for a new accelerating mode in a silicon woodpile accelerator

DOE PAGES

Wu, Ziran; Lee, Chunghun H.; Wootton, Kent P.; ...

2016-03-01

Silicon woodpile photonic crystals provide a base structure that can be used to build a three-dimensional dielectric waveguide system for high-gradient laser driven acceleration. A new woodpile waveguide design that hosts a phase synchronous, centrally confined accelerating mode is proposed. Comparing with previously discovered silicon woodpile accelerating modes, this mode shows advantages in terms of better electron beam loading and higher achievable acceleration gradient. Several traveling-wave coupler design schemes developed for multi-cell RF cavity accelerators are adapted to the woodpile power coupler design for this new accelerating mode. Design of a forward coupled, highly efficient silicon woodpile accelerator is achieved.more » Simulation shows high efficiency of over 75% of the drive laser power coupled to this fundamental accelerating mode, with less than 15% backward wave scattering. The estimated acceleration gradient, when the coupler structure is driven at the damage threshold fluence of silicon at its operating 1.506 μm wavelength, can reach 185 MV/m. Lastly, a 17-layer woodpile waveguide structure was successfully fabricated, and the measured bandgap is in excellent agreement with simulation.« less

A traveling-wave forward coupler design for a new accelerating mode in a silicon woodpile accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Ziran; Lee, Chunghun H.; Wootton, Kent P.

Silicon woodpile photonic crystals provide a base structure that can be used to build a three-dimensional dielectric waveguide system for high-gradient laser driven acceleration. A new woodpile waveguide design that hosts a phase synchronous, centrally confined accelerating mode is proposed. Comparing with previously discovered silicon woodpile accelerating modes, this mode shows advantages in terms of better electron beam loading and higher achievable acceleration gradient. Several traveling-wave coupler design schemes developed for multi-cell RF cavity accelerators are adapted to the woodpile power coupler design for this new accelerating mode. Design of a forward coupled, highly efficient silicon woodpile accelerator is achieved.more » Simulation shows high efficiency of over 75% of the drive laser power coupled to this fundamental accelerating mode, with less than 15% backward wave scattering. The estimated acceleration gradient, when the coupler structure is driven at the damage threshold fluence of silicon at its operating 1.506 μm wavelength, can reach 185 MV/m. Lastly, a 17-layer woodpile waveguide structure was successfully fabricated, and the measured bandgap is in excellent agreement with simulation.« less

Ionic requirements of proximal tubular sodium transport. I. Bicarbonate and chloride.

PubMed

Green, R; Giebisch, G

1975-11-01

Simultaneous perfusion of peritubular capillaries and proximal convoluted tubules was used to study the effect of varying transepithelial ionic gradients on ionic fluxes. Results show that net sodium influx and volume flux was one-third of normal when bicarbonate was absent, no chloride gradient existed, and glucose and amino acids were absent. Addition of bicarbonate to the luminal fluid did not restore the flux to normal, but peritubular bicarbonate did restore it. A chloride gradient imposed when no bicarbonate was present could only increase the fluxes slightly, but his flux was significant even after cyanide had poisoned transport. Reversing the chloride concentration gradient decreased the net sodium and volume fluxes whether bicarbonate was present or not. Glucose had no effect on fluxes, but substitution of Na by choline abolished them entirely. It is concluded that sodium is actively transported, that a chloride concentration gradient from lumen to plasma could account for up to 20% of net transport, and that peritubular bicarbonate is necessary for normal rates of sodium and fluid absorption.

Confinement effects in premelting dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramanik, Satyajit; Wettlaufer, John

2017-11-01

We examine the effects of confinement on the dynamics of premelted films driven by thermomolecular pressure gradients. Our approach is to modify a well-studied setting in which the thermomolecular pressure gradient is driven by a temperature gradient parallel to an interfacially premelted elastic wall. The modification treats the increase in viscosity associated with the thinning of films studied in a wide variety of materials using a power law and we examine the consequent evolution of the elastic wall. We treat (i) a range of interactions that are known to underlie interfacial premelting and (ii) a constant temperature gradient wherein the thermomolecular pressure gradient is a constant. The difference between the cases with and without the proximity effect arises in the volume flux of premelted liquid. The proximity effect increases the viscosity as the film thickness decreases thereby requiring the thermomolecular pressure driven flux to be accommodated at larger temperatures where the premelted film thickness is the largest. Implications for experiment and observations of frost heave are discussed.

Confinement effects in premelting dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramanik, Satyajit; Wettlaufer, John S.

2017-11-01

We examine the effects of confinement on the dynamics of premelted films driven by thermomolecular pressure gradients. Our approach is to modify a well-studied setting in which the thermomolecular pressure gradient is driven by a temperature gradient parallel to an interfacially premelted elastic wall. The modification treats the increase in viscosity associated with the thinning of films, studied in a wide variety of materials, using a power law and we examine the consequent evolution of the confining elastic wall. We treat (1) a range of interactions that are known to underlie interfacial premelting and (2) a constant temperature gradient wherein the thermomolecular pressure gradient is a constant. The difference between the cases with and without the proximity effect arises in the volume flux of premelted liquid. The proximity effect increases the viscosity as the film thickness decreases thereby requiring the thermomolecular pressure driven flux to be accommodated at higher temperatures where the premelted film thickness is the largest. Implications for experiment and observations of frost heave are discussed.

Amplitude-dependent orbital period in alternating gradient accelerators

DOE PAGES

Machida, S.; Kelliher, D. J.; Edmonds, C. S.; ...

2016-03-16

Orbital period in a ring accelerator and time of flight in a linear accelerator depend on the amplitude of betatron oscillations. The variation is negligible in ordinary particle accelerators with relatively small beam emittance. In an accelerator for large emittance beams like muons and unstable nuclei, however, this effect cannot be ignored. In this study, we measured orbital period in a linear non-scaling fixed-field alternating-gradient accelerator, which is a candidate for muon acceleration, and compared it with the theoretical prediction. The good agreement between them gives important ground for the design of particle accelerators for a new generation of particlemore » and nuclear physics experiments.« less

Advanced low-beta cavity development for proton and ion accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conway, Z. A.; Kelly, M. P.; Ostroumov, P. N.

2015-05-01

Recent developments in designing and processing low-beta superconducting cavities at Argonne National Laboratory are very encouraging for future applications requiring compact proton and ion accelerators. One of the major benefits of these accelerating structures is achieving real-estate accelerating gradients greater than 3 MV/m very efficiently either continuously or for long-duty cycle operation (>1%). The technology has been implemented in low-beta accelerator cryomodules for the Argonne ATLAS heavy-ion linac where the cryomodules are required to have real-estate gradients of more than 3 MV/m. In offline testing low-beta cavities with even higher gradients have already been achieved. This paper will review this work where we have achieved surface fields greater than 166 mT magnetic and 117 MV/m electric in a 72 MHz quarter-wave resonator optimized for β = 0.077 ions.

The location of the tibial accelerometer does influence impact acceleration parameters during running.

PubMed

Lucas-Cuevas, Angel Gabriel; Encarnación-Martínez, Alberto; Camacho-García, Andrés; Llana-Belloch, Salvador; Pérez-Soriano, Pedro

2017-09-01

Tibial accelerations have been associated with a number of running injuries. However, studies attaching the tibial accelerometer on the proximal section are as numerous as those attaching the accelerometer on the distal section. This study aimed to investigate whether accelerometer location influences acceleration parameters commonly reported in running literature. To fulfil this purpose, 30 athletes ran at 2.22, 2.78 and 3.33 m · s -1 with three accelerometers attached with double-sided tape and tightened to the participants' tolerance on the forehead, the proximal section of the tibia and the distal section of the tibia. Time-domain (peak acceleration, shock attenuation) and frequency-domain parameters (peak frequency, peak power, signal magnitude and shock attenuation in both the low and high frequency ranges) were calculated for each of the tibial locations. The distal accelerometer registered greater tibial acceleration peak and shock attenuation compared to the proximal accelerometer. With respect to the frequency-domain analysis, the distal accelerometer provided greater values of all the low-frequency parameters, whereas no difference was observed for the high-frequency parameters. These findings suggest that the location of the tibial accelerometer does influence the acceleration signal parameters, and thus, researchers should carefully consider the location they choose to place the accelerometer so that equivalent comparisons across studies can be made.

Simulations of Flame Acceleration and DDT in Mixture Composition Gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Weilin; Kaplan, Carolyn; Houim, Ryan; Oran, Elaine

2017-11-01

Unsteady, multidimensional, fully compressible numerical simulations of methane-air in an obstructed channel with spatial gradients in equivalence ratios have been carried to determine the effects of the gradients on flame acceleration and transition to detonation. Results for gradients perpendicular to the propagation direction were considered here. A calibrated, optimized chemical-diffusive model that reproduces correct flame and detonation properties for methane-air over a range of equivalence ratios was derived from a combination of a genetic algorithm with a Nelder-Mead optimization scheme. Inhomogeneous mixtures of methane-air resulted in slower flame acceleration and longer distance to DDT. Detonations were more likely to decouple into a flame and a shock under sharper concentration gradients. Detailed analyses of temperature and equivalence ratio illustrated that vertical gradients can greatly affect the formation of hot spots that initiate detonation by changing the strength of leading shock wave and local equivalence ratio near the base of obstacles. This work is supported by the Alpha Foundation (Grant No. AFC215-20).

Experimental measurements of rf breakdowns and deflecting gradients in mm-wave metallic accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2016-05-03

We present an experimental study of a high-gradient metallic accelerating structure at sub-THz frequencies, where we investigated the physics of rf breakdowns. Wakefields in the structure were excited by an ultrarelativistic electron beam. We present the first quantitative measurements of gradients and metal vacuum rf breakdowns in sub-THz accelerating cavities. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measured the deflecting forces by observing the displacement and changes in the shape of the electron bunch. This behavior can be exploited for subfemtosecond beam diagnostics.

Unprecedented quality factors at accelerating gradients up to 45 MVm -1 in niobium superconducting resonators via low temperature nitrogen infusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grassellino, A.; Romanenko, A.; Trenikhina, Y.

We report the finding of new surface treatments that permit to manipulate the niobium resonator nitrogen content in the first few nanometers in a controlled way, and the resonator fundamental Mattis-Bardeen surface resistance and residual resistance accordingly. In particular, we find surface infusion conditions that systematically a) increase the quality factor of these 1.3 GHz superconducting radio frequency (SRF) bulk niobium resonators, up to very high gradients; b) increase the achievable accelerating gradient of the cavity compared to its own baseline with state-of-the-art surface processing. Cavities subject to the new surface process have larger than two times the state ofmore » the art Q at 2K for accelerating fields > 35 MV/m. Moreover, very high accelerating gradients ~ 45 MV/m are repeatedly reached, which correspond to peak magnetic surface fields of 190 mT, among the highest measured for bulk niobium cavities. These findings open the opportunity to tailor the surface impurity content distribution to maximize performance in Q and gradients, and have therefore very important implications on future performance and cost of SRF based accelerators. They also help deepen the understanding of the physics of the RF niobium cavity surface.« less

Unprecedented quality factors at accelerating gradients up to 45 MVm-1 in niobium superconducting resonators via low temperature nitrogen infusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grassellino, A.; Romanenko, A.; Trenikhina, Y.; Checchin, M.; Martinello, M.; Melnychuk, O. S.; Chandrasekaran, S.; Sergatskov, D. A.; Posen, S.; Crawford, A. C.; Aderhold, S.; Bice, D.

2017-09-01

We report the finding of new surface treatments that permits one to manipulate the niobium resonator nitrogen content in the first few nanometers in a controlled way, and the resonator fundamental Mattis-Bardeen surface resistance and residual resistance accordingly. In particular, we find surface ‘infusion’ conditions that systematically (a) increase the quality factor of these 1.3 GHz superconducting radio frequency (SRF) bulk niobium resonators, up to very high gradients; (b) increase the achievable accelerating gradient of the cavity compared to its own baseline with state-of-the-art surface processing. Cavities subject to the new surface process have more than two times the state-of-the-art Q at 2 K for accelerating fields >35 MVm-1. Moreover, very high accelerating gradients ˜45 MVm-1 are repeatedly reached, which correspond to peak magnetic surface fields of 190 mT, among the highest measured for bulk niobium cavities. These findings open the opportunity to tailor the surface impurity content distribution to maximize performance in Q and gradients, and have therefore very important implications on future performance and cost of SRF based accelerators. They also help deepen the understanding of the physics of the RF niobium cavity surface.

Cosmic-ray shock acceleration in oblique MHD shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, G. M.; Drury, L. OC.; Volk, H. J.

1986-01-01

A one-dimensional, steady-state hydrodynamical model of cosmic-ray acceleration at oblique MHD shocks is presented. Upstream of the shock the incoming thermal plasma is subject to the adverse pressure gradient of the accelerated particles, the J x B force, as well as the thermal gas pressure gradient. The efficiency of the acceleration of cosmic-rays at the shock as a function of the upstream magnetic field obliquity and upstream plasma beta is investigated. Astrophysical applications of the results are briefly discussed.

Transport modes during crystal growth in a centrifuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, William A.; Wilcox, William R.; Carlson, Frederick; Chait, Arnon; Regel', Liia L.

1992-01-01

Flow modes arising under average acceleration in centrifugal crystal growth, the gradient of acceleration, and the Coriolis force are investigated using a fully nonlinear three-dimensional numerical model for a centrifugal crystal growth experiment. The analysis focuses on an examination of the quasi-steady state flow modes. The importance of the gradient acceleration is determined by the value of a new nondimensional number, Ad.

Compact and tunable focusing device for plasma wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompili, R.; Anania, M. P.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Ferrario, M.; Lollo, V.; Notargiacomo, A.; Picardi, L.; Ronsivalle, C.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Shpakov, V.; Vannozzi, A.

2018-03-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration, either driven by ultra-short laser pulses or electron bunches, represents one of the most promising techniques able to overcome the limits of conventional RF technology and allows the development of compact accelerators. In the particle beam-driven scenario, ultra-short bunches with tiny spot sizes are required to enhance the accelerating gradient and preserve the emittance and energy spread of the accelerated bunch. To achieve such tight transverse beam sizes, a focusing system with short focal length is mandatory. Here we discuss the development of a compact and tunable system consisting of three small-bore permanent-magnet quadrupoles with 520 T/m field gradient. The device has been designed in view of the plasma acceleration experiments planned at the SPARC_LAB test-facility. Being the field gradient fixed, the focusing is adjusted by tuning the relative position of the three magnets with nanometer resolution. Details about its magnetic design, beam-dynamics simulations, and preliminary results are examined in the paper.

Advances in high gradient normal conducting accelerator structures

DOE PAGES

Simakov, Evgenya Ivanovna; Dolgashev, Valery A.; Tantawi, Sami G.

2018-03-09

Here, this paper reviews the current state-of-the-art in understanding the phenomena of ultra-high vacuum radio-frequency (rf) breakdown in accelerating structures and the efforts to improve stable operation of the structures at accelerating gradients above 100 MV/m. Numerous studies have been conducted recently with the goal of understanding the dependence of the achievable accelerating gradients and breakdown rates on the frequency of operations, the geometry of the structure, material and method of fabrication, and operational temperature. Tests have been conducted with single standing wave accelerator cells as well as with the multi-cell traveling wave structures. Notable theoretical effort was directed atmore » understanding the physical mechanisms of the rf breakdown and its statistical behavior. Finally, the achievements presented in this paper are the result of the large continuous self-sustaining collaboration of multiple research institutions in the United States and worldwide.« less

Advances in high gradient normal conducting accelerator structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simakov, Evgenya Ivanovna; Dolgashev, Valery A.; Tantawi, Sami G.

Here, this paper reviews the current state-of-the-art in understanding the phenomena of ultra-high vacuum radio-frequency (rf) breakdown in accelerating structures and the efforts to improve stable operation of the structures at accelerating gradients above 100 MV/m. Numerous studies have been conducted recently with the goal of understanding the dependence of the achievable accelerating gradients and breakdown rates on the frequency of operations, the geometry of the structure, material and method of fabrication, and operational temperature. Tests have been conducted with single standing wave accelerator cells as well as with the multi-cell traveling wave structures. Notable theoretical effort was directed atmore » understanding the physical mechanisms of the rf breakdown and its statistical behavior. Finally, the achievements presented in this paper are the result of the large continuous self-sustaining collaboration of multiple research institutions in the United States and worldwide.« less

Advanced low-beta cavity development for proton and ion accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Conway, Z. A.; Kelly, M. P.; Ostroumov, P. N.

2015-05-01

Recent developments in designing and processing low-beta superconducting cavities at Argonne National Laboratory are very encouraging for future applications requiring compact proton and ion accelerators. One of the major benefits of these accelerating structures is achieving real-estate accelerating gradients greater than 3 MV/m very efficiently either continuously or for long-duty cycle operation (>1%). The technology has been implemented in low-beta accelerator cryomodules for the Argonne ATLAS heavy-ion linac where the cryomodules are required to have real-estate gradients of more than 3 MV/m. In offline testing low-beta cavities with even higher gradients have already been achieved. This paper will review thismore » work where we have achieved surface fields greater than 166 mT magnetic and 117 MV/m electric in a 72 MHz quarter-wave resonator optimized for beta = 0.077 ions.« less

Designing a Dielectric Laser Accelerator on a Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niedermayer, Uwe; Boine-Frankenheim, Oliver; Egenolf, Thilo

2017-07-01

Dielectric Laser Acceleration (DLA) achieves gradients of more than 1GeV/m, which are among the highest in non-plasma accelerators. The long-term goal of the ACHIP collaboration is to provide relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons by means of a laser driven microchip accelerator. Examples of ’’slightly resonant” dielectric structures showing gradients in the range of 70% of the incident laser field (1 GV/m) for electrons with beta=0.32 and 200% for beta=0.91 are presented. We demonstrate the bunching and acceleration of low energy electrons in dedicated ballistic buncher and velocity matched grating structures. However, the design gradient of 500 MeV/m leads to rapid defocusing. Therefore we present a scheme to bunch the beam in stages, which does not only reduce the energy spread, but also the transverse defocusing. The designs are made with a dedicated homemade 6D particle tracking code.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in subterahertz high-gradient traveling-wave accelerating structures. We present the experimental results of rf tests of 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, made of copper and copper-silver. These experiments were carried out at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultrarelativistic electron beam. The traveling-wave structure is an open geometry, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated by a gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changedmore » from 160 to 235 GHz. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measure the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and use this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. Furthermore, we present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures. The breakdown rate of the copper structure is 10 –2 per pulse, with a peak surface electric field of 500 MV/m and a rf pulse length of 0.3 ns, which at a relatively large gap of 1.5 mm, or one wavelength, corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 56 MV/m. For the same breakdown rate, the copper-silver structure has a peak electric field of 320 MV/m at a pulse length of 0.5 ns. For a gap of 1.1 mm, or 0.74 wavelengths, this corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 50 MV/m.« less

Effects of Spatial Gradients on Electron Runaway Acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacNeice, Peter; Ljepojevic, N. N.

1996-01-01

The runaway process is known to accelerate electrons in many laboratory plasmas and has been suggested as an acceleration mechanism in some astrophysical plasmas, including solar flares. Current calculations of the electron velocity distributions resulting from the runaway process are greatly restricted because they impose spatial homogeneity on the distribution. We have computed runaway distributions which include consistent development of spatial gradients in the energetic tail. Our solution for the electron velocity distribution is presented as a function of distance along a finite length acceleration region, and is compared with the equivalent distribution for the infinitely long homogenous system (i.e., no spatial gradients), as considered in the existing literature. All these results are for the weak field regime. We also discuss the severe restrictiveness of this weak field assumption.

rf breakdown measurements in electron beam driven 200 GHz copper and copper-silver accelerating structures

DOE PAGES

Dal Forno, Massimo; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gordon; ...

2016-11-30

This study explores the physics of vacuum rf breakdowns in subterahertz high-gradient traveling-wave accelerating structures. We present the experimental results of rf tests of 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures, made of copper and copper-silver. These experiments were carried out at the Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests (FACET) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The rf fields were excited by the FACET ultrarelativistic electron beam. The traveling-wave structure is an open geometry, 10 cm long, composed of two halves separated by a gap. The rf frequency of the fundamental accelerating mode depends on the gap size and can be changedmore » from 160 to 235 GHz. When the beam travels off axis, a deflecting field is induced in addition to the longitudinal field. We measure the deflecting forces by observing the displacement of the electron bunch and use this measurement to verify the expected accelerating gradient. Furthermore, we present the first quantitative measurement of rf breakdown rates in 200 GHz metallic accelerating structures. The breakdown rate of the copper structure is 10 –2 per pulse, with a peak surface electric field of 500 MV/m and a rf pulse length of 0.3 ns, which at a relatively large gap of 1.5 mm, or one wavelength, corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 56 MV/m. For the same breakdown rate, the copper-silver structure has a peak electric field of 320 MV/m at a pulse length of 0.5 ns. For a gap of 1.1 mm, or 0.74 wavelengths, this corresponds to an accelerating gradient of 50 MV/m.« less

Investigation of longitudinal proton acceleration in exploded targets irradiated by intense short-pulse laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gauthier, M.; CEA, DAM, DIF, 91297 Arpajon; Lévy, A.

2014-01-15

It was recently shown that a promising way to accelerate protons in the forward direction to high energies is to use under-dense or near-critical density targets instead of solids. Simulations have revealed that the acceleration process depends on the density gradients of the plasma target. Indeed, under certain conditions, the most energetic protons are predicted to be accelerated by a collisionless shock mechanism that significantly increases their energy. We report here the results of a recent experiment dedicated to the study of longitudinal ion acceleration in partially exploded foils using a high intensity (∼5 × 10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}) picosecond laser pulse. Wemore » show that protons accelerated using targets having moderate front and rear plasma gradients (up to ∼8 μm gradient length) exhibit similar maximum proton energy and number compared to proton beams that are produced, in similar laser conditions, from solid targets, in the well-known target normal sheath acceleration regime. Particle-In-Cell simulations, performed in the same conditions as the experiment and consistent with the measurements, allow laying a path for further improvement of this acceleration scheme.« less

Dynamic control of ocular disaccommodation: First and second-order dynamics

PubMed Central

Bharadwaj, Shrikant R.; Schor, Clifton M.

2006-01-01

Velocity and acceleration characteristics provide valuable information about dynamic control of accommodation. We investigated velocity and acceleration of disaccommodation (near-far focusing) from three starting positions. Peak velocity and peak acceleration of disaccommodation increased with the proximity of starting position however for a given starting position they were invariant of response magnitude. These results suggest that all disaccommodation responses are initiated towards a constant primary destination and are switched mid-flight to attain the desired final position. Large discrepancies between the primary destination and desired final position appear to produce overshoots and oscillations of small responses from proximal starting positions. PMID:16045960

Staging optics considerations for a plasma wakefield acceleration linear collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindstrøm, C. A.; Adli, E.; Allen, J. M.; Delahaye, J. P.; Hogan, M. J.; Joshi, C.; Muggli, P.; Raubenheimer, T. O.; Yakimenko, V.

2016-09-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration offers acceleration gradients of several GeV/m, ideal for a next-generation linear collider. The beam optics requirements between plasma cells include injection and extraction of drive beams, matching the main beam beta functions into the next cell, canceling dispersion as well as constraining bunch lengthening and chromaticity. To maintain a high effective acceleration gradient, this must be accomplished in the shortest distance possible. A working example is presented, using novel methods to correct chromaticity, as well as scaling laws for a high energy regime.

Analysis of a Destructive Wind Storm on 16 November 2008 in Brisbane, Australia

DOE PAGES

Richter, Harald; Peter, Justin; Collis, Scott

2014-08-25

During the late afternoon on 16 November 2008 the Brisbane (Australia) suburb of “The Gap” experienced extensive wind damage caused by an intense local thunderstorm. The CP2 research radar nearby detected near-surface radial velocities exceeding 44 m s -1 above The Gap while hail size reports did not exceed golf ball size, and no tornadoes were reported. This study shows that the storm environment was characterized by a layer of very moist (mixing ratios exceeding 12 g kg -1) near-surface air embedded in strong storm-relative low-level flow, whereas the storm-relative winds aloft were significantly weaker. And while the thermodynamic stormmore » environment contained a range of downdraft promoting ingredients such as a ~4 km high melting level above a ~2 km deep layer with nearly dry adiabatic lapse rates mostly collocated with dry ambient air, a ~1 km deep stable layer near the ground would generally lower expectations of destructive surface winds based on the downburst mechanism. We also found that once observed reflectivities exceed 70 dBZ that downdraft cooling due to hail melting and downdraft acceleration based on hail loading are likely to become non-negligible forcing mechanisms for a strong downdraft. The study found a close proximity of the hydrostatically and dynamically driven mesohigh at the base of the downdraft to a dynamically driven mesolow associated with a radar-observed low-level circulation. This proximity is hypothesized to have been instrumental in the observed anisotropic horizontal acceleration of the near-ground outflow and the ultimate strength of the Gap storm surface winds. Finally, we speculate that the 44 weak storm-relative midlevel winds allowed the downdraft to descend close to the low45 level circulation which set up this strong horizontal perturbation pressure gradient.« less

Non-Rigid Structure Estimation in Trajectory Space from Monocular Vision

PubMed Central

Wang, Yaming; Tong, Lingling; Jiang, Mingfeng; Zheng, Junbao

2015-01-01

In this paper, the problem of non-rigid structure estimation in trajectory space from monocular vision is investigated. Similar to the Point Trajectory Approach (PTA), based on characteristic points’ trajectories described by a predefined Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) basis, the structure matrix was also calculated by using a factorization method. To further optimize the non-rigid structure estimation from monocular vision, the rank minimization problem about structure matrix is proposed to implement the non-rigid structure estimation by introducing the basic low-rank condition. Moreover, the Accelerated Proximal Gradient (APG) algorithm is proposed to solve the rank minimization problem, and the initial structure matrix calculated by the PTA method is optimized. The APG algorithm can converge to efficient solutions quickly and lessen the reconstruction error obviously. The reconstruction results of real image sequences indicate that the proposed approach runs reliably, and effectively improves the accuracy of non-rigid structure estimation from monocular vision. PMID:26473863

Sparse Coding and Counting for Robust Visual Tracking

PubMed Central

Liu, Risheng; Wang, Jing; Shang, Xiaoke; Wang, Yiyang; Su, Zhixun; Cai, Yu

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a novel sparse coding and counting method under Bayesian framework for visual tracking. In contrast to existing methods, the proposed method employs the combination of L0 and L1 norm to regularize the linear coefficients of incrementally updated linear basis. The sparsity constraint enables the tracker to effectively handle difficult challenges, such as occlusion or image corruption. To achieve real-time processing, we propose a fast and efficient numerical algorithm for solving the proposed model. Although it is an NP-hard problem, the proposed accelerated proximal gradient (APG) approach is guaranteed to converge to a solution quickly. Besides, we provide a closed solution of combining L0 and L1 regularized representation to obtain better sparsity. Experimental results on challenging video sequences demonstrate that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art results both in accuracy and speed. PMID:27992474

Method of accelerating photons by a relativistic plasma wave

DOEpatents

Dawson, John M.; Wilks, Scott C.

1990-01-01

Photons of a laser pulse have their group velocity accelerated in a plasma as they are placed on a downward density gradient of a plasma wave of which the phase velocity nearly matches the group velocity of the photons. This acceleration results in a frequency upshift. If the unperturbed plasma has a slight density gradient in the direction of propagation, the photon frequencies can be continuously upshifted to significantly greater values.

Why the chameleon has spiral-shaped muscle fibres in its tongue

PubMed Central

Leeuwen, J. L. van

1997-01-01

The intralingual accelerator muscle is the primary actuator for the remarkable ballistic tongue projection of the chameleon. At rest, this muscle envelopes the elongated entoglossal process, a cylindrically shaped bone with a tapering distal end. During tongue projection, the accelerator muscle elongates and slides forward along the entoglossal process until the entire muscle extends beyond the distal end of the process. The accelerator muscle fibres are arranged in transverse planes (small deviations are possible), and form (hitherto unexplained) spiral-shaped arcs from the peripheral to the internal boundary. To initiate tongue projection, the muscle fibres probably generate a high intramuscular pressure. The resulting negative pressure gradient (from base to tip) causes the muscle to elongate and to accelerate forward. Effective forward sliding is made possible by a lubricant and a relatively low normal stress exerted on the proximal cylindrical part of the entoglossal process. A relatively high normal stress is, however, probably required for an effective acceleration of muscle tissue over the tapered end of the process. For optimal performance, the fast extension movement should occur without significant (energy absorbing) torsional motion of the tongue. In addition, the tongue extension movement is aided by a close packing of the muscles fibres (required for a high power density) and a uniform strain and work output in every cross-section of the muscle. A quantitative model of the accelerator muscle was developed that predicts internal muscle fibre arrangements based on the functional requirements above and the physical principle of mechanical stability. The curved shapes and orientations of the muscle fibres typically found in the accelerator muscle were accurately predicted by the model. Furthermore, the model predicts that the reduction of the entoglossal radius towards the tip (and thus the internal radius of the muscle) tends to increase the normal stress on the entoglossal bone.

Conceptual design of a high real-estate gradient cavity for a SRF ERL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chen; Ben-Zvi, Ilan; Hao, Yue; Xin, Tianmu; Wang, Haipeng

2017-10-01

The term "real-estate gradient" is used to describe the energy gain provided by an accelerating structure per actual length it takes in the accelerator. given that the length of the tunnel available for the accelerator is constrained, the real-estate gradient is an important measure of the efficiency of a given accelerator structure. When designing an accelerating cavity to be efficient in this sense, the unwanted Higher Order Mode (HOM) fields should be reduced by suitable HOM dampers. This is a particularly important consideration for high current operation. The additional RF components might take longitude space and reduce the total accelerating efficiency. We describe a new high efficiency 5-cell cavity with the dampers included. The total length of the cavity is reduced by 13% as compared to a more conventional design without compromising the cavity fundamental-mode performance. In addition, the HOM impedance is reduced for a higher Beam-Break-Up (BBU) threshold of operating current. In this paper, we consider an example, a possible application at the eRHIC Energy Recovery Linac (ERL).

Magnesium diboride coated bulk niobium: a new approach to higher acceleration gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Teng; Wolak, M. A.; Xi, X. X.; Tajima, T.; Civale, L.

2016-10-01

Bulk niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency cavities are a leading accelerator technology. Their performance is limited by the cavity loss and maximum acceleration gradient, which are negatively affected by vortex penetration into the superconductor when the peak magnetic field at the cavity wall surface exceeds the vortex penetration field (Hvp). It has been proposed that coating the inner wall of an SRF cavity with superconducting thin films increases Hvp. In this work, we utilized Nb ellipsoid to simulate an inverse SRF cavity and investigate the effect of coating it with magnesium diboride layer on the vortex penetration field. A significant enhancement of Hvp was observed. At 2.8 K, Hvp increased from 2100 Oe for an uncoated Nb ellipsoid to 2700 Oe for a Nb ellipsoid coated with ~200 nm thick MgB2 thin film. This finding creates a new route towards achieving higher acceleration gradient in SRF cavity accelerator beyond the theoretical limit of bulk Nb.

Magnesium diboride coated bulk niobium: a new approach to higher acceleration gradient.

PubMed

Tan, Teng; Wolak, M A; Xi, X X; Tajima, T; Civale, L

2016-10-24

Bulk niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency cavities are a leading accelerator technology. Their performance is limited by the cavity loss and maximum acceleration gradient, which are negatively affected by vortex penetration into the superconductor when the peak magnetic field at the cavity wall surface exceeds the vortex penetration field (H vp ). It has been proposed that coating the inner wall of an SRF cavity with superconducting thin films increases H vp . In this work, we utilized Nb ellipsoid to simulate an inverse SRF cavity and investigate the effect of coating it with magnesium diboride layer on the vortex penetration field. A significant enhancement of H vp was observed. At 2.8 K, H vp increased from 2100 Oe for an uncoated Nb ellipsoid to 2700 Oe for a Nb ellipsoid coated with ~200 nm thick MgB 2 thin film. This finding creates a new route towards achieving higher acceleration gradient in SRF cavity accelerator beyond the theoretical limit of bulk Nb.

Magnesium diboride coated bulk niobium: a new approach to higher acceleration gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civale, Leonardo; Tan, Teng; Wolak, M.; Xi, Xiaoxing; Tajima, Tsuyoshi

Bulk niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency cavities are a leading accelerator technology. Their performance is limited by the cavity loss and maximum acceleration gradient, which are negatively affected by vortex penetration into the superconductor when the peak magnetic field at the cavity wall surface exceeds the vortex penetration field (Hvp). It has been proposed that coating the inner wall of an SRF cavity with superconducting thin films increases Hvp. In this work, we utilized Nb ellipsoids to simulate an inverse SRF cavity and investigate the effect of coating it with magnesium diboride layer on the vortex penetration field. A significant enhancement of Hvp was observed. At 2.8 K, Hvp increased from 2100 Oe for an uncoated Nb ellipsoid to 2700 Oe for a Nb ellipsoid coated with 200 nm thick MgB2 thin film. This finding creates a new route towards achieving higher acceleration gradient in SRF cavity accelerator beyond the theoretical limit of bulk Nb.

Magnesium diboride coated bulk niobium: a new approach to higher acceleration gradient

PubMed Central

Tan, Teng; Wolak, M. A.; Xi, X. X.; Tajima, T.; Civale, L.

2016-01-01

Bulk niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency cavities are a leading accelerator technology. Their performance is limited by the cavity loss and maximum acceleration gradient, which are negatively affected by vortex penetration into the superconductor when the peak magnetic field at the cavity wall surface exceeds the vortex penetration field (Hvp). It has been proposed that coating the inner wall of an SRF cavity with superconducting thin films increases Hvp. In this work, we utilized Nb ellipsoid to simulate an inverse SRF cavity and investigate the effect of coating it with magnesium diboride layer on the vortex penetration field. A significant enhancement of Hvp was observed. At 2.8 K, Hvp increased from 2100 Oe for an uncoated Nb ellipsoid to 2700 Oe for a Nb ellipsoid coated with ~200 nm thick MgB2 thin film. This finding creates a new route towards achieving higher acceleration gradient in SRF cavity accelerator beyond the theoretical limit of bulk Nb. PMID:27775087

Magnesium diboride coated bulk niobium: a new approach to higher acceleration gradient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tan, Teng; Wolak, M. A.; Xi, X. X.

2016-10-24

Bulk niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency cavities are a leading accelerator technology. Their performance is limited by the cavity loss and maximum acceleration gradient, which are negatively affected by vortex penetration into the superconductor when the peak magnetic field at the cavity wall surface exceeds the vortex penetration field (H vp). It has been proposed that coating the inner wall of an SRF cavity with superconducting thin films increases H vp. In this work, we utilized Nb ellipsoid to simulate an inverse SRF cavity and investigate the effect of coating it with magnesium diboride layer on the vortex penetration field. A significantmore » enhancement of H vp was observed. At 2.8 K, H vp increased from 2100 Oe for an uncoated Nb ellipsoid to 2700 Oe for a Nb ellipsoid coated with ~200 nm thick MgB 2 thin film. In conclusion, this finding creates a new route towards achieving higher acceleration gradient in SRF cavity accelerator beyond the theoretical limit of bulk Nb.« less

Directed transport by surface chemical potential gradients for enhancing analyte collection in nanoscale sensors.

PubMed

Sitt, Amit; Hess, Henry

2015-05-13

Nanoscale detectors hold great promise for single molecule detection and the analysis of small volumes of dilute samples. However, the probability of an analyte reaching the nanosensor in a dilute solution is extremely low due to the sensor's small size. Here, we examine the use of a chemical potential gradient along a surface to accelerate analyte capture by nanoscale sensors. Utilizing a simple model for transport induced by surface binding energy gradients, we study the effect of the gradient on the efficiency of collecting nanoparticles and single and double stranded DNA. The results indicate that chemical potential gradients along a surface can lead to an acceleration of analyte capture by several orders of magnitude compared to direct collection from the solution. The improvement in collection is limited to a relatively narrow window of gradient slopes, and its extent strongly depends on the size of the gradient patch. Our model allows the optimization of gradient layouts and sheds light on the fundamental characteristics of chemical potential gradient induced transport.

Scaling fixed-field alternating gradient accelerators with a small orbit excursion.

PubMed

Machida, Shinji

2009-10-16

A novel scaling type of fixed-field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator is proposed that solves the major problems of conventional scaling and nonscaling types. This scaling FFAG accelerator can achieve a much smaller orbit excursion by taking a larger field index k. A triplet focusing structure makes it possible to set the operating point in the second stability region of Hill's equation with a reasonable sensitivity to various errors. The orbit excursion is about 5 times smaller than in a conventional scaling FFAG accelerator and the beam size growth due to typical errors is at most 10%.

Thyroid Cancer Incidence around the Belgian Nuclear Sites, 2000-2014.

PubMed

Demoury, Claire; De Smedt, Tom; De Schutter, Harlinde; Sonck, Michel; Van Damme, Nancy; Bollaerts, Kaatje; Molenberghs, Geert; Van Bladel, Lodewijk; Van Nieuwenhuyse, An

2017-08-31

The present study investigates whether there is an excess incidence of thyroid cancer among people living in the vicinity of the nuclear sites in Belgium. Adjusted Rate Ratios were obtained from Poisson regressions for proximity areas of varying sizes. In addition, focused hypothesis tests and generalized additive models were performed to test the hypothesis of a gradient in thyroid cancer incidence with increasing levels of surrogate exposures. Residential proximity to the nuclear site, prevailing dominant winds frequency from the site, and simulated radioactive discharges were used as surrogate exposures. No excess incidence of thyroid cancer was observed around the nuclear power plants of Doel or Tihange. In contrast, increases in thyroid cancer incidence were found around the nuclear sites of Mol-Dessel and Fleurus; risk ratios were borderline not significant. For Mol-Dessel, there was evidence for a gradient in thyroid cancer incidence with increased proximity, prevailing winds, and simulated radioactive discharges. For Fleurus, a gradient was observed with increasing prevailing winds and, to a lesser extent, with increasing simulated radioactive discharges. This study strengthens earlier findings and suggests increased incidences in thyroid cancer around two of the four Belgian nuclear sites. Further analyses will be performed at a more detailed geographical level.

Basolateral choline transport in isolated rabbit renal proximal tubules.

PubMed

Dantzler, W H; Evans, K K; Wright, S H

1998-11-01

Choline can undergo both net secretion and net reabsorption by renal proximal tubules, but at physiological plasma levels net reabsorption occurs. During this process, choline enters the cells at the luminal side down an electrochemical gradient via a specific transporter with a high affinity for choline. It appeared likely that choline was then transported out of the cells against an electrochemical gradient at the basolateral membrane by countertransport for another organic cation. This possibility was examined by studying net transepithelial reabsorption and basolateral uptake and efflux of [14C]choline in isolated S2 segments of rabbit renal proximal tubules. Basolateral uptake, which was inhibited by other organic cations such as tetraethylammonium (TEA), appeared to occur by the standard organic cation transport pathway. However, the addition of TEA to the bathing medium not only failed to trans-stimulate net transepithelial reabsorption and basolateral efflux of [14C]choline but it actually inhibited transepithelial reabsorption by @60%. The results do not support the presence of a countertransport step for choline against an electrochemical gradient at the basolateral membrane. Instead, they suggest that choline crosses this membrane by some form of carrier-mediated diffusion even during the reabsorptive process.

Lung cancer, proximity to industry, and poverty in northeast England.

PubMed Central

Pless-Mulloli, T; Phillimore, P; Moffatt, S; Bhopal, R; Foy, C; Dunn, C; Tate, J

1998-01-01

This study assesses whether deprived populations living close to industry experience greater mortality from lung cancer than populations with comparable socioeconomic characteristics living farther away. Mortality data, census data, a postal survey of living circumstances, historic and contemporary data on air quality and a historic land-use survey were used. Analysis was based on two conurbations in England, Teesside and Sunderland. Housing estates in Teesside were selected based on socioeconomic criteria and distinguished by proximity to steel and chemical industries; they were grouped into three zones: near (A), intermediate (B), and farther (C), with a single zone in Sunderland. We included 14,962 deaths in 27 estates. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for lung cancer [International Classification of Diseases #9 (ICD-9) 162] and cancers other than lung (ICD-9 140-239, excluding 162), and sex ratios were calculated. Mortality from lung cancer was well above national levels in all zones. For men, a weak gradient corresponding with proximity to industry at younger ages reversed at older ages. In women 0-64 years of age, stronger gradients in lung cancer mortality corresponded with proximity to industry across zones A, B, and C (SMR = 393, 251, 242, respectively). Overall rates in Teesside were higher than Sunderland rates for women aged 0-64 years (SMR = 287 vs. 185) and 65-74 years (SMR = 190 vs. 157). The association between raised lung cancer mortality and proximity to industry in women under 75 years of age could not be explained by smoking, occupation, socioeconomic factors, or artifact. Explanations for differences between men and women may include gender-specific occupational experiences and smoking patterns. Our judgment is that the observed gradient in women points to a role for industrial air pollution. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:9485483

Wake shed by an accelerating carangiform fish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ting, Shang-Chieh; Yang, Jing-Tang

2008-11-01

We reveal an important fact that momentum change observed in the wake of an accelerating carangiform fish does not necessarily elucidate orientations of propulsive forces produced. An accelerating Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus) was found to shed a wake with net forward fluid momentum, which seemed drag-producing. Based on Newton's law, however, an accelerating fish is expected to shed a thrust wake with net rearward fluid momentum, rather than a drag wake. The unusual wake pattern observed is considered to be resulted primarily from the effect of pressure gradient created by accelerating movements of the fish. Ambient fluids tend to be sucked into low pressure zones behind an accelerating fish, resulting in forward orientations of jets recognizable in the wake. Accordingly, as to an accelerating fish, identifying force orientations from the wake requires considering also the effect of pressure gradient.

Chirped pulse inverse free-electron laser vacuum accelerator

DOEpatents

Hartemann, Frederic V.; Baldis, Hector A.; Landahl, Eric C.

2002-01-01

A chirped pulse inverse free-electron laser (IFEL) vacuum accelerator for high gradient laser acceleration in vacuum. By the use of an ultrashort (femtosecond), ultrahigh intensity chirped laser pulse both the IFEL interaction bandwidth and accelerating gradient are increased, thus yielding large gains in a compact system. In addition, the IFEL resonance condition can be maintained throughout the interaction region by using a chirped drive laser wave. In addition, diffraction can be alleviated by taking advantage of the laser optical bandwidth with negative dispersion focusing optics to produce a chromatic line focus. The combination of these features results in a compact, efficient vacuum laser accelerator which finds many applications including high energy physics, compact table-top laser accelerator for medical imaging and therapy, material science, and basic physics.

Piezoelectric particle accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kemp, Mark A.; Jongewaard, Erik N.; Haase, Andrew A.

2017-08-29

A particle accelerator is provided that includes a piezoelectric accelerator element, where the piezoelectric accelerator element includes a hollow cylindrical shape, and an input transducer, where the input transducer is disposed to provide an input signal to the piezoelectric accelerator element, where the input signal induces a mechanical excitation of the piezoelectric accelerator element, where the mechanical excitation is capable of generating a piezoelectric electric field proximal to an axis of the cylindrical shape, where the piezoelectric accelerator is configured to accelerate a charged particle longitudinally along the axis of the cylindrical shape according to the piezoelectric electric field.

X-ray driven channeling acceleration in crystals and carbon nanotubes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Young-Min; Still, Dean A.; Shiltsev, Vladimir

2013-12-01

Acceleration of particles channeling in a crystal by means of diffracted x-rays via Bormann anomalous transmission was conceived for heavy ions and muons by Tajima and Cavenago [Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 1440 (1987)], which potentially offers an appreciably high field gradient on the order of GV/cm. The theoretical model of the high gradient acceleration has been studied in two kinds of atomic structure, crystals and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with analytic calculations and electromagnetic eigenmode simulations. A range of acceleration gradients and cutoffs of the x-ray power (the lowest power limit to overcome the Bremsstrahlung radiation losses) are characterized in termsmore » of the lattice constants, unit cell sizes, and photon energies. The parametric analysis indicates that the required x-ray power can be reduced to an order of megawatt by replacing crystals with CNTs. Eventually, the equivalent dielectric approximation of a multi-wall nanotube shows that 250–810 MeV muons can be synchronously coupled with x-rays of 0.65–1.32 keV in the accelerating structure.« less

Spectral modification of shock accelerated ions using a hydrodynamically shaped gas target

DOE PAGES

Tresca, O.; Polyanskiy, M. N.; Dover, N. P.; ...

2015-08-28

We report on reproducible shock acceleration from irradiation of a λ=10 μm CO2 laser on optically shaped H2 and He gas targets. A low energy laser prepulse (I≲10 14 W cm –2) is used to drive a blast wave inside the gas target, creating a steepened, variable density gradient. This is followed, after 25 ns, by a high intensity laser pulse (I>10 16 W cm –2) that produces an electrostatic collisionless shock. Upstream ions are accelerated for a narrow range of prepulse energies. For long density gradients (≳40 μm), broadband beams of He + and H + were routinely produced,more » whilst for shorter gradients (≲20 μm), quasimonoenergetic acceleration of protons is observed. These measurements indicate that the properties of the accelerating shock and the resultant ion energy distribution, in particular the production of narrow energy spread beams, is highly dependent on the plasma density profile. These findings are corroborated by 2D particle-in-cell simulations.« less

Large Airborne Full Tensor Gradient Data Inversion Based on a Non-Monotone Gradient Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yong; Meng, Zhaohai; Li, Fengting

2018-03-01

Following the development of gravity gradiometer instrument technology, the full tensor gravity (FTG) data can be acquired on airborne and marine platforms. Large-scale geophysical data can be obtained using these methods, making such data sets a number of the "big data" category. Therefore, a fast and effective inversion method is developed to solve the large-scale FTG data inversion problem. Many algorithms are available to accelerate the FTG data inversion, such as conjugate gradient method. However, the conventional conjugate gradient method takes a long time to complete data processing. Thus, a fast and effective iterative algorithm is necessary to improve the utilization of FTG data. Generally, inversion processing is formulated by incorporating regularizing constraints, followed by the introduction of a non-monotone gradient-descent method to accelerate the convergence rate of FTG data inversion. Compared with the conventional gradient method, the steepest descent gradient algorithm, and the conjugate gradient algorithm, there are clear advantages of the non-monotone iterative gradient-descent algorithm. Simulated and field FTG data were applied to show the application value of this new fast inversion method.

On the convergence of a linesearch based proximal-gradient method for nonconvex optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonettini, S.; Loris, I.; Porta, F.; Prato, M.; Rebegoldi, S.

2017-05-01

We consider a variable metric linesearch based proximal gradient method for the minimization of the sum of a smooth, possibly nonconvex function plus a convex, possibly nonsmooth term. We prove convergence of this iterative algorithm to a critical point if the objective function satisfies the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property at each point of its domain, under the assumption that a limit point exists. The proposed method is applied to a wide collection of image processing problems and our numerical tests show that our algorithm results to be flexible, robust and competitive when compared to recently proposed approaches able to address the optimization problems arising in the considered applications.

A Truncated Nuclear Norm Regularization Method Based on Weighted Residual Error for Matrix Completion.

PubMed

Qing Liu; Zhihui Lai; Zongwei Zhou; Fangjun Kuang; Zhong Jin

2016-01-01

Low-rank matrix completion aims to recover a matrix from a small subset of its entries and has received much attention in the field of computer vision. Most existing methods formulate the task as a low-rank matrix approximation problem. A truncated nuclear norm has recently been proposed as a better approximation to the rank of matrix than a nuclear norm. The corresponding optimization method, truncated nuclear norm regularization (TNNR), converges better than the nuclear norm minimization-based methods. However, it is not robust to the number of subtracted singular values and requires a large number of iterations to converge. In this paper, a TNNR method based on weighted residual error (TNNR-WRE) for matrix completion and its extension model (ETNNR-WRE) are proposed. TNNR-WRE assigns different weights to the rows of the residual error matrix in an augmented Lagrange function to accelerate the convergence of the TNNR method. The ETNNR-WRE is much more robust to the number of subtracted singular values than the TNNR-WRE, TNNR alternating direction method of multipliers, and TNNR accelerated proximal gradient with Line search methods. Experimental results using both synthetic and real visual data sets show that the proposed TNNR-WRE and ETNNR-WRE methods perform better than TNNR and Iteratively Reweighted Nuclear Norm (IRNN) methods.

Development work for a superconducting linear collider

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matheisen, Axel

1995-01-01

For future linear e(+)e(-) colliders in the TeV range several alternatives are under discussion. The TESLA approach is based on the advantages of superconductivity. High Q values of the accelerator structures give high efficiency for converting RF power into beam power. A low resonance frequency for the RF structures can be chosen to obtain a large number of electrons (positrons) per bunch. For a given luminosity the beam dimensions can be chosen conservatively which leads to relaxed beam emittance and tolerances at the final focus. Each individual superconducting accelerator component (resonator cavity) of this linear collider has to deliver an energy gain of 25 MeV/m to the beam. Today s.c. resonators are in use at CEBAF/USA, at DESY/Germany, Darmstadt/Germany KEK/Japan and CERN/Geneva. They show acceleration gradients between 5 MV/m and 10 MV/m. Encouraging experiments at CEA Saclay and Cornell University showed acceleration gradients of 20 MV/m and 25 MV/m in single and multicell structures. In an activity centered at DESY in Hamburg/Germany the TESLA collaboration is constructing a 500 MeV superconducting accelerator test facility (TTF) to demonstrate that a linear collider based on this technique can be built in a cost effective manner and that the necessary acceleration gradients of more than 15 MeV/m can be reached reproducibly. The test facility built at DESY covers an area of 3.000 m2 and is divided into 3 major activity areas: (1) The testlinac, where the performance ofthe modular components with an electron beam passing the 40 m long acceleration section can be demonstrated. (2) The test area, where all individual resonators are tested before installation into a module. (3) The preparation and assembly area, where assembly of cavities and modules take place. We report here on the design work to reach a reduction of costs compared to actual existing superconducting accelerator structures and on the facility set up to reach high acceleration gradients in a reproducible way.

Proximal and Overall Gastric Emptying of Solids in Patients with Reduced Gastric Volume Accommodation Compared to Matched Controls

PubMed Central

Camilleri, Michael; Breen, Mary; Ryks, Michael; Burton, Duane

2011-01-01

Background Interventions such as gastric surgery and erythromycin result in displacement of solids to the distal stomach and acceleration of overall and proximal gastric emptying. The effect of non-surgical impairment of gastric accommodation on gastric emptying is unclear. Non-surgical impairment of gastric accommodation is associated with accelerated gastric emptying. Aim To compare measurements of proximal and overall gastric emptying in patients with reduced postprandial gastric volume accommodation with the emptying rates in age- and gender-matched controls with normal postprandial gastric volume accommodation. Methods We evaluated overall and proximal gastric emptying in 9 patients with impaired gastric accommodation and age-equivalent and gender-matched controls. Gastric volumes and emptying were measured using validated SPECT and dual gamma camera scintigraphy respectively. We compared group differences in overall and proximal gastric emptying t1/2 by t test. Results Patients with impaired postprandial gastric volume accommodation had greater fasting gastric volume. The proportion of food emptied from the proximal stomach immediately after meal ingestion was lower and t1/2of proximal gastric emptying correspondingly longer in the group with reduced postprandial gastric accommodation. In contrast, differences were not detected in overall gastric emptying in the two groups, and the ratio of overall to proximal gastric emptying t1/2was greater in the group with impaired volume accommodation. Conclusions Proximal stomach emptying is reduced in patients with impaired postprandial volume accommodation; this difference occurs predominantly during the time of meal ingestion. Compensatory mechanisms that result in normal overall gastric emptying require further elucidation. PMID:21327917

Understanding differences between DELFT3D and empirical predictions of alongshore sediment transport gradients

USGS Publications Warehouse

List, Jeffrey; Benedet, Lindino; Hanes, Daniel M.; Ruggiero, Peter

2009-01-01

Predictions of alongshore transport gradients are critical for forecasting shoreline change. At the previous ICCE conference, it was demonstrated that alongshore transport gradients predicted by the empirical CERC equation can differ substantially from predictions made by the hydrodynamics-based model Delft3D in the case of a simulated borrow pit on the shoreface. Here we use the Delft3D momentum balance to examine the reason for this difference. Alongshore advective flow accelerations in our Delft3D simulation are mainly driven by pressure gradients resulting from alongshore variations in wave height and setup, and Delft3D transport gradients are controlled by these flow accelerations. The CERC equation does not take this process into account, and for this reason a second empirical transport term is sometimes added when alongshore gradients in wave height are thought to be significant. However, our test case indicates that this second term does not properly predict alongshore transport gradients.

Thyroid Cancer Incidence around the Belgian Nuclear Sites, 2000–2014

PubMed Central

Demoury, Claire; De Smedt, Tom; De Schutter, Harlinde; Sonck, Michel; Van Damme, Nancy; Bollaerts, Kaatje; Van Bladel, Lodewijk; Van Nieuwenhuyse, An

2017-01-01

The present study investigates whether there is an excess incidence of thyroid cancer among people living in the vicinity of the nuclear sites in Belgium. Adjusted Rate Ratios were obtained from Poisson regressions for proximity areas of varying sizes. In addition, focused hypothesis tests and generalized additive models were performed to test the hypothesis of a gradient in thyroid cancer incidence with increasing levels of surrogate exposures. Residential proximity to the nuclear site, prevailing dominant winds frequency from the site, and simulated radioactive discharges were used as surrogate exposures. No excess incidence of thyroid cancer was observed around the nuclear power plants of Doel or Tihange. In contrast, increases in thyroid cancer incidence were found around the nuclear sites of Mol-Dessel and Fleurus; risk ratios were borderline not significant. For Mol-Dessel, there was evidence for a gradient in thyroid cancer incidence with increased proximity, prevailing winds, and simulated radioactive discharges. For Fleurus, a gradient was observed with increasing prevailing winds and, to a lesser extent, with increasing simulated radioactive discharges. This study strengthens earlier findings and suggests increased incidences in thyroid cancer around two of the four Belgian nuclear sites. Further analyses will be performed at a more detailed geographical level. PMID:28858225

Experimental Results from a Resonant Dielectric Laser Accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoder, Rodney; McNeur, Joshua; Sozer, Esin; Travish, Gil; Hazra, Kiran Shankar; Matthews, Brian; England, Joel; Peralta, Edgar; Wu, Ziran

2015-04-01

Laser-powered accelerators have the potential to operate with very large accelerating gradients (~ GV/m) and represent a path toward extremely compact colliders and accelerator technology. Optical-scale laser-powered devices based on field-shaping structures (known as dielectric laser accelerators, or DLAs) have been described and demonstrated recently. Here we report on the first experimental results from the Micro-Accelerator Platform (MAP), a DLA based on a slab-symmetric resonant optical-scale structure. As a resonant (rather than near-field) device, the MAP is distinct from other DLAs. Its cavity resonance enhances its accelerating field relative to the incoming laser fields, which are coupled efficiently through a diffractive optic on the upper face of the device. The MAP demonstrated modest accelerating gradients in recent experiments, in which it was powered by a Ti:Sapphire laser well below its breakdown limit. More detailed results and some implications for future developments will be discussed. Supported in part by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (UCLA); U.S. Dept of Energy (SLAC); and DARPA (SLAC).

Alongshore Momentum Balance Over Shoreface-Connected Ridges, Fire Island, NY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ofsthun, C.; Wu, X.; Voulgaris, G.; Warner, J. C.

2016-12-01

he momentum balance of alongshore flows over straight, uniform shelfs has been analyzed extensively over the last few decades. More recently, the effect of coastline curvature and how this might alter the relative significance of the momentum terms has received additional attention. In this contribution, the alongshore momentum over shelves with straight coastline, but non-uniform bathymetry is examined. Hydrodynamic and hydrographic data collected by the US Geological Survey (Fire Island Coastal Change project) on the inner shelf of Fire Island, NY over a region of shore-face connected ridges (SFCRs) are used to describe wind-induced circulation and the terms of the alongshore momentum balance equation. Analysis of the data revealed a predominantly alongshore circulation, under westward wind forcing, with localized offshore (onshore) current veering over the ridge crests (troughs). Momentum balance analysis hinted that local acceleration, advective acceleration, and bottom stress are balanced by wind stress and regional (>100 km) pressure gradient force. In addition, a numerical model using an idealized SFCR bathymetry, forced by our observed winds, was employed to compare the momentum balance relationships identified by the data and those under steady-state conditions published earlier (Warner et al., 2014). A synthesis of the numerical and experimental data revealed that the true pressure gradient force results from the sum of local pressure gradient force, which maintains a Bernoulli-like relationship with alongshore advective acceleration, and regional pressure gradient force, which maintains a strong, negative relationship with wind stress. The differences between steady-state and realistic conditions is mainly on the contributions of regional scale pressure gradients that develop under realistic conditions, and the reduced contribution of local scale pressure gradients which develop best under steady-state conditions. Our analysis indicates that current veering over ridge crests, a consistent occurrence, is a combination of a cross-shore gradient in the inconsistent relationship between local advective acceleration and pressure gradient and frictional-torque with the latter being the dominant mechanism under realistic forcing.

Effects of livestock watering sites on alien and native plants in the Mojave Desert, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, M.L.; Matchett, J.R.; Berry, K.H.

2006-01-01

Increased livestock densities near artificial watering sites create disturbance gradients called piospheres. We studied responses of alien and native annual plants and native perennial plants within 9 piospheres in the Mojave Desert of North America. Absolute and proportional cover of alien annual plants increased with proximity to watering sites, whereas cover and species richness of native annual plants decreased. Not all alien species responded the same, as the alien forb Erodium cicutarium and the alien grass Schismus spp. increased with proximity to watering sites, and the alien annual grass Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens decreased. Perennial plant cover and species richness also declined with proximity to watering sites, as did the structural diversity of perennial plant cover classes. Significant effects were focused within 200 m of the watering sites, suggesting that control efforts for alien annual plants and restoration efforts for native plants should optimally be focused within this central part of the piosphere gradient.

Structure of sheared and rotating turbulence: Multiscale statistics of Lagrangian and Eulerian accelerations and passive scalar dynamics.

PubMed

Jacobitz, Frank G; Schneider, Kai; Bos, Wouter J T; Farge, Marie

2016-01-01

The acceleration statistics of sheared and rotating homogeneous turbulence are studied using direct numerical simulation results. The statistical properties of Lagrangian and Eulerian accelerations are considered together with the influence of the rotation to shear ratio, as well as the scale dependence of their statistics. The probability density functions (pdfs) of both Lagrangian and Eulerian accelerations show a strong and similar dependence on the rotation to shear ratio. The variance and flatness of both accelerations are analyzed and the extreme values of the Eulerian acceleration are observed to be above those of the Lagrangian acceleration. For strong rotation it is observed that flatness yields values close to three, corresponding to Gaussian-like behavior, and for moderate and vanishing rotation the flatness increases. Furthermore, the Lagrangian and Eulerian accelerations are shown to be strongly correlated for strong rotation due to a reduced nonlinear term in this case. A wavelet-based scale-dependent analysis shows that the flatness of both Eulerian and Lagrangian accelerations increases as scale decreases, which provides evidence for intermittent behavior. For strong rotation the Eulerian acceleration is even more intermittent than the Lagrangian acceleration, while the opposite result is obtained for moderate rotation. Moreover, the dynamics of a passive scalar with gradient production in the direction of the mean velocity gradient is analyzed and the influence of the rotation to shear ratio is studied. Concerning the concentration of a passive scalar spread by the flow, the pdf of its Eulerian time rate of change presents higher extreme values than those of its Lagrangian time rate of change. This suggests that the Eulerian time rate of change of scalar concentration is mainly due to advection, while its Lagrangian counterpart is only due to gradient production and viscous dissipation.

Engineering functionality gradients by dip coating process in acceleration mode.

PubMed

Faustini, Marco; Ceratti, Davide R; Louis, Benjamin; Boudot, Mickael; Albouy, Pierre-Antoine; Boissière, Cédric; Grosso, David

2014-10-08

In this work, unique functional devices exhibiting controlled gradients of properties are fabricated by dip-coating process in acceleration mode. Through this new approach, thin films with "on-demand" thickness graded profiles at the submillimeter scale are prepared in an easy and versatile way, compatible for large-scale production. The technique is adapted to several relevant materials, including sol-gel dense and mesoporous metal oxides, block copolymers, metal-organic framework colloids, and commercial photoresists. In the first part of the Article, an investigation on the effect of the dip coating speed variation on the thickness profiles is reported together with the critical roles played by the evaporation rate and by the viscosity on the fluid draining-induced film formation. In the second part, dip-coating in acceleration mode is used to induce controlled variation of functionalities by playing on structural, chemical, or dimensional variations in nano- and microsystems. In order to demonstrate the full potentiality and versatility of the technique, original graded functional devices are made including optical interferometry mirrors with bidirectional gradients, one-dimensional photonic crystals with a stop-band gradient, graded microfluidic channels, and wetting gradient to induce droplet motion.

High contrast ion acceleration at intensities exceeding 10{sup 21} Wcm{sup −2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dollar, F.; Zulick, C.; Matsuoka, T.

2013-05-15

Ion acceleration from short pulse laser interactions at intensities of 2×10{sup 21}Wcm{sup −2} was studied experimentally under a wide variety of parameters, including laser contrast, incidence angle, and target thickness. Trends in maximum proton energy were observed, as well as evidence of improvement in the acceleration gradients by using dual plasma mirrors over traditional pulse cleaning techniques. Extremely high efficiency acceleration gradients were produced, accelerating both the contaminant layer and high charge state ions from the bulk of the target. Two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations enabled the study of the influence of scale length on submicron targets, where hydrodynamic expansion affectsmore » the rear surface as well as the front. Experimental evidence of larger electric fields for sharp density plasmas is observed in simulation results as well for such targets, where target ions are accelerated without the need for contaminant removal.« less

Standing magnetic resonance imaging detection of bone marrow oedema-type signal pattern associated with subcarpal pain in 8 racehorses: a prospective study.

PubMed

Powell, S E; Ramzan, P H L; Head, M J; Shepherd, M C; Baldwin, G I; Steven, W N

2010-01-01

The proximal metacarpal region is a common site of origin of lameness in the performance horse. A number of disease entities are recognised as causes of proximal metacarpal lameness but a definitive diagnosis is often elusive. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is hypothesised to offer advantages over traditional imaging modalities in the investigation of proximal metacarpal pain. To describe clinical and imaging features of cases of lameness in racehorses arising from the proximal metacarpal region in which standing MRI identified 'bone marrow oedema-type' (BMO-type) signal patterns. Records for all horses undergoing standing MRI of the proximal metacarpus/distal carpus from September 2006 to December 2008 were reviewed. Cases underwent a standardised protocol for diagnostic analgesia, radiography and ultrasonography of the proximal metacarpus and distal carpus. Cases with proximal metacarpal lameness displaying a characteristic BMO-type signal pattern on MRI were identified and outcomes analysed. Eight cases were identified with characteristic MRI findings of extensive hyperintensity on T2* gradient echo and short tau inversion fast spin echo sequences and corresponding hypointensity on T1 gradient echo images within the palmaroproximal aspect of the third metacarpal bone. Follow-up information was available for all cases; at the time of writing 7/8 had returned to full work and were free from lameness. The BMO-type signal patterns visible on MR images in these cases may signal the existence of a previously under-diagnosed pathological process associated with proximal metacarpal lameness in racehorses. This finding is postulated to be associated with a stress reaction and possible prodromal stress fracture of the palmaroproximal metacarpus not appreciable radiographically or ultrasonographically. MRI of the proximal metacarpal region permits detection of pathological processes, which may elude conventional imaging and, therefore, has important therapeutic and prognostic implications in these cases.

Impairment of the proximal to distal tonic gradient in the human diabetic stomach.

PubMed

Min, Y W; Hong, Y S; Ko, E-J; Lee, J Y; Min, B-H; Sohn, T S; Kim, J J; Rhee, P-L

2014-02-01

Little has been known about the contractile characteristics of diabetic stomach. We investigated spontaneous contractions and responses to acetylcholine in the gastric muscle in diabetic patients and non-diabetic control subjects according to the region of stomach. Gastric specimens were obtained from 26 diabetics and 55 controls who underwent gastrectomy at Samsung Medical Center between February 2008 and November 2011. Isometric force measurements were performed using circular muscle strips from the different regions of stomach under basal condition and in response to acetylcholine. Basal tone of control was higher in the proximal stomach than in the distal (0.63 g vs 0.46 g, p = 0.027). However, in diabetics, basal tone was not significantly different between the proximal and distal stomach (0.75 g vs 0.62 g, p = 0.32). The distal stomach of diabetics had higher basal tone and lower frequency than that of control (0.62 g vs 0.46 g, p = 0.049 and 4.0/min vs 4.9/min, p = 0.049, respectively). After exposure to acetylcholine, dose-dependent increases of basal tone, peak, and area under the curve (AUC) were noticed in both proximal and distal stomach of the two groups. In the proximal stomach, however, the dose-dependent increase of basal tone and AUC was less prominent in diabetics than in control. On the contrary to control, the proximal to distal tonic gradient was not observed in diabetic stomach. Diabetic stomach also had lower frequency of spontaneous contraction in the distal stomach and less acetylcholine-induced positive inotropic effect in the proximal stomach than control. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Operation regimes of a dielectric laser accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-04-01

We investigate three operation regimes in dielectric laser driven accelerators: maximum efficiency, maximum charge, and maximum loaded gradient. We demonstrate, using a self-consistent approach, that loaded gradients of the order of 1 to 6 [GV/m], efficiencies of 20% to 80%, and electrons flux of 1014 [el/s] are feasible, without significant concerns regarding damage threshold fluence. The latter imposes that the total charge per squared wavelength is constant (a total of 106 per μm2). We conceive this configuration as a zero-order design that should be considered for the road map of future accelerators.

Spatially Different Tissue-Scale Diffusivity Shapes ANGUSTIFOLIA3 Gradient in Growing Leaves.

PubMed

Kawade, Kensuke; Tanimoto, Hirokazu; Horiguchi, Gorou; Tsukaya, Hirokazu

2017-09-05

The spatial gradient of signaling molecules is pivotal for establishing developmental patterns of multicellular organisms. It has long been proposed that these gradients could arise from the pure diffusion process of signaling molecules between cells, but whether this simplest mechanism establishes the formation of the tissue-scale gradient remains unclear. Plasmodesmata are unique channel structures in plants that connect neighboring cells for molecular transport. In this study, we measured cellular- and tissue-scale kinetics of molecular transport through plasmodesmata in Arabidopsis thaliana developing leaf primordia by fluorescence recovery assays. These trans-scale measurements revealed biophysical properties of diffusive molecular transport through plasmodesmata and revealed that the tissue-scale diffusivity, but not the cellular-scale diffusivity, is spatially different along the leaf proximal-to-distal axis. We found that the gradient in cell size along the developmental axis underlies this spatially different tissue-scale diffusivity. We then asked how this diffusion-based framework functions in establishing a signaling gradient of endogenous molecules. ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) is a transcriptional co-activator, and as we have shown here, it forms a long-range signaling gradient along the leaf proximal-to-distal axis to determine a cell-proliferation domain. By genetically engineering AN3 mobility, we assessed each contribution of cell-to-cell movement and tissue growth to the distribution of the AN3 gradient. We constructed a diffusion-based theoretical model using these quantitative data to analyze the AN3 gradient formation and demonstrated that it could be achieved solely by the diffusive molecular transport in a growing tissue. Our results indicate that the spatially different tissue-scale diffusivity is a core mechanism for AN3 gradient formation. This provides evidence that the pure diffusion process establishes the formation of the long-range signaling gradient in leaf development. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-Mode Cavity Accelerator Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Yong; Hirshfield, Jay Leonard

2016-11-10

This project aimed to develop a prototype for a novel accelerator structure comprising coupled cavities that are tuned to support modes with harmonically-related eigenfrequencies, with the goal of reaching an acceleration gradient >200 MeV/m and a breakdown rate <10 -7/pulse/meter. Phase I involved computations, design, and preliminary engineering of a prototype multi-harmonic cavity accelerator structure; plus tests of a bimodal cavity. A computational procedure was used to design an optimized profile for a bimodal cavity with high shunt impedance and low surface fields to maximize the reduction in temperature rise ΔT. This cavity supports the TM010 mode and its 2ndmore » harmonic TM011 mode. Its fundamental frequency is at 12 GHz, to benchmark against the empirical criteria proposed within the worldwide High Gradient collaboration for X-band copper structures; namely, a surface electric field E sur max< 260 MV/m and pulsed surface heating ΔT max< 56 °K. With optimized geometry, amplitude and relative phase of the two modes, reductions are found in surface pulsed heating, modified Poynting vector, and total RF power—as compared with operation at the same acceleration gradient using only the fundamental mode.« less

Roadmap to the Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colby, Eric R.; Len, L. K.

Most particle accelerators today are expensive devices found only in the largest laboratories, industries, and hospitals. Using techniques developed nearly a century ago, the limiting performance of these accelerators is often traceable to material limitations, power source capabilities, and the cost tolerance of the application. Advanced accelerator concepts aim to increase the gradient of accelerators by orders of magnitude, using new power sources (e.g. lasers and relativistic beams) and new materials (e.g. dielectrics, metamaterials, and plasmas). Worldwide, research in this area has grown steadily in intensity since the 1980s, resulting in demonstrations of accelerating gradients that are orders of magnitude higher than for conventional techniques. While research is still in the early stages, these techniques have begun to demonstrate the potential to radically change accelerators, making them much more compact, and extending the reach of these tools of science into the angstrom and attosecond realms. Maturation of these techniques into robust, engineered devices will require sustained interdisciplinary, collaborative R&D and coherent use of test infrastructure worldwide. The outcome can potentially transform how accelerators are used.

Roadmap to the Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colby, Eric R.; Len, L. K.

Most particle accelerators today are expensive devices found only in the largest laboratories, industries, and hospitals. Using techniques developed nearly a century ago, the limiting performance of these accelerators is often traceable to material limitations, power source capabilities, and the cost tolerance of the application. Advanced accelerator conceptsa aim to increase the gradient of accelerators by orders of magnitude, using new power sources (e.g. lasers and relativistic beams) and new materials (e.g. dielectrics, metamaterials, and plasmas). Worldwide, research in this area has grown steadily in intensity since the 1980s, resulting in demonstrations of accelerating gradients that are orders of magnitude higher than for conventional techniques. While research is still in the early stages, these techniques have begun to demonstrate the potential to radically change accelerators, making them much more compact, and extending the reach of these tools of science into the angstrom and attosecond realms. Maturation of these techniques into robust, engineered devices will require sustained interdisciplinary, collaborative R&D and coherent use of test infrastructure worldwide. The outcome can potentially transform how accelerators are used.

Estimation of pressure gradients at renal artery stenoses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yim, Peter J.; Cebral, Juan R.; Weaver, Ashley; Lutz, Robert J.; Vasbinder, G. Boudewijn C.

2003-05-01

Atherosclerotic disease of the renal artery can reduce the blood flow leading to renovascular hypertension and ischemic nephopathy. The kidney responds to a decrease in blood flow by activation of the renin-angiotensin system that increases blood pressure and can result in severe hypertension. Percutaneous translumenal angioplasty (PTA) may be indicated for treatment of renovascular hypertension (RVH). However, direct measurement of renal artery caliber and degree of stenosis has only moderate specificity for detection of RVH. A confounding factor in assessment of the proximal renal artery is that diffuse atherosclerotic disease of the distal branches of the renal artery can produce the same effect on blood-flow as atherosclerotic disease of the proximal renal artery. A methodology is proposed for estimation of pressure gradients at renal artery stenoses from magnetic resonance imaging that could improve the evaluation of renal artery disease. In the proposed methodology, pressure gradients are estimated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. Realistic CFD models are constructed from images of vessel shape and measurements of blood-flow rates which are available from magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging respectively. CFD measurement of renal artery pressure gradients has been validated in a physical flow-through model.

Mutational Pathway Determines Whether Drug Gradients Accelerate Evolution of Drug-Resistant Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greulich, Philip; Waclaw, Bartłomiej; Allen, Rosalind J.

2012-08-01

Drug gradients are believed to play an important role in the evolution of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and tumors resistant to anticancer drugs. We use a statistical physics model to study the evolution of a population of malignant cells exposed to drug gradients, where drug resistance emerges via a mutational pathway involving multiple mutations. We show that a nonuniform drug distribution has the potential to accelerate the emergence of resistance when the mutational pathway involves a long sequence of mutants with increasing resistance, but if the pathway is short or crosses a fitness valley, the evolution of resistance may actually be slowed down by drug gradients. These predictions can be verified experimentally, and may help to improve strategies for combating the emergence of resistance.

A proximity algorithm accelerated by Gauss-Seidel iterations for L1/TV denoising models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qia; Micchelli, Charles A.; Shen, Lixin; Xu, Yuesheng

2012-09-01

Our goal in this paper is to improve the computational performance of the proximity algorithms for the L1/TV denoising model. This leads us to a new characterization of all solutions to the L1/TV model via fixed-point equations expressed in terms of the proximity operators. Based upon this observation we develop an algorithm for solving the model and establish its convergence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can be accelerated through the use of the componentwise Gauss-Seidel iteration so that the CPU time consumed is significantly reduced. Numerical experiments using the proposed algorithm for impulsive noise removal are included, with a comparison to three recently developed algorithms. The numerical results show that while the proposed algorithm enjoys a high quality of the restored images, as the other three known algorithms do, it performs significantly better in terms of computational efficiency measured in the CPU time consumed.

Surfzone alongshore advective accelerations: observations and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, J.; Raubenheimer, B.; Elgar, S.

2014-12-01

The sources, magnitudes, and impacts of non-linear advective accelerations on alongshore surfzone currents are investigated with observations and a numerical model. Previous numerical modeling results have indicated that advective accelerations are an important contribution to the alongshore force balance, and are required to understand spatial variations in alongshore currents (which may result in spatially variable morphological change). However, most prior observational studies have neglected advective accelerations in the alongshore force balance. Using a numerical model (Delft3D) to predict optimal sensor locations, a dense array of 26 colocated current meters and pressure sensors was deployed between the shoreline and 3-m water depth over a 200 by 115 m region near Duck, NC in fall 2013. The array included 7 cross- and 3 alongshore transects. Here, observational and numerical estimates of the dominant forcing terms in the alongshore balance (pressure and radiation-stress gradients) and the advective acceleration terms will be compared with each other. In addition, the numerical model will be used to examine the force balance, including sources of velocity gradients, at a higher spatial resolution than possible with the instrument array. Preliminary numerical results indicate that at O(10-100 m) alongshore scales, bathymetric variations and the ensuing alongshore variations in the wave field and subsequent forcing are the dominant sources of the modeled velocity gradients and advective accelerations. Additional simulations and analysis of the observations will be presented. Funded by NSF and ASDR&E.

Effect of Baffle on Gravity-Gradient-Excited Slosh Waves and Spacecraft Moment and Angular-Momentum Fluctuations in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Lee, C. C.

1995-01-01

The dynamical behavior of fluids affected by the asymmetric gravity gradient acceleration has been investigated. In particular, the effects of surface tension on partially filled rotating fluids applicable to a full-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft dewar tank with and without baffles are studied. Results of slosh wave excitation along the liquid-vapor interface induced by gravity gradient acceleration indicate that the gravity gradient acceleration is equivalent to the combined effect of a twisting force and a torsional moment acting on the spacecraft. The results are clearly seen from one-up one-down and one-down one-up oscillations in the cross-section profiles of two bubbles in the vertical (r, z)-plane of the rotating dewar, and from the eccentric contour of the bubble rotating around the axis of the dewar in a horizontal (r, theta)-plane. As the viscous force, between liquid and solid interface, greatly contributes to the damping of slosh wave excitation, a rotating dewar with baffles provides more areas of liquid-solid interface than that of a rotating dewar without baffles. Results show that the damping effect provided by the baffles reduces the amplitude of slosh wave excitation and lowers the degree of asymmetry in liquid-vapor distribution. Fluctuations of angular momentum and fluid moment caused by the slosh wave excited by gravity gradient acceleration with and without baffle boards are also investigated. It is also shown that the damping effect provided by the baffles greatly reduces the amplitudes of angular momentum and fluid moment fluctuations.

Proximity Effect Correction by Pattern Modified Stencil Mask in Large-Field Projection Electron-Beam Lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobinata, Hideo; Yamashita, Hiroshi; Nomura, Eiichi; Nakajima, Ken; Kuroki, Yukinori

1998-12-01

A new method for proximity effect correction, suitable for large-field electron-beam (EB) projection lithography with high accelerating voltage, such as SCALPEL and PREVAIL in the case where a stencil mask is used, is discussed. In this lithography, a large-field is exposed by the same dose, and thus, the dose modification method, which is used in the variable-shaped beam and the cell projection methods, cannot be used in this case. In this study, we report on development of a new proximity effect correction method which uses a pattern modified stencil mask suitable for high accelerating voltage and large-field EB projection lithography. In order to obtain the mask bias value, we have investigated linewidth reduction, due to the proximity effect, in the peripheral memory cell area, and found that it could be expressed by a simple function and all the correction parameters were easily determined from only the mask pattern data. The proximity effect for the peripheral array pattern could also be corrected by considering the pattern density. Calculated linewidth deviation was 3% or less for a 0.07-µm-L/S memory cell pattern and 5% or less for a 0.14-µm-line and 0.42-µm-space peripheral array pattern, simultaneously.

Experimental high gradient testing of a 17.1 GHz photonic band-gap accelerator structure

DOE PAGES

Munroe, Brian J.; Zhang, JieXi; Xu, Haoran; ...

2016-03-29

In this paper, we report the design, fabrication, and high gradient testing of a 17.1 GHz photonic band-gap (PBG) accelerator structure. Photonic band-gap (PBG) structures are promising candidates for electron accelerators capable of high-gradient operation because they have the inherent damping of high order modes required to avoid beam breakup instabilities. The 17.1 GHz PBG structure tested was a single cell structure composed of a triangular array of round copper rods of radius 1.45 mm spaced by 8.05 mm. The test assembly consisted of the test PBG cell located between conventional (pillbox) input and output cells, with input power ofmore » up to 4 MW from a klystron supplied via a TM 01 mode launcher. Breakdown at high gradient was observed by diagnostics including reflected power, downstream and upstream current monitors and visible light emission. The testing procedure was first benchmarked with a conventional disc-loaded waveguide structure, which reached a gradient of 87 MV=m at a breakdown probability of 1.19 × 10 –1 per pulse per meter. The PBG structure was tested with 100 ns pulses at gradient levels of less than 90 MV=m in order to limit the surface temperature rise to 120 K. The PBG structure reached up to 89 MV=m at a breakdown probability of 1.09 × 10 –1 per pulse per meter. These test results show that a PBG structure can simultaneously operate at high gradients and low breakdown probability, while also providing wakefield damping.« less

Trains of electron micro-bunches in plasma wake-field acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lécz, Zsolt; Andreev, Alexander; Konoplev, Ivan; Seryi, Andrei; Smith, Jonathan

2018-07-01

Plasma-based charged particle accelerators have been intensively investigated in the past three decades due to their capability to open up new horizons in accelerator science and particle physics yielding electric field accelerating gradient more than three orders of magnitudes higher than in conventional devices. At the current stage the most advanced and reliable mechanism for accelerating electrons is based on the propagation of an intense laser pulse or a relativistic electron beam in a low density gaseous target. In this paper we concentrate on the electron beam-driven plasma wake-field acceleration and demonstrate using 3D PiC simulations that a train of electron micro-bunches with ∼10 fs period can be generated behind the driving beam propagating in a density down-ramp. We will discuss the conditions and properties of the micro-bunches generated aiming at understanding and study of multi-bunch mechanism of injection. It is show that the periodicity and duration of micro-bunches can be controlled by adjusting the plasma density gradient and driving beam charge.

Superconducting gravity gradiometer and a test of inverse square law

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moody, M. V.; Paik, Ho Jung

1989-01-01

The equivalence principle prohibits the distinction of gravity from acceleration by a local measurement. However, by making a differential measurement of acceleration over a baseline, platform accelerations can be cancelled and gravity gradients detected. In an in-line superconducting gravity gradiometer, this differencing is accomplished with two spring-mass accelerometers in which the proof masses are confined to motion in a single degree of freedom and are coupled together by superconducting circuits. Platform motions appear as common mode accelerations and are cancelled by adjusting the ratio of two persistent currents in the sensing circuit. The sensing circuit is connected to a commercial SQUID amplifier to sense changes in the persistent currents generated by differential accelerations, i.e., gravity gradients. A three-axis gravity gradiometer is formed by mounting six accelerometers on the faces of a precision cube, with the accelerometers on opposite faces of the cube forming one of three in-line gradiometers. A dedicated satellite mission for mapping the earth's gravity field is an important one. Additional scientific goals are a test of the inverse square law to a part in 10(exp 10) at 100 km, and a test of the Lense-Thirring effect by detecting the relativistic gravity magnetic terms in the gravity gradient tensor for the earth.

A Dictionary Learning Approach with Overlap for the Low Dose Computed Tomography Reconstruction and Its Vectorial Application to Differential Phase Tomography

PubMed Central

Mirone, Alessandro; Brun, Emmanuel; Coan, Paola

2014-01-01

X-ray based Phase-Contrast Imaging (PCI) techniques have been demonstrated to enhance the visualization of soft tissues in comparison to conventional imaging methods. Nevertheless the delivered dose as reported in the literature of biomedical PCI applications often equals or exceeds the limits prescribed in clinical diagnostics. The optimization of new computed tomography strategies which include the development and implementation of advanced image reconstruction procedures is thus a key aspect. In this scenario, we implemented a dictionary learning method with a new form of convex functional. This functional contains in addition to the usual sparsity inducing and fidelity terms, a new term which forces similarity between overlapping patches in the superimposed regions. The functional depends on two free regularization parameters: a coefficient multiplying the sparsity-inducing norm of the patch basis functions coefficients, and a coefficient multiplying the norm of the differences between patches in the overlapping regions. The solution is found by applying the iterative proximal gradient descent method with FISTA acceleration. The gradient is computed by calculating projection of the solution and its error backprojection at each iterative step. We study the quality of the solution, as a function of the regularization parameters and noise, on synthetic data for which the solution is a-priori known. We apply the method on experimental data in the case of Differential Phase Tomography. For this case we use an original approach which consists in using vectorial patches, each patch having two components: one per each gradient component. The resulting algorithm, implemented in the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility tomography reconstruction code PyHST, has proven to be efficient and well-adapted to strongly reduce the required dose and the number of projections in medical tomography. PMID:25531987

A dictionary learning approach with overlap for the low dose computed tomography reconstruction and its vectorial application to differential phase tomography.

PubMed

Mirone, Alessandro; Brun, Emmanuel; Coan, Paola

2014-01-01

X-ray based Phase-Contrast Imaging (PCI) techniques have been demonstrated to enhance the visualization of soft tissues in comparison to conventional imaging methods. Nevertheless the delivered dose as reported in the literature of biomedical PCI applications often equals or exceeds the limits prescribed in clinical diagnostics. The optimization of new computed tomography strategies which include the development and implementation of advanced image reconstruction procedures is thus a key aspect. In this scenario, we implemented a dictionary learning method with a new form of convex functional. This functional contains in addition to the usual sparsity inducing and fidelity terms, a new term which forces similarity between overlapping patches in the superimposed regions. The functional depends on two free regularization parameters: a coefficient multiplying the sparsity-inducing L1 norm of the patch basis functions coefficients, and a coefficient multiplying the L2 norm of the differences between patches in the overlapping regions. The solution is found by applying the iterative proximal gradient descent method with FISTA acceleration. The gradient is computed by calculating projection of the solution and its error backprojection at each iterative step. We study the quality of the solution, as a function of the regularization parameters and noise, on synthetic data for which the solution is a-priori known. We apply the method on experimental data in the case of Differential Phase Tomography. For this case we use an original approach which consists in using vectorial patches, each patch having two components: one per each gradient component. The resulting algorithm, implemented in the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility tomography reconstruction code PyHST, has proven to be efficient and well-adapted to strongly reduce the required dose and the number of projections in medical tomography.

Tolerance of Snakes to Hypergravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lillywhite, H. B.; Ballard, R. E.; Hargens, A. R.

1994-01-01

Sensitivity of carotid blood flow to +Gz (head-to-tail) acceleration was studied in six species of snakes hypothesized to show varied adaptive cardiovascular responses to gravity. Blood flow in the proximal carotid artery was measured in 15 snakes before, during and following stepwise increments of +0.25Gz force produced on a 2.4 m diameter centrifuge. During centrifugation each snake was confined to a straight position within an individually- fitted acrylic tube with the head facing the center of rotation. We measured the centrifugal force at the tail of the snake in order to quantify the maximum intensity of force gradient promoting antero-posterior pooling of blood. Tolerance to increased gravity was quantified as the acceleration force at which carotid blood flow ceased. This parameter varied according to the gravitational adaptation of species defined by their ecology and behavior. At the extremes, carotid blood flow decreased in response to increasing gravity and approached zero near +1Gz in aquatic and ground-dwelling species, whereas in climbing species carotid flow was maintained at forces in excess of +2Gz. Surprisingly, tolerant (arboreal) species withstood hypergravic forces of +2 to +3 G. for periods up to 1 h without cessation of carotid blood flow or apparent loss of consciousness. Data suggest that relatively tight skin of the tolerant species provides a natural antigravity suit which is of prime importance in counteracting Gz stress on blood circulation.

LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS: Laser acceleration of neutrons (physical foundations)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivlin, Lev A.

2010-08-01

The concept of neutron acceleration in a gradient magnetic field of a 'drifting' standing electromagnetic wave is presented. The promising fields of application of an accelerated directional beam of ultracold neurons, in particular, remote initiation of nuclear reactions, are suggested.

Contribution of a Sodium Ion Gradient to Energy Conservation during Fermentation in the Cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima CS-328 ▿ †

PubMed Central

Carrieri, Damian; Ananyev, Gennady; Lenz, Oliver; Bryant, Donald A.; Dismukes, G. Charles

2011-01-01

Sodium gradients in cyanobacteria play an important role in energy storage under photoautotrophic conditions but have not been well studied during autofermentative metabolism under the dark, anoxic conditions widely used to produce precursors to fuels. Here we demonstrate significant stress-induced acceleration of autofermentation of photosynthetically generated carbohydrates (glycogen and sugars) to form excreted organic acids, alcohols, and hydrogen gas by the halophilic, alkalophilic cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima CS-328. When suspended in potassium versus sodium phosphate buffers at the start of autofermentation to remove the sodium ion gradient, photoautotrophically grown cells catabolized more intracellular carbohydrates while producing 67% higher yields of hydrogen, acetate, and ethanol (and significant amounts of lactate) as fermentative products. A comparable acceleration of fermentative carbohydrate catabolism occurred upon dissipating the sodium gradient via addition of the sodium-channel blocker quinidine or the sodium-ionophore monensin but not upon dissipating the proton gradient with the proton-ionophore dinitrophenol (DNP). The data demonstrate that intracellular energy is stored via a sodium gradient during autofermentative metabolism and that, when this gradient is blocked, the blockage is compensated by increased energy conversion via carbohydrate catabolism. PMID:21890670

Accelerated Radiation-Damping for Increased Spin Equilibrium (ARISE)

PubMed Central

Huang, Susie Y.; Witzel, Thomas; Wald, Lawrence L.

2008-01-01

Control of the longitudinal magnetization in fast gradient echo sequences is an important factor enabling the high efficiency of balanced Steady State Free Precession (bSSFP) sequences. We introduce a new method for accelerating the return of the longitudinal magnetization to the +z-axis that is independent of externally applied RF pulses and shows improved off-resonance performance. The Accelerated Radiation damping for Increased Spin Equilibrium (ARISE) method uses an external feedback circuit to strengthen the Radiation Damping (RD) field. The enhanced RD field rotates the magnetization back to the +z-axis at a rate faster than T1 relaxation. The method is characterized in gradient echo phantom imaging at 3T as a function of feedback gain, phase, and duration and compared with results from numerical simulations of the Bloch equations incorporating RD. A short period of feedback (10ms) during a refocused interval of a crushed gradient echo sequence allowed greater than 99% recovery of the longitudinal magnetization when very little T2 relaxation has time to occur. Appropriate applications might include improving navigated sequences. Unlike conventional flip-back schemes, the ARISE “flip-back” is generated by the spins themselves, thereby offering a potentially useful building block for enhancing gradient echo sequences. PMID:18956463

Wilson Prize Talk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symon, Keith R.

2005-04-01

In the late 1950's and the 1960's the MURA (Midwestern Universities Research Association) working group developed fixed field alternating gradient (FFAG) particle accelerators. FFAG accelerators are a natural corollary of the invention of alternating gradient focusing. The fixed guide field accommodates all orbits from the injection to the final energy. For this reason, the transverse motion in the guide field is nearly decoupled from the longitudinal acceleration. This allows a wide variety of acceleration schemes, using betatron or rf accelerating fields, beam stacking, bucket lifts, phase displacement, etc. It also simplifies theoretical and experimental studies of accelerators. Theoretical studies included an extensive analysis of rf acceleration processes, nonlinear orbit dynamics, and collective instabilities. Two FFAG designs, radial sector and spiral sector, were invented. The MURA team built small electron models of each type, and used them to study orbit dynamics, acceleration processes, orbit instabilities, and space charge limits. A practical result of these studies was the invention of the spiral sector cyclotron. Another was beam stacking, which led to the first practical way of achieving colliding beams. A 50 MeV two-way radial sector model was built in which it proved possible to stack a beam of over 10 amperes of electrons.

Beam manipulation with velocity bunching for PWFA applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompili, R.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Bisesto, F.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Curcio, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Galletti, M.; Gallo, A.; Giribono, A.; Li, W.; Marocchino, A.; Mostacci, A.; Petrarca, M.; Petrillo, V.; Di Pirro, G.; Romeo, S.; Rossi, A. R.; Scifo, J.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zhu, J.

2016-09-01

The activity of the SPARC_LAB test-facility (LNF-INFN, Frascati) is currently focused on the development of new plasma-based accelerators. Particle accelerators are used in many fields of science, with applications ranging from particle physics research to advanced radiation sources (e.g. FEL). The demand to accelerate particles to higher and higher energies is currently limited by the effective efficiency in the acceleration process that requires the development of km-size facilities. By increasing the accelerating gradient, the compactness can be improved and costs reduced. Recently, the new technique which attracts main efforts relies on plasma acceleration. In the following, the current status of plasma-based activities at SPARC_LAB is presented. Both laser- and beam-driven schemes will be adopted with the aim to provide an adequate accelerating gradient (1-10 GV/m) while preserving the brightness of the accelerated beams to the level of conventional photo-injectors. This aspect, in particular, requires the use of ultra-short (< 100 fs) electron beams, consisting in one or more bunches. We show, with the support of simulations and experimental results, that such beams can be produced using RF compression by velocity-bunching.

Acceleration effects observed in optical data taken in Spacelab 3 FES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trolinger, James; Lal, Ravindra; Ruff, Rudy

1990-01-01

Optical instrumentation in the Fluids Experiment System (FES) is briefly described. Samples of the data produced by the schlieren and holography systems during the Spacelab 3 flight are then presented with some of the holographic interferometry data being presented for the first time. Acceleration effects that can be observed in these data are discussed and the potential for using them as a basis for measurement is explored. This includes the tracking of deliberately introduced tracer particles and density gradients in the FES, the analysis of the existing concentration gradients, and a new fiber optic G-meter concept. Finally, some of the plans for acceleration measurement in the upcoming International Microgravity-1/FES are described.

Tune-stabilized, non-scaling, fixed-field, alternating gradient accelerator

DOEpatents

Johnstone, Carol J [Warrenville, IL

2011-02-01

A FFAG is a particle accelerator having turning magnets with a linear field gradient for confinement and a large edge angle to compensate for acceleration. FODO cells contain focus magnets and defocus magnets that are specified by a number of parameters. A set of seven equations, called the FFAG equations relate the parameters to one another. A set of constraints, call the FFAG constraints, constrain the FFAG equations. Selecting a few parameters, such as injection momentum, extraction momentum, and drift distance reduces the number of unknown parameters to seven. Seven equations with seven unknowns can be solved to yield the values for all the parameters and to thereby fully specify a FFAG.

Non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient permanent magnet cancer therapy accelerator

DOEpatents

Trbojevic, Dejan

2017-05-23

A non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator includes a racetrack shape including a first straight section connected to a first arc section, the first arc section connected to a second straight section, the second straight section connected to a second arc section, and the second arc section connected to the first straight section; an matching cells configured to match particle orbits between the first straight section, the first arc section, the second straight section, and the second arc section. The accelerator includes the matching cells and an associated matching procedure enabling the particle orbits at varying energies between an arc section and a straight section in the racetrack shape.

Particle acceleration and turbulence in cosmic Ray shocks: possible pathways beyond the Bohm limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkov, M. A.; Diamond, P. H.

2007-08-01

Diffusive shock acceleration is discussed in terms of its potential to accelerate cosmic rays (CR) to 1018 eV (beyond the ``knee,'' as observations suggest) and in terms of the related observational signatures (spectral features). One idea to reach this energy is to resonantly generate a turbulent magnetic field via accelerated particles much in excess of the background field. We identify difficulties with this scenario and suggest two separate mechanisms that can work in concert with one another leading to a significant acceleration enhancement. The first mechanism is based on a nonlinear modification of the flow ahead of the shock supported by particles already accelerated to some specific (knee) momentum. The particles gain energy by bouncing off converging magnetic irregularities frozen into the flow in the shock precursor and not so much by re-crossing the shock itself. The acceleration rate is determined by the gradient of the flow velocity and turns out to be formally independent of the particle mean free path. The velocity gradient is set by the knee-particles. The acceleration rate of particles above the knee does not decrease with energy, unlike in the linear acceleration regime. The knee (spectrum steepening) forms because particles above it are effectively confined to the shock only if they are within limited domains in the momentum space, while other particles fall into ``loss-islands'', similar to the ``loss-cone'' of magnetic traps. This also maintains the steep velocity gradient and high acceleration rate. The second mechanism is based on the generation of Alfven waves at the gyroradius scale at the background field level, with a subsequent transfer to longer scales via interaction with strong acoustic turbulence in the shock precursor. The acoustic turbulence in turn, may be generated by Drury instability or by parametric instability of the Alfven (A) waves.

Systems and methods of varying charged particle beam spot size

DOEpatents

Chen, Yu-Jiuan

2014-09-02

Methods and devices enable shaping of a charged particle beam. A modified dielectric wall accelerator includes a high gradient lens section and a main section. The high gradient lens section can be dynamically adjusted to establish the desired electric fields to minimize undesirable transverse defocusing fields at the entrance to the dielectric wall accelerator. Once a baseline setting with desirable output beam characteristic is established, the output beam can be dynamically modified to vary the output beam characteristics. The output beam can be modified by slightly adjusting the electric fields established across different sections of the modified dielectric wall accelerator. Additional control over the shape of the output beam can be excreted by introducing intentional timing de-synchronization offsets and producing an injected beam that is not fully matched to the entrance of the modified dielectric accelerator.

Cassini/CIRS Observations of Saturn’s Polar Vortices from Proximal Orbit Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achterberg, Richard; Bjoraker, Gordon L.; Hesman, Brigette E.; Flasar, F. Michael

2017-10-01

The proximal orbit phase of the Cassini mission, with periapses inside the inner edge of the rings, has allowed observations of Saturn’s atmosphere with unprecedented spatial resolution. During the periapse periods on 26 April and 29 June 2017, the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) performed scans over both the north and south poles with a spatial resolution better than 0.2° of latitude, over a factor of 4 better resolution than previous observations. A further observation of the south pole is planned on 20 Aug 2017.Previous thermal infrared observations of Saturn’s poles [1,2] showed a compact hot spot in the upper troposphere at each pole, roughly coincident with the hurricane-like polar vortex seen in visible imaging [3]. Preliminary results from the proximal orbit scans of the north pole, near summer solstice, show that in the upper troposphere, the meridional temperature gradient increases sharply at about 89°N, with the temperature increasing by ~5K between 89°N and the pole, with the temperature gradient persisting all the way to the pole within the spatial resolution of the observation. In the northern stratosphere, the polar hot spot is broader than in the troposphere, extending to ~86°N at 4 mbar, and disappearing into the general meridional gradient at 1 mbar.[1] G. S. Orton and P. A. Yanamadra-Fisher, Science 307, 696[2] L. N. Fletcher et al., Science, 319, 79[3] U. A. Dyudina et al., Icarus, 202, 240.

Passive driving forces of proximal tubular fluid and bicarbonate transport: gradient dependence of H+ secretion.

PubMed

Chan, Y L; Malnic, G; Giebisch, G

1983-11-01

The effect of oncotic pressure changes on fluid (Jv) and net bicarbonate transport (JHCO-3) and the transepithelial bicarbonate permeability (PHCO-3) were measured by an improved luminal and capillary microperfusion method that allows paired experiments on the same tubule. Rat proximal tubules were pump-perfused and Jv and [HCO-3] measured with [14C]inulin and a pH glass electrode. Raising peritubular protein (0-8-15 g/100 ml bovine serum albumin) stimulated Jv and HCO-3 reabsorption. The response to oncotic pressure changes was asymmetrical since changes of the luminal protein concentration had no significant effects. Whereas transepithelial solvent drag effects on HCO-3 must be minimal, peritubular protein most likely stimulates translocation of fluid and bicarbonate from intercellular spaces into peritubular capillaries. PHCO-3 was measured from HCO-3 net flux along a lumen-to-capillary-directed electrochemical potential gradient. In these experiments active H+ transport and Jv were minimized by 10(-4) M acetazolamide and luminal raffinose. PHCO-3 was 1.77 X 10(-5) cm X s-1 and was unaffected by increasing luminal flow rate from 10 to 45 nl X min-1. Since bicarbonate backflux is only a small fraction of physiological rates of JHCO-3, net transport alterations at varying [HCO-3] in the lumen must be due to changes in active HCO-3 (H+) transport. Thus, active H+ ion secretion across the luminal membrane of the proximal tubule is gradient dependent.

Statistics of vacuum breakdown in the high-gradient and low-rate regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuensch, Walter; Degiovanni, Alberto; Calatroni, Sergio; Korsbäck, Anders; Djurabekova, Flyura; Rajamäki, Robin; Giner-Navarro, Jorge

2017-01-01

In an increasing number of high-gradient linear accelerator applications, accelerating structures must operate with both high surface electric fields and low breakdown rates. Understanding the statistical properties of breakdown occurrence in such a regime is of practical importance for optimizing accelerator conditioning and operation algorithms, as well as of interest for efforts to understand the physical processes which underlie the breakdown phenomenon. Experimental data of breakdown has been collected in two distinct high-gradient experimental set-ups: A prototype linear accelerating structure operated in the Compact Linear Collider Xbox 12 GHz test stands, and a parallel plate electrode system operated with pulsed DC in the kV range. Collected data is presented, analyzed and compared. The two systems show similar, distinctive, two-part distributions of number of pulses between breakdowns, with each part corresponding to a specific, constant event rate. The correlation between distance and number of pulses between breakdown indicates that the two parts of the distribution, and their corresponding event rates, represent independent primary and induced follow-up breakdowns. The similarity of results from pulsed DC to 12 GHz rf indicates a similar vacuum arc triggering mechanism over the range of conditions covered by the experiments.

A Model for Selection of Eyespots on Butterfly Wings.

PubMed

Sekimura, Toshio; Venkataraman, Chandrasekhar; Madzvamuse, Anotida

2015-01-01

The development of eyespots on the wing surface of butterflies of the family Nympalidae is one of the most studied examples of biological pattern formation.However, little is known about the mechanism that determines the number and precise locations of eyespots on the wing. Eyespots develop around signaling centers, called foci, that are located equidistant from wing veins along the midline of a wing cell (an area bounded by veins). A fundamental question that remains unsolved is, why a certain wing cell develops an eyespot, while other wing cells do not. We illustrate that the key to understanding focus point selection may be in the venation system of the wing disc. Our main hypothesis is that changes in morphogen concentration along the proximal boundary veins of wing cells govern focus point selection. Based on previous studies, we focus on a spatially two-dimensional reaction-diffusion system model posed in the interior of each wing cell that describes the formation of focus points. Using finite element based numerical simulations, we demonstrate that variation in the proximal boundary condition is sufficient to robustly select whether an eyespot focus point forms in otherwise identical wing cells. We also illustrate that this behavior is robust to small perturbations in the parameters and geometry and moderate levels of noise. Hence, we suggest that an anterior-posterior pattern of morphogen concentration along the proximal vein may be the main determinant of the distribution of focus points on the wing surface. In order to complete our model, we propose a two stage reaction-diffusion system model, in which an one-dimensional surface reaction-diffusion system, posed on the proximal vein, generates the morphogen concentrations that act as non-homogeneous Dirichlet (i.e., fixed) boundary conditions for the two-dimensional reaction-diffusion model posed in the wing cells. The two-stage model appears capable of generating focus point distributions observed in nature. We therefore conclude that changes in the proximal boundary conditions are sufficient to explain the empirically observed distribution of eyespot focus points on the entire wing surface. The model predicts, subject to experimental verification, that the source strength of the activator at the proximal boundary should be lower in wing cells in which focus points form than in those that lack focus points. The model suggests that the number and locations of eyespot foci on the wing disc could be largely controlled by two kinds of gradients along two different directions, that is, the first one is the gradient in spatially varying parameters such as the reaction rate along the anterior-posterior direction on the proximal boundary of the wing cells, and the second one is the gradient in source values of the activator along the veins in the proximal-distal direction of the wing cell.

The effect of a longitudinal density gradient on electron plasma wake field acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsiklauri, David

2016-12-01

Three-dimensional, particle-in-cell, fully electromagnetic simulations of electron plasma wake field acceleration in the blow-out regime are presented. Earlier results are extended by (i) studying the effect of a longitudinal density gradient, (ii) avoiding the use of a co-moving simulation box, (iii) inclusion of ion motion, and (iv) studying fully electromagnetic plasma wake fields. It is established that injecting driving and trailing electron bunches into a positive density gradient of 10-fold increasing density over 10 cm long lithium vapour plasma results in spatially more compact and three times larger, compared with the uniform density case, electric fields (-6.4×1010 V m-1), leading to acceleration of the trailing bunch up to 24.4 GeV (starting from an initial 20.4 GeV), with energy transfer efficiencies from the leading to trailing bunch of 75%. In the uniform density case, a -2.5×1010 V m-1 wake is created leading to acceleration of the trailing bunch up to 22.4 GeV, with energy transfer efficiencies of 65%. It is also established that injecting the electron bunches into a negative density gradient of 10-fold decreasing density over 10 cm long plasma results in spatially more spread and two and a half smaller electric fields (-1.0×1010 V m-1), leading to a weaker acceleration of the trailing bunch up to 21.4 GeV, with energy transfer efficiencies of 45%. Taking ion motions into consideration shows that in the plasma wake ion number density can increase over a few times the background value. It is also shown that transverse electromagnetic fields in a plasma wake are of the same order as the longitudinal (electrostatic) ones.

Essay: Robert H. Siemann As Leader of the Advanced Accelerator Research Department

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colby, Eric R.; Hogan, Mark J.; /SLAC

Robert H. Siemann originally conceived of the Advanced Accelerator Research Department (AARD) as an academic, experimental group dedicated to probing the technical limitations of accelerators while providing excellent educational opportunities for young scientists. The early years of the Accelerator Research Department B, as it was then known, were dedicated to a wealth of mostly student-led experiments to examine the promise of advanced accelerator techniques. High-gradient techniques including millimeter-wave rf acceleration, beam-driven plasma acceleration, and direct laser acceleration were pursued, including tests of materials under rf pulsed heating and short-pulse laser radiation, to establish the ultimate limitations on gradient. As themore » department and program grew, so did the motivation to found an accelerator research center that brought experimentalists together in a test facility environment to conduct a broad range of experiments. The Final Focus Test Beam and later the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator provided unique experimental facilities for AARD staff and collaborators to carry out advanced accelerator experiments. Throughout the evolution of this dynamic program, Bob maintained a department atmosphere and culture more reminiscent of a university research group than a national laboratory department. His exceptional ability to balance multiple roles as scientist, professor, and administrator enabled the creation and preservation of an environment that fostered technical innovation and scholarship.« less

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem: Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beringer, Douglas B.

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory's CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency - 1.5 GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m - there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (approximately 45 MV/m for Niobium) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art niobium based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio-frequency applications.

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

PubMed Central

Manahan, G. G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; Delinikolas, P.; Beaton, A.; Knetsch, A.; Karger, O.; Wittig, G.; Heinemann, T.; Sheng, Z. M.; Cary, J. R.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, B.

2017-01-01

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m−1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread—an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wave can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. This reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams. PMID:28580954

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manahan, G. G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; Delinikolas, P.; Beaton, A.; Knetsch, A.; Karger, O.; Wittig, G.; Heinemann, T.; Sheng, Z. M.; Cary, J. R.; Bruhwiler, D. L.; Rosenzweig, J. B.; Hidding, B.

2017-06-01

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m-1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread--an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wave can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. This reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams.

Superconducting traveling wave accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farkas, Z.D.

1984-11-01

This note considers the applicability of superconductivity to traveling wave accelerators. Unlike CW operation of a superconducting standing wave or circulating wave accelerator section, which requires improvement factors (superconductor conductivity divided by copper conductivity) of about 10/sup 6/ in order to be of practical use, a SUperconducting TRaveling wave Accelerator, SUTRA, operating in the pulsed mode requires improvement factors as low as about 10/sup 3/, which are attainable with niobium or lead at 4.2K, the temperature of liquid helium at atmospheric pressure. Changing from a copper traveling wave accelerator to SUTRA achieves the following. (1) For a given gradient SUTRAmore » reduces the peak and average power requirements typically by a factor of 2. (2) SUTRA reduces the peak power still further because it enables us to increase the filling time and thus trade pulse width for gradient. (3) SUTRA makes possible a reasonably long section at higher frequencies. (4) SUTRA makes possible recirculation without additional rf average power. 8 references, 6 figures, 1 table.« less

Fabrication Technologies of the High Gradient Accelerator Structures at 100MV/M Range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Juwen; /SLAC; Lewandowski, James

A CERN-SLAC-KEK collaboration on high gradient X-band structure research has been established in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the CLIC baseline design for the main linac stably operating at more than 100 MV/m loaded accelerating gradient. Several prototype CLIC structures were successfully fabricated and high power tested. They operated at 105 MV/m with a breakdown rate that meets the CLIC linear collider specifications of < 5 x 10{sup -7}/pulse/m. This paper summarizes the fabrication technologies including the mechanical design, precision machining, chemical cleaning, diffusion bonding as well as vacuum baking and all related assembly technologies. Also, the tolerances control,more » tuning and RF characterization will be discussed.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bogacz, Slawomir Alex

Here, we summarize current state of concept for muon acceleration aimed at future Neutrino Factory. The main thrust of these studies was to reduce the overall cost while maintaining performance through exploring interplay between complexity of the cooling systems and the acceptance of the accelerator complex. To ensure adequate survival of the short-lived muons, acceleration must occur at high average gradient. The need for large transverse and longitudinal acceptances drives the design of the acceleration system to initially low RF frequency, e.g. 325 MHz, and then increased to 650 MHz, as the transverse size shrinks with increasing energy. High-gradient normalmore » conducting RF cavities at these frequencies require extremely high peak-power RF sources. Hence superconducting RF (SRF) cavities are chosen. Here, we considered two cost effective schemes for accelerating muon beams for a stagable Neutrino Factory: Exploration of the so-called 'dual-use' linac concept, where the same linac structure is used for acceleration of both H- and muons and alternatively, the SRF efficient design based on multi-pass (4.5) 'dogbone' RLA, extendable to multi-pass FFAG-like arcs.« less

FFAGs: Front-end for neutrino factories and medical accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Yoshiharu

The idea of Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerator was originated by different people and groups in the early 1950s. It was independently introduced by Ohkawa [Ohkawa (1953)], Symon et al. [Symon et al. (1956)], and Kolomensky [Kolomensky and Lebedev (1966)] when the strong Alternate Gradient (AG) focusing and the phase stability schemes were applied to particle acceleration. The first FFAG electron model was developed in the MURA accelerator project led by Kerst and Cole in the late 1950s. Since then, they have fabricated several electron models in the early 1960s [Symon et al. (1956)]. However, the studies did not lead to a single practical FFAG accelerator for the following 50 years. Because of the difficulties of treating non-linear magnetic field and RF acceleration for non-relativistic particles, the proton FFAG, especially, was not accomplished until recently. In 2000, the FFAG concept was revived with the world's first proton FFAG (POP) which was developed at KEK [Aiba (2000); Mori (1999)]. Since then, in many places [Berg (2004); Johnstone et al. (2004); Mori (2011); Ruggiero (2004); Trbojevic (2004)], FFAGs have been developed and constructed...

14 CFR 25.115 - Takeoff flight path.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... each point by a gradient of climb equal to— (1) 0.8 percent for two-engine airplanes; (2) 0.9 percent... reduction in climb gradient may be applied as an equivalent reduction in acceleration along that part of the...

Muon Acceleration Concepts for NuMAX: "Dual-use" Linac and "Dogbone" RLA

DOE PAGES

Bogacz, S. A.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we summarize the current state of a concept for muon acceleration aimed at a future Neutrino Factory. The main thrust of these studies was to reduce the overall cost while maintaining performance by exploring the interplay between the complexity of the cooling systems and the acceptance of the accelerator complex. To ensure adequate survival for the short-lived muons, acceleration must occur at high average gradient. The need for large transverse and longitudinal acceptances drives the design of the acceleration system to an initially low RF frequency, e.g., 325 MHz, which is then increased to 650 MHz asmore » the transverse size shrinks with increasing energy. High-gradient normal conducting RF cavities at these frequencies require extremely high peak-power RF sources. Hence superconducting RF (SRF) cavities are chosen. Finally, we consider two cost effective schemes for accelerating muon beams for a stageable Neutrino Factory: exploration of the so-called "dual-use" linac concept, where the same linac structure is used for acceleration of both H - and muons and, alternatively, an SRF-efficient design based on a multi-pass (4.5) "dogbone" RLA, extendable to multi-pass FFAG-like arcs.« less

High-Voltage Breakdown Penalties for the Beam-Breakup Instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ekdahl, Carl August

2016-11-22

The strength of the dangerous beam breakup (BBU) instability in linear induction accelerators (LIAs) is determined by the transverse coupling impedance Z ⊥ of the induction cell cavity. For accelerating gap width w less than the beam pipe radius b, the transverse impedance is theoretically proportional to w/b, favoring narrow gaps to suppress BBU. On the other hand, cells with narrow gaps cannot support high accelerating gradients, because of electrical breakdown and shorting of the gap. Thus, there is an engineering trade-off between BBU growth and accelerating gradient, which must be considered for next generation LIAs now being designed. Inmore » this article this tradeoff is explored, using a simple pillbox cavity as an illustrative example. For this model, widening the gap to reduce the probability of breakdown increases BBU growth, unless higher magnetic focusing fields are used to further suppress the instability.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bogacz, Alex

We summarize the current state of a concept for muon acceleration aimed at a future Neutrino Factory and extendable to Higgs Factory. The main thrust of these studies was to reduce the overall cost while maintaining performance by exploring the interplay between the complexity of the cooling systems and the acceptance of the accelerator complex. To ensure adequate survival for the short-lived muons, acceleration must occur at high average gradient. The need for large transverse and longitudinal acceptances drives the design of the acceleration system to an initially low RF frequency, e.g., 325 MHz, which is then increased to 650more » MHz as the transverse size shrinks with increasing energy. High-gradient normal conducting RF cavities at these frequencies require extremely high peak-power RF sources. Hence superconducting RF (SRF) cavities are chosen. We consider an SRF-efficient design based on a multi-pass (4.5) ?dogbone? RLA, extendable to multi-pass FFAG-like arcs.« less

Manufacturing in space: Fluid dynamics numerical analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, S. J.; Nicholson, L. A.; Spradley, L. W.

1982-01-01

Numerical computations were performed for natural convection in circular enclosures under various conditions of acceleration. It was found that subcritical acceleration vectors applied in the direction of the temperature gradient will lead to an eventual state of rest regardless of the initial state of motion. Supercritical acceleration vectors will lead to the same steady state condition of motion regardless of the initial state of motion. Convection velocities were computed for acceleration vectors at various angles of the initial temperature gradient. The results for Rayleigh numbers of 1000 or less were found to closely follow Weinbaum's first order theory. Higher Rayleigh number results were shown to depart significantly from the first order theory. Supercritical behavior was confirmed for Rayleigh numbers greater than the known supercritical value of 9216. Response times were determined to provide an indication of the time required to change states of motion for the various cases considered.

Social Capital and Geography of Learning: Roles in Accelerating the Spread of Integrated Pest Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palis, Florencia G.; Morin, Stephen; Hossain, Mahabub

2005-01-01

This paper aims to show the relevance of spatial proximity and social capital in accelerating the spread of agricultural technologies such as integrated pest management (IPM). The research was done in response to the problem of slow diffusion of agricultural technologies. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in investigating the…

Convergence Rates of Finite Difference Stochastic Approximation Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

dfferences as gradient approximations. It is shown that the convergence of these algorithms can be accelerated by controlling the implementation of the...descent algorithm, under various updating schemes using finite dfferences as gradient approximations. It is shown that the convergence of these...the Kiefer-Wolfowitz algorithm and the mirror descent algorithm, under various updating schemes using finite differences as gradient approximations. It

Accelerating deep neural network training with inconsistent stochastic gradient descent.

PubMed

Wang, Linnan; Yang, Yi; Min, Renqiang; Chakradhar, Srimat

2017-09-01

Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) updates Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with a noisy gradient computed from a random batch, and each batch evenly updates the network once in an epoch. This model applies the same training effort to each batch, but it overlooks the fact that the gradient variance, induced by Sampling Bias and Intrinsic Image Difference, renders different training dynamics on batches. In this paper, we develop a new training strategy for SGD, referred to as Inconsistent Stochastic Gradient Descent (ISGD) to address this problem. The core concept of ISGD is the inconsistent training, which dynamically adjusts the training effort w.r.t the loss. ISGD models the training as a stochastic process that gradually reduces down the mean of batch's loss, and it utilizes a dynamic upper control limit to identify a large loss batch on the fly. ISGD stays on the identified batch to accelerate the training with additional gradient updates, and it also has a constraint to penalize drastic parameter changes. ISGD is straightforward, computationally efficient and without requiring auxiliary memories. A series of empirical evaluations on real world datasets and networks demonstrate the promising performance of inconsistent training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiplexed phase-space imaging for 3D fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Liu, Hsiou-Yuan; Zhong, Jingshan; Waller, Laura

2017-06-26

Optical phase-space functions describe spatial and angular information simultaneously; examples of optical phase-space functions include light fields in ray optics and Wigner functions in wave optics. Measurement of phase-space enables digital refocusing, aberration removal and 3D reconstruction. High-resolution capture of 4D phase-space datasets is, however, challenging. Previous scanning approaches are slow, light inefficient and do not achieve diffraction-limited resolution. Here, we propose a multiplexed method that solves these problems. We use a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the pupil plane of a microscope in order to sequentially pattern multiplexed coded apertures while capturing images in real space. Then, we reconstruct the 3D fluorescence distribution of our sample by solving an inverse problem via regularized least squares with a proximal accelerated gradient descent solver. We experimentally reconstruct a 101 Megavoxel 3D volume (1010×510×500µm with NA 0.4), demonstrating improved acquisition time, light throughput and resolution compared to scanning aperture methods. Our flexible patterning scheme further allows sparsity in the sample to be exploited for reduced data capture.

Remote Detection of Saline Intrusion in a Coastal Aquifer Using Borehole Measurements of Self-Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacAllister, DJ.; Jackson, M. D.; Butler, A. P.; Vinogradov, J.

2018-03-01

Two years of self-potential (SP) measurements were made in a monitoring borehole in the coastal UK Chalk aquifer. The borehole SP data showed a persistent gradient with depth, and temporal variations with a tidal power spectrum consistent with ocean tides. No gradient with depth was observed at a second coastal monitoring borehole ca. 1 km further inland, and no gradient or tidal power spectrum were observed at an inland site ca. 80 km from the coast. Numerical modeling suggests that the SP gradient recorded in the coastal monitoring borehole is dominated by the exclusion-diffusion potential, which arises from the concentration gradient across a saline front in close proximity to, but not intersecting, the base of the borehole. No such saline front is present at the two other monitoring sites. Modeling further suggests that the ocean tidal SP response in the borehole, measured prior to breakthrough of saline water, is dominated by the exclusion-diffusion potential across the saline front, and that the SP fluctuations are due to the tidal movement of the remote front. The electrokinetic potential, caused by changes in hydraulic head across the tide, is one order of magnitude too small to explain the observed SP data. The results suggest that in coastal aquifers, the exclusion-diffusion potential plays a dominant role in borehole SP when a saline front is nearby. The SP gradient with depth indicates the close proximity of the saline front to the borehole and changes in SP at the borehole reflect changes in the location of the saline front. Thus, SP monitoring can be used to facilitate more proactive management of abstraction and saline intrusion in coastal aquifers.

Effect of RF Gradient upon the Performance of the Wisconsin SRF Electron Gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bosch, Robert; Legg, Robert A.

2013-12-01

The performance of the Wisconsin 200-MHz SRF electron gun is simulated for several values of the RF gradient. Bunches with charge of 200 pC are modeled for the case where emittance compensation is completed during post-acceleration to 85 MeV in a TESLA module. We first perform simulations in which the initial bunch radius is optimal for the design gradient of 41 MV/m. We then optimize the radius as a function of RF gradient to improve the performance for low gradients.

Sleep and Skin Temperature in Preschool Children and Their Mothers.

PubMed

Okamoto-Mizuno, Kazue; Mizuno, Koh; Shirakawa, Shuichiro

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare sleep and skin temperature (Tsk) of preschool children with those of their mothers. The subjects included 18 pairs of preschool children and their mothers. The actigraphic measurement of sleep, Tsk, heart rate, bedroom climate, and the microclimate temperature and humidity (bed climate) were measured. Proximal and distal Tsk, the temperature gradient of distal and proximal Tsk (DPG), and bed climate temperature were significantly lower in the children. Approximately 70% of the children slept without bed covering. Heat dissipation during sleep in preschool children may primarily rely on the proximal Tsk. The lower Tsk than adults, and behavioral thermoregulation, may be important for sleep in preschoolers.

Simplification of arboreal marsupial assemblages in response to increasing urbanization.

PubMed

Isaac, Bronwyn; White, John; Ierodiaconou, Daniel; Cooke, Raylene

2014-01-01

Arboreal marsupials play an essential role in ecosystem function including regulating insect and plant populations, facilitating pollen and seed dispersal and acting as a prey source for higher-order carnivores in Australian environments. Primarily, research has focused on their biology, ecology and response to disturbance in forested and urban environments. We used presence-only species distribution modelling to understand the relationship between occurrences of arboreal marsupials and eco-geographical variables, and to infer habitat suitability across an urban gradient. We used post-proportional analysis to determine whether increasing urbanization affected potential habitat for arboreal marsupials. The key eco-geographical variables that influenced disturbance intolerant species and those with moderate tolerance to disturbance were natural features such as tree cover and proximity to rivers and to riparian vegetation, whereas variables for disturbance tolerant species were anthropogenic-based (e.g., road density) but also included some natural characteristics such as proximity to riparian vegetation, elevation and tree cover. Arboreal marsupial diversity was subject to substantial change along the gradient, with potential habitat for disturbance-tolerant marsupials distributed across the complete gradient and potential habitat for less tolerant species being restricted to the natural portion of the gradient. This resulted in highly-urbanized environments being inhabited by a few generalist arboreal marsupial species. Increasing urbanization therefore leads to functional simplification of arboreal marsupial assemblages, thus impacting on the ecosystem services they provide.

Simplification of Arboreal Marsupial Assemblages in Response to Increasing Urbanization

PubMed Central

Isaac, Bronwyn; White, John; Ierodiaconou, Daniel; Cooke, Raylene

2014-01-01

Arboreal marsupials play an essential role in ecosystem function including regulating insect and plant populations, facilitating pollen and seed dispersal and acting as a prey source for higher-order carnivores in Australian environments. Primarily, research has focused on their biology, ecology and response to disturbance in forested and urban environments. We used presence-only species distribution modelling to understand the relationship between occurrences of arboreal marsupials and eco-geographical variables, and to infer habitat suitability across an urban gradient. We used post-proportional analysis to determine whether increasing urbanization affected potential habitat for arboreal marsupials. The key eco-geographical variables that influenced disturbance intolerant species and those with moderate tolerance to disturbance were natural features such as tree cover and proximity to rivers and to riparian vegetation, whereas variables for disturbance tolerant species were anthropogenic-based (e.g., road density) but also included some natural characteristics such as proximity to riparian vegetation, elevation and tree cover. Arboreal marsupial diversity was subject to substantial change along the gradient, with potential habitat for disturbance-tolerant marsupials distributed across the complete gradient and potential habitat for less tolerant species being restricted to the natural portion of the gradient. This resulted in highly-urbanized environments being inhabited by a few generalist arboreal marsupial species. Increasing urbanization therefore leads to functional simplification of arboreal marsupial assemblages, thus impacting on the ecosystem services they provide. PMID:24608165

Racetrack-shape fixed field induction accelerator for giant cluster ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayama, Ken; Adachi, Toshikazu; Wake, Masayoshi; Okamura, Katsuya

2015-05-01

A novel scheme for a racetrack-shape fixed field induction accelerator (RAFFIA) capable of accelerating extremely heavy cluster ions (giant cluster ions) is described. The key feature of this scheme is rapid induction acceleration by localized induction cells. Triggering the induction voltages provided by the signals from the circulating bunch allows repeated acceleration of extremely heavy cluster ions. The given RAFFIA example is capable of realizing the integrated acceleration voltage of 50 MV per acceleration cycle. Using 90° bending magnets with a reversed field strip and field gradient is crucial for assuring orbit stability in the RAFFIA.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Checchin, Mattia

Superconducting niobium accelerating cavities are devices operating in radio-frequency and able to accelerate charged particles up to energy of tera-electron-volts. Such accelerating structures are though limited in terms of quality factor and accelerating gradient, that translates--in some cases--in higher capital costs of construction and operation of superconducting rf accelerators. Looking forward for a new generation of more affordable accelerators, the physical description of limiting mechanisms in superconducting microwave resonators is discussed. In particular, the physics behind the dissipation introduced by vortices in the superconductor, the ultimate quench limitations and the quality factor degradation mechanism after a quench are described inmore » detail. One of the limiting factor of the quality factor is the dissipation introduced by trapped magnetic flux vortices. The radio-frequency complex response of trapped vortices in superconductors is derived by solving the motion equation for a magnetic flux line, assuming a bi-dimensional and mean free path-dependent Lorentzian-shaped pinning potential. The resulting surface resistance shows the bell-shaped trend as a function of the mean free path, in agreement with the experimental data observed. Such bell-shaped trend of the surface resistance is described in terms of the interplay of the two limiting regimes identified as pinning and flux flow regimes, for low and large mean free path values respectively. The model predicts that the dissipation regime--pinning- or flux-flow-dominated--can be tuned either by acting on the frequency or on the electron mean free path value. The effect of different configurations of pinning sites and strength on the vortex surface resistance are also discussed. Accelerating cavities are also limited by the quench of the superconductive state, which limits the maximum accelerating gradient achievable. The accelerating field limiting factor is usually associate d to the superheating field, which is intimately correlated to the penetration of magnetic flux vortices in the material. Experimental data for N-doped cavities suggest that uniform Ginzburg-Landau parameter cavities are statistically limited by the lower critical field, in terms of accelerating gradient. By introducing a Ginzburg-Landau parameter profile at the cavity rf surface--dirty layer--the accelerating gradient of superconducting resonators can be enhanced. The description of the physics behind the accelerating gradient enhancement as a consequence of the dirty layer is carried out by solving numerically the Ginzburg-Landau equations for the layered system. The enhancement is showed to be promoted by the higher energy barrier to vortex penetration, and by the enhanced lower critical field. Another serious threat to the quality factor during the cavity operation is the extra dissipation introduced by the quench. Such quality factor degradation mechanism due to the quench, is generated by the trapping of external magnetic flux at quench spot. The purely extrinsic origin of such extra dissipation is proven by the impossibility of decrease the quality factor by quenching in a magnetic field-free environment. Also, a clear relation of the dissipation introduced by quenching to the orientation of the applied magnetic field is observed. The full recover of the quality factor by re-quenching in compensated field is possible when the trapped flux at the quench spot is modest. On the contrary, when the trapped magnetic flux is too large, the quality factor degradation may become irreversible by this technique, likely due to the outward flux migration beyond the normal zone opening during the quench.« less

Physics of Limiting Phenomena in Superconducting Microwave Resonators: Vortex Dissipation, Ultimate Quench and Quality Factor Degradation Mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Checchin, Mattia

Superconducting niobium accelerating cavities are devices operating in radio-frequency and able to accelerate charged particles up to energy of tera-electron-volts. Such accelerating structures are though limited in terms of quality factor and accelerating gradient, that translates--in some cases--in higher capital costs of construction and operation of superconducting rf accelerators. Looking forward for a new generation of more affordable accelerators, the physical description of limiting mechanisms in superconducting microwave resonators is discussed. In particular, the physics behind the dissipation introduced by vortices in the superconductor, the ultimate quench limitations and the quality factor degradation mechanism after a quench are described inmore » detail. One of the limiting factor of the quality factor is the dissipation introduced by trapped magnetic flux vortices. The radio-frequency complex response of trapped vortices in superconductors is derived by solving the motion equation for a magnetic flux line, assuming a bi-dimensional and mean free path-dependent Lorentzian-shaped pinning potential. The resulting surface resistance shows the bell-shaped trend as a function of the mean free path, in agreement with the experimental data observed. Such bell-shaped trend of the surface resistance is described in terms of the interplay of the two limiting regimes identified as pinning and flux flow regimes, for low and large mean free path values respectively. The model predicts that the dissipation regime--pinning- or flux-flow-dominated--can be tuned either by acting on the frequency or on the electron mean free path value. The effect of different configurations of pinning sites and strength on the vortex surface resistance are also discussed. Accelerating cavities are also limited by the quench of the superconductive state, which limits the maximum accelerating gradient achievable. The accelerating field limiting factor is usually associate d to the superheating field, which is intimately correlated to the penetration of magnetic flux vortices in the material. Experimental data for N-doped cavities suggest that uniform Ginzburg-Landau parameter cavities are statistically limited by the lower critical field, in terms of accelerating gradient. By introducing a Ginzburg-Landau parameter profile at the cavity rf surface--dirty layer--the accelerating gradient of superconducting resonators can be enhanced. The description of the physics behind the accelerating gradient enhancement as a consequence of the dirty layer is carried out by solving numerically the Ginzburg-Landau equations for the layered system. The enhancement is showed to be promoted by the higher energy barrier to vortex penetration, and by the enhanced lower critical field. Another serious threat to the quality factor during the cavity operation is the extra dissipation introduced by the quench. Such quality factor degradation mechanism due to the quench, is generated by the trapping of external magnetic flux at quench spot. The purely extrinsic origin of such extra dissipation is proven by the impossibility of decrease the quality factor by quenching in a magnetic field-free environment. Also, a clear relation of the dissipation introduced by quenching to the orientation of the applied magnetic field is observed. The full recover of the quality factor by re-quenching in compensated field is possible when the trapped flux at the quench spot is modest. On the contrary, when the trapped magnetic flux is too large, the quality factor degradation may become irreversible by this technique, likely due to the outward flux migration beyond the normal zone opening during the quench.« less

Physics of limiting phenomena in superconducting microwave resonators: Vortex dissipation, ultimate quench and quality factor degradation mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Checchin, Mattia

Superconducting niobium accelerating cavities are devices operating in radiofrequency and able to accelerate charged particles up to energy of tera-electron-volts. Such accelerating structures are though limited in terms of quality factor and accelerating gradient, that translates--in some cases--in higher capital costs of construction and operation of superconducting rf accelerators. Looking forward for a new generation of more affordable accelerators, the physical description of limiting mechanisms in superconducting microwave resonators is discussed. In particular, the physics behind the dissipation introduced by vortices in the superconductor, the ultimate quench limitations and the quality factor degradation mechanism after a quench are described in detail. One of the limiting factor of the quality factor is the dissipation introduced by trapped magnetic flux vortices. The radio-frequency complex response of trapped vortices in superconductors is derived by solving the motion equation for a magnetic flux line, assuming a bi-dimensional and mean free path-dependent Lorentzian-shaped pinning potential. The resulting surface resistance shows the bell-shaped trend as a function of the mean free path, in agreement with the experimental data observed. Such bell-shaped trend of the surface resistance is described in terms of the interplay of the two limiting regimes identified as pinning and flux flow regimes, for low and large mean free path values respectively. The model predicts that the dissipation regime--pinning- or flux-flow-dominated--can be tuned either by acting on the frequency or on the electron mean free path value. The effect of different configurations of pinning sites and strength on the vortex surface resistance are also discussed. Accelerating cavities are also limited by the quench of the superconductive state, which limits the maximum accelerating gradient achievable. The accelerating field limiting factor is usually associated to the superheating field, which is intimately correlated to the penetration of magnetic flux vortices in the material. Experimental data for N-doped cavities suggest that uniform Ginzburg-Landau parameter cavities are statistically limited by the lower critical field, in terms of accelerating gradient. By introducing a Ginzburg-Landau parameter profile at the cavity rf surface--dirty layer--the accelerating gradient of superconducting resonators can be enhanced. The description of the physics behind the accelerating gradient enhancement as a consequence of the dirty layer is carried out by solving numerically the Ginzburg-Landau equations for the layered system. The enhancement is showed to be promoted by the higher energy barrier to vortex penetration, and by the enhanced lower critical field. Another serious threat to the quality factor during the cavity operation is the extra dissipation introduced by the quench. Such quality factor degradation mechanism due to the quench, is generated by the trapping of external magnetic flux at the quench spot. The purely extrinsic origin of such extra dissipation is proven by the impossibility of decrease the quality factor by quenching in a magnetic field-free environment. Also, a clear relation of the dissipation introduced by quenching to the orientation of the applied magnetic field is observed. The full recover of the quality factor by re-quenching in compensated field is possible when the trapped flux at the quench spot is modest. On the contrary, when the trapped magnetic flux is too large, the quality factor degradation may become irreversible by this technique, likely due to the outward flux migration beyond the normal zone opening during the quench.

Acceleration of neutrons in a scheme of a tautochronous mathematical pendulum (physical principles)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivlin, Lev A

We consider the physical principles of neutron acceleration through a multiple synchronous interaction with a gradient rf magnetic field in a scheme of a tautochronous mathematical pendulum. (laser applications and other aspects of quantum electronics)

Childhood leukaemia near nuclear sites in Belgium, 2002–2008

PubMed Central

Bollaerts, Kaatje; Simons, Koen; Van Bladel, Lodewijk; De Smedt, Tom; Sonck, Michel; Fierens, Sébastien; Poffijn, André; Geraets, David; Gosselin, Pol; Van Oyen, Herman; Francart, Julie

2018-01-01

This paper describes an ecological study investigating whether there is an excess incidence of acute leukaemia among children aged 0–14 years living in the vicinity of the nuclear sites in Belgium. Poisson regression modelling was carried out for proximity areas of varying sizes. In addition, the hypothesis of a gradient in leukaemia incidence with increasing levels of surrogate exposures was explored by means of focused hypothesis tests and generalized additive models. For the surrogate exposures, three proxies were used, that is, residential proximity to the nuclear site, prevailing winds and simulated radioactive discharges, on the basis of mathematical dispersion modelling. No excess incidence of acute leukaemia was observed around the nuclear power plants of Doel or Tihange nor around the nuclear site of Fleurus, which is a major manufacturer of radioactive isotopes in Europe. Around the site of Mol-Dessel, however, two- to three-fold increased leukaemia incidence rates were found in children aged 0–14 years living in the 0–5, 0–10 and the 0–15 km proximity areas. For this site, there was evidence for a gradient in leukaemia incidence with increased proximity, prevailing winds and simulated radioactive discharges, suggesting a potential link with the site that needs further investigation. An increased incidence of acute leukaemia in children aged 0–14 years was observed around one nuclear site that hosted reprocessing activities in the past and where nuclear research activities and radioactive waste treatment are ongoing. PMID:27380513

Variable high gradient permanent magnet quadrupole (QUAPEVA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marteau, F.; Ghaith, A.; N'Gotta, P.; Benabderrahmane, C.; Valléau, M.; Kitegi, C.; Loulergue, A.; Vétéran, J.; Sebdaoui, M.; André, T.; Le Bec, G.; Chavanne, J.; Vallerand, C.; Oumbarek, D.; Cosson, O.; Forest, F.; Jivkov, P.; Lancelot, J. L.; Couprie, M. E.

2017-12-01

Different applications such as laser plasma acceleration, colliders, and diffraction limited light sources require high gradient quadrupoles, with strength that can reach up to 200 T/m for a typical 10 mm bore diameter. We present here a permanent magnet based quadrupole (so-called QUAPEVA) composed of a Halbach ring and surrounded by four permanent magnet cylinders. Its design including magnetic simulation modeling enabling us to reach 201 T/m with a gradient variability of 45% and mechanical issues are reported. Magnetic measurements of seven systems of different lengths are presented and confirmed the theoretical expectations. The variation of the magnetic center while changing the gradient strength is ±10 μm. A triplet of QUAPEVA magnets is used to efficiently focus a beam with large energy spread and high divergence that is generated by a Laser Plasma Acceleration source for a free electron laser demonstration and has enabled us to perform beam based alignment and control the dispersion of the beam.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Junginger, Tobias; Abidi, S. H.; Maffett, R. D.

Here, the performance of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities used for particle accelerators depends on two characteristic material parameters: field of first flux entry H entry and pinning strength. The former sets the limit for the maximum achievable accelerating gradient, while the latter determines how efficiently flux can be expelled related to the maximum achievable quality factor. In this paper, a method based on muon spin rotation (μSR) is developed to probe these parameters on samples. It combines measurements from two different spectrometers, one being specifically built for these studies and samples of different geometries. It is found that annealing atmore » 1400°C virtually eliminates all pinning. Such an annealed substrate is ideally suited to measure H entry of layered superconductors, which might enable accelerating gradients beyond bulk niobium technology.« less

Acceleration of Convergence to Equilibrium in Markov Chains by Breaking Detailed Balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, Marcus; Jack, Robert L.; Zimmer, Johannes

2017-07-01

We analyse and interpret the effects of breaking detailed balance on the convergence to equilibrium of conservative interacting particle systems and their hydrodynamic scaling limits. For finite systems of interacting particles, we review existing results showing that irreversible processes converge faster to their steady state than reversible ones. We show how this behaviour appears in the hydrodynamic limit of such processes, as described by macroscopic fluctuation theory, and we provide a quantitative expression for the acceleration of convergence in this setting. We give a geometrical interpretation of this acceleration, in terms of currents that are antisymmetric under time-reversal and orthogonal to the free energy gradient, which act to drive the system away from states where (reversible) gradient-descent dynamics result in slow convergence to equilibrium.

Compact, maintainable 80-KeV neutral beam module

DOEpatents

Fink, Joel H.; Molvik, Arthur W.

1980-01-01

A compact, maintainable 80-keV arc chamber, extractor module for a neutral beam system immersed in a vacuum of <10.sup.-2 Torr, incorporating a nested 60-keV gradient shield located midway between the high voltage ion source and surrounding grounded frame. The shield reduces breakdown or arcing path length without increasing the voltage gradient, tends to keep electric fields normal to conducting surfaces rather than skewed and reduces the peak electric field around irregularities on the 80-keV electrodes. The arc chamber or ion source is mounted separately from the extractor or ion accelerator to reduce misalignment of the accelerator and to permit separate maintenance to be performed on these systems. The separate mounting of the ion source provides for maintaining same without removing the ion accelerator.

Cyclotrons and FFAG Accelerators as Drivers for ADS

DOE PAGES

Calabretta, Luciano; Méot, François

2015-01-01

Our review summarizes projects and studies on circular accelerators proposed for driving subcritical reactors. The early isochronous cyclotron cascades, proposed about 20 years ago, and the evolution of these layouts up to the most recent solutions or designs based on cyclotrons and fixed field alternating gradient accelerators, are reported. Additionally, the newest ideas and their prospects for development are discussed.

Five-cell superconducting RF module with a PBG coupler cell: design and cold testing of the copper prototype

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arsenyev, Sergey Andreyevich; Simakov, Evgenya Ivanovna; Shchegolkov, Dmitry

2015-04-29

We report the design and experimental data for a copper prototype of a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerator module. The five-cell module has an incorporated photonic band gap (PBG) cell with couplers. The purpose of the PBG cell is to achieve better higher order mode (HOM) damping, which is vital for preserving the quality of high-current electron beams. Better HOM damping raises the current threshold for beam instabilities in novel SRF accelerators. The PBG design also increases the real-estate gradient of the linac because both HOM damping and the fundamental power coupling can be done through the PBG cell instead ofmore » on the beam pipe via complicated end assemblies. First, we will discuss the design and accelerating properties of the structure. The five-cell module was optimized to provide good HOM damping while maintaining the same accelerating properties as conventional elliptical-cell modules. We will then discuss the process of tuning the structure to obtain the desired accelerating gradient profile. Finally, we will list measured quality factors for the accelerating mode and the most dangerous HOMs.« less

Atom interferometric gravity gradiometer: Disturbance compensation and mobile gradiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahadeswaraswamy, Chetan

First ever mobile gravity gradient measurement based on Atom Interferometric sensors has been demonstrated. Mobile gravity gradiometers play a significant role in high accuracy inertial navigation systems in order to distinguish inertial acceleration and acceleration due to gravity. The gravity gradiometer consists of two atom interferometric accelerometers. In each of the accelerometer an ensemble of laser cooled Cesium atoms is dropped and using counter propagating Raman pulses (pi/2-pi-pi/2) the ensemble is split into two states for carrying out atom interferometry. The interferometer phase is proportional to the specific force experienced by the atoms which is a combination of inertial acceleration and acceleration due to gravity. The difference in phase between the two atom interferometric sensors is proportional to gravity gradient if the platform does not undergo any rotational motion. However, any rotational motion of the platform induces spurious gravity gradient measurements. This apparent gravity gradient due to platform rotation is considerably different for an atom interferometric sensor compared to a conventional force rebalance type sensor. The atoms are in free fall and are not influenced by the motion of the case except at the instants of Raman pulses. A model for determining apparent gravity gradient due to rotation of platform was developed and experimentally verified for different frequencies. This transfer function measurement also lead to the development of a new technique for aligning the Raman laser beams with the atom clusters to within 20 mu rad. This gravity gradiometer is situated in a truck for the purpose of undertaking mobile surveys. A disturbance compensation system was designed and built in order to compensate for the rotational disturbances experienced on the floor of a truck. An electric drive system was also designed specifically to be able to move the truck in a uniform motion at very low speeds of about 1cm/s. A 250 x10-9 s-2 gravity gradient signature due to an underground void at Hansen Experimental Physics Building at Stanford was successfully measured using this mobile gradiometer.

Ultra-Compact Accelerator Technologies for Application in Nuclear Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampayan, S.; Caporaso, G.; Chen, Y.-J.; Carazo, V.; Falabella, S.; Guethlein, G.; Guse, S.; Harris, J. R.; Hawkins, S.; Holmes, C.; Krogh, M.; Nelson, S.; Paul, A. C.; Pearson, D.; Poole, B.; Schmidt, R.; Sanders, D.; Selenes, K.; Sitaraman, S.; Sullivan, J.; Wang, L.; Watson, J.

2009-12-01

We report on compact accelerator technology development for potential use as a pulsed neutron source quantitative post verifier. The technology is derived from our on-going compact accelerator technology development program for radiography under the US Department of Energy and for a clinic sized compact proton therapy systems under an industry sponsored Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. The accelerator technique relies on the synchronous discharge of a prompt pulse generating stacked transmission line structure with the beam transit. The goal of this technology is to achieve ˜10 MV/m gradients for 10 s of nanoseconds pulses and ˜100 MV/m gradients for ˜1 ns systems. As a post verifier for supplementing existing x-ray equipment, this system can remain in a charged, stand-by state with little or no energy consumption. We describe the progress of our overall component development effort with the multilayer dielectric wall insulators (i.e., the accelerator wall), compact power supply technology, kHz repetition-rate surface flashover ion sources, and the prompt pulse generation system consisting of wide-bandgap switches and high performance dielectric materials.

Evaluation of asymmetric quadrupoles for a non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang-Hun; Park, Sae-Hoon; Kim, Yu-Seok

2017-12-01

A non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient (NS-FFAG) accelerator was constructed, which employs conventional quadrupoles. The possible demerit is the beam instability caused by the variable focusing strength when the orbit radius of the beam changes. To overcome this instability, it was suggested that the asymmetric quadrupole has different current flows in each coil. The magnetic field of the asymmetric quadrupole was found to be more similar to the magnetic field required for the FFAG accelerator than the constructed NS-FFAG accelerator. In this study, a simulation of the beam dynamics was carried out to evaluate the improvement to the beam stability for the NS-FFAG accelerator using the SIMION program. The beam dynamics simulation was conducted with the `hard edge' model; it ignored the fringe field at the end of the magnet. The magnetic field map of the suggested magnet was created using the SIMION program. The lattices for the simulation combined the suggested magnets. The magnets were evaluated for beam stability in the lattices through the SIMION program.

Conceptual design of a high real-estate gradient cavity for a SRF ERL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Chen; Ben-Zvi, Ilan; Hao, Yue

The term “real-estate gradient” is used to describe the energy gain provided by an accelerating structure per actual length it takes in the accelerator. given that the length of the tunnel available for the accelerator is constrained, the real-estate gradient is an important measure of the efficiency of a given accelerator structure. When designing an accelerating cavity to be efficient in this sense, the unwanted Higher Order Mode (HOM) fields should be reduced by suitable HOM dampers. This is a particularly important consideration for high current operation. The additional RF components might take longitude space and reduce the total acceleratingmore » efficiency. We describe a new high efficiency 5-cell cavity with the dampers included. The total length of the cavity is reduced by 13% as compared to a more conventional design without compromising the cavity fundamental-mode performance. In addition, the HOM impedance is reduced for a higher Beam-Break-Up (BBU) threshold of operating current. In this article, we consider an example, a possible application at the eRHIC Energy Recovery Linac (ERL).« less

Conceptual design of a high real-estate gradient cavity for a SRF ERL

DOE PAGES

Xu, Chen; Ben-Zvi, Ilan; Hao, Yue; ...

2017-07-19

The term “real-estate gradient” is used to describe the energy gain provided by an accelerating structure per actual length it takes in the accelerator. given that the length of the tunnel available for the accelerator is constrained, the real-estate gradient is an important measure of the efficiency of a given accelerator structure. When designing an accelerating cavity to be efficient in this sense, the unwanted Higher Order Mode (HOM) fields should be reduced by suitable HOM dampers. This is a particularly important consideration for high current operation. The additional RF components might take longitude space and reduce the total acceleratingmore » efficiency. We describe a new high efficiency 5-cell cavity with the dampers included. The total length of the cavity is reduced by 13% as compared to a more conventional design without compromising the cavity fundamental-mode performance. In addition, the HOM impedance is reduced for a higher Beam-Break-Up (BBU) threshold of operating current. In this article, we consider an example, a possible application at the eRHIC Energy Recovery Linac (ERL).« less

Single-stage plasma-based correlated energy spread compensation for ultrahigh 6D brightness electron beams

DOE PAGES

Manahan, Grace G.; Habib, A. F.; Scherkl, P.; ...

2017-06-05

Plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration combines energy gains of tens of GeV m –1 with generation of ultralow emittance electron bunches, and opens a path towards 5D-brightness orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art. This holds great promise for compact accelerator building blocks and advanced light sources. However, an intrinsic by-product of the enormous electric field gradients inherent to plasma accelerators is substantial correlated energy spread—an obstacle for key applications such as free-electron-lasers. Here we show that by releasing an additional tailored escort electron beam at a later phase of the acceleration, when the witness bunch is relativistically stable, the plasma wavemore » can be locally overloaded without compromising the witness bunch normalized emittance. Here, this reverses the effective accelerating gradient, and counter-rotates the accumulated negative longitudinal phase space chirp of the witness bunch. Thereby, the energy spread is reduced by an order of magnitude, thus enabling the production of ultrahigh 6D-brightness beams.« less

Secondary electron emission from plasma processed accelerating cavity grade niobium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basovic, Milos

Advances in the particle accelerator technology have enabled numerous fundamental discoveries in 20th century physics. Extensive interdisciplinary research has always supported further development of accelerator technology in efforts of reaching each new energy frontier. Accelerating cavities, which are used to transfer energy to accelerated charged particles, have been one of the main focuses of research and development in the particle accelerator field. Over the last fifty years, in the race to break energy barriers, there has been constant improvement of the maximum stable accelerating field achieved in accelerating cavities. Every increase in the maximum attainable accelerating fields allowed for higher energy upgrades of existing accelerators and more compact designs of new accelerators. Each new and improved technology was faced with ever emerging limiting factors. With the standard high accelerating gradients of more than 25 MV/m, free electrons inside the cavities get accelerated by the field, gaining enough energy to produce more electrons in their interactions with the walls of the cavity. The electron production is exponential and the electron energy transfer to the walls of a cavity can trigger detrimental processes, limiting the performance of the cavity. The root cause of the free electron number gain is a phenomenon called Secondary Electron Emission (SEE). Even though the phenomenon has been known and studied over a century, there are still no effective means of controlling it. The ratio between the electrons emitted from the surface and the impacting electrons is defined as the Secondary Electron Yield (SEY). A SEY ratio larger than 1 designates an increase in the total number of electrons. In the design of accelerator cavities, the goal is to reduce the SEY to be as low as possible using any form of surface manipulation. In this dissertation, an experimental setup was developed and used to study the SEY of various sample surfaces that were treated by different techniques. Specifically, this work provides the results of SEY from the plasma cleaned cavity grade niobium (Nb) samples. Pure niobium is currently the material of choice for the fabrication of Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities. The effect of plasma processing with two different gases will be examined in two groups of samples. The first group of samples is made from cavity grade niobium. The second group of samples is made from the same material, but include a welded joint made by electron beam welding, since in niobium SRF cavities the peak electric and magnetic field are seen in close proximity to the welded joints. Both groups of samples will be exposed to nitrogen (N2) and a mixture of argon with oxygen (Ar/O2) plasma. It is the goal of this research to determine the SEY on these two groups of samples before and after plasma processing as a function of the energy of primary electrons. The SEY as a function of the angle of incidence of the primary electrons is tested on the samples treated with Ar/O2 plasma.

Transfer of Motor Learning Is More Pronounced in Proximal Compared to Distal Effectors in Upper Extremities

PubMed Central

Aune, Tore K.; Aune, Morten A.; Ingvaldsen, Rolf P.; Vereijken, Beatrix

2017-01-01

The current experiment investigated generalizability of motor learning in proximal versus distal effectors in upper extremities. Twenty-eight participants were divided into three groups: training proximal effectors, training distal effectors, and no training control group (CG). Performance was tested pre- and post-training for specific learning and three learning transfer conditions: (1) bilateral learning transfer between homologous effectors, (2) lateral learning transfer between non-homologous effectors, and (3) bilateral learning transfer between non-homologous effectors. With respect to specific learning, both training groups showed significant, similar improvement for the trained proximal and distal effectors, respectively. In addition, there was significant learning transfer to all three transfer conditions, except for bilateral learning transfer between non-homologous effectors for the distal training group. Interestingly, the proximal training group showed significantly larger learning transfer to other effectors compared to the distal training group. The CG did not show significant improvements from pre- to post-test. These results show that learning is partly effector independent and generalizable to different effectors, even though transfer is suboptimal compared to specific learning. Furthermore, there is a proximal-distal gradient in generalizability, in that learning transfer from trained proximal effectors is larger than from trained distal effectors, which is consistent with neuroanatomical differences in activation of proximal and distal muscles. PMID:28943857

Nonlinear analysis of aortic flow in living dogs.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, S. C.; Atabek, H. B.; Letzing, W. G.; Patel, D. J.

1973-01-01

A nonlinear theory which considered the convective accelerations of blood and the nonlinear elastic behavior and taper angle of the vascular wall was used to study the nature of blood flow in the descending thoracic aorta of living dogs under a wide range of pressures and flows. Velocity profiles, wall friction, and discharge waves were predicted from locally measured input data about the pressure-gradient wave and arterial distention. The results indicated that a major part of the mean pressure gradient was balanced by convective accelerations; the theory, which took this factor into account, predicted the correct velocity distributions and flow waves.

High Power RF Testing of A 3-Cell Superconducting Traveling Wave Accelerating Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kanareykin, Alex; Kostin, Romna; Avrakhov, Pavel

Euclid Techlabs has completed the Phase II SBIR project, entitled “High Power RF Testing of a 3-Cell Superconducting Traveling Wave Accelerating Structure” under Grant #DE-SC0006300. In this final technical report, we summarize the major achievements of Phase I of the project and review the details of Phase II of the project. The accelerating gradient in a superconducting structure is limited mainly by quenching, i.e., by the maximum surface RF magnetic field. Various techniques have been developed to increase the gradient. A traveling wave accelerating SC structure with a feedback waveguide was suggested to allow an increased transit time factor andmore » ultimately, a maximum gradient that is 22%-24% higher than in the best of the time standing wave SRF cavity solution. The proposed structure has an additional benefit in that it can be fabricated much longer than the standing wave ones that are limited by the field flatness factor. Taken together, all of these factors will result in a significant overall length and, correspondingly cost reduction of the SRF based linear collider ILC or SRF technology based FELs. In Phase I of this project, a 3-cell L-band SC traveling wave cavity was designed. Cavity shape, surface field ratios, inter-cell coupling coefficients, accelerating field flatness have been reviewed with the analysis of tuning issues. Moreover, the technological aspects of SC traveling wave accelerating structure fabrication have been studied. As the next step in the project, the Phase II experimental program included engineering design, manufacturing, surface processing and high gradient testing. Euclid Techlabs, LLC contracted AES, Inc. to manufacture two niobium cavities. Euclid Techlabs cold tested traveling wave regime in the cavity, and the results showed very good agreement with mathematical model specially developed for superconducting traveling wave cavity performance analysis. Traveling wave regime was adjusted by amplitude and phase variation of input signals due to application of developed power feeding scheme. Traveling wave excitation, adjustment and detection were successfully tested. Auxiliary equipment required for high power test such as the tuner, power and measure couplers, holding plates for VTS at Fermilab were developed and successfully tested. Both TW SRF cavities were fabricated by AES, Inc. without stiffening ribs before this company closed their production facility. Currently Roark EB welding company is finishing now welding process of the cavity for the high power testing at Fermilab VTS. Successful demonstration of high gradients in the 3-cell cavity along with studies of traveling wave excitation and tuning issues is leading to successful development of superconducting traveling wave technology for ILC applications and other future high energy SC accelerators.« less

Compensating the electron beam energy spread by the natural transverse gradient of laser undulator in all-optical x-ray light sources.

PubMed

Zhang, Tong; Feng, Chao; Deng, Haixiao; Wang, Dong; Dai, Zhimin; Zhao, Zhentang

2014-06-02

All-optical ideas provide a potential to dramatically cut off the size and cost of x-ray light sources to the university-laboratory scale, with the combination of the laser-plasma accelerator and the laser undulator. However, the large longitudinal energy spread of the electron beam from laser-plasma accelerator may hinder the way to high brightness of these all-optical light sources. In this paper, the beam energy spread effect is proposed to be significantly compensated by the natural transverse gradient of a laser undulator when properly transverse-dispersing the electron beam. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations on conventional laser-Compton scattering sources and high-gain all-optical x-ray free-electron lasers with the electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators are presented.

Field of first magnetic flux entry and pinning strength of superconductors for rf application measured with muon spin rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junginger, T.; Abidi, S. H.; Maffett, R. D.; Buck, T.; Dehn, M. H.; Gheidi, S.; Kiefl, R.; Kolb, P.; Storey, D.; Thoeng, E.; Wasserman, W.; Laxdal, R. E.

2018-03-01

The performance of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities used for particle accelerators depends on two characteristic material parameters: field of first flux entry Hentry and pinning strength. The former sets the limit for the maximum achievable accelerating gradient, while the latter determines how efficiently flux can be expelled related to the maximum achievable quality factor. In this paper, a method based on muon spin rotation (μ SR ) is developed to probe these parameters on samples. It combines measurements from two different spectrometers, one being specifically built for these studies and samples of different geometries. It is found that annealing at 1400 °C virtually eliminates all pinning. Such an annealed substrate is ideally suited to measure Hentry of layered superconductors, which might enable accelerating gradients beyond bulk niobium technology.

Electron acceleration in quantum plasma with spin-up and spin-down exchange interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Punit; Singh, Shiv; Ahmad, Nafees

2018-05-01

Electron acceleration by ponderomotive force of an intense circularly polarized laser pulse in high density magnetized quantum plasma with two different spin states embedded in external static magnetic field. The basic mechanism involves electron acceleration by axial gradient in the ponderomotive potential of laser. The effects of Bohm potential, fermi pressure and intrinsic spin of electron have been taken into account. A simple solution for ponderomotive electron acceleration has been established and effect of spin polarization is analyzed.

A Phase Matching, Adiabatic Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lemery, Francois; Flöttmann, Klaus; Kärtner, Franz

2017-05-01

Tabletop accelerators are a thing of the future. Reducing their size will require scaling down electromagnetic wavelengths; however, without correspondingly high field gradients, particles will be more susceptible to phase-slippage – especially at low energy. We investigate how an adiabatically-tapered dielectric-lined waveguide could maintain phase-matching between the accelerating mode and electron bunch. We benchmark our simple model with CST and implement it into ASTRA; finally we provide a first glimpse into the beam dynamics in a phase-matching accelerator.

Ultimate Gradient Limitation in Niobium Superconducting Accelerating Cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Checchin, Mattia; Grassellino, Anna; Martinello, Martina

2016-06-01

The present study is addressed to the theoretical description of the ultimate gradient limitation in SRF cavities. Our intent is to exploit experimental data to confirm models which provide feed-backs on how to improve the current state-of-art. New theoretical insight on the cavities limiting factor can be suitable to improve the quench field of N-doped cavities, and therefore to take advantage of high Q 0 at high gradients.

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beringer, Douglas

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory’s CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater performance benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency – 1.5more » GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m – there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (≈ 45 MV/m for Nb) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art Nb based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio frequency applications. Correlated studies on structure, surface morphology and superconducting properties of epitaxial Nb and MgB2 thin films are presented.« less

EARTHSHINE ON A YOUNG MOON: EXPLAINING THE LUNAR FARSIDE HIGHLANDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, Arpita; Wright, Jason T.; Sigurðsson, Steinn

2014-06-20

The lunar farside highlands problem refers to the curious and unexplained fact that the farside lunar crust is thicker, on average, than the nearside crust. Here we recognize the crucial influence of Earthshine, and propose that it naturally explains this hemispheric dichotomy. Since the accreting Moon rapidly achieved synchronous rotation, a surface and atmospheric thermal gradient was imposed by the proximity of the hot, post-giant impact Earth. This gradient guided condensation of atmospheric and accreting material, preferentially depositing crust-forming refractories on the cooler farside, resulting in a primordial bulk chemical inhomogeneity that seeded the crustal asymmetry. Our model provides amore » causal solution to the lunar highlands problem: the thermal gradient created by Earthshine produced the chemical gradient responsible for the crust thickness dichotomy that defines the lunar highlands.« less

High-gradient permanent magnet apparatus and its use in particle collection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Mengdawn; Ludtka, Gerard Michael; Avens, Larry R.

A high-gradient permanent magnet apparatus for capturing paramagnetic particles, the apparatus comprising: (i) at least two permanent magnets positioned with like poles facing each other; (ii) a ferromagnetic spacer separating the like poles; and (iii) a magnetizable porous filling material in close proximity to the at least two permanent magnets. Also described is a method for capturing paramagnetic particles in which a gas or liquid sample containing the paramagnetic particles is contacted with the high-gradient permanent magnet apparatus described above; wherein, during the contacting step, the gas or liquid sample contacts the magnetizable porous filling material of the high-gradient permanentmore » magnet apparatus, and at least a portion of the paramagnetic particles in the gas or liquid sample is captured on the magnetizable porous filling material.« less

Mass sensitivity studies for an inductively driven railgun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scanlon, J. J., III; Young, A. F.

1991-01-01

Those areas which result in substantial system mass reductions for an HPG (homopolar generator) driven EML (electromagnetic launcher) are identified. Sensitivity studies are performed by varying launch mass, peak acceleration, launcher efficiency, inductance gradient, injection velocity, barrel mass per unit length, fuel tankage and pump estimates, and component energy and power densities. Two major contributors to the system mass are the allowed number of shots per barrel versus the number required for the mission, and the barrel length. The effects of component performance parameters, such as friction coefficient, injection velocity, ablation coefficient, rail resistivity, armature voltage, peak acceleration, and inductance gradient on these two areas, are addressed.

Developmental profile of SK2 channel expression and function in CA1 neurons

PubMed Central

Ballesteros-Merino, Carmen; Lin, Mike; Wu, Wendy W.; Ferrandiz-Huertas, Clotilde; Cabañero, María J.; Watanabe, Masahiko; Fukazawa, Yugo; Shigemoto, Ryuichi; Maylie, James; Adelman, John P.; Luján, Rafael

2012-01-01

We investigated the temporal and spatial expression of SK2 in the developing mouse hippocampus using molecular and biochemical techniques, quantitative immunogold electron microscopy and electrophysiology. The mRNA encoding SK2 was expressed in the developing and adult hippocampus. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry showed that SK2 protein increased with age. This was accompanied by a shift in subcellular localization. Early in development (P5), SK2 was predominantly localized to the endoplasmic reticulum in the pyramidal cell layer. But by P30 SK2 was almost exclusively expressed in the dendrites and spines. The level of SK2 at the postsynaptic density (PSD) also increased during development. In the adult, SK2 expression on the spine plasma membrane showed a proximal-to-distal gradient. Consistent with this redistribution and gradient of SK2, the selective SK channel blocker apamin increased evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) only in CA1 pyramidal neurons from mice older than P15. However, the effect of apamin on EPSPs was not different between synapses in proximal or distal stratum radiatum or stratum lacunosum-moleculare in adult. These results show a developmental increase and gradient in SK2-containing channel surface expression that underlie their influence on neurotransmission, and that may contribute to increased memory acquisition during early development. PMID:22072564

Steady state micro-g environment on Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waters, L.; Heck, M.; Deryder, L.

1988-01-01

In circular earth orbit, the Space Station (SS) will sense acceleration from external environmental forces due to the gravitational gradient, rotational accelerations, and atmospheric drag. This paper discusses these forces and how they will affect the SS micro-g environment. The effect of SS attitude on the micro-g profile is addressed. Sources for nonsteady state acceleration levels for which disturbance models are currently being developed are briefly considered.

A new convergence analysis and perturbation resilience of some accelerated proximal forward-backward algorithms with errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reem, Daniel; De Pierro, Alvaro

2017-04-01

Many problems in science and engineering involve, as part of their solution process, the consideration of a separable function which is the sum of two convex functions, one of them possibly non-smooth. Recently a few works have discussed inexact versions of several accelerated proximal methods aiming at solving this minimization problem. This paper shows that inexact versions of a method of Beck and Teboulle (fast iterative shrinkable tresholding algorithm) preserve, in a Hilbert space setting, the same (non-asymptotic) rate of convergence under some assumptions on the decay rate of the error terms The notion of inexactness discussed here seems to be rather simple, but, interestingly, when comparing to related works, closely related decay rates of the errors terms yield closely related convergence rates. The derivation sheds some light on the somewhat mysterious origin of some parameters which appear in various accelerated methods. A consequence of the analysis is that the accelerated method is perturbation resilient, making it suitable, in principle, for the superiorization methodology. By taking this into account, we re-examine the superiorization methodology and significantly extend its scope. This work was supported by FAPESP 2013/19504-9. The second author was supported also by CNPq grant 306030/2014-4.

Interjoint coupling effects on muscle contributions to endpoint force and acceleration in a musculoskeletal model of the cat hindlimb

PubMed Central

van Antwerp, Keith W.; Burkholder, Thomas J.

2015-01-01

The biomechanical principles underlying the organization of muscle activation patterns during standing balance are poorly understood. The goal of this study was to understand the influence of biomechanical inter-joint coupling on endpoint forces and accelerations induced by the activation of individual muscles during postural tasks. We calculated induced endpoint forces and accelerations of 31 muscles in a 7 degree-of-freedom, 3-dimensional model of the cat hindlimb. To test the effects of inter-joint coupling, we systematically immobilized the joints (excluded kinematic degrees-of-freedom) and evaluated how the endpoint force and acceleration directions changed for each muscle in seven different conditions. We hypothesized that altered inter-joint coupling due to joint immobilization of remote joints would substantially change the induced directions of endpoint force and acceleration of individual muscles. Our results show that for most muscles crossing the knee or the hip, joint immobilization altered the endpoint force or acceleration direction by more than 90° in the dorsal and sagittal planes. Induced endpoint forces were typically consistent with behaviorally-observed forces only when the ankle was immobilized. We then activated a proximal muscle simultaneous with an ankle torque of varying magnitude, which demonstrated that the resulting endpoint force or acceleration direction is modulated by the magnitude of the ankle torque. We argue that this simple manipulation can lend insight into the functional effects of co-activating muscles. We conclude that inter-joint coupling may be an essential biomechanical principle underlying the coordination of proximal and distal muscles to produce functional endpoint actions during motor tasks. PMID:17640652

Two-dimensional molecular line transfer for a cometary coma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szutowicz, S.

2017-09-01

In the proposed axisymmetric model of the cometary coma the gas density profile is described by an angular density function. Three methods for treating two-dimensional radiative transfer are compared: the Large Velocity Gradient (LVG) (the Sobolev method), Accelerated Lambda Iteration (ALI) and accelerated Monte Carlo (MC).

Four-body trajectory optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pu, C. L.; Edelbaum, T. N.

1974-01-01

A comprehensive optimization program has been developed for computing fuel-optimal trajectories between the earth and a point in the sun-earth-moon system. It presents methods for generating fuel optimal two-impulse trajectories which may originate at the earth or a point in space and fuel optimal three-impulse trajectories between two points in space. The extrapolation of the state vector and the computation of the state transition matrix are accomplished by the Stumpff-Weiss method. The cost and constraint gradients are computed analytically in terms of the terminal state and the state transition matrix. The 4-body Lambert problem is solved by using the Newton-Raphson method. An accelerated gradient projection method is used to optimize a 2-impulse trajectory with terminal constraint. The Davidon's Variance Method is used both in the accelerated gradient projection method and the outer loop of a 3-impulse trajectory optimization problem.

Analytic energy gradients for the coupled-cluster singles and doubles method with the density-fitting approximation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bozkaya, Uğur, E-mail: ugur.bozkaya@hacettepe.edu.tr; Department of Chemistry, Atatürk University, Erzurum 25240; Sherrill, C. David

2016-05-07

An efficient implementation is presented for analytic gradients of the coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) method with the density-fitting approximation, denoted DF-CCSD. Frozen core terms are also included. When applied to a set of alkanes, the DF-CCSD analytic gradients are significantly accelerated compared to conventional CCSD for larger molecules. The efficiency of our DF-CCSD algorithm arises from the acceleration of several different terms, which are designated as the “gradient terms”: computation of particle density matrices (PDMs), generalized Fock-matrix (GFM), solution of the Z-vector equation, formation of the relaxed PDMs and GFM, back-transformation of PDMs and GFM to the atomic orbitalmore » (AO) basis, and evaluation of gradients in the AO basis. For the largest member of the alkane set (C{sub 10}H{sub 22}), the computational times for the gradient terms (with the cc-pVTZ basis set) are 2582.6 (CCSD) and 310.7 (DF-CCSD) min, respectively, a speed up of more than 8-folds. For gradient related terms, the DF approach avoids the usage of four-index electron repulsion integrals. Based on our previous study [U. Bozkaya, J. Chem. Phys. 141, 124108 (2014)], our formalism completely avoids construction or storage of the 4-index two-particle density matrix (TPDM), using instead 2- and 3-index TPDMs. The DF approach introduces negligible errors for equilibrium bond lengths and harmonic vibrational frequencies.« less

Plasma density characterization at SPARC_LAB through Stark broadening of Hydrogen spectral lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G.; Ferrario, M.; Mostacci, A.; Palumbo, L.; Pompili, R.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

Plasma-based acceleration techniques are of great interest for future, compact accelerators due to their high accelerating gradient. Both particle-driven and laser-driven Plasma Wakefield Acceleration experiments are foreseen at the SPARC_LAB Test Facility (INFN National Laboratories of Frascati, Italy), with the aim to accelerate high-brightness electron beams. In order to optimize the efficiency of the acceleration in the plasma and preserve the quality of the accelerated beam, the knowledge of the plasma electron density is mandatory. The Stark broadening of the Hydrogen spectral lines is one of the candidates used to characterize plasma density. The implementation of this diagnostic for plasma-based experiments at SPARC_LAB is presented.

Plasma wakefield acceleration experiments at FACET II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, C.; Adli, E.; An, W.; Clayton, C. E.; Corde, S.; Gessner, S.; Hogan, M. J.; Litos, M.; Lu, W.; Marsh, K. A.; Mori, W. B.; Vafaei-Najafabadi, N.; O'shea, B.; Xu, Xinlu; White, G.; Yakimenko, V.

2018-03-01

During the past two decades of research, the ultra-relativistic beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) concept has achieved many significant milestones. These include the demonstration of ultra-high gradient acceleration of electrons over meter-scale plasma accelerator structures, efficient acceleration of a narrow energy spread electron bunch at high-gradients, positron acceleration using wakes in uniform plasmas and in hollow plasma channels, and demonstrating that highly nonlinear wakes in the ‘blow-out regime’ have the electric field structure necessary for preserving the emittance of the accelerating bunch. A new 10 GeV electron beam facility, Facilities for Accelerator Science and Experimental Test (FACET) II, is currently under construction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for the next generation of PWFA research and development. The FACET II beams will enable the simultaneous demonstration of substantial energy gain of a small emittance electron bunch while demonstrating an efficient transfer of energy from the drive to the trailing bunch. In this paper we first describe the capabilities of the FACET II facility. We then describe a series of PWFA experiments supported by numerical and particle-in-cell simulations designed to demonstrate plasma wake generation where the drive beam is nearly depleted of its energy, high efficiency acceleration of the trailing bunch while doubling its energy and ultimately, quantifying the emittance growth in a single stage of a PWFA that has optimally designed matching sections. We then briefly discuss other FACET II plasma-based experiments including in situ positron generation and acceleration, and several schemes that are promising for generating sub-micron emittance bunches that will ultimately be needed for both an early application of a PWFA and for a plasma-based future linear collider.

Plasma wakefield acceleration experiments at FACET II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joshi, C.; Adli, E.; An, W.

During the past two decades of research, the ultra-relativistic beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) concept has achieved many significant milestones. These include the demonstration of ultra-high gradient acceleration of electrons over meter-scale plasma accelerator structures, efficient acceleration of a narrow energy spread electron bunch at high-gradients, positron acceleration using wakes in uniform plasmas and in hollow plasma channels, and demonstrating that highly nonlinear wakes in the 'blow-out regime' have the electric field structure necessary for preserving the emittance of the accelerating bunch. A new 10 GeV electron beam facility, Facilities for Accelerator Science and Experimental Test (FACET) II, is currentlymore » under construction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for the next generation of PWFA research and development. The FACET II beams will enable the simultaneous demonstration of substantial energy gain of a small emittance electron bunch while demonstrating an efficient transfer of energy from the drive to the trailing bunch. In this paper we first describe the capabilities of the FACET II facility. We then describe a series of PWFA experiments supported by numerical and particle-in-cell simulations designed to demonstrate plasma wake generation where the drive beam is nearly depleted of its energy, high efficiency acceleration of the trailing bunch while doubling its energy and ultimately, quantifying the emittance growth in a single stage of a PWFA that has optimally designed matching sections. Here, we briefly discuss other FACET II plasma-based experiments including in situ positron generation and acceleration, and several schemes that are promising for generating sub-micron emittance bunches that will ultimately be needed for both an early application of a PWFA and for a plasma-based future linear collider.« less

Plasma wakefield acceleration experiments at FACET II

DOE PAGES

Joshi, C.; Adli, E.; An, W.; ...

2018-01-12

During the past two decades of research, the ultra-relativistic beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) concept has achieved many significant milestones. These include the demonstration of ultra-high gradient acceleration of electrons over meter-scale plasma accelerator structures, efficient acceleration of a narrow energy spread electron bunch at high-gradients, positron acceleration using wakes in uniform plasmas and in hollow plasma channels, and demonstrating that highly nonlinear wakes in the 'blow-out regime' have the electric field structure necessary for preserving the emittance of the accelerating bunch. A new 10 GeV electron beam facility, Facilities for Accelerator Science and Experimental Test (FACET) II, is currentlymore » under construction at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for the next generation of PWFA research and development. The FACET II beams will enable the simultaneous demonstration of substantial energy gain of a small emittance electron bunch while demonstrating an efficient transfer of energy from the drive to the trailing bunch. In this paper we first describe the capabilities of the FACET II facility. We then describe a series of PWFA experiments supported by numerical and particle-in-cell simulations designed to demonstrate plasma wake generation where the drive beam is nearly depleted of its energy, high efficiency acceleration of the trailing bunch while doubling its energy and ultimately, quantifying the emittance growth in a single stage of a PWFA that has optimally designed matching sections. Here, we briefly discuss other FACET II plasma-based experiments including in situ positron generation and acceleration, and several schemes that are promising for generating sub-micron emittance bunches that will ultimately be needed for both an early application of a PWFA and for a plasma-based future linear collider.« less

Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Commercially Pure Ti Processed by Rotationally Accelerated Shot Peening

PubMed Central

Huang, Zhaowen; Cao, Yang; Nie, Jinfeng; Zhou, Hao; Li, Yusheng

2018-01-01

Gradient structured materials possess good combinations of strength and ductility, rendering the materials attractive in industrial applications. In this research, a surface nanocrystallization (SNC) technique, rotationally accelerated shot peening (RASP), was employed to produce a gradient nanostructured pure Ti with a deformation layer that had a thickness of 2000 μm, which is thicker than those processed by conventional SNC techniques. It is possible to fabricate a gradient structured Ti workpiece without delamination. Moreover, based on the microstructural features, the microstructure of the processed sample can be classified into three regions, from the center to the surface of the RASP-processed sample: (1) a twinning-dominated core region; (2) a “twin intersection”-dominated twin transition region; and (3) the nanostructured region, featuring nanograins. A microhardness gradient was detected from the RASP-processed Ti. The surface hardness was more than twice that of the annealed Ti sample. The RASP-processed Ti sample exhibited a good combination of yield strength and uniform elongation, which may be attributed to the high density of deformation twins and a strong back stress effect. PMID:29498631

Direct and accelerated parameter mapping using the unscented Kalman filter.

PubMed

Zhao, Li; Feng, Xue; Meyer, Craig H

2016-05-01

To accelerate parameter mapping using a new paradigm that combines image reconstruction and model regression as a parameter state-tracking problem. In T2 mapping, the T2 map is first encoded in parameter space by multi-TE measurements and then encoded by Fourier transformation with readout/phase encoding gradients. Using a state transition function and a measurement function, the unscented Kalman filter can describe T2 mapping as a dynamic system and directly estimate the T2 map from the k-space data. The proposed method was validated with a numerical brain phantom and volunteer experiments with a multiple-contrast spin echo sequence. Its performance was compared with a conjugate-gradient nonlinear inversion method at undersampling factors of 2 to 8. An accelerated pulse sequence was developed based on this method to achieve prospective undersampling. Compared with the nonlinear inversion reconstruction, the proposed method had higher precision, improved structural similarity and reduced normalized root mean squared error, with acceleration factors up to 8 in numerical phantom and volunteer studies. This work describes a new perspective on parameter mapping by state tracking. The unscented Kalman filter provides a highly accelerated and efficient paradigm for T2 mapping. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Mössbauer Parameters of the Proximal Cluster of Membrane-Bound Hydrogenase Revisited: A Density Functional Theory Study.

PubMed

Tabrizi, Shadan Ghassemi; Pelmenschikov, Vladimir; Noodleman, Louis; Kaupp, Martin

2016-01-12

An unprecedented [4Fe-3S] cluster proximal to the regular [NiFe] active site has recently been found to be responsible for the ability of membrane-bound hydrogenases (MBHs) to oxidize dihydrogen in the presence of ambient levels of oxygen. Starting from proximal cluster models of a recent DFT study on the redox-dependent structural transformation of the [4Fe-3S] cluster, (57)Fe Mössbauer parameters (electric field gradients, isomer shifts, and nuclear hyperfine couplings) were calculated using DFT. Our results revise the previously reported correspondence of Mössbauer signals and iron centers in the [4Fe-3S](3+) reduced-state proximal cluster. Similar conflicting assignments are also resolved for the [4Fe-3S](5+) superoxidized state with particular regard to spin-coupling in the broken-symmetry DFT calculations. Calculated (57)Fe hyperfine coupling (HFC) tensors expose discrepancies in the experimental set of HFC tensors and substantiate the need for additional experimental work on the magnetic properties of the MBH proximal cluster in its reduced and superoxidized redox states.

BBU design of linear induction accelerator cells for radiography application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shang, C.C.; Chen, Y.J.; Gaporaso, G.J.

1997-05-06

There is an ongoing effort to develop accelerating modules for high-current electron accelerators for advanced radiography application. Accelerating modules with low beam-cavity coupling impedances along with gap designs with acceptable field stresses comprise a set of fundamental design criteria. We examine improved cell designs which have been developed for accelerator application in several radiographic operating regimes. We evaluate interaction impedances, analyze the effects of beam structure coupling on beam dynamics (beam break-up instability and corkscrew motion). We also provide estimates of coupling through interesting new high-gradient insulators and evaluate their potential future application in induction cells.

Frequency and temperature dependence of electrical breakdown at 21, 30, and 39 GHz.

PubMed

Braun, H H; Döbert, S; Wilson, I; Wuensch, W

2003-06-06

A TeV-range e(+)e(-) linear collider has emerged as one of the most promising candidates to extend the high energy frontier of experimental elementary particle physics. A high accelerating gradient for such a collider is desirable to limit its overall length. Accelerating gradient is mainly limited by electrical breakdown, and it has been generally assumed that this limit increases with increasing frequency for normal-conducting accelerating structures. Since the choice of frequency has a profound influence on the design of a linear collider, the frequency dependence of breakdown has been measured using six exactly scaled single-cell cavities at 21, 30, and 39 GHz. The influence of temperature on breakdown behavior was also investigated. The maximum obtainable surface fields were found to be in the range of 300 to 400 MV/m for copper, with no significant dependence on either frequency or temperature.

Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Electrical Breakdown at 21, 30, and 39GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, H. H.; Döbert, S.; Wilson, I.; Wuensch, W.

2003-06-01

A TeV-range e+e- linear collider has emerged as one of the most promising candidates to extend the high energy frontier of experimental elementary particle physics. A high accelerating gradient for such a collider is desirable to limit its overall length. Accelerating gradient is mainly limited by electrical breakdown, and it has been generally assumed that this limit increases with increasing frequency for normal-conducting accelerating structures. Since the choice of frequency has a profound influence on the design of a linear collider, the frequency dependence of breakdown has been measured using six exactly scaled single-cell cavities at 21, 30, and 39GHz. The influence of temperature on breakdown behavior was also investigated. The maximum obtainable surface fields were found to be in the range of 300 to 400 MV/m for copper, with no significant dependence on either frequency or temperature.

Field of first magnetic flux entry and pinning strength of superconductors for rf application measured with muon spin rotation

DOE PAGES

Junginger, Tobias; Abidi, S. H.; Maffett, R. D.; ...

2018-03-16

Here, the performance of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities used for particle accelerators depends on two characteristic material parameters: field of first flux entry H entry and pinning strength. The former sets the limit for the maximum achievable accelerating gradient, while the latter determines how efficiently flux can be expelled related to the maximum achievable quality factor. In this paper, a method based on muon spin rotation (μSR) is developed to probe these parameters on samples. It combines measurements from two different spectrometers, one being specifically built for these studies and samples of different geometries. It is found that annealing atmore » 1400°C virtually eliminates all pinning. Such an annealed substrate is ideally suited to measure H entry of layered superconductors, which might enable accelerating gradients beyond bulk niobium technology.« less

Ultra-high quality factors in superconducting niobium cavities in ambient magnetic fields up to 190 mG

DOE PAGES

Romanenko, A.; Grassellino, A.; Crawford, A. C.; ...

2014-12-10

Ambient magnetic field, if trapped in the penetration depth, leads to the residual resistance and therefore sets the limit for the achievable quality factors in superconducting niobium resonators for particle accelerators. Here, we show that a complete expulsion of the magnetic flux can be performed and leads to: (1) record quality factors Q > 2 x 10¹¹ up to accelerating gradient of 22 MV/m; (2) Q ~ 3 x 10¹⁰ at 2 K and 16 MV/m in up to 190 mG magnetic fields. This is achieved by large thermal gradients at the normal/superconducting phase front during the cooldown. Our findingsmore » open up a way to ultra-high quality factors at low temperatures and show an alternative to the sophisticated magnetic shielding implemented in modern superconducting accelerators.« less

Interaction of an ultrarelativistic electron bunch train with a W-band accelerating structure: High power and high gradient

DOE PAGES

Wang, D.; Antipov, S.; Jing, C.; ...

2016-02-05

Electron beam interaction with high frequency structures (beyond microwave regime) has a great impact on future high energy frontier machines. We report on the generation of multimegawatt pulsed rf power at 91 GHz in a planar metallic accelerating structure driven by an ultrarelativistic electron bunch train. This slow-wave wakefield device can also be used for high gradient acceleration of electrons with a stable rf phase and amplitude which are controlled by manipulation of the bunch train. To achieve precise control of the rf pulse properties, a two-beam wakefield interferometry method was developed in which the rf pulse, due to themore » interference of the wakefields from the two bunches, was measured as a function of bunch separation. As a result, measurements of the energy change of a trailing electron bunch as a function of the bunch separation confirmed the interferometry method.« less

Blind beam-hardening correction from Poisson measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Renliang; Dogandžić, Aleksandar

2016-02-01

We develop a sparse image reconstruction method for Poisson-distributed polychromatic X-ray computed tomography (CT) measurements under the blind scenario where the material of the inspected object and the incident energy spectrum are unknown. We employ our mass-attenuation spectrum parameterization of the noiseless measurements and express the mass- attenuation spectrum as a linear combination of B-spline basis functions of order one. A block coordinate-descent algorithm is developed for constrained minimization of a penalized Poisson negative log-likelihood (NLL) cost function, where constraints and penalty terms ensure nonnegativity of the spline coefficients and nonnegativity and sparsity of the density map image; the image sparsity is imposed using a convex total-variation (TV) norm penalty term. This algorithm alternates between a Nesterov's proximal-gradient (NPG) step for estimating the density map image and a limited-memory Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno with box constraints (L-BFGS-B) step for estimating the incident-spectrum parameters. To accelerate convergence of the density- map NPG steps, we apply function restart and a step-size selection scheme that accounts for varying local Lipschitz constants of the Poisson NLL. Real X-ray CT reconstruction examples demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.

Visual Tracking Based on Extreme Learning Machine and Sparse Representation

PubMed Central

Wang, Baoxian; Tang, Linbo; Yang, Jinglin; Zhao, Baojun; Wang, Shuigen

2015-01-01

The existing sparse representation-based visual trackers mostly suffer from both being time consuming and having poor robustness problems. To address these issues, a novel tracking method is presented via combining sparse representation and an emerging learning technique, namely extreme learning machine (ELM). Specifically, visual tracking can be divided into two consecutive processes. Firstly, ELM is utilized to find the optimal separate hyperplane between the target observations and background ones. Thus, the trained ELM classification function is able to remove most of the candidate samples related to background contents efficiently, thereby reducing the total computational cost of the following sparse representation. Secondly, to further combine ELM and sparse representation, the resultant confidence values (i.e., probabilities to be a target) of samples on the ELM classification function are used to construct a new manifold learning constraint term of the sparse representation framework, which tends to achieve robuster results. Moreover, the accelerated proximal gradient method is used for deriving the optimal solution (in matrix form) of the constrained sparse tracking model. Additionally, the matrix form solution allows the candidate samples to be calculated in parallel, thereby leading to a higher efficiency. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed tracker. PMID:26506359

Convolutional Dictionary Learning: Acceleration and Convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chun, Il Yong; Fessler, Jeffrey A.

2018-04-01

Convolutional dictionary learning (CDL or sparsifying CDL) has many applications in image processing and computer vision. There has been growing interest in developing efficient algorithms for CDL, mostly relying on the augmented Lagrangian (AL) method or the variant alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). When their parameters are properly tuned, AL methods have shown fast convergence in CDL. However, the parameter tuning process is not trivial due to its data dependence and, in practice, the convergence of AL methods depends on the AL parameters for nonconvex CDL problems. To moderate these problems, this paper proposes a new practically feasible and convergent Block Proximal Gradient method using a Majorizer (BPG-M) for CDL. The BPG-M-based CDL is investigated with different block updating schemes and majorization matrix designs, and further accelerated by incorporating some momentum coefficient formulas and restarting techniques. All of the methods investigated incorporate a boundary artifacts removal (or, more generally, sampling) operator in the learning model. Numerical experiments show that, without needing any parameter tuning process, the proposed BPG-M approach converges more stably to desirable solutions of lower objective values than the existing state-of-the-art ADMM algorithm and its memory-efficient variant do. Compared to the ADMM approaches, the BPG-M method using a multi-block updating scheme is particularly useful in single-threaded CDL algorithm handling large datasets, due to its lower memory requirement and no polynomial computational complexity. Image denoising experiments show that, for relatively strong additive white Gaussian noise, the filters learned by BPG-M-based CDL outperform those trained by the ADMM approach.

Effect of Valsalva's manoeuvre and hyoscinbutylbromide on the pressure gradient across the wall of oesophageal varices.

PubMed Central

Hosking, S W; Robinson, P; Johnson, A G

1987-01-01

To assess whether Valsalva's manoeuvre might cause variceal bleeding, 22 patients with oesophageal varices were studied. In 12 patients who received no previous treatment to their varices the median pressure gradient across the varix wall at rest was 19 (6-36) mmHg, and in 10 patients whose varices were thrombosed at their distal end the median pressure gradient in the proximal patent varix was 8 (1-6) mmHg. In untreated patients groups, the pressure gradient rose by 6-12 mmHg during Valsalva's manoeuvre in four patients, fell by 4-11 mmHg in five patients and was virtually unchanged in the remainder. These changes seem unlikely to cause variceal bleeding. Patients who repeated Valsalva's manoeuvre showed similar changes on each occasion. Six patients in the untreated group also received hyoscinbutylbromide 20 mg iv. No change was seen in the pressure gradient in five patients, suggesting that it is of little value in preventing variceal bleeding. PMID:3500098

Secondary Electron Emission from Plasma Processed Accelerating Cavity Grade Niobium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basovic, Milos

Advances in the particle accelerator technology have enabled numerous fundamental discoveries in 20th century physics. Extensive interdisciplinary research has always supported further development of accelerator technology in efforts of reaching each new energy frontier. Accelerating cavities, which are used to transfer energy to accelerated charged particles, have been one of the main focuses of research and development in the particle accelerator field. Over the last fifty years, in the race to break energy barriers, there has been constant improvement of the maximum stable accelerating field achieved in accelerating cavities. Every increase in the maximum attainable accelerating fields allowed for highermore » energy upgrades of existing accelerators and more compact designs of new accelerators. Each new and improved technology was faced with ever emerging limiting factors. With the standard high accelerating gradients of more than 25 MV/m, free electrons inside the cavities get accelerated by the field, gaining enough energy to produce more electrons in their interactions with the walls of the cavity. The electron production is exponential and the electron energy transfer to the walls of a cavity can trigger detrimental processes, limiting the performance of the cavity. The root cause of the free electron number gain is a phenomenon called Secondary Electron Emission (SEE). Even though the phenomenon has been known and studied over a century, there are still no effective means of controlling it. The ratio between the electrons emitted from the surface and the impacting electrons is defined as the Secondary Electron Yield (SEY). A SEY ratio larger than 1 designates an increase in the total number of electrons. In the design of accelerator cavities, the goal is to reduce the SEY to be as low as possible using any form of surface manipulation. In this dissertation, an experimental setup was developed and used to study the SEY of various sample surfaces that were treated by different techniques. Specifically, this work provides the results of SEY from the plasma cleaned cavity grade niobium (Nb) samples. Pure niobium is currently the material of choice for the fabrication of Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities. The effect of plasma processing with two different gases will be examined in two groups of samples. The first group of samples is made from cavity grade niobium. The second group of samples is made from the same material, but include a welded joint made by electron beam welding, since in niobium SRF cavities the peak electric and magnetic field are seen in close proximity to the welded joints. Both groups of samples will be exposed to nitrogen (N2) and a mixture of argon with oxygen (Ar/O2) plasma. It is the goal of this research to determine the SEY on these two groups of samples before and after plasma processing as a function of the energy of primary electrons. The SEY as a function of the angle of incidence of the primary electrons is tested on the samples treated with Ar/O2 plasma.« less

A Model based Examination of Conditions for Ignition of Turbidity Currents on Slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, A. J.; Krishna, G.

2009-12-01

Turbidity currents form a major mechanism for the movement of sediment in the natural environment. Self-accelerating turbidity currents over continental slopes are of considerable scientific and engineering interest due to their role as agents for submarine sediment transportation from the shelf to the seabed. Such currents are called ignitive provided they eventually reach a catastrophic state as acceleration results in high sediment loads due to erosion of the sloping bed. A numerical model, which treats the fluid and the particles as two separate phases, is applied to investigate the effects of particle size, initial flow friction velocity and mild bed slope on the ignitive condition. Laboratory experimental data have been included as part of the analysis for qualitative comparison purposes. Ignition for the smallest of the three selected sizes (0.21mm) of medium sand typical of Florida beaches was found to depend on the initial conditions at the head of the slope as determined by the pressure gradient. Bed slope seemed to be of secondary importance. For the two sands with larger grain sizes (0.28mm and 0.35mm) the slope was found to play a more important role when compared to the initial pressure gradient. For a given pressure gradient, increasing the slope increased the likelihood of self-acceleration. It is concluded that in general ignition cannot be defined merely in terms of positive values of the velocity gradient and the sediment flux gradient along the slope. Depending on particle size the initial pressure gradient can also play a role. For the selected initial conditions (grain size, pressure gradient and bed slope), out of the 54 combinations tested, all except three satisfied the Knapp-Bagnold criterion for auto-suspension irrespective of whether the turbid current was ignitive or non-ignitive. In all 54 cases the current was found to erode the bed. Further use of the model will require accommodation of wider ranges of sediment size and bed density, and a thorough verification against experimental data.

TU-H-BRA-06: Characterization of a Linear Accelerator Operating in a Compact MRIGuided Radiation Therapy System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, O; Mutic, S; Li, H

2016-06-15

Purpose: To describe the performance of a linear accelerator operating in a compact MRI-guided radiation therapy system. Methods: A commercial linear accelerator was placed in an MRI unit that is employed in a commercial MR-based image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) system. The linear accelerator components were placed within magnetic field-reducing hardware that provided magnetic fields of less than 40 G for the magnetron, gun driver, and port circulator, with 1 G for the linear accelerator. The system did not employ a flattening filter. The test linear accelerator was an industrial 4 MV model that was employed to test the abilitymore » to run an accelerator in the MR environment. An MR-compatible diode detector array was used to measure the beam profiles with the accelerator outside and inside the MR field and with the gradient coils on and off to examine if there was any effect on the delivered dose distribution. The beam profiles and time characteristics of the beam were measured. Results: The beam profiles exhibited characteristic unflattened Bremsstrahlung features with less than ±1.5% differences in the profile magnitude when the system was outside and inside the magnet and less than 1% differences with the gradient coils on and off. The central axis dose rate fluctuated by less than 1% over a 30 second period when outside and inside the MRI. Conclusion: A linaccompatible MR design has been shown to be effective in not perturbing the operation of a commercial linear accelerator. While the accelerator used in the tests was 4MV, there is nothing fundamentally different with the operation of a 6MV unit, implying that the design will enable operation of the proposed clinical unit. Research funding provided by ViewRay, Inc.« less

The stratified two-sided jet of Cygnus A. Acceleration and collimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boccardi, B.; Krichbaum, T. P.; Bach, U.; Mertens, F.; Ros, E.; Alef, W.; Zensus, J. A.

2016-01-01

Aims: High-resolution Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of relativistic jets are essential for constraining the fundamental parameters of jet formation models. At a distance of 249 Mpc, Cygnus A is a unique target for such studies, since it is the only Fanaroff-Riley Class II radio galaxy for which a detailed subparsec scale imaging of the base of both jet and counter-jet can be obtained. Observing at millimeter wavelengths unveils those regions that appear self-absorbed at longer wavelengths and enables an extremely sharp view toward the nucleus to be obtained. Methods: We performed 7 mm Global VLBI observations, achieving ultra-high resolution imaging on scales down to 90 μas. This resolution corresponds to a linear scale of only ~400 Schwarzschild radii (for MBH = 2.5 × 109M⊙). We studied the kinematic properties of the main emission features of the two-sided flow and probed its transverse structure through a pixel-based analysis. Results: We suggest that a fast and a slow layer with different acceleration gradients exist in the flow. The extension of the acceleration region is large (~ 104RS), indicating that the jet is magnetically driven. The limb brightening of both jet and counter-jet and their large opening angles (φJ ~ 10°) strongly favour a spine-sheath structure. In the acceleration zone, the flow has a parabolic shape (r ∝ z0.55 ± 0.07). The acceleration gradients and the collimation profile are consistent with the expectations for a jet in "equilibrium", achieved in the presence of a mild gradient of the external pressure (p ∝ z- k,k ≤ 2).

Magnetic field of longitudinal gradient bend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiba, Masamitsu; Böge, Michael; Ehrlichman, Michael; Streun, Andreas

2018-06-01

The longitudinal gradient bend is an effective method for reducing the natural emittance in light sources. It is, however, not a common element. We have analyzed its magnetic field and derived a set of formulae. Based on the derivation, we discuss how to model the longitudinal gradient bend in accelerator codes that are used for designing electron storage rings. Strengths of multipole components can also be evaluated from the formulae, and we investigate the impact of higher order multipole components in a very low emittance lattice.

Regulation of the desensitization and ion selectivity of ATP-gated P2X2 channels by phosphoinositides

PubMed Central

Fujiwara, Yuichiro; Kubo, Yoshihiro

2006-01-01

Phosphoinositides (PIPns) are known to regulate the activity of some ion channels. Here we determined that ATP-gated P2X2 channels also are regulated by PIPns, and investigated the structural background and the unique features of this regulation. We initially used two-electrode voltage clamp to analyse the electrophysiological properties of P2X2 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and observed that preincubation with wortmannin or LY294002, two PI3K inhibitors, accelerated channel desensitization. K365Q or K369Q mutation of the conserved, positively charged, amino acid residues in the proximal region of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain also accelerated desensitization, whereas a K365R or K369R mutation did not. We observed that the permeability of the channel to N-methyl-d-glucamine (NMDG) transiently increased and then decreased after ATP application, and that the speed of the decrease was accelerated by K365Q or K369Q mutation or PI3K inhibition. Using GST-tagged recombinant proteins spanning the proximal C-terminal region, we then analysed their binding of the P2X2 cytoplasmic domain to anionic lipids using PIPns-coated nitrocellulose membranes. We found that the recombinant proteins that included the positively charged region bound to PIPs and PIP2s, and that this binding was eliminated by the K365Q and K369Q mutations. We also used a fluorescence assay to confirm that fusion proteins comprising the proximal C-terminal region of P2X2 with EGFP expressed in COS-7 cells closely associated with the membrane. Taken together, these results show that membrane-bound PIPns play a key role in maintaining channel activity and regulating pore dilation through electrostatic interaction with the proximal region of the P2X2 cytoplasmic C-terminal domain. PMID:16857707

Ion acceleration in a helicon source due to the self-bias effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiebold, Matt; Sung, Yung-Ta; Scharer, John E.

2012-05-15

Time-averaged plasma potential differences up to 165 V over several hundred Debye lengths are observed in low pressure (p{sub n} < 1 mTorr) expanding argon plasmas in the Madison Helicon eXperiment (MadHeX). The potential gradient leads to ion acceleration greater than that predicted by ambipolar expansion, exceeding E{sub i} Almost-Equal-To 7 kT{sub e} in some cases. RF power up to 500 W at 13.56 MHz is supplied to a half-turn, double-helix antenna in the presence of a nozzle magnetic field, adjustable up to 1 kG. A retarding potential analyzer (RPA) measures the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) and a sweptmore » emissive probe measures the plasma potential. Single and double probes measure the electron density and temperature. Two distinct mode hops, the capacitive-inductive (E-H) and inductive-helicon (H-W) transitions, are identified by jumps in density as RF power is increased. In the capacitive (E) mode, large fluctuations of the plasma potential (V{sub p-p} Greater-Than-Or-Equivalent-To 140V, V{sub p-p}/V{sub p} Almost-Equal-To 150%) exist at the RF frequency and its harmonics. The more mobile electrons can easily respond to RF-timescale gradients in the plasma potential whereas the inertially constrained ions cannot, leading to an initial flux imbalance and formation of a self-bias voltage between the source and expansion chambers. In the capacitive mode, the ion acceleration is not well described by an ambipolar relation, while in the inductive and helicon modes the ion acceleration more closely follows an ambipolar relation. The scaling of the potential gradient with the argon flow rate and RF power are investigated, with the largest potential gradients observed for the lowest flow rates in the capacitive mode. The magnitude of the self-bias voltage agrees with that predicted for RF self-bias at a wall. Rapid fluctuations in the plasma potential result in a time-dependent axial electron flux that acts to 'neutralize' the accelerated ion population, resulting in a zero net time-averaged current through the acceleration region when an insulating upstream boundary condition is enforced. Grounding the upstream endplate increases the self-bias voltage compared to a floating endplate.« less

Resolving Local-Scale Emissions for Modeling Air Quality near Roadways

EPA Science Inventory

A large body of literature published in recent years suggests increased health risk due to exposure of people to air pollution in close proximity to roadways. As a result, there is a need to more accurately represent the spatial concentration gradients near roadways in order to ...

Electro-gravity via geometric chrononfield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchard, Eytan H.

2017-05-01

In De Sitter / Anti De Sitter space-time and in other geometries, reference sub-manifolds from which proper time is measured along integral curves, are described as events. We introduce here a foliation with the help of a scalar field. The scalar field need not be unique but from the gradient of the scalar field, an intrinsic Reeb vector of the foliations perpendicular to the gradient vector is calculated. The Reeb vector describes the acceleration of a physical particle that moves along the integral curves that are formed by the gradient of the scalar field. The Reeb vector appears as a component of an anti-symmetric matrix which is a part of a rank-2, 2-Form. The 2-form is extended into a non-degenerate 4-form and into rank-4 matrix of a 2-form, which when multiplied by a velocity of a particle, becomes the acceleration of the particle. The matrix has one U(1) degree of freedom and an additional SU(2) degrees of freedom in two vectors that span the plane perpendicular to the gradient of the scalar field and to the Reeb vector. In total, there are U(1) x SU(2) degrees of freedom. SU(3) degrees of freedom arise from three dimensional foliations but require an additional symmetry to exist in order to have a valid covariant meaning. Matter in the Einstein Grossmann equation is replaced by the action of the acceleration field, i.e. by a geometric action which is not anticipated by the metric alone. This idea leads to a new formalism that replaces the conventional stress-energy-momentum-tensor. The formalism will be mainly developed for classical physics but will also be discussed for quantized physics based on events instead of particles. The result is that a positive charge manifests small attracting gravity and a stronger but small repelling acceleration field that repels even uncharged particles that have a rest mass. Negative charge manifests a repelling anti-gravity but also a stronger acceleration field that attracts even uncharged particles that have rest mass. Preliminary version: http://sciencedomain.org/abstract/9858

Enhanced peripheral nerve regeneration through asymmetrically porous nerve guide conduit with nerve growth factor gradient.

PubMed

Oh, Se Heang; Kang, Jun Goo; Kim, Tae Ho; Namgung, Uk; Song, Kyu Sang; Jeon, Byeong Hwa; Lee, Jin Ho

2018-01-01

In this study, we fabricated a nerve guide conduit (NGC) with nerve growth factor (NGF) gradient along the longitudinal direction by rolling a porous polycaprolactone membrane with NGF concentration gradient. The NGF immobilized on the membrane was continuously released for up to 35 days, and the released amount of the NGF from the membrane gradually increased from the proximal to distal NGF ends, which may allow a neurotrophic factor gradient in the tubular NGC for a sufficient period. From the in vitro cell culture experiment, it was observed that the PC12 cells sense the NGF concentration gradient on the membrane for the cell proliferation and differentiation. From the in vivo animal experiment using a long gap (20 mm) sciatic nerve defect model of rats, the NGC with NGF concentration gradient allowed more rapid nerve regeneration through the NGC than the NGC itself and NGC immobilized with uniformly distributed NGF. The NGC with NGF concentration gradient seems to be a promising strategy for the peripheral nerve regeneration. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 52-64, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Possibility for ultra-bright electron beam acceleration in dielectric wakefield accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simakov, Evgenya I.; Carlsten, Bruce E.; Shchegolkov, Dmitry Yu.

2012-12-21

We describe a conceptual proposal to combine the Dielectric Wakefield Accelerator (DWA) with the Emittance Exchanger (EEX) to demonstrate a high-brightness DWA with a gradient of above 100 MV/m and less than 0.1% induced energy spread in the accelerated beam. We currently evaluate the DWA concept as a performance upgrade for the future LANL signature facility MaRIE with the goal of significantly reducing the electron beam energy spread. The preconceptual design for MaRIE is underway at LANL, with the design of the electron linear accelerator being one of the main research goals. Although generally the baseline design needs to bemore » conservative and rely on existing technology, any future upgrade would immediately call for looking into the advanced accelerator concepts capable of boosting the electron beam energy up by a few GeV in a very short distance without degrading the beam's quality. Scoping studies have identified large induced energy spreads as the major cause of beam quality degradation in high-gradient advanced accelerators for free-electron lasers. We describe simulations demonstrating that trapezoidal bunch shapes can be used in a DWA to greatly reduce the induced beam energy spread, and, in doing so, also preserve the beam brightness at levels never previously achieved. This concept has the potential to advance DWA technology to a level that would make it suitable for the upgrades of the proposed Los Alamos MaRIE signature facility.« less

Plasma Wake-field Acceleration in the Blow-out Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barov, Nikolai; Rosenzweig, James

1999-11-01

Recent experiments at Argonne National Laboratory, investigating the blow-out regime of the plasma wake-field accelerator, are discussed. These experiments achieved stable underdense (beam denser than the ambient plasma density) beam transport, and measured average acceleration of 25 MV/m, corresponding to peak wave fields of over 60 MVm. A comparison of the results to simulation is given, and the physics of the system is discussed. Potential for improvements in performance and achieved acceleration gradient, as well as accelerated beam quality are examined within the context of the next generation of experiments at the Fermilab Test Facility. The status of these experiments will be given.

Beam manipulation for resonant plasma wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiadroni, E.; Alesini, D.; Anania, M. P.; Bacci, A.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Bisesto, F. G.; Cardelli, F.; Castorina, G.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Gallo, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Giribono, A.; Marocchino, A.; Mostacci, A.; Petrarca, M.; Piersanti, L.; Pioli, S.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Rossi, A. R.; Scifo, J.; Shpakov, V.; Spataro, B.; Stella, A.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.

2017-09-01

Plasma-based acceleration has already proved the ability to reach ultra-high accelerating gradients. However the step towards the realization of a plasma-based accelerator still requires some effort to guarantee high brightness beams, stability and reliability. A significant improvement in the efficiency of PWFA has been demonstrated so far accelerating a witness bunch in the wake of a higher charge driver bunch. The transformer ratio, therefore the energy transfer from the driver to the witness beam, can be increased by resonantly exciting the plasma with a properly pre-shaped drive electron beam. Theoretical and experimental studies of beam manipulation for resonant PWFA will be presented here.

Dynamics of multiple-goal pursuit.

PubMed

Louro, Maria J; Pieters, Rik; Zeelenberg, Marcel

2007-08-01

The authors propose and test a model of multiple-goal pursuit that specifies how individuals allocate effort among multiple goals over time. The model predicts that whether individuals decide to step up effort, coast, abandon the current goal, or switch to pursue another goal is determined jointly by the emotions that flow from prior goal progress and the proximity to future goal attainment, and proximally determined by changes in expectancies about goal attainment. Results from a longitudinal diary study and 2 experiments show that positive and negative goal-related emotions can have diametrically opposing effects on goal-directed behavior, depending on the individual's proximity to goal attainment. The findings resolve contrasting predictions about the influence of positive and negative emotions in volitional behavior, critically amend the goal gradient hypothesis, and provide new insights into the dynamics and determinants of multiple-goal pursuit.

Advances in Large Grain/Single Crystal SC Resonators at DESY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

W. Singer; A. Brinkmann; A. Ermakov

The main aim of the DESY large grain R&D program is to check whether this option is reasonable to apply for fabrication of ca. 1'000 XFEL cavities. Two aspects are being pursued. On one hand the basic material investigation, on the other hand the material availability, fabrication and preparation procedure. Several single cell large grain cavities of TESLA shape have been fabricated and tested. The best accelerating gradients of 41 MV/m was measured on electropolished cavity. First large grain nine-cell cavities worldwide have been produced under contract of DESY with ACCEL Instruments Co. All three cavities fulfil the XFEL specificationmore » already in first RF test after only BCP (Buffered Chemical Polishing) treatment and 800 degrees C annealing. Accelerating gradient of 27 - 29 MV/m was reached. A fabrication method of single crystal cavity of ILC like shape was proposed. A single cell single crystal cavity was build at the company ACCEL. Accelerating gradient of 37.5 MV/m reached after only 112 microns BCP and in situ baking 120 degrees C for 6 hrs with the quality factor higher as 2x1010. The developed method can be extended on fabrication of multi cell single crystal cavities.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacLachlan, J.A.

The basic premises of the conceptual design for the linac upgrade are pursued to establish lengths, gradients, power dissipation, etc., for the 400 MeV linac and matching section. The discussion is limited to accelerating and focusing components. Wherever values depend on the choice of the accelerating structure, the disk-and-washer structure is emphasized; the results are generally relevant to the side coupled cavity choice also.

Vibration isolation technology: Sensitivity of selected classes of experiments to residual accelerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. Iwan D.

1990-01-01

The solution was sought of a 2-D axisymmetric moving boundary problem for the sensitivity of isothermal and nonisothermal liquid columns and the sensitivity of thermo-capillary flows to buoyancy driven convection caused by residual accelerations. The sensitivity of a variety of space experiments to residual accelerations are examined. In all the cases discussed, the sensitivity is related to the dynamic response of a fluid. In some cases the sensitivity can be defined by the magnitude of the response of the velocity field. This response may involve motion of the fluid associated with internal density gradients, or the motion of a free liquid surface. For fluids with internal density gradients, the type of acceleration to which the experiment is sensitive will depend on whether buoyancy driven convection must be small in comparison to other types of fluid motion (such as thermocapillary flow), or fluid motion must be suppressed or eliminated (such as in diffusion studies, or directional solidification experiments). The effect of the velocity on the composition and temperature field must be considered, particularly in the vicinity of the melt crystal interface. As far as the response to transient disturbances is concerned the sensitivity is determined by both the magnitude and frequency the acceleration and the characteristic momentum and solute diffusion times.

Membraneless seawater desalination

DOEpatents

Crooks, Richard A.; Knust, Kyle N.; Perdue, Robbyn K.

2018-04-03

Disclosed are microfluidic devices and systems for the desalination of water. The devices and systems can include an electrode configured to generate an electric field gradient in proximity to an intersection formed by the divergence of two microfluidic channels from an inlet channel. Under an applied bias and in the presence of a pressure driven flow of saltwater, the electric field gradient can preferentially direct ions in saltwater into one of the diverging microfluidic channels, while desalted water flows into second diverging channel. Also provided are methods of using the devices and systems described herein to decrease the salinity of water.

Reynolds Stress and Sheared Poloidal Flow in the Edge Plasma Region of the HT-6M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wen-Hao; Yu, Chang-Xuan; Xu, Yu-Hong; Ling, Bi-Li; Gong, Xian-Zu; Liu, Bao-Hua; Wan, Bao-Nian

2001-02-01

High spatial resolution measurements of the electrostatic Reynolds stress, radial electric field and poloidal phase velocity of fluctuations in the edge region of the HT-6M tokamak are carried out. The Reynolds stress shows a radial gradient in proximity to the poloidal velocity shear. A comparison of the profiles between the Reynolds stress gradient and the poloidal velocity damping reveals some similarity in their magnitude and radial structure. These facts suggest that the turbulence-induced Reynolds stress may play a significant role in generating the poloidal flow in the plasma edge region.

Quench studies of ILC cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eremeev, Grigory; Geng, Rongli; Palczewski, Ari

2011-07-01

Quench limits accelerating gradient in SRF cavities to a gradient lower than theoretically expected for superconducting niobium. Identification of the quenching site with thermometry and OST, optical inspection, and replica of the culprit is an ongoing effort at Jefferson Lab aimed at better understanding of this limiting phenomenon. In this contribution we present our finding with several SRF cavities that were limited by quench.

Three-Axis Superconducting Gravity Gradiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paik, Ho Jung

1987-01-01

Gravity gradients measured even on accelerating platforms. Three-axis superconducting gravity gradiometer based on flux quantization and Meissner effect in superconductors and employs superconducting quantum interference device as amplifier. Incorporates several magnetically levitated proof masses. Gradiometer design integrates accelerometers for operation in differential mode. Principal use in commercial instruments for measurement of Earth-gravity gradients in geo-physical surveying and exploration for oil.

Gaussian process regression to accelerate geometry optimizations relying on numerical differentiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, Gunnar; Christiansen, Ove

2018-06-01

We study how with means of Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) geometry optimizations, which rely on numerical gradients, can be accelerated. The GPR interpolates a local potential energy surface on which the structure is optimized. It is found to be efficient to combine results on a low computational level (HF or MP2) with the GPR-calculated gradient of the difference between the low level method and the target method, which is a variant of explicitly correlated Coupled Cluster Singles and Doubles with perturbative Triples correction CCSD(F12*)(T) in this study. Overall convergence is achieved if both the potential and the geometry are converged. Compared to numerical gradient-based algorithms, the number of required single point calculations is reduced. Although introducing an error due to the interpolation, the optimized structures are sufficiently close to the minimum of the target level of theory meaning that the reference and predicted minimum only vary energetically in the μEh regime.

Cerium migration during PEM fuel cell assembly and operation

DOE PAGES

Baker, Andrew M.; Torraco, Dennis; Judge, Elizabeth J.; ...

2015-09-14

Cerium migration between PEM fuel cell components is influenced by potential-driven mobility, ionic diffusion, and gradients in water content. These factors were investigated in ex situ experiments and in operating fuel cells. Potential-induced migration was measured ex situ in hydrated window cells. Cerium-containing MEAs were also fabricated and tested under ASTs. MEA disassembly and subsequent XRF analysis were used to observe rapid cerium migration during cell assembly and operation. During MEA hot pressing, humidification, and low RH operation at OCV, ionic diffusion causes uniform migration from the membrane into the catalyst layers. During high RH operation at OCV, in-plane ceriummore » gradients arise due to variations in water content. These gradients may diminish the scavenging efficacy of cerium by reducing its proximity to generated radicals.« less

Plasma versus Drude Modeling of the Casimir Force: Beyond the Proximity Force Approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Michael; Ingold, Gert-Ludwig; Neto, Paulo A. Maia

2017-07-01

We calculate the Casimir force and its gradient between a spherical and a planar gold surface. Significant numerical improvements allow us to extend the range of accessible parameters into the experimental regime. We compare our numerically exact results with those obtained within the proximity force approximation (PFA) employed in the analysis of all Casimir force experiments reported in the literature so far. Special attention is paid to the difference between the Drude model and the dissipationless plasma model at zero frequency. It is found that the correction to PFA is too small to explain the discrepancy between the experimental data and the PFA result based on the Drude model. However, it turns out that for the plasma model, the corrections to PFA lie well outside the experimental bound obtained by probing the variation of the force gradient with the sphere radius [D. E. Krause et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 050403 (2007), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.050403]. The corresponding corrections based on the Drude model are significantly smaller but still in violation of the experimental bound for small distances between plane and sphere.

A new type of accelerator for charged particle cancer therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edgecock, Rob

2013-04-19

Non-scaling Fixed Field Alternating Gradient accelerators (ns-FFAGs) show great potential for the acceleration of protons and light ions for the treatment of certain cancers. They have unique features as they combine techniques from the existing types of accelerators, cyclotrons and synchrotrons, and hence look to have advantages over both for this application. However, these unique features meant that it was necessary to build one of these accelerators to show that it works and to undertake a detailed conceptual design of a medical machine. Both of these have now been done. This paper will describe the concepts of this type ofmore » accelerator, show results from the proof-of-principle machine (EMMA) and described the medical machine (PAMELA).« less

Effects of morphine and naloxone on feline colonic transit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krevsky, B.; Libster, B.; Maurer, A.H.

1989-01-01

The effects of endogenous and exogenous opioid substances on feline colonic transit were evaluated using colonic transit scintigraphy. Naloxone accelerated emptying of the cecum and ascending colon, and filling of the transverse colon. Endogenous opioid peptides thus appear to play a significant role in the regulation of colonic transit. At a moderate dose of morphine cecum and ascending colon transit was accelerated, while at a larger dose morphine had no effect. Since naloxone, a relatively nonspecific opioid antagonist, and morphine, a principally mu opioid receptor agonist, both accelerate proximal colonic transit, a decelerating role for at least one of themore » other opioid receptors is inferred.« less

High-gradient compact linear accelerator

DOEpatents

Carder, B.M.

1998-05-26

A high-gradient linear accelerator comprises a solid-state stack in a vacuum of five sets of disc-shaped Blumlein modules each having a center hole through which particles are sequentially accelerated. Each Blumlein module is a sandwich of two outer conductive plates that bracket an inner conductive plate positioned between two dielectric plates with different thicknesses and dielectric constants. A third dielectric core in the shape of a hollow cylinder forms a casing down the series of center holes, and it has a dielectric constant different that the two dielectric plates that sandwich the inner conductive plate. In operation, all the inner conductive plates are charged to the same DC potential relative to the outer conductive plates. Next, all the inner conductive plates are simultaneously shorted to the outer conductive plates at the outer diameters. The signal short will propagate to the inner diameters at two different rates in each Blumlein module. A faster wave propagates quicker to the third dielectric core across the dielectric plates with the closer spacing and lower dielectric constant. When the faster wave reaches the inner extents of the outer and inner conductive plates, it reflects back outward and reverses the field in that segment of the dielectric core. All the field segments in the dielectric core are then in unipolar agreement until the slower wave finally propagates to the third dielectric core across the dielectric plates with the wider spacing and higher dielectric constant. During such unipolar agreement, particles in the core are accelerated with gradients that exceed twenty megavolts per meter. 10 figs.

High-gradient compact linear accelerator

DOEpatents

Carder, Bruce M.

1998-01-01

A high-gradient linear accelerator comprises a solid-state stack in a vacuum of five sets of disc-shaped Blumlein modules each having a center hole through which particles are sequentially accelerated. Each Blumlein module is a sandwich of two outer conductive plates that bracket an inner conductive plate positioned between two dielectric plates with different thicknesses and dielectric constants. A third dielectric core in the shape of a hollow cylinder forms a casing down the series of center holes, and it has a dielectric constant different that the two dielectric plates that sandwich the inner conductive plate. In operation, all the inner conductive plates are charged to the same DC potential relative to the outer conductive plates. Next, all the inner conductive plates are simultaneously shorted to the outer conductive plates at the outer diameters. The signal short will propagate to the inner diameters at two different rates in each Blumlein module. A faster wave propagates quicker to the third dielectric core across the dielectric plates with the closer spacing and lower dielectric constant. When the faster wave reaches the inner extents of the outer and inner conductive plates, it reflects back outward and reverses the field in that segment of the dielectric core. All the field segments in the dielectric core are then in unipolar agreement until the slower wave finally propagates to the third dielectric core across the dielectric plates with the wider spacing and higher dielectric constant. During such unipolar agreement, particles in the core are accelerated with gradients that exceed twenty megavolts per meter.

Anterior gradient 2 is induced in cutaneous wound and promotes wound healing through its adhesion domain.

PubMed

Zhu, Qi; Mangukiya, Hitesh Bhagavanbhai; Mashausi, Dhahiri Saidi; Guo, Hao; Negi, Hema; Merugu, Siva Bharath; Wu, Zhenghua; Li, Dawei

2017-09-01

Anterior gradient 2 (AGR2), a member of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family, is both located in cytoplasm and secreted into extracellular matrix. The orthologs of AGR2 have been linked to limb regeneration in newt and wound healing in zebrafish. In mammals, AGR2 influences multiple cell signaling pathways in tumor formation and in normal cell functions related to new tissue formation like angiogenesis. However, the function of AGR2 in mammalian wound healing remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate AGR2 expression and its function during skin wound healing and the possible application of external AGR2 in cutaneous wound to accelerate the healing process. Our results showed that AGR2 expression was induced in the migrating epidermal tongue and hyperplastic epidermis after skin excision. Topical application of recombinant AGR2 significantly accelerated wound-healing process by increasing the migration of keratinocytes (Kera.) and the recruitment of fibroblasts (Fibro.) near the wounded area. External AGR2 also promoted the migration of Kera. and Fibro. in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The adhesion domain of AGR2 was required for the formation of focal adhesions in migrating Fibro., leading to the directional migration along AGR2 gradient. These results indicate that recombinant AGR2 accelerates skin wound healing through regulation of Kera. and Fibro. migration, thus demonstrating its potential utility as an alternative strategy of the therapeutics to accelerate the healing of acute or chronic skin wounds. © 2017 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Plasma Accelerators Race to 10 GeV and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsouleas, Tom

2005-10-01

This paper reviews the concepts, recent progress and current challenges for realizing the tremendous electric fields in relativistic plasma waves for applications ranging from tabletop particle accelerators to high-energy physics. Experiments in the 90's on laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators at several laboratories around the world demonstrated the potential for plasma wakefields to accelerate intense bunches of self-trapped particles at rates as high as 100 GeV/m in mm-scale gas jets. These early experiments offered impressive gradients but large energy spread (100%) and short interaction lengths. Major breakthroughs have recently occurred on both fronts. Three groups (LBL-US, LOA-France and RAL-UK) have now entered a new regime of laser wakefield acceleration resulting in 100 MeV mono-energetic beams with up to nanoCoulombs of charge and very small angular spread. Simulations suggest that current lasers are just entering this new regime, and the scaling to higher energies appears attractive. In parallel with the progress in laser-driven wakefields, particle-beam driven wakefield accelerators are making large strides. A series of experiments using the 30 GeV beam of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has demonstrated high-gradient acceleration of electrons and positrons in meter-scale plasmas. The UCLA/USC/SLAC collaboration has accelerated electrons beyond 1 GeV and is aiming at 10 GeV in 30 cm as the next step toward a ``plasma afterburner,'' a concept for doubling the energy of a high-energy collider in a few tens of meters of plasma. In addition to wakefield acceleration, these and other experiments have demonstrated the rich physics bounty to be reaped from relativistic beam-plasma interactions. This includes plasma lenses capable of focusing particle beams to the highest density ever produced, collective radiation mechanisms capable of generating high-brightness x-ray beams, collective refraction of particles at a plasma interface, and acceleration of intense proton beams from laser-irradiated foils.

Comparison of tracer methods to quantify hydrodynamic exchange within the hyporheic zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelhardt, I.; Piepenbrink, M.; Trauth, N.; Stadler, S.; Kludt, C.; Schulz, M.; Schüth, C.; Ternes, T. A.

2011-03-01

SummaryHydrodynamic exchange between surface-water and groundwater was studied at a river located within the Rhine Valley in Germany. Piezometric pressure heads and environmental tracers such as temperature, stable isotopes, chloride, X-ray contrast media, and artificial sweetener were investigated within the hyporheic zone and river water plume. Vertical profiles of environmental tracers were collected using multi-level wells within the neutral up-gradient zone, beneath the river bed, and within the horizontal proximal and distal down-gradient zone. Infiltration velocities were calculated from pressure heads, temperature fluctuations and gradients. The amount of river water within groundwater was estimated from vertical profiles of chloride, stable isotopes, and persistent pharmaceuticals. Profiles of stable isotopes and chloride reveal the existence of down-welling within the shallow hyporheic zone that is generated by river bed irregularities. Due to down-welling an above-average migration of river water into the hyporheic zone establishes even under upward hydraulic pressure gradients. The investigated environmental tracers could not distinctively display short-time-infiltration velocities representative for flood waves, while average infiltration velocities calculated over several months are uniform displayed. Based on vertical temperature profiles the down-gradient migration of the river water plume could be observed even after long periods of effluent conditions and over a distance of 200 m from the river bank. X-ray contrast media and artificial sweeteners were observed in high concentrations within the proximal zone, but were not detected at a distance of 200 m from the river bank. Using temperature as environmental tracer within the hyporheic zone may result in overestimating the migration of pollutants within the river water plume as the process of natural attenuation will be neglected. Furthermore, temperature was not able to display the effect of down-welling. Stable isotopes and chloride were found to be suitable environmental tracers to forecast the release and fate of organic contaminants within the hyporheic zone.

Enhanced proton acceleration from an ultrathin target irradiated by laser pulses with plateau ASE.

PubMed

Wang, Dahui; Shou, Yinren; Wang, Pengjie; Liu, Jianbo; Li, Chengcai; Gong, Zheng; Hu, Ronghao; Ma, Wenjun; Yan, Xueqing

2018-02-07

We report a simulation study on proton acceleration driven by ultraintense laser pulses with normal contrast (10 7 -10 9 ) containing nanosecond plateau amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). It's found in hydrodynamic simulations that if the thickness of the targets lies in the range of hundreds nanometer matching the intensity and duration of ASE, the ablation pressure would push the whole target in the forward direction with speed exceeding the expansion velocity of plasma, resulting in a plasma density profile with a long extension at the target front and a sharp gradient at the target rear. When the main pulse irradiates the plasma, self-focusing happens at the target front, producing highly energetic electrons through direct laser acceleration(DLA) building the sheath field. The sharp plasma gradient at target rear ensures a strong sheath field. 2D particle-in-cell(PIC) simulations reveal that the proton energy can be enhanced by a factor of 2 compared to the case of using micrometer-thick targets.

RF critical field measurement of MgB2 thin films coated on Nb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajima, T.; Eremeev, G.; Zou, G.; Dolgashev, V.; Martin, D.; Nantista, C.; Tantawi, S.; Yoneda, C.; Moeckly, B. H.; Campisi, I.

2010-06-01

Niobium (Nb) Superconducting RF (SRF) cavities have been used or will be used for a number of particle accelerators. The fundamental limit of the accelerating gradient has been thought to be around 50 MV/m due to its RF critical magnetic field of around 200 mT. This limit will prevent new projects requiring higher gradient and compact accelerators from considering SRF structures. There is a theory, however, that promises to overcome this limitation by coating thin (less than the penetration depth) superconductors on Nb. We initiated measurements of critical magnetic fields of Nb coated with various thin film superconductors, starting with MgB2 films deposited using reactive evaporation technique, with the goal to apply this coating to SRF cavities. This paper will present first test results of the RF critical magnetic field of a system consisting of a 10 nm B and a 100 nm MgB2 films deposited on a chemically polished 2-inch single grain Nb substrate.

A Fast and Accurate Algorithm for l1 Minimization Problems in Compressive Sampling (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-22

However, updating uk+1 via the formulation of Step 2 in Algorithm 1 can be implemented through the use of the component-wise Gauss - Seidel iteration which...may accelerate the rate of convergence of the algorithm and therefore reduce the total CPU-time consumed. The efficiency of component-wise Gauss - Seidel ...Micchelli, L. Shen, and Y. Xu, A proximity algorithm accelerated by Gauss - Seidel iterations for L1/TV denoising models, Inverse Problems, 28 (2012), p

Fluid mechanical consequences of pendular activity, segmentation and pyloric outflow in the proximal duodenum of the rat and the guinea pig

PubMed Central

de Loubens, Clément; Lentle, Roger G.; Love, Richard J.; Hulls, Corrin; Janssen, Patrick W. M.

2013-01-01

We conducted numerical experiments to study the influence of non-propagating longitudinal and circular contractions, i.e. pendular activity and segmentation, respectively, on flow and mixing in the proximal duodenum. A lattice-Boltzmann numerical method was developed to simulate the fluid mechanical consequences for each of 22 randomly selected sequences of high-definition video of real longitudinal and radial contractile activity in the isolated proximal duodenum of the rat and guinea pig. During pendular activity in the rat duodenum, the flow was characterized by regions of high shear rate. Mixing was so governed by shearing deformation of the fluid that increased the interface between adjacent domains and accelerated their inter-diffusion (for diffusion coefficients approx. less than 10−8 m² s−1). When pendular activity was associated with a slow gastric outflow characteristic of post-prandial period, the dispersion was also improved, especially near the walls. Mixing was not promoted by isolated segmentative contractions in the guinea pig duodenum and not notably influenced by pylorus outflow. We concluded that pendular activity generates mixing of viscous fluids ‘in situ’ and accelerates the diffusive mass transfer, whereas segmentation may be more important in mixing particulate suspensions with high solid volume ratios. PMID:23536539

Fluid mechanical consequences of pendular activity, segmentation and pyloric outflow in the proximal duodenum of the rat and the guinea pig.

PubMed

de Loubens, Clément; Lentle, Roger G; Love, Richard J; Hulls, Corrin; Janssen, Patrick W M

2013-06-06

We conducted numerical experiments to study the influence of non-propagating longitudinal and circular contractions, i.e. pendular activity and segmentation, respectively, on flow and mixing in the proximal duodenum. A lattice-Boltzmann numerical method was developed to simulate the fluid mechanical consequences for each of 22 randomly selected sequences of high-definition video of real longitudinal and radial contractile activity in the isolated proximal duodenum of the rat and guinea pig. During pendular activity in the rat duodenum, the flow was characterized by regions of high shear rate. Mixing was so governed by shearing deformation of the fluid that increased the interface between adjacent domains and accelerated their inter-diffusion (for diffusion coefficients approx. less than 10(-8) m² s(-1)). When pendular activity was associated with a slow gastric outflow characteristic of post-prandial period, the dispersion was also improved, especially near the walls. Mixing was not promoted by isolated segmentative contractions in the guinea pig duodenum and not notably influenced by pylorus outflow. We concluded that pendular activity generates mixing of viscous fluids 'in situ' and accelerates the diffusive mass transfer, whereas segmentation may be more important in mixing particulate suspensions with high solid volume ratios.

Vorticity dynamics in an intracranial aneurysm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Trung; Borazjani, Iman; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

2008-11-01

Direct Numerical Simulation is carried out to investigate the vortex dynamics of physiologic pulsatile flow in an intracranial aneurysm. The numerical solver is based on the CURVIB (curvilinear grid/immersed boundary method) approach developed by Ge and Sotiropoulos, J. Comp. Physics, 225 (2007) and is applied to simulate the blood flow in a grid with 8 million grid nodes. The aneurysm geometry is extracted from MRI images from common carotid artery (CCA) of a rabbit (courtesy Dr.Kallmes, Mayo Clinic). The simulation reveals the formation of a strong vortex ring at the proximal end during accelerated flow phase. The vortical structure advances toward the aneurysm dome forming a distinct inclined circular ring that connects with the proximal wall via two long streamwise vortical structures. During the reverse flow phase, the back flow results to the formation of another ring at the distal end that advances in the opposite direction toward the proximal end and interacts with the vortical structures that were created during the accelerated phase. The basic vortex formation mechanism is similar to that observed by Webster and Longmire (1998) for pulsed flow through inclined nozzles. The similarities between the two flows will be discussed and the vorticity dynamics of an aneurysm and inclined nozzle flows will be analyzed.This work was supported in part by the University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.

Observation of multipactor suppression in a dielectric-loaded accelerating structure using an applied axial magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jing, C.; Konecny, R.; Antipov, S.

2013-11-18

Efforts by a number of institutions to develop a Dielectric-Loaded Accelerating (DLA) structure capable of supporting high gradient acceleration when driven by an external radio frequency source have been ongoing over the past decade. Single surface resonant multipactor has been previously identified as one of the major limitations on the practical application of DLA structures in electron accelerators. In this paper, we report the results of an experiment that demonstrated suppression of multipactor growth in an X-band DLA structure through the use of an applied axial magnetic field. This represents an advance toward the practical use of DLA structures inmore » many accelerator applications.« less

Review of new shapes for higher gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, R. L.

2006-07-01

High-gradient superconducting RF (SRF) cavities are needed for energy frontier superconducting accelerators. Progress has been made over the past decades and the accelerating gradient Eacc has been increased from a few MV/m to ∼42 MV/m in SRF niobium cavities. The corresponding peak RF magnetic field Hpk on the niobium cavity surface is approaching the intrinsic RF critical magnetic field Hcrit,RF, a hard physical limit at which superconductivity breaks down. Pushing the gradient envelope further by adopting new cavity shapes with a lower ratio of Hpk/ Eacc has been recently proposed. For a reduced Hpk/ Eacc, a higher ultimate Eacc is sustained when Hpk finally strikes Hcrit,RF. The new cavity geometry include the re-entrant shape conceived at Cornell University and the so-called “Low-loss” shape proposed by a DESY/JLAB/KEK collaboration. Experimental work is being pursued at Cornell, KEK and JLAB. Results of single-cell cavities are encouraging. A record gradient of 47 MV/m was first demonstrated in a 1.3 GHz re-entrant niobium cavity at Cornell University. At the time of writing, a new record of 52 MV/m has been realized with another 1.3 GHz re-entrant cavity, designed and built at Cornell and processed and tested at KEK. Single-cell low-loss cavities have reached equally high gradients in the range of 45-51 MV/m at KEK and JLAB. Owing to their higher gradient potential and the encouraging single-cell cavity results, the new cavity shapes are becoming attractive for their possible use in the international linear collider (ILC). Experimental work on multi-cell niobium cavities of new shapes is currently under active exploration.

Stochastic Models of Polymer Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The stochastic gradient decent algorithm is the now the "algorithm of choice" for very large machine learning problems...information about the behavior of the algorithm. At the same time, we were also able to formulate various acceleration techniques in precise math terms... gradient decent, REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) ARO 8. PERFORMING

Roof planes detection via a second-order variational model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benciolini, Battista; Ruggiero, Valeria; Vitti, Alfonso; Zanetti, Massimo

2018-04-01

The paper describes a unified automatic procedure for the detection of roof planes in gridded height data. The procedure exploits the Blake-Zisserman (BZ) model for segmentation in both 2D and 1D, and aims to detect, to model and to label roof planes. The BZ model relies on the minimization of a functional that depends on first- and second-order derivatives, free discontinuities and free gradient discontinuities. During the minimization, the relative strength of each competitor is controlled by a set of weight parameters. By finding the minimum of the approximated BZ functional, one obtains: (1) an approximation of the data that is smoothed solely within regions of homogeneous gradient, and (2) an explicit detection of the discontinuities and gradient discontinuities of the approximation. Firstly, input data is segmented using the 2D BZ. The maps of data and gradient discontinuities are used to isolate building candidates and planar patches (i.e. regions with homogeneous gradient) that correspond to roof planes. Connected regions that can not be considered as buildings are filtered according to both patch dimension and distribution of the directions of the normals to the boundary. The 1D BZ model is applied to the curvilinear coordinates of boundary points of building candidates in order to reduce the effect of data granularity when the normals are evaluated. In particular, corners are preserved and can be detected by means of gradient discontinuity. Lastly, a total least squares model is applied to estimate the parameters of the plane that best fits the points of each planar patch (orthogonal regression with planar model). Refinement of planar patches is performed by assigning those points that are close to the boundaries to the planar patch for which a given proximity measure assumes the smallest value. The proximity measure is defined to account for the variance of a fitting plane and a weighted distance of a point from the plane. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is demonstrated by means of its application to urban digital surface models characterized by different spatial resolutions. Results are presented and discussed along with some promising developments.

Potential applications of the dielectric wakefield accelerators in the SINBAD facility at DESY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Y. C.; Assmann, R.; Dorda, U.; Marchetti, B.; Weikum, M.; Zhu, J.; Hüning, M.

2016-09-01

Short, high-brightness relativistic electron bunches can drive ultra-high wakefields in the dielectric wakefield accelerators (DWFAs). This effect can be used to generate high power THz coherent Cherenkov radiation, accelerate a witness bunch with gradient two or three orders of magnitude larger than that in the conventional RF linear accelerators, introduce energy modulation within the driving bunch itself, etc. The paper studies potential applications of the DWFAs in the SINBAD facility at DESY. The simulations show that the ultra-short relativistic bunches from the SINBAD injector ARES can excite accelerating wakefields with peak amplitudes as high as GV/m at THz frequencies in proper DWFA structures. In addition, it illustrates that the DWFA structure can serve as a dechirper to compensate the correlated energy spread of the bunches accelerated by the laser plasma wakefield accelerator.

Sequential injection gas guns for accelerating projectiles

DOEpatents

Lacy, Jeffrey M [Idaho Falls, ID; Chu, Henry S [Idaho Falls, ID; Novascone, Stephen R [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-11-15

Gas guns and methods for accelerating projectiles through such gas guns are described. More particularly, gas guns having a first injection port located proximate a breech end of a barrel and a second injection port located longitudinally between the first injection port and a muzzle end of the barrel are described. Additionally, modular gas guns that include a plurality of modules are described, wherein each module may include a barrel segment having one or more longitudinally spaced injection ports. Also, methods of accelerating a projectile through a gas gun, such as injecting a first pressurized gas into a barrel through a first injection port to accelerate the projectile and propel the projectile down the barrel past a second injection port and injecting a second pressurized gas into the barrel through the second injection port after passage of the projectile and to further accelerate the projectile are described.

Plasmon-driven acceleration in a photo-excited nanotube

DOE PAGES

Shin, Young -Min

2017-02-21

A plasmon-assisted channeling acceleration can be realized with a large channel, possibly at the nanometer scale. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most typical example of nano-channels that can confine a large number of channeled particles in a photon-plasmon coupling condition. This paper presents a theoretical and numerical study on the concept of high-field charge acceleration driven by photo-excited Luttinger-liquid plasmons in a nanotube. An analytic description of the plasmon-assisted laser acceleration is detailed with practical acceleration parameters, in particular, with the specifications of a typical tabletop femtosecond laser system. Lastly, the maximally achievable acceleration gradients and energy gains within dephasingmore » lengths and CNT lengths are discussed with respect to laser-incident angles and CNT-filling ratios.« less

Sudden Intensity Increases and Radial Gradient Changes of Cosmic Ray Mev Electrons and Protons Observed at Voyager 1 Beyond 111 AU in the Heliosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webber, W. R.; Mcdonald, F. B.; Cummings, A. C.; Stone, E. C.; Heikkila, B.; Lal, N.

2012-01-01

Voyager 1 has entered regions of different propagation conditions for energetic cosmic rays in the outer heliosheathat a distance of about 111 AU from the Sun. The low energy 614 MeV galactic electron intensity increased by 20over a time period 10 days and the electron radial intensity gradient abruptly decreased from 19AU to 8AU at2009.7 at a radial distance of 111.2 AU. At about 2011.2 at a distance of 116.6 AU a second abrupt intensity increase of25 was observed for electrons. After the second sudden electron increase the radial intensity gradient increased to18AU. This large positive gradient and the 13 day periodic variations of 200 MeV particles observed near theend of 2011 indicate that V1 is still within the overall heliospheric modulating region. The implications of these resultsregarding the proximity of the heliopause are discussed.

Hierarchical patterns of symbiotic orchid germination linked to adult proximity and environmental gradients

Treesearch

Jeffrey M. Diez

2007-01-01

The recruitment stage can be critical in determining plant population dynamics, as juveniles encounter a range of abiotic and biotic stressors in the environments where they land after dispersal, and often experience high mortality rates. Although both abiotic and biotic constraints on recruitment are often assumed to operate at multiple scales, these relationships are...

Soil nitrogen levels are linked to decomposition enzyme activities along an urban-remote tropical forest gradient

Treesearch

D. F. Cusack

2013-01-01

Urban areas in tropical regions are expanding rapidly, with significant potential to affect local ecosystem dynamics. In particular, nitrogen (N) availability may increase in urban-proximate forests because of atmospheric N deposition. Unlike temperate forests, many tropical forests on highly weathered soils have high background N availability, so plant growth is...

Revisiting and Re-Representing Scaffolding: The Two Gradient Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, Shoaib Ahmed

2017-01-01

In this paper I intend to illustrate Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and then extend the discussion to scaffolding and its relationship with the ZPD. This is then followed by some concerns raised in literature regarding scaffolding as a concept and as a metaphor which involves analysing the arguments for regarding the role of…

Gradient Material Strategies for Hydrogel Optimization in Tissue Engineering Applications

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Although a number of combinatorial/high-throughput approaches have been developed for biomaterial hydrogel optimization, a gradient sample approach is particularly well suited to identify hydrogel property thresholds that alter cellular behavior in response to interacting with the hydrogel due to reduced variation in material preparation and the ability to screen biological response over a range instead of discrete samples each containing only one condition. This review highlights recent work on cell–hydrogel interactions using a gradient material sample approach. Fabrication strategies for composition, material and mechanical property, and bioactive signaling gradient hydrogels that can be used to examine cell–hydrogel interactions will be discussed. The effects of gradients in hydrogel samples on cellular adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation will then be examined, providing an assessment of the current state of the field and the potential of wider use of the gradient sample approach to accelerate our understanding of matrices on cellular behavior. PMID:29485612

Betatron radiation based diagnostics for plasma wakefield accelerated electron beams at the SPARC_LAB test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpakov, V.; Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Curcio, A.; Dabagov, S.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Marocchino, A.; Paroli, B.; Pompili, R.; Rossi, A. R.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

Recent progress with wake-field acceleration has shown a great potential in providing high gradient acceleration fields, while the quality of the beams remains relatively poor. Precise knowledge of the beam size at the exit from the plasma and matching conditions for the externally injected beams are the key for improvement of beam quality. Betatron radiation emitted by the beam during acceleration in the plasma is a powerful tool for the transverse beam size measurement, being also non-intercepting. In this work we report on the technical solutions chosen at SPARC_LAB for such diagnostics tool, along with expected parameters of betatron radiation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singer, W.; Singer, X.; Jelezov, I.

Activities of the past several years in developing the technique of forming seamless (weldless) cavity cells by hydroforming are summarized. An overview of the technique developed at DESY for the fabrication of single cells and multicells of the TESLA cavity shape is given and the major rf results are presented. The forming is performed by expanding a seamless tube with internal water pressure while simultaneously swaging it axially. Prior to the expansion the tube is necked at the iris area and at the ends. Tube radii and axial displacements are computer controlled during the forming process in accordance with resultsmore » of finite element method simulations for necking and expansion using the experimentally obtained strain-stress relationship of tube material. In cooperation with industry different methods of niobium seamless tube production have been explored. The most appropriate and successful method is a combination of spinning or deep drawing with flow forming. Several single-cell niobium cavities of the 1.3 GHz TESLA shape were produced by hydroforming. They reached accelerating gradients E acc up to 35 MV/m after buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and up to 42 MV/m after electropolishing (EP). More recent work concentrated on fabrication and testing of multicell and nine-cell cavities. Several seamless two- and three-cell units were explored. Accelerating gradients E acc of 30–35 MV/m were measured after BCP and E acc up to 40 MV/m were reached after EP. Nine-cell niobium cavities combining three three-cell units were completed at the company E. Zanon. These cavities reached accelerating gradients of E acc = 30–35 MV/m. One cavity is successfully integrated in an XFEL cryomodule and is used in the operation of the FLASH linear accelerator at DESY. Additionally the fabrication of bimetallic single-cell and multicell NbCu cavities by hydroforming was successfully developed. Several NbCu clad single-cell and double-cell cavities of the TESLA shape have been fabricated. The clad seamless tubes were produced using hot bonding or explosive bonding and subsequent flow forming. The thicknesses of Nb and Cu layers in the tube wall are about 1 and 3 mm respectively. The rf performance of the best NbCu clad cavities is similar to that of bulk Nb cavities. The highest accelerating gradient achieved was 40 MV/m. The advantages and disadvantages of hydroformed cavities are discussed in this paper.« less

Hydroforming of elliptical cavities

DOE PAGES

Singer, W.; Singer, X.; Jelezov, I.; ...

2015-02-27

Activities of the past several years in developing the technique of forming seamless (weldless) cavity cells by hydroforming are summarized. An overview of the technique developed at DESY for the fabrication of single cells and multicells of the TESLA cavity shape is given and the major rf results are presented. The forming is performed by expanding a seamless tube with internal water pressure while simultaneously swaging it axially. Prior to the expansion the tube is necked at the iris area and at the ends. Tube radii and axial displacements are computer controlled during the forming process in accordance with resultsmore » of finite element method simulations for necking and expansion using the experimentally obtained strain-stress relationship of tube material. In cooperation with industry different methods of niobium seamless tube production have been explored. The most appropriate and successful method is a combination of spinning or deep drawing with flow forming. Several single-cell niobium cavities of the 1.3 GHz TESLA shape were produced by hydroforming. They reached accelerating gradients E acc up to 35 MV/m after buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and up to 42 MV/m after electropolishing (EP). More recent work concentrated on fabrication and testing of multicell and nine-cell cavities. Several seamless two- and three-cell units were explored. Accelerating gradients E acc of 30–35 MV/m were measured after BCP and E acc up to 40 MV/m were reached after EP. Nine-cell niobium cavities combining three three-cell units were completed at the company E. Zanon. These cavities reached accelerating gradients of E acc = 30–35 MV/m. One cavity is successfully integrated in an XFEL cryomodule and is used in the operation of the FLASH linear accelerator at DESY. Additionally the fabrication of bimetallic single-cell and multicell NbCu cavities by hydroforming was successfully developed. Several NbCu clad single-cell and double-cell cavities of the TESLA shape have been fabricated. The clad seamless tubes were produced using hot bonding or explosive bonding and subsequent flow forming. The thicknesses of Nb and Cu layers in the tube wall are about 1 and 3 mm respectively. The rf performance of the best NbCu clad cavities is similar to that of bulk Nb cavities. The highest accelerating gradient achieved was 40 MV/m. The advantages and disadvantages of hydroformed cavities are discussed in this paper.« less

Hydroforming of elliptical cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singer, W.; Singer, X.; Jelezov, I.; Kneisel, P.

2015-02-01

Activities of the past several years in developing the technique of forming seamless (weldless) cavity cells by hydroforming are summarized. An overview of the technique developed at DESY for the fabrication of single cells and multicells of the TESLA cavity shape is given and the major rf results are presented. The forming is performed by expanding a seamless tube with internal water pressure while simultaneously swaging it axially. Prior to the expansion the tube is necked at the iris area and at the ends. Tube radii and axial displacements are computer controlled during the forming process in accordance with results of finite element method simulations for necking and expansion using the experimentally obtained strain-stress relationship of tube material. In cooperation with industry different methods of niobium seamless tube production have been explored. The most appropriate and successful method is a combination of spinning or deep drawing with flow forming. Several single-cell niobium cavities of the 1.3 GHz TESLA shape were produced by hydroforming. They reached accelerating gradients Eacc up to 35 MV /m after buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and up to 42 MV /m after electropolishing (EP). More recent work concentrated on fabrication and testing of multicell and nine-cell cavities. Several seamless two- and three-cell units were explored. Accelerating gradients Eacc of 30 - 35 MV /m were measured after BCP and Eacc up to 40 MV /m were reached after EP. Nine-cell niobium cavities combining three three-cell units were completed at the company E. Zanon. These cavities reached accelerating gradients of Eacc=30 - 35 MV /m . One cavity is successfully integrated in an XFEL cryomodule and is used in the operation of the FLASH linear accelerator at DESY. Additionally the fabrication of bimetallic single-cell and multicell NbCu cavities by hydroforming was successfully developed. Several NbCu clad single-cell and double-cell cavities of the TESLA shape have been fabricated. The clad seamless tubes were produced using hot bonding or explosive bonding and subsequent flow forming. The thicknesses of Nb and Cu layers in the tube wall are about 1 and 3 mm respectively. The rf performance of the best NbCu clad cavities is similar to that of bulk Nb cavities. The highest accelerating gradient achieved was 40 MV /m . The advantages and disadvantages of hydroformed cavities are discussed in this paper.

The effect of radio-frequency self bias on ion acceleration in expanding argon plasmas in helicon sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiebold, Matthew D.

Time-averaged plasma potential differences up to ˜ 165 V over several hundred Debye lengths are observed in low pressure (pn < 1 mTorr) expanding argon plasmas in the Madison Helicon Experiment. The potential gradient leads to ion acceleration exceeding Ei ≈ 7 kTe in some cases. Up to 1 kW of 13.56 MHz RF power is supplied to a half-turn, double-helix antenna in the presence of a nozzle magnetic field up to 1 kG. An RPA measures the IEDF and an emissive probe measures the plasma potential. Single and double probes measure the electron density and temperature. Two distinct mode hops, the capacitive-inductive (E-H) and inductive-helicon (H-W) transitions, are identified by jumps in electron density as RF power is increased. In the capacitive mode, large fluctuations of the plasma potential (Vp--p ≳ 140 V, Vp--p/Vp ≈ 150%) exist at the RF frequency, leading to formation of a self-bias voltage. The mobile electrons can flow from the upstream region during an RF cycle whereas ions cannot, leading to an initial imbalance of flux, and the self-bias voltage builds as a result. The plasma potential in the expansion chamber is held near the floating potential for argon (Vp ≈ 5kTe/e). In the capacitive mode, the ion acceleration is not well described by an ambipolar relation. The accelerated population decay is consistent with that predicted by charge-exchange collisions. Grounding the upstream endplate increases the self-bias voltage compared to a floating endplate. In the inductive and helicon modes, the ion acceleration more closely follows an ambipolar relation, a result of decreased capacitive coupling due to the decreased RF skin depth. The scaling of the potential gradient with the argon flow rate, magnetic field and RF power are investigated, with the highest potential gradients observed for the lowest flow rates in the capacitive mode. The magnitude of the self-bias voltage agrees well with that predicted for RF sheaths. Use of the self-bias effect in a plasma thruster is explored, possibly for a low thrust, high specific impulse mode in a multi-mode helicon thruster. This work could also explain similar potential gradients in expanding helicon plasmas that are ascribed to double layer formation in the literature.

An overview of NSPCG: A nonsymmetric preconditioned conjugate gradient package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oppe, Thomas C.; Joubert, Wayne D.; Kincaid, David R.

1989-05-01

The most recent research-oriented software package developed as part of the ITPACK Project is called "NSPCG" since it contains many nonsymmetric preconditioned conjugate gradient procedures. It is designed to solve large sparse systems of linear algebraic equations by a variety of different iterative methods. One of the main purposes for the development of the package is to provide a common modular structure for research on iterative methods for nonsymmetric matrices. Another purpose for the development of the package is to investigate the suitability of several iterative methods for vector computers. Since the vectorizability of an iterative method depends greatly on the matrix structure, NSPCG allows great flexibility in the operator representation. The coefficient matrix can be passed in one of several different matrix data storage schemes. These sparse data formats allow matrices with a wide range of structures from highly structured ones such as those with all nonzeros along a relatively small number of diagonals to completely unstructured sparse matrices. Alternatively, the package allows the user to call the accelerators directly with user-supplied routines for performing certain matrix operations. In this case, one can use the data format from an application program and not be required to copy the matrix into one of the package formats. This is particularly advantageous when memory space is limited. Some of the basic preconditioners that are available are point methods such as Jacobi, Incomplete LU Decomposition and Symmetric Successive Overrelaxation as well as block and multicolor preconditioners. The user can select from a large collection of accelerators such as Conjugate Gradient (CG), Chebyshev (SI, for semi-iterative), Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES), Biconjugate Gradient Squared (BCGS) and many others. The package is modular so that almost any accelerator can be used with almost any preconditioner.

Distributed Memory Parallel Computing with SEAWAT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verkaik, J.; Huizer, S.; van Engelen, J.; Oude Essink, G.; Ram, R.; Vuik, K.

2017-12-01

Fresh groundwater reserves in coastal aquifers are threatened by sea-level rise, extreme weather conditions, increasing urbanization and associated groundwater extraction rates. To counteract these threats, accurate high-resolution numerical models are required to optimize the management of these precious reserves. The major model drawbacks are long run times and large memory requirements, limiting the predictive power of these models. Distributed memory parallel computing is an efficient technique for reducing run times and memory requirements, where the problem is divided over multiple processor cores. A new Parallel Krylov Solver (PKS) for SEAWAT is presented. PKS has recently been applied to MODFLOW and includes Conjugate Gradient (CG) and Biconjugate Gradient Stabilized (BiCGSTAB) linear accelerators. Both accelerators are preconditioned by an overlapping additive Schwarz preconditioner in a way that: a) subdomains are partitioned using Recursive Coordinate Bisection (RCB) load balancing, b) each subdomain uses local memory only and communicates with other subdomains by Message Passing Interface (MPI) within the linear accelerator, c) it is fully integrated in SEAWAT. Within SEAWAT, the PKS-CG solver replaces the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) solver for solving the variable-density groundwater flow equation and the PKS-BiCGSTAB solver replaces the Generalized Conjugate Gradient (GCG) solver for solving the advection-diffusion equation. PKS supports the third-order Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) scheme for computing advection. Benchmarks were performed on the Dutch national supercomputer (https://userinfo.surfsara.nl/systems/cartesius) using up to 128 cores, for a synthetic 3D Henry model (100 million cells) and the real-life Sand Engine model ( 10 million cells). The Sand Engine model was used to investigate the potential effect of the long-term morphological evolution of a large sand replenishment and climate change on fresh groundwater resources. Speed-ups up to 40 were obtained with the new PKS solver.

A novel accelerated in vitro release method to evaluate the release of thymopentin from PLGA microspheres.

PubMed

Xie, Xiangyang; Li, Zhiping; Zhang, Ling; Chi, Qiang; Yang, Yanfang; Zhang, Hui; Yang, Yang; Mei, Xingguo

2015-01-01

A novel accelerated method of good correlations with "real-time" release to evaluate in vitro thymopentin release from poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microsphere was developed. Thymopentin-loaded microspheres were made from three types of PLGA, and peptide release was studied in various conditions. Incomplete release of peptide (<60%) from microspheres was found in accelerated testing with two typical release media. This problem was circumvented by adding organic solvents to the release media and varying the temperature in the media heating process. Release media containing three kinds of organic solvents at 50 °C were tested, respectively, and hydro-alcoholic solution was selected for further study. After the surfactant concentration (0.06%, W/V) and ethanol concentration (20%, V/V) were fixed, a gradient heating program, consisting of three stages and each stage with a different temperature, was introduced to enhance the correlations between the short- and long-term release. After adjusting the heating time of each stage, a good correlation (R(2) = 9896, formulation 8 K; R(2) = 0.9898, formulation 13 K; R(2) = 0.9886, formulation 28 K) between accelerated and "real-time" release was obtained. By optimizing the conditions as ethanol concentration and temperature gradients, this accelerated method may be appropriate for similar peptide formulations that not well correlate with "real-time" release.

Relativistically induced transparency acceleration of light ions by an ultrashort laser pulse interacting with a heavy-ion-plasma density gradient.

PubMed

Sahai, Aakash A; Tsung, Frank S; Tableman, Adam R; Mori, Warren B; Katsouleas, Thomas C

2013-10-01

The relativistically induced transparency acceleration (RITA) scheme of proton and ion acceleration using laser-plasma interactions is introduced, modeled, and compared to the existing schemes. Protons are accelerated with femtosecond relativistic pulses to produce quasimonoenergetic bunches with controllable peak energy. The RITA scheme works by a relativistic laser inducing transparency [Akhiezer and Polovin, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz 30, 915 (1956); Kaw and Dawson, Phys. Fluids 13, 472 (1970); Max and Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 1342 (1971)] to densities higher than the cold-electron critical density, while the background heavy ions are stationary. The rising laser pulse creates a traveling acceleration structure at the relativistic critical density by ponderomotively [Lindl and Kaw, Phys. Fluids 14, 371 (1971); Silva et al., Phys. Rev. E 59, 2273 (1999)] driving a local electron density inflation, creating an electron snowplow and a co-propagating electrostatic potential. The snowplow advances with a velocity determined by the rate of the rise of the laser's intensity envelope and the heavy-ion-plasma density gradient scale length. The rising laser is incrementally rendered transparent to higher densities such that the relativistic-electron plasma frequency is resonant with the laser frequency. In the snowplow frame, trace density protons reflect off the electrostatic potential and get snowplowed, while the heavier background ions are relatively unperturbed. Quasimonoenergetic bunches of velocity equal to twice the snowplow velocity can be obtained and tuned by controlling the snowplow velocity using laser-plasma parameters. An analytical model for the proton energy as a function of laser intensity, rise time, and plasma density gradient is developed and compared to 1D and 2D PIC OSIRIS [Fonseca et al., Lect. Note Comput. Sci. 2331, 342 (2002)] simulations. We model the acceleration of protons to GeV energies with tens-of-femtoseconds laser pulses of a few petawatts. The scaling of proton energy with laser power compares favorably to other mechanisms for ultrashort pulses [Schreiber et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 045005 (2006); Esirkepov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 175003 (2004); Silva et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 015002 (2004); Fiuza et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 215001 (2012)].

The Feasibility of Railgun Horizontal-Launch Assist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngquist, Robert C.; Cox, Robert B.

2011-01-01

Railguns typically operate for a few milliseconds, supplying thousands of G's of acceleration to a small projectile, resulting in exceptional speeds. This paper argues through analysis and experiment, that this "standard" technology can be modified to provide 2-3 G's acceleration to a relatively heavy launch vehicle for a time period exceeding several seconds, yielding a launch assist velocity in excess of Mach 1. The key insight here is that an efficient rail gun operates at a speed approximately given by the system resistance divided by the inductance gradient, which can be tailored because recent MOSFET and ultra-capacitor advances allow very low total power supply resistances with high capacitance and augmented railgun architectures provide a scalable inductance gradient. Consequently, it should now be possible to construct a horizontal launch assist system utilizing railgun based architecture.

Electron temperature gradient scale at collisionless shocks.

PubMed

Schwartz, Steven J; Henley, Edmund; Mitchell, Jeremy; Krasnoselskikh, Vladimir

2011-11-18

Shock waves are ubiquitous in space and astrophysics. They transform directed flow energy into thermal energy and accelerate energetic particles. The energy repartition is a multiscale process related to the spatial and temporal structure of the electromagnetic fields within the shock layer. While large scale features of ion heating are known, the electron heating and smaller scale fields remain poorly understood. We determine for the first time the scale of the electron temperature gradient via electron distributions measured in situ by the Cluster spacecraft. Half of the electron heating coincides with a narrow layer several electron inertial lengths (c/ω(pe)) thick. Consequently, the nonlinear steepening is limited by wave dispersion. The dc electric field must also vary over these small scales, strongly influencing the efficiency of shocks as cosmic ray accelerators.

Analysis of the accelerated crucible rotation technique applied to the gradient freeze growth of cadmium zinc telluride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divecha, Mia S.; Derby, Jeffrey J.

2017-06-01

We employ finite-element modeling to assess the effects of the accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT) on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) crystals grown from a gradient freeze system. Via consideration of tellurium segregation and transport, we show, for the first time, that steady growth from a tellurium-rich melt produces persistent undercooling in front of the growth interface, likely leading to morphological instability. The application of ACRT rearranges melt flows and tellurium transport but, in contrast to conventional wisdom, does not altogether eliminate undercooling of the melt. Rather, a much more complicated picture arises, where spatio-temporal realignment of undercooled melt may act to locally suppress instability. A better understanding of these mechanisms and quantification of their overall effects will allow for future growth optimization.

Research for the Fluid Field of the Centrifugal Compressor Impeller in Accelerating Startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaozhu; Chen, Gang; Zhu, Changyun; Qin, Guoliang

2013-03-01

In order to study the flow field in the impeller in the accelerating start-up process of centrifugal compressor, the 3-D and 1-D transient accelerated flow governing equations along streamline in the impeller of the centrifugal compressor are derived in detail, the assumption of pressure gradient distribution is presented, and the solving method for 1-D transient accelerating flow field is given based on the assumption. The solving method is achieved by programming and the computing result is obtained. It is obtained by comparison that the computing method is met with the test result. So the feasibility and effectiveness for solving accelerating start-up problem of centrifugal compressor by the solving method in this paper is proven.

Interaction of Energetic Particles with Discontinuities Upstream of Strong Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkov, Mikhail; Diamond, Patrick

2008-11-01

Acceleration of particles in strong astrophysical shocks is known to be accompanied and promoted by a number of instabilities which are driven by the particles themselves. One of them is an acoustic (also known as Drury's) instability driven by the pressure gradient of accelerated particles upstream. The generated sound waves naturally steepen into shocks thus forming a shocktrain. Similar magnetoacoustic or Alfven type structures may be driven by pick-up ions, for example. We consider the solutions of kinetic equation for accelerated particles within the shocktrain. The accelerated particles are assumed to be coupled to the flow by an intensive pitch-angle scattering on the self-generated Alfven waves. The implications for acceleration and confinement of cosmic rays in this shock environment will be discussed.

Accurate pressure gradient calculations in hydrostatic atmospheric models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, John J.; Mendez-Nunez, Luis R.; Tanrikulu, Saffet

1987-01-01

A method for the accurate calculation of the horizontal pressure gradient acceleration in hydrostatic atmospheric models is presented which is especially useful in situations where the isothermal surfaces are not parallel to the vertical coordinate surfaces. The present method is shown to be exact if the potential temperature lapse rate is constant between the vertical pressure integration limits. The technique is applied to both the integration of the hydrostatic equation and the computation of the slope correction term in the horizontal pressure gradient. A fixed vertical grid and a dynamic grid defined by the significant levels in the vertical temperature distribution are employed.

GRAPPA reconstructed wave-CAIPI MP-RAGE at 7 Tesla.

PubMed

Schwarz, Jolanda M; Pracht, Eberhard D; Brenner, Daniel; Reuter, Martin; Stöcker, Tony

2018-04-16

The aim of this project was to develop a GRAPPA-based reconstruction for wave-CAIPI data. Wave-CAIPI fully exploits the 3D coil sensitivity variations by combining corkscrew k-space trajectories with CAIPIRINHA sampling. It reduces artifacts and limits reconstruction induced spatially varying noise enhancement. The GRAPPA-based wave-CAIPI method is robust and does not depend on the accuracy of coil sensitivity estimations. We developed a GRAPPA-based, noniterative wave-CAIPI reconstruction algorithm utilizing multiple GRAPPA kernels. For data acquisition, we implemented a fast 3D magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo wave-CAIPI sequence tailored for ultra-high field application. The imaging results were evaluated by comparing the g-factor and the root mean square error to Cartesian CAIPIRINHA acquisitions. Additionally, to assess the performance of subcortical segmentations (calculated by FreeSurfer), the data were analyzed across five subjects. Sixteen-fold accelerated whole brain magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo data (1 mm isotropic resolution) were acquired in 40 seconds at 7T. A clear improvement in image quality compared to Cartesian CAIPIRINHA sampling was observed. For the chosen imaging protocol, the results of 16-fold accelerated wave-CAIPI acquisitions were comparable to results of 12-fold accelerated Cartesian CAIPIRINHA. In comparison to the originally proposed SENSitivity Encoding reconstruction of Wave-CAIPI data, the GRAPPA approach provided similar image quality. High-quality, wave-CAIPI magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo images can be reconstructed by means of a GRAPPA-based reconstruction algorithm. Even for high acceleration factors, the noniterative reconstruction is robust and does not require coil sensitivity estimations. By altering the aliasing pattern, ultra-fast whole-brain structural imaging becomes feasible. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Proximal thoracic aorta dimensions after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation: Longitudinal changes and relation to aortic valve insufficiency.

PubMed

Fine, Nowell M; Park, Soon J; Stulak, John M; Topilsky, Yan; Daly, Richard C; Joyce, Lyle D; Pereira, Naveen L; Schirger, John A; Edwards, Brooks S; Lin, Grace; Kushwaha, Sudhir S

2016-04-01

In this study we examined the impact of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) support on proximal thoracic aorta dimensions. Aortic root and ascending aorta diameter were measured from serial echocardiograms before and after CF-LVAD implantation in patients with ≥6 months of support, and correlated with the development of >mild aortic valve insufficiency (AI). Of 162 patients included, mean age was 58 ± 11 years and 128 (79%) were male. Seventy-nine (63%) were destination therapy patients. Mean aortic root and ascending aorta diameters at baseline, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months and long-term follow-up (mean 2.0 ± 1.4 years) were 3.5 ± 0.4, 3.5 ± 0.3, 3.9 ± 0.3, 3.9 ± 0.2 and 4.0 ± 0.3, and 3.3 ± 0.2, 3.3 ± 0.3, 3.6 ± 0.2, 3.6 ± 0.3 and 3.6 ± 0.3 cm, respectively. Only change in aortic root diameter from 1-month to 6-month follow-up reached statistical significance (p = 0.03). Nine (6%) patients had accelerated proximal thoracic aorta expansion (>0.5 cm/year), occurring predominantly in the first 6 months after implantation. These patients were older and more likely to have hypertension and baseline proximal thoracic aorta dilation. Forty-five (28%) patients developed >mild AI at long-term follow-up, including 7 of 9 (78%) of those with accelerated proximal thoracic aorta expansion. All 7 had aortic valves that remained closed throughout the cardiac cycle, and this, along with duration of CF-LVAD support and increase in aortic root diameter, were significantly associated with developing >mild AI. CF-LVAD patients have small increases in proximal thoracic aorta dimensions that predominantly occur within the first 6 months after implantation and then stabilize. Increasing aortic root diameter was associated with AI development. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shape optimization of self-avoiding curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Shawn W.

2016-04-01

This paper presents a softened notion of proximity (or self-avoidance) for curves. We then derive a sensitivity result, based on shape differential calculus, for the proximity. This is combined with a gradient-based optimization approach to compute three-dimensional, parameterized curves that minimize the sum of an elastic (bending) energy and a proximity energy that maintains self-avoidance by a penalization technique. Minimizers are computed by a sequential-quadratic-programming (SQP) method where the bending energy and proximity energy are approximated by a finite element method. We then apply this method to two problems. First, we simulate adsorbed polymer strands that are constrained to be bound to a surface and be (locally) inextensible. This is a basic model of semi-flexible polymers adsorbed onto a surface (a current topic in material science). Several examples of minimizing curve shapes on a variety of surfaces are shown. An advantage of the method is that it can be much faster than using molecular dynamics for simulating polymer strands on surfaces. Second, we apply our proximity penalization to the computation of ideal knots. We present a heuristic scheme, utilizing the SQP method above, for minimizing rope-length and apply it in the case of the trefoil knot. Applications of this method could be for generating good initial guesses to a more accurate (but expensive) knot-tightening algorithm.

Conjugate-gradient preconditioning methods for shift-variant PET image reconstruction.

PubMed

Fessler, J A; Booth, S D

1999-01-01

Gradient-based iterative methods often converge slowly for tomographic image reconstruction and image restoration problems, but can be accelerated by suitable preconditioners. Diagonal preconditioners offer some improvement in convergence rate, but do not incorporate the structure of the Hessian matrices in imaging problems. Circulant preconditioners can provide remarkable acceleration for inverse problems that are approximately shift-invariant, i.e., for those with approximately block-Toeplitz or block-circulant Hessians. However, in applications with nonuniform noise variance, such as arises from Poisson statistics in emission tomography and in quantum-limited optical imaging, the Hessian of the weighted least-squares objective function is quite shift-variant, and circulant preconditioners perform poorly. Additional shift-variance is caused by edge-preserving regularization methods based on nonquadratic penalty functions. This paper describes new preconditioners that approximate more accurately the Hessian matrices of shift-variant imaging problems. Compared to diagonal or circulant preconditioning, the new preconditioners lead to significantly faster convergence rates for the unconstrained conjugate-gradient (CG) iteration. We also propose a new efficient method for the line-search step required by CG methods. Applications to positron emission tomography (PET) illustrate the method.

Gas cluster ion beam surface treatments for reducing field emission and breakdown of electrodes and SRF cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swenson, D. R.; Wu, A. T.; Degenkolb, E.; Insepov, Z.

2007-08-01

Sub-micron-scale surface roughness and contamination cause field emission that can lead to high-voltage breakdown of electrodes, and these are limiting factors in the development of high gradient RF technology. We are studying various Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) treatments to smooth, clean, etch and/or chemically alter electrode surfaces to allow higher fields and accelerating gradients, and to reduce the time and cost of conditioning high-voltage electrodes. For this paper, we have processed Nb, stainless steel and Ti electrode materials using beams of Ar, O2, or NF3 + O2 clusters with accelerating potentials up to 35 kV. Using a scanning field emission microscope (SFEM), we have repeatedly seen a dramatic reduction in the number of field emission sites on Nb coupons treated with GCIB. Smoothing effects on stainless steel and Ti substrates, evaluated using SEM and AFM imaging, show that 200-nm-wide polishing scratch marks are greatly attenuated. A 150-mm diameter GCIB-treated stainless steel electrode has shown virtually no DC field emission current at gradients over 20 MV/m.

Speed and convergence properties of gradient algorithms for optimization of IMRT.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaodong; Liu, Helen; Wang, Xiaochun; Dong, Lei; Wu, Qiuwen; Mohan, Radhe

2004-05-01

Gradient algorithms are the most commonly employed search methods in the routine optimization of IMRT plans. It is well known that local minima can exist for dose-volume-based and biology-based objective functions. The purpose of this paper is to compare the relative speed of different gradient algorithms, to investigate the strategies for accelerating the optimization process, to assess the validity of these strategies, and to study the convergence properties of these algorithms for dose-volume and biological objective functions. With these aims in mind, we implemented Newton's, conjugate gradient (CG), and the steepest decent (SD) algorithms for dose-volume- and EUD-based objective functions. Our implementation of Newton's algorithm approximates the second derivative matrix (Hessian) by its diagonal. The standard SD algorithm and the CG algorithm with "line minimization" were also implemented. In addition, we investigated the use of a variation of the CG algorithm, called the "scaled conjugate gradient" (SCG) algorithm. To accelerate the optimization process, we investigated the validity of the use of a "hybrid optimization" strategy, in which approximations to calculated dose distributions are used during most of the iterations. Published studies have indicated that getting trapped in local minima is not a significant problem. To investigate this issue further, we first obtained, by trial and error, and starting with uniform intensity distributions, the parameters of the dose-volume- or EUD-based objective functions which produced IMRT plans that satisfied the clinical requirements. Using the resulting optimized intensity distributions as the initial guess, we investigated the possibility of getting trapped in a local minimum. For most of the results presented, we used a lung cancer case. To illustrate the generality of our methods, the results for a prostate case are also presented. For both dose-volume and EUD based objective functions, Newton's method far outperforms other algorithms in terms of speed. The SCG algorithm, which avoids expensive "line minimization," can speed up the standard CG algorithm by at least a factor of 2. For the same initial conditions, all algorithms converge essentially to the same plan. However, we demonstrate that for any of the algorithms studied, starting with previously optimized intensity distributions as the initial guess but for different objective function parameters, the solution frequently gets trapped in local minima. We found that the initial intensity distribution obtained from IMRT optimization utilizing objective function parameters, which favor a specific anatomic structure, would lead to a local minimum corresponding to that structure. Our results indicate that from among the gradient algorithms tested, Newton's method appears to be the fastest by far. Different gradient algorithms have the same convergence properties for dose-volume- and EUD-based objective functions. The hybrid dose calculation strategy is valid and can significantly accelerate the optimization process. The degree of acceleration achieved depends on the type of optimization problem being addressed (e.g., IMRT optimization, intensity modulated beam configuration optimization, or objective function parameter optimization). Under special conditions, gradient algorithms will get trapped in local minima, and reoptimization, starting with the results of previous optimization, will lead to solutions that are generally not significantly different from the local minimum.

Towards real-time thermometry using simultaneous multislice MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borman, P. T. S.; Bos, C.; de Boorder, T.; Raaymakers, B. W.; Moonen, C. T. W.; Crijns, S. P. M.

2016-09-01

MR-guided thermal therapies, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) and laser-induced thermal therapy (MRgLITT) are increasingly being applied in oncology and neurology. MRI is used for guidance since it can measure temperature noninvasively based on the proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS). For therapy guidance using PRFS thermometry, high temporal resolution and large spatial coverage are desirable. We propose to use the parallel imaging technique simultaneous multislice (SMS) in combination with controlled aliasing (CAIPIRINHA) to accelerate the acquisition. We compare this with the sensitivity encoding (SENSE) acceleration technique. Two experiments were performed to validate that SMS can be used to increase the spatial coverage or the temporal resolution. The first was performed in agar gel using LITT heating and a gradient-echo sequence with echo-planar imaging (EPI), and the second was performed in bovine muscle using HIFU heating and a gradient-echo sequence without EPI. In both experiments temperature curves from an unaccelerated scan and from SMS, SENSE, and SENSE/SMS accelerated scans were compared. The precision was quantified by a standard deviation analysis of scans without heating. Both experiments showed a good agreement between the temperature curves obtained from the unaccelerated, and SMS accelerated scans, confirming that accuracy was maintained during SMS acceleration. The standard deviations of the temperature measurements obtained with SMS were significantly smaller than when SENSE was used, implying that SMS allows for higher acceleration. In the LITT and HIFU experiments SMS factors up to 4 and 3 were reached, respectively, with a loss of precision of less than a factor of 3. Based on these results we conclude that SMS acceleration of PRFS thermometry is a valuable addition to SENSE, because it allows for a higher temporal resolution or bigger spatial coverage, with a higher precision.

Temporal Development of Auroral Acceleration Potentials: High-Altitude Evolutionary Sequences, Drivers and Consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, A. J.; Wilber, M.; Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Mozer, F.; McFadden, J.; Goldstein, M.; Fillingim, M.

2007-12-01

The region above the auroral acceleration region is an integral part of the auroral zone electrodynamic system. At these altitudes (≥ 3 Re) we find the source plasma and fields that determine acceleration processes occurring at lower altitudes, which play a key role in the transport of mass and energy into the ionosphere. Dynamic changes in these high-altitude regions can affect and/or control lower-altitude acceleration processes according to how field-aligned currents and specific plasma sources form and decay and how they are spatially distributed, and through magnetic configuration changes deeper in the magnetotail. Though much progress has been made, the time development and consequential effects of the high-altitude plasma and fields are still not fully understood. We present Cluster multi-point observations at key instances within and above the acceleration region (> 3 RE) of evolving auroral arc current systems. Results are presented from events occurring under different conditions, such as magnetospheric activity, associations with density depletions or gradients, and Alfvenic turbulence. A preliminary survey, primarily at or near the plasma sheet boundary, indicates quasi- static up-down current pair systems are at times associated with density depletions and other instances occur in association with density gradients. The data suggest that such quasi-static current systems may be evolving from structured Alfvenic current systems. We will discuss the temporal development of auroral acceleration potentials, plasma and currents, including quasi-static system formation from turbulent systems of structured Alfvenic field-aligned currents, density depletion and constituent reorganization of the source and ionospheric plasma that transpire in such systems. Of particular emphasis is how temporal changes in magnetospheric source plasma and fields affect the development of auroral acceleration potentials at lower altitudes.

Coupling and decoupling of the accelerating units for pulsed synchronous linear accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Yi; Liu, Yi; Ye, Mao; Zhang, Huang; Wang, Wei; Xia, Liansheng; Wang, Zhiwen; Yang, Chao; Shi, Jinshui; Zhang, Linwen; Deng, Jianjun

2017-12-01

A pulsed synchronous linear accelerator (PSLA), based on the solid-state pulse forming line, photoconductive semiconductor switch, and high gradient insulator technologies, is a novel linear accelerator. During the prototype PSLA commissioning, the energy gain of proton beams was found to be much lower than expected. In this paper, the degradation of the energy gain is explained by the circuit and cavity coupling effect of the accelerating units. The coupling effects of accelerating units are studied, and the circuit topologies of these two kinds of coupling effects are presented. Two methods utilizing inductance and membrane isolations, respectively, are proposed to reduce the circuit coupling effects. The effectiveness of the membrane isolation method is also supported by simulations. The decoupling efficiency of the metal drift tube is also researched. We carried out the experiments on circuit decoupling of the multiple accelerating cavity. The result shows that both circuit decoupling methods could increase the normalized voltage.

Application of superconducting magnesium diboride (MGB2) in superconducting radio frequency cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Teng

The superconductivity in magnesium diboride (MgB2) was discovered in 2001. As a BCS superconductor, MgB2 has a record-high Tc of 39 K, high Jc of > 107 A/cm2 and no weak link behavior across the grain boundary. All these superior properties endorsed that MgB2 would have great potential in both power applications and electronic devices. In the past 15 years, MgB2 based power cables, microwave devices, and commercial MRI machines emerged and the next frontier are superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. SRF cavities are one of the leading accelerator technologies. In SRF cavities, applied microwave power generates electrical fields that accelerate particle beams. Compared with other accelerator techniques, SRF cavity accelerators feature low loss, high acceleration gradients and the ability to accelerate continuous particle beams. However, current SRF cavities are made from high-purity bulk niobium and work at 2 K in superfluid helium. The construction and operational cost of SRF cavity accelerators are very expensive. The demand for SRF cavity accelerators has been growing rapidly in the past decade. Therefore, a lot of effort has been devoted to the enhancement of the performance and the reduction of cost of SRF cavities. In 2010, an acceleration gradient of over 50 MV/m has been reported for a Nb-based SRF cavity. The magnetic field at the inner surface of such a cavity is ~ 1700 Oe, which is close to the thermodynamic critical field of Nb. Therefore, new materials and technologies are required to raise the acceleration gradient of future SRF cavity accelerators. Among all the proposed approaches, using MgB2 thin films to coat the inner surface of SRF cavities is one of the promising tactics with the potential to raise both the acceleration gradient and the operation temperature of SRF cavity accelerators. In this work, I present my study on MgB2 thin films for their application in SRF cavities. C-epitaxial MgB2 thin films grown on SiC(0001) substrates showed Tc > 41 K and Jc > 107 A/cm2, which is superior to bulk MgB2 samples. Polycrystalline MgB2 thin films grown on metal substrates showed similar Tc and Jc compared with bulk samples, indicating MgB2 is suitable for coating a metal cavity. Large c-pitaxial MgB2 thin films were grown on 2-inch diameter c-sapphire wafers, showing our technique is capable of depositing large area samples. The lower critical field (Hc1) of MgB2 thin films was measured as well as it is know that bulk MgB2 has a small Hc1 and would suffer from vortex penetration at low magnetic fields. The penetrating magnetic vortices would result in loss in an applied RF field. However, due to the geometry barrier, thin film MgB2 would have a higher Hc1 than the bulk material. In my experiments, the Hc1 of MgB2 thin films increased with decreasing film thickness. At 5 K, a 100 nm epitaxial MgB2 thin film showed enhanced Hc1 ~ 1880 Oe, which is higher than Hc1 of Nb at 2 K. This showed that MgB2 coated SRF cavities have the potential to work at higher magnetic fields and higher temperature. Because the magnetic field distribution in the thin film Hc1 measurement is different from the magnetic field in a real SRF cavity, a few Nb ellipsoids were machined and coated with MgB2. The ellipsoid only has a magnetic field outside its surface and can serve as an inverse SRF cavity in the vortex penetration measurement. In the experiments, vortices penetrate into the bulk Nb ellipsoid at a magnetic field 400 Oe lower than the vortex penetration field of MgB2 coated Nb ellipsoids. This result confirmed our prediction that MgB2 coated SRF cavities could work at higher magnetic fields, thus producing higher acceleration gradients. In the last part of this thesis, I discussed how I used the dielectric resonator technique to measure the surface resistance (Rs) and Tc of MgB2 thin films. While the sensitivity of this technique was not high enough to lead to reliable Rs values, it can still serve for the determination of Tc for large area samples that are too bulky for other measurement systems.

The Role of Nonlinear Gradients in Parallel Imaging: A k-Space Based Analysis.

PubMed

Galiana, Gigi; Stockmann, Jason P; Tam, Leo; Peters, Dana; Tagare, Hemant; Constable, R Todd

2012-09-01

Sequences that encode the spatial information of an object using nonlinear gradient fields are a new frontier in MRI, with potential to provide lower peripheral nerve stimulation, windowed fields of view, tailored spatially-varying resolution, curved slices that mirror physiological geometry, and, most importantly, very fast parallel imaging with multichannel coils. The acceleration for multichannel images is generally explained by the fact that curvilinear gradient isocontours better complement the azimuthal spatial encoding provided by typical receiver arrays. However, the details of this complementarity have been more difficult to specify. We present a simple and intuitive framework for describing the mechanics of image formation with nonlinear gradients, and we use this framework to review some the main classes of nonlinear encoding schemes.

Effect of temperature gradient on liquid-liquid phase separation in a polyolefin blend.

PubMed

Jiang, Hua; Dou, Nannan; Fan, Guoqiang; Yang, Zhaohui; Zhang, Xiaohua

2013-09-28

We have investigated experimentally the structure formation processes during phase separation via spinodal decomposition above and below the spinodal line in a binary polymer blend system exposed to in-plane stationary thermal gradients using phase contrast optical microscopy and temperature gradient hot stage. Below the spinodal line there is a coupling of concentration fluctuations and thermal gradient imposed by the temperature gradient hot stage. Also under the thermal gradient annealing phase-separated domains grow faster compared with the system under homogeneous temperature annealing on a zero-gradient or a conventional hot stage. We suggest that the in-plane thermal gradient accelerates phase separation through the enhancement in concentration fluctuations in the early and intermediate stages of spinodal decomposition. In a thermal gradient field, the strength of concentration fluctuation close to the critical point (above the spinodal line) is strong enough to induce phase separation even in one-phase regime of the phase diagram. In the presence of a temperature gradient the equilibrium phase diagrams are no longer valid, and the systems with an upper critical solution temperature can be quenched into phase separation by applying the stationary temperature gradient. The in-plane temperature gradient drives enhanced concentration fluctuations in a binary polymer blend system above and below the spinodal line.

Evidence for involvement of nonesterified fatty acid-induced protonophoric uncoupling during mitochondrial dysfunction caused by hypoxia and reoxygenation

PubMed Central

Feldkamp, Thorsten; Weinberg, Joel M.; Hörbelt, Markus; Von Kropff, Christina; Witzke, Oliver; Nürnberger, Jens; Kribben, Andreas

2009-01-01

Background. Proximal tubules subjected to hypoxia in vitro under conditions relevant to ischaemia in vivo develop an energetic deficit that is not corrected even after full reoxygenation. We have provided evidence that accumulation of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) is the primary reason for this energetic deficit. In this study, we have further investigated the mechanism for the NEFA-induced energetic deficit. Methods. Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ) was measured in digitonin-permeabilized, freshly isolated proximal tubules by safranin O uptake. Addition of the potassium/proton exchanger nigericin enables the determination of the mitochondrial proton motive force (Δp) and the proton gradient (ΔpH). ATP was measured luminometrically and NEFA colorimetrically. Results. Tubule ATP content was depleted after hypoxia and recovered incompletely, even after full reoxygenation. Mitochondrial safranin O uptake was decreased in proximal tubules after hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R). This decrease was attenuated by delipidated bovine serum albumin (dBSA) or citrate. Addition of nigericin increased safranin O uptake of mitochondria in normoxic proximal tubules, but not in proximal tubules after H/R. Addition of dBSA restored the effect of nigericin to increase mitochondrial safranin O uptake. Addition of the NEFA oleate had the same impact on mitochondrial safranin O uptake as subjecting proximal tubules to H/R. Conclusion. The mechanism of the NEFA-induced energetic deficit in freshly isolated rat proximal tubules induced by H/R is characterized by impaired ATP production after full reoxygenation, impaired recovery of Δψ and Δp, abrogation of ΔpH and sensitivity to citrate, consistent with involvement of the tricarboxylate carrier. The data support the concept that protonophoric uncoupling by NEFA movement on anion carriers plays a critical role in proximal tubule mitochochondrial dysfunction after H/R. PMID:18678559

Generation of low-emittance electron beams in electrostatic accelerators for FEL applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Teng; Elias, Luis R.

1995-02-01

This paper reports results of transverse emittance studies and beam propagation in electrostatic accelerators for free electron laser applications. In particular, we discuss emittance growth analysis of a low current electron beam system consisting of a miniature thermoionic electron gun and a National Electrostatics Accelerator (NEC) tube. The emittance growth phenomenon is discussed in terms of thermal effects in the electron gun cathode and aberrations produced by field gradient changes occurring inside the electron gun and throughout the accelerator tube. A method of reducing aberrations using a magnetic solenoidal field is described. Analysis of electron beam emittance was done with the EGUN code. Beam propagation along the accelerator tube was studied using a cylindrically symmetric beam envelope equation that included beam self-fields and the external accelerator fields which were derived from POISSON simulations.

Mechanisms of the intensification of the upwelling-favorable winds during El Niño 1997-1998 in the Peruvian upwelling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamorro, Adolfo; Echevin, Vincent; Colas, François; Oerder, Vera; Tam, Jorge; Quispe-Ccalluari, Carlos

2018-01-01

The physical processes driving the wind intensification in a coastal band of 100 km off Peru during the intense 1997-1998 El Niño (EN) event were studied using a regional atmospheric model. A simulation performed for the period 1994-2000 reproduced the coastal wind response to local sea surface temperature (SST) forcing and large scale atmospheric conditions. The model, evaluated with satellite data, represented well the intensity, seasonal and interannual variability of alongshore (i.e. NW-SE) winds. An alongshore momentum budget showed that the pressure gradient was the dominant force driving the surface wind acceleration. The pressure gradient tended to accelerate the coastal wind, while turbulent vertical mixing decelerated it. A quasi-linear relation between surface wind and pressure gradient anomalies was found. Alongshore pressure gradient anomalies were caused by a greater increase in near-surface air temperature off the northern coast than off the southern coast, associated with the inhomogeneous SST warming. Vertical profiles of wind, mixing coefficient, and momentum trends showed that the surface wind intensification was not caused by the increase of turbulence in the planetary boundary layer. Moreover, the temperature inversion in the vertical mitigated the development of pressure gradient due to air convection during part of the event. Sensitivity experiments allowed to isolate the respective impacts of the local SST forcing and large scale condition on the coastal wind intensification. It was primarily driven by the local SST forcing whereas large scale variability associated with the South Pacific Anticyclone modulated its effects. Examination of other EN events using reanalysis data confirmed that intensifications of alongshore wind off Peru were associated with SST alongshore gradient anomalies, as during the 1997-1998 event.

Recovering fluorophore concentration profiles from confocal images near lateral refractive index step changes.

PubMed

Jonášová, Eleonóra Parelius; Bjørkøy, Astrid; Stokke, Bjørn Torger

2016-12-01

Optical aberrations due to refractive index mismatches occur in various types of microscopy due to refractive differences between the sample and the immersion fluid or within the sample. We study the effects of lateral refractive index differences by fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy due to glass or polydimethylsiloxane cuboids and glass cylinders immersed in aqueous fluorescent solution, thereby mimicking realistic imaging situations in the proximity of these materials. The reduction in fluorescence intensity near the embedded objects was found to depend on the geometry and the refractive index difference between the object and the surrounding solution. The observed fluorescence intensity gradients do not reflect the fluorophore concentration in the solution. It is suggested to apply a Gaussian fit or smoothing to the observed fluorescence intensity gradient and use this as a basis to recover the fluorophore concentration in the proximity of the refractive index step change. The method requires that the reference and sample objects have the same geometry and refractive index. The best results were obtained when the sample objects were also used for reference since small differences such as uneven surfaces will result in a different extent of aberration.

A technique for accelerating the convergence of restarted GMRES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, A H; Jessup, E R; Manteuffel, T

2004-03-09

We have observed that the residual vectors at the end of each restart cycle of restarted GMRES often alternate direction in a cyclic fashion, thereby slowing convergence. We present a new technique for accelerating the convergence of restarted GMRES by disrupting this alternating pattern. The new algorithm resembles a full conjugate gradient method with polynomial preconditioning, and its implementation requires minimal changes to the standard restarted GMRES algorithm.

Superconducting RF, the History, Challenges and Promise

ScienceCinema

Padamsee, Hasan

2018-01-01

After a short survey of on-going accelerator applications, I will discuss future applications prospects for this enabling technology, both near term and long term. A selection of technology highlights will serve as an introduction to outstanding issues for all types of applications, from pulsed high gradient to CW medium gradient. Finally I will touch upon the limits of niobium and the prospects of new materials. The talk will be targeted at a general audience.

Design study of high gradient, low impedance accelerating structures for the FERMI free electron laser linac upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafqat, N.; Di Mitri, S.; Serpico, C.; Nicastro, S.

2017-09-01

The FERMI free-electron laser (FEL) of Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy, is a user facility driven by a 1.5 GeV 10-50 Hz S-band radiofrequency linear accelerator (linac), and it is based on an external laser seeding scheme that allows lasing at the shortest fundamental wavelength of 4 nm. An increase of the beam energy to 1.8 GeV at a tolerable breakdown rate, and an improvement of the final beam quality is desired in order to allow either lasing at 4 nm with a higher flux, or lasing at shorter wavelengths. This article presents the impedance analysis of newly designed S-band accelerating structures, for replacement of the existing backward travelling wave structures (BTWS) in the last portion of the FERMI linac. The new structure design promises higher accelerating gradient and lower impedance than those of the existing BTWS. Particle tracking simulations show that, with the linac upgrade, the beam relative energy spread, its linear and nonlinear z-correlation internal to the bunch, and the beam transverse emittances can be made smaller than the ones in the present configuration, with expected advantage to the FEL performance. The repercussion of the upgrade on the linac quadrupole magnets setting, for a pre-determined electron beam optics, is also considered.

Infrared modified gravity with propagating torsion: Instability of torsionfull de Sitter-like solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikiforova, Vasilisa; Damour, Thibault

2018-06-01

We continue the exploration of the consistency of a modified-gravity theory that generalizes general relativity by including a dynamical torsion in addition to the dynamical metric. The six-parameter theory we consider was found to be consistent around arbitrary torsionless Einstein backgrounds, in spite of its containing a (notoriously delicate) massive spin-2 excitation. At zero bare cosmological constant, this theory was found to admit a self-accelerating solution whose exponential expansion is sustained by a nonzero torsion background. The scalar-type perturbations of the latter torsionfull self-accelerating solution were recently studied and were found to preserve the number of propagating scalar degrees of freedom, but to exhibit, for some values of the torsion background, some exponential instabilities (of a rather mild type). Here, we study the tensor-type and vector-type perturbations of the torsionfull self-accelerating solution, and of its deformation by a nonzero bare cosmological constant. We find strong, "gradient" instabilities in the vector sector. No tuning of the parameters of the theory can kill these instabilities without creating instabilities in the other sectors. Further work is needed to see whether generic torsionfull backgrounds are prone to containing gradient instabilities, or if the instabilities we found are mainly due to the (generalized) self-accelerating nature of the special de Sitter backgrounds we considered.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Rolland

Many present and future particle accelerators are limited by the maximum electric gradient and peak surface fields that can be realized in RF cavities. Despite considerable effort, a comprehensive theory of RF breakdown has not been achieved and mitigation techniques to improve practical maximum accelerating gradients have had only limited success. Part of the problem is that RF breakdown in an evacuated cavity involves a complex mixture of effects, which include the geometry, metallurgy, and surface preparation of the accelerating structures and the make-up and pressure of the residual gas in which plasmas form. Studies showed that high gradients canmore » be achieved quickly in 805 MHz RF cavities pressurized with dense hydrogen gas, as needed for muon cooling channels, without the need for long conditioning times, even in the presence of strong external magnetic fields. This positive result was expected because the dense gas can practically eliminate dark currents and multipacting. In this project we used this high pressure technique to suppress effects of residual vacuum and geometry that are found in evacuated cavities in order to isolate and study the role of the metallic surfaces in RF cavity breakdown as a function of magnetic field, frequency, and surface preparation. One of the interesting and useful outcomes of this project was the unanticipated collaborations with LANL and Fermilab that led to new insights as to the operation of evacuated normal-conducting RF cavities in high external magnetic fields. Other accomplishments included: (1) RF breakdown experiments to test the effects of SF6 dopant in H2 and He gases with Sn, Al, and Cu electrodes were carried out in an 805 MHz cavity and compared to calculations and computer simulations. The heavy corrosion caused by the SF6 components led to the suggestion that a small admixture of oxygen, instead of SF6, to the hydrogen would allow the same advantages without the corrosion in a practical muon beam line. (2) A 1.3 GHz RF test cell capable of operating both at high pressure and in vacuum with replaceable electrodes was designed, built, and power tested in preparation for testing the frequency and geometry effects of RF breakdown at Argonne National Lab. At the time of this report this cavity is still waiting for the 1.3 GHz klystron to be available at the Wakefield Test Facility. (3) Under a contract with Los Alamos National Lab, an 805 MHz RF test cavity, known as the All-Seasons Cavity (ASC), was designed and built by Muons, Inc. to operate either at high pressure or under vacuum. The LANL project to use the (ASC) was cancelled and the testing of the cavity has been continued under the grant reported on here using the Fermilab Mucool Test Area (MTA). The ASC is a true pillbox cavity that has performed under vacuum in high external magnetic field better than any other and has demonstrated that the high required accelerating gradients for many muon cooling beam line designs are possible. (4) Under ongoing support from the Muon Acceleration Program, microscopic surface analysis and computer simulations have been used to develop models of RF breakdown that apply to both pressurized and vacuum cavities. The understanding of RF breakdown will lead to better designs of RF cavities for many applications. An increase in the operating accelerating gradient, improved reliability and shorter conditioning times can generate very significant cost savings in many accelerator projects.« less

Lysosomal Changes in Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells of Male Sprague Dawley Rats Following Decalin Exposure

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

induced by decalin exposure are processes, accelerated apoptosis has been describedin renal tissue with hydronephrosis (6), during the clearly intact...experimental hydronephrosis in topathology and cell proliferation induced by 2,2.4- the rat. Lab. Invest. 56(3): 273-281. trimethylpentane in the

Spatial transposition gradients in visual working memory.

PubMed

Rerko, Laura; Oberauer, Klaus; Lin, Hsuan-Yu

2014-01-01

In list memory, access to individual items reflects limits of temporal distinctiveness. This is reflected in the finding that neighbouring list items tend to be confused most often. This article investigates the analogous effect of spatial proximity in a visual working-memory task. Items were presented in different locations varying in spatial distance. A retro-cue indicated the location of the item relevant for the subsequent memory test. In two recognition experiments, probes matching spatially close neighbours of the relevant item led to more false alarms than probes matching distant neighbours or non-neighbouring memory items. In two probed-recall experiments, one with simultaneous, the other with sequential memory item presentation, items closer to the cued location were more frequently chosen for recall than more distant items. These results reflect a spatial transposition gradient analogous to the temporal transposition gradient in serial recall and challenge fixed-capacity models of visual working memory (WM).

Use of simple x-ray measurement in the performance analysis of cryogenic RF accelerator cavities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D. Dotson; M. Drury; R. May

X-ray emission by radiofrequency (RF) resonant cavities has long been known to accelerator health physicists as a potentially serious source of radiation exposure. The authors points out the danger of klystrons and microwave cavities by stating that the radiation source term is erratic and may be unpredictable depending on microscopic surface conditions which change with time. He also states the x-ray output is a rapidly increasing function of RF input power. At Jefferson Lab, the RF cavities used to accelerate the electron beam employ superconducting technology. X-rays are emitted at high cavity gradients, and measurements of cavity x-rays are valuablemore » for health physics purposes and provide a useful diagnostic tool for assessing cavity performance. The quality factor (Q) for superconducting RF resonant cavities used at Jefferson Lab, is typically 5 x 10{sup 9} for the nominal design gradient of 5 MVm{sup {minus}1}. This large value for Q follows from the small resistive loss in superconducting technology. The operating frequency is 1,497 MHz. In the absence of beam, the input power for a cavity is typically 750 W and the corresponding dissipated power is 2.6 W. At 5 MWm{sup {minus}1}, the input power is 3 kW fully beam loaded. At higher gradients, performance degradation tends to occur due to the onset of electron field emission from defects in the cavity.« less

Autocalibrating motion-corrected wave-encoding for highly accelerated free-breathing abdominal MRI.

PubMed

Chen, Feiyu; Zhang, Tao; Cheng, Joseph Y; Shi, Xinwei; Pauly, John M; Vasanawala, Shreyas S

2017-11-01

To develop a motion-robust wave-encoding technique for highly accelerated free-breathing abdominal MRI. A comprehensive 3D wave-encoding-based method was developed to enable fast free-breathing abdominal imaging: (a) auto-calibration for wave-encoding was designed to avoid extra scan for coil sensitivity measurement; (b) intrinsic butterfly navigators were used to track respiratory motion; (c) variable-density sampling was included to enable compressed sensing; (d) golden-angle radial-Cartesian hybrid view-ordering was incorporated to improve motion robustness; and (e) localized rigid motion correction was combined with parallel imaging compressed sensing reconstruction to reconstruct the highly accelerated wave-encoded datasets. The proposed method was tested on six subjects and image quality was compared with standard accelerated Cartesian acquisition both with and without respiratory triggering. Inverse gradient entropy and normalized gradient squared metrics were calculated, testing whether image quality was improved using paired t-tests. For respiratory-triggered scans, wave-encoding significantly reduced residual aliasing and blurring compared with standard Cartesian acquisition (metrics suggesting P < 0.05). For non-respiratory-triggered scans, the proposed method yielded significantly better motion correction compared with standard motion-corrected Cartesian acquisition (metrics suggesting P < 0.01). The proposed methods can reduce motion artifacts and improve overall image quality of highly accelerated free-breathing abdominal MRI. Magn Reson Med 78:1757-1766, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

High-quality electron beam generation in a proton-driven hollow plasma wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Xia, G.; Lotov, K. V.; Sosedkin, A. P.; Hanahoe, K.; Mete-Apsimon, O.

2017-10-01

Simulations of proton-driven plasma wakefield accelerators have demonstrated substantially higher accelerating gradients compared to conventional accelerators and the viability of accelerating electrons to the energy frontier in a single plasma stage. However, due to the strong intrinsic transverse fields varying both radially and in time, the witness beam quality is still far from suitable for practical application in future colliders. Here we demonstrate the efficient acceleration of electrons in proton-driven wakefields in a hollow plasma channel. In this regime, the witness bunch is positioned in the region with a strong accelerating field, free from plasma electrons and ions. We show that the electron beam carrying the charge of about 10% of 1 TeV proton driver charge can be accelerated to 0.6 TeV with a preserved normalized emittance in a single channel of 700 m. This high-quality and high-charge beam may pave the way for the development of future plasma-based energy frontier colliders.

Diffusive shock acceleration - Acceleration rate, magnetic-field direction and the diffusion limit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jokipii, J. R.

1992-01-01

This paper reviews the concept of diffusive shock acceleration, showing that the acceleration of charged particles at a collisionless shock is a straightforward consequence of the standard cosmic-ray transport equation, provided that one treats the discontinuity at the shock correctly. This is true for arbitrary direction of the upstream magnetic field. Within this framework, it is shown that acceleration at perpendicular or quasi-perpendicular shocks is generally much faster than for parallel shocks. Paradoxically, it follows also that, for a simple scattering law, the acceleration is faster for less scattering or larger mean free path. Obviously, the mean free path can not become too large or the diffusion limit becomes inapplicable. Gradient and curvature drifts caused by the magnetic-field change at the shock play a major role in the acceleration process in most cases. Recent observations of the charge state of the anomalous component are shown to require the faster acceleration at the quasi-perpendicular solar-wind termination shock.

Simulation of sloshing dynamics induced forces and torques actuated on dewar container driven by gravity gradient and jitter accelerations in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Pan, H. L.

1993-01-01

Some experimental spacecraft use superconducting sensors for gyro read-out and so must be maintained at a very low temperature. The boil-off from the cryogenic liquid used to cool the sensors can also be used, as the Gravity Probe B (GP-B) spacecraft does, as propellant to maintain attitude control and drag-free operation of the spacecraft. The cryogenic liquid for such spacecraft is, however, susceptible to both slosh-like motion and non-axisymmetric configurations under the influence of various kinds of gravity jitter and gravity gradient accelerations. Hence, it is important to quantify the magnitude of the liquid-induced perturbations on the spacecraft. We use the example of the GP-B to investigate such perturbations by numerical simulations. For this spacecraft disturbances can be imposed on the liquid by atmospheric drag, spacecraft attitude control maneuvers, and the earth's gravity gradient. More generally, onboard machinery vibrations and crew motion can also create disturbances. Recent studies suggest that high frequency disturbances are relatively unimportant in causing liquid motions in comparison to low frequency ones. The results presented here confirm this conclusion. After an initial calibration period, the GP-B spacecraft rotates in orbit at 0.1 rpm about the tank symmetry axis. For this rotation rate, the equilibrium liquid free surface shape is a 'doughnut' configuration for all residual gravity levels of 10(exp -6) g(sub 0) or less, as shown by experiments and by numerical simulations; furthermore, the superfluid behavior of the 1.8 K liquid helium used in GP-B eliminates temperature gradients and therefore such effects as Marangoni convection do not have to be considered. Classical fluid dynamics theory is used as the basis of the numerical simulations here, since Mason's experiments show that the theory is applicable for cryogenic liquid helium in large containers. To study liquid responses to various disturbances, we investigate and simulate three levels of gravity jitter (10(exp -6), 10(exp -7), and 10(exp -8) g(sub 0)) each at three predominant frequencies (0.1, 1.0, and 10 Hz), combined with a gravity gradient appropriate for the GP-B orbit. Dynamical evolution of sloshing dynamics excited fluid forces and torque fluctuations exerted on the dewar container driven by the combined gravity gradient and jitter accelerations are also investigated and simulated.

LINEAR LATTICE AND TRAJECTORY RECONSTRUCTION AND CORRECTION AT FAST LINEAR ACCELERATOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romanov, A.; Edstrom, D.; Halavanau, A.

2017-07-16

The low energy part of the FAST linear accelerator based on 1.3 GHz superconducting RF cavities was successfully commissioned [1]. During commissioning, beam based model dependent methods were used to correct linear lattice and trajectory. Lattice correction algorithm is based on analysis of beam shape from profile monitors and trajectory responses to dipole correctors. Trajectory responses to field gradient variations in quadrupoles and phase variations in superconducting RF cavities were used to correct bunch offsets in quadrupoles and accelerating cavities relative to their magnetic axes. Details of used methods and experimental results are presented.

Experiment to Detect Accelerating Modes in a Photonic Bandgap Fiber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

England, R.J.; /SLAC; Colby, E.R.

An experimental effort is currently underway at the E-163 test beamline at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center to use a hollow-core photonic bandgap (PBG) fiber as a high-gradient laser-based accelerating structure for electron bunches. For the initial stage of this experiment, a 50pC, 60 MeV electron beam will be coupled into the fiber core and the excited modes will be detected using a spectrograph to resolve their frequency signatures in the wakefield radiation generated by the beam. They will describe the experimental plan and recent simulation studies of candidate fibers.

Neutrino flux from cosmic ray accelerators in the Cygnus spiral arm of the Galaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anchordoqui, Luis; Halzen, Francis; O'Murchadha, Aongus

2007-09-15

Intriguing evidence has been accumulating for the production of cosmic rays in the Cygnus region of the galactic plane. We here show that the IceCube experiment can produce incontrovertible evidence for cosmic ray acceleration by observing the neutrinos from the decay of charged pions accompanying the TeV photon flux observed in the HEGRA, Whipple, Tibet, and Milagro experiments. Our assumption is that the TeV photons observed are the decay products of neutral pions produced by cosmic ray accelerators in the nearby spiral arm of the galaxy. Because of the proximity of the sources, IceCube will obtain evidence at the 5{sigma}more » level in 15 years of observation.« less

Cost-Effective Fabrication of Wettability Gradient Copper Surface by Screen Printing and its Application to Condensation Heat Transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leu, Tzong-Shyng; Huang, Hung-Ming; Huang, Ding-Jun

2016-06-01

In this paper, wettability gradient pattern is applied to condensation heat transfer on a copper tube surface. For this application, the vital issue is how to fabricate gradient patterns on a curve tube surface to accelerate the droplet collection efficiently. For this purpose, novel fabrication processes are developed to form wettability gradient patterns on a curve copper tube surface by using roller screen printing surface modification techniques. The roller screen printing surface modification techniques can easily realize wettability gradient surfaces with superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity on a copper tube surface. Experimental results show the droplet nucleation sites, movement and coalescence toward the collection areas can be effectively controlled which can assist in removing the condensation water from the surface. The effectiveness of droplet collection is appropriate for being applied to condensation heat transfer in the foreseeable future.

The Effect of Temperature on Moisture Transport in Concrete.

PubMed

Wang, Yao; Xi, Yunping

2017-08-09

Most concrete structures and buildings are under temperature and moisture variations simultaneously. Thus, the moisture transport in concrete is driven by the moisture gradient as well as the temperature gradient. This paper presents an experimental approach for determining the effect of different temperature gradients on moisture distribution profiles in concrete. The effect of elevated temperatures under isothermal conditions on the moisture transport was also evaluated, and found not to be significant. The non-isothermal tests show that the temperature gradient accelerates the moisture transport in concrete. The part of increased moisture transfer due to the temperature gradient can be quantified by a coupling parameter D HT , which can be determined by the present test data. The test results indicated that D HT is not a constant but increases linearly with the temperature variation. A material model was developed for D HT based on the experimental results obtained in this study.

Improving GOCE cross-track gravity gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siemes, Christian

2018-01-01

The GOCE gravity gradiometer measured highly accurate gravity gradients along the orbit during GOCE's mission lifetime from March 17, 2009, to November 11, 2013. These measurements contain unique information on the gravity field at a spatial resolution of 80 km half wavelength, which is not provided to the same accuracy level by any other satellite mission now and in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the gravity gradient in cross-track direction is heavily perturbed in the regions around the geomagnetic poles. We show in this paper that the perturbing effect can be modeled accurately as a quadratic function of the non-gravitational acceleration of the satellite in cross-track direction. Most importantly, we can remove the perturbation from the cross-track gravity gradient to a great extent, which significantly improves the accuracy of the latter and offers opportunities for better scientific exploitation of the GOCE gravity gradient data set.

The Effect of Temperature on Moisture Transport in Concrete

PubMed Central

Wang, Yao; Xi, Yunping

2017-01-01

Most concrete structures and buildings are under temperature and moisture variations simultaneously. Thus, the moisture transport in concrete is driven by the moisture gradient as well as the temperature gradient. This paper presents an experimental approach for determining the effect of different temperature gradients on moisture distribution profiles in concrete. The effect of elevated temperatures under isothermal conditions on the moisture transport was also evaluated, and found not to be significant. The non-isothermal tests show that the temperature gradient accelerates the moisture transport in concrete. The part of increased moisture transfer due to the temperature gradient can be quantified by a coupling parameter DHT, which can be determined by the present test data. The test results indicated that DHT is not a constant but increases linearly with the temperature variation. A material model was developed for DHT based on the experimental results obtained in this study. PMID:28792460

On the physics of electron ejection from laser-irradiated overdense plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thévenet, M.; Vincenti, H.; Faure, J.

2016-06-15

Using 1D and 2D PIC simulations, we describe and model the backward ejection of electron bunches when a laser pulse reflects off an overdense plasma with a short density gradient on its front side. The dependence on the laser intensity and gradient scale length is studied. It is found that during each laser period, the incident laser pulse generates a large charge-separation field, or plasma capacitor, which accelerates an attosecond bunch of electrons toward vacuum. This process is maximized for short gradient scale lengths and collapses when the gradient scale length is comparable to the laser wavelength. We develop amore » model that reproduces the electron dynamics and the dependence on laser intensity and gradient scale length. This process is shown to be strongly linked with high harmonic generation via the Relativistic Oscillating Mirror mechanism.« less

Nonuniform discharge currents in active plasma lenses

DOE PAGES

van Tilborg, J.; Barber, S. K.; Tsai, H. -E.; ...

2017-03-24

Active plasma lenses have attracted interest in novel accelerator applications due to their ability to provide large-field-gradient (short focal length), tunable, and radially symmetric focusing for charged particle beams. However, if the discharge current is not flowing uniformly as a function of radius, one can expect a radially varying field gradient as well as potential emittance degradation. We have investigated this experimentally for a 1-mm-diameter active plasma lens. The measured near-axis field gradient is approximately 35% larger than expected for a uniform current distribution, and at overfocusing currents ring-shaped electron beams are observed. These observations are explained by simulations.

The influence of a high pressure gradient on unsteady velocity perturbations in the case of a turbulent supersonic flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dussauge, J. P.; Debieve, J. F.

1980-01-01

The amplification or reduction of unsteady velocity perturbations under the influence of strong flow acceleration or deceleration was studied. Supersonic flows with large velocity, pressure gradients, and the conditions in which the velocity fluctuations depend on the action of the average gradients of pressure and velocity rather than turbulence, are described. Results are analyzed statistically and interpreted as a return to laminar process. It is shown that this return to laminar implies negative values in the turbulence production terms for kinetic energy. A simple geometrical representation of the Reynolds stress production is given.

Nonuniform discharge currents in active plasma lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Tilborg, J.; Barber, S. K.; Tsai, H.-E.; Swanson, K. K.; Steinke, S.; Geddes, C. G. R.; Gonsalves, A. J.; Schroeder, C. B.; Esarey, E.; Bulanov, S. S.; Bobrova, N. A.; Sasorov, P. V.; Leemans, W. P.

2017-03-01

Active plasma lenses have attracted interest in novel accelerator applications due to their ability to provide large-field-gradient (short focal length), tunable, and radially symmetric focusing for charged particle beams. However, if the discharge current is not flowing uniformly as a function of radius, one can expect a radially varying field gradient as well as potential emittance degradation. We have investigated this experimentally for a 1-mm-diameter active plasma lens. The measured near-axis field gradient is approximately 35% larger than expected for a uniform current distribution, and at overfocusing currents ring-shaped electron beams are observed. These observations are explained by simulations.

Generation of a wakefield undulator in plasma with transverse density gradient

DOE PAGES

Stupakov, Gennady V.

2017-11-30

Here, we show that a short relativistic electron beam propagating in a plasma with a density gradient perpendicular to the direction of motion generates a wakefield in which a witness bunch experiences a transverse force. A density gradient oscillating along the beam path would create a periodically varying force$-$an undulator, with an estimated strength of the equivalent magnetic field more than ten Tesla. This opens an avenue for creation of a high-strength, short-period undulators, which eventually may lead to all-plasma, free electron lasers where a plasma wakefield acceleration is naturally combined with a plasma undulator in a unifying, compact setup.

Generation of a wakefield undulator in plasma with transverse density gradient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stupakov, Gennady V.

Here, we show that a short relativistic electron beam propagating in a plasma with a density gradient perpendicular to the direction of motion generates a wakefield in which a witness bunch experiences a transverse force. A density gradient oscillating along the beam path would create a periodically varying force$-$an undulator, with an estimated strength of the equivalent magnetic field more than ten Tesla. This opens an avenue for creation of a high-strength, short-period undulators, which eventually may lead to all-plasma, free electron lasers where a plasma wakefield acceleration is naturally combined with a plasma undulator in a unifying, compact setup.

A residual-based shock capturing scheme for the continuous/discontinuous spectral element solution of the 2D shallow water equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marras, Simone; Kopera, Michal A.; Constantinescu, Emil M.; Suckale, Jenny; Giraldo, Francis X.

2018-04-01

The high-order numerical solution of the non-linear shallow water equations is susceptible to Gibbs oscillations in the proximity of strong gradients. In this paper, we tackle this issue by presenting a shock capturing model based on the numerical residual of the solution. Via numerical tests, we demonstrate that the model removes the spurious oscillations in the proximity of strong wave fronts while preserving their strength. Furthermore, for coarse grids, it prevents energy from building up at small wave-numbers. When applied to the continuity equation to stabilize the water surface, the addition of the shock capturing scheme does not affect mass conservation. We found that our model improves the continuous and discontinuous Galerkin solutions alike in the proximity of sharp fronts propagating on wet surfaces. In the presence of wet/dry interfaces, however, the model needs to be enhanced with the addition of an inundation scheme which, however, we do not address in this paper.

Cor triatriatum sinister identified after new onset atrial fibrillation in an elderly man.

PubMed

Zepeda, Ignacio A; Morcos, Peter; Castellanos, Luis R

2014-01-01

A 73-year-old man with new onset atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response underwent transthoracic echocardiography that revealed an echogenic linear structure along the left atrium, suggestive of cor triatriatum sinister (CTS). CTS was confirmed with transesophageal echocardiography which demonstrated a proximal accessory atrium receiving pulmonary venous flow separated from a distal true atrium by a fibromuscular membrane with a large fenestration allowing flow between the chambers. In CTS, the left atrium is divided into proximal and distal chambers by a fenestrated fibromuscular septum. This cardiac anomaly accounts for 0.1% of cases of congenital heart disease and rarely presents in adults. CTS is primarily diagnosed with echocardiography and is associated with left atrial enlargement and development of atrial fibrillation. Treatment options depend on size of the communication between proximal and distal chambers, the gradient across the membrane, and the position of pulmonary veins. In some instances, surgical resection of the membrane that divides the left atrium is warranted.

Cor Triatriatum Sinister Identified after New Onset Atrial Fibrillation in an Elderly Man

PubMed Central

Zepeda, Ignacio A.; Morcos, Peter; Castellanos, Luis R.

2014-01-01

A 73-year-old man with new onset atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response underwent transthoracic echocardiography that revealed an echogenic linear structure along the left atrium, suggestive of cor triatriatum sinister (CTS). CTS was confirmed with transesophageal echocardiography which demonstrated a proximal accessory atrium receiving pulmonary venous flow separated from a distal true atrium by a fibromuscular membrane with a large fenestration allowing flow between the chambers. In CTS, the left atrium is divided into proximal and distal chambers by a fenestrated fibromuscular septum. This cardiac anomaly accounts for 0.1% of cases of congenital heart disease and rarely presents in adults. CTS is primarily diagnosed with echocardiography and is associated with left atrial enlargement and development of atrial fibrillation. Treatment options depend on size of the communication between proximal and distal chambers, the gradient across the membrane, and the position of pulmonary veins. In some instances, surgical resection of the membrane that divides the left atrium is warranted. PMID:25614746

Orbit correction in a linear nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator

DOE PAGES

Kelliher, D. J.; Machida, S.; Edmonds, C. S.; ...

2014-11-20

In a linear non-scaling FFAG the large natural chromaticity of the machine results in a betatron tune that varies by several integers over the momentum range. In addition, orbit correction is complicated by the consequent variation of the phase advance between lattice elements. Here we investigate how the correction of multiple closed orbit harmonics allows correction of both the COD and the accelerated orbit distortion over the momentum range.

Slow wave contraction frequency plateaus in the small intestine are composed of discrete waves of interval increase associated with dislocations.

PubMed

Parsons, Sean P; Huizinga, Jan D

2018-06-03

What is the central question of this study? What is the nature of slow wave driven contraction frequency gradients in the small intestine? What is the main finding and its importance? Frequency plateaus are composed of discrete waves of increased interval, each wave associated with a contraction dislocation. Smooth frequency gradients are generated by localised neural modulation of wave frequency, leading to functionally important wave turbulence. Both patterns are emergent properties of a network of coupled oscillators, the interstitial cells of Cajal. A gut-wide network of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate electrical oscillations (slow waves) that orchestrate waves of muscle contraction. In the small intestine there is a gradient in slow wave frequency from high at the duodenum to low at the terminal ileum. Time-averaged measurements of frequency have suggested either a smooth or stepped (plateaued) gradient. We measured individual contraction intervals from diameter maps of the mouse small intestine to create interval maps (IMaps). IMaps showed that each frequency plateau was composed of discrete waves of increased interval. Each interval wave originated at a terminating contraction wave, a "dislocation", at the plateau's proximal boundary. In a model chain of coupled phase oscillators, interval wave frequency increased as coupling decreased or as the natural frequency gradient or noise increased. Injuring the intestine at a proximal point to destroy coupling, suppressed distal steps which then reappeared with gap junction block by carbenoxolone. This lent further support to our previous hypothesis that lines of dislocations were fixed by points of low coupling strength. Dislocations induced by electrical field pulses in the intestine and by equivalent phase shift in the model, were associated with interval waves. When the enteric nervous system was active, IMaps showed a chaotic, turbulent pattern of interval change with no frequency steps or plateaus. This probably resulted from local, stochastic release of neurotransmitters. Plateaus, dislocations, interval waves and wave turbulence arise from a dynamic interplay between natural frequency and coupling in the ICC network. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Mass Movement Susceptibility Mapping Using Satellite Optical Imagery Compared With INSAR Monitoring: Zigui County, Three Gorges Region, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kincal, Cem; Singleton, Andrew; Liu, Peng; Li, Zhenhong; Drummond, Jane; Hoey, Trevor; Muller, Jan-Peter; Qu, Wei; Zeng, Qiming; Zhang, Jingfa; Du, Peijun

2010-10-01

Mass movements on steep slopes are a major hazard to communities and infrastructure in the Three Gorges region, China. Developing susceptibility maps of mass movements is therefore very important in both current and future land use planning. This study employed satellite optical imagery and an ASTER GDEM (15 m) to derive various parameters (namely geology; slope gradient; proximity to drainage networks and proximity to lineaments) in order to create a GIS-based map of mass movement susceptibility. This map was then evaluated using highly accurate deformation signals processed using the Persistent Scatterer (PS) InSAR technique. Areas of high susceptibility correspond well to points of high subsidence, which provides a strong support of our susceptibility map.

Primary hyperparathyroidism and proximal renal tubular acidosis: Report of two cases

PubMed Central

Siddiqui, Abdullah A.; Wilson, Douglas R.

1972-01-01

Two cases of primary hyperparathyroidism due to single parathyroid adenomas presented with the additional feature of hyperchloremic acidosis. The defect in urinary acidification responsible was not of the distal or gradient-limited type since both patients could lower urine pH adequately. However, there was a defect of bicarbonate reabsorption, an abnormality referred to as the proximal or rate-limited type of renal tubular acidosis. It is suggested that this defect represents an exaggeration of the physiological effect of parathormone on bicarbonate reabsorption and may be responsible for the frequent finding of hyperchloremia in association with primary hyperparathyroidism as well as for the urinary bicarbonate-wasting associated with a variety of causes of secondary hyperparathyroidism. PMID:5012229

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-06-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m-1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-01-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m−1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations. PMID:27250570

Nonnegative least-squares image deblurring: improved gradient projection approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benvenuto, F.; Zanella, R.; Zanni, L.; Bertero, M.

2010-02-01

The least-squares approach to image deblurring leads to an ill-posed problem. The addition of the nonnegativity constraint, when appropriate, does not provide regularization, even if, as far as we know, a thorough investigation of the ill-posedness of the resulting constrained least-squares problem has still to be done. Iterative methods, converging to nonnegative least-squares solutions, have been proposed. Some of them have the 'semi-convergence' property, i.e. early stopping of the iteration provides 'regularized' solutions. In this paper we consider two of these methods: the projected Landweber (PL) method and the iterative image space reconstruction algorithm (ISRA). Even if they work well in many instances, they are not frequently used in practice because, in general, they require a large number of iterations before providing a sensible solution. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to refresh these methods by increasing their efficiency. Starting from the remark that PL and ISRA require only the computation of the gradient of the functional, we propose the application to these algorithms of special acceleration techniques that have been recently developed in the area of the gradient methods. In particular, we propose the application of efficient step-length selection rules and line-search strategies. Moreover, remarking that ISRA is a scaled gradient algorithm, we evaluate its behaviour in comparison with a recent scaled gradient projection (SGP) method for image deblurring. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the accelerated methods still exhibit the semi-convergence property, with a considerable gain both in the number of iterations and in the computational time; in particular, SGP appears definitely the most efficient one.

Coupled transport of p-aminohippurate by rat kidney basolateral membrane vesicles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pritchard, J.B.

p-Aminohippuric acid (PAH) transport by basolateral membrane (BLM) vesicles isolated from rat renal cortex was stimulated very little by a Na{sup +} gradient (out > in). However, when micromolar concentrations of glutaric acid or {alpha}-ketoglutaric acid were added in the presence of a out > in Na{sup +} gradient, PAH uptake was accelerated >20-fold and an overshoot of greater than fivefold was produced. Other anions, e.g., fumarate, stimulated PAH uptake very modestly under these conditions, and that stimulation was totally prevented by short circuiting, i.e., with K{sup +} (in = out) and valinomycin. Glutarate-stimulated uptake was inhibited by 4-acetamide-4{prime}-({sup 14}C)-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2{prime}-disulfonicmore » acid (SITS) and probenecid and was slightly stimulated by the imposition of an inside-negative membrane potential. Furthermore, even in the absence of a Na{sup +} gradient, glutarate-loaded vesicles exhibited a marked acceleration of ({sup 3}H)-PAH uptake (5-fold) and a modest overshoot (2.5-fold). These results suggest an indirect coupling of BLM PAH uptake to the Na{sup +} gradient by a cyclic accumulation (Na{sup +}-dependent) of glutarate followed by its efflux from the vesicle in exchange for PAH. This coupled system was absent in apical membranes. Thus net secretory transport of PAH may entail Na{sup +}-dependent, glutarate-driven PAH uptake at the BLM, followed by the exit of PAH into the lumen down its electrochemical gradient, probably in exchange for other anions, e.g., {sup 36}Cl{sup {minus}}, HCO{sub 3}{sup {minus}}, or OH{sup {minus}}.« less

An accelerated algorithm for discrete stochastic simulation of reaction-diffusion systems using gradient-based diffusion and tau-leaping.

PubMed

Koh, Wonryull; Blackwell, Kim T

2011-04-21

Stochastic simulation of reaction-diffusion systems enables the investigation of stochastic events arising from the small numbers and heterogeneous distribution of molecular species in biological cells. Stochastic variations in intracellular microdomains and in diffusional gradients play a significant part in the spatiotemporal activity and behavior of cells. Although an exact stochastic simulation that simulates every individual reaction and diffusion event gives a most accurate trajectory of the system's state over time, it can be too slow for many practical applications. We present an accelerated algorithm for discrete stochastic simulation of reaction-diffusion systems designed to improve the speed of simulation by reducing the number of time-steps required to complete a simulation run. This method is unique in that it employs two strategies that have not been incorporated in existing spatial stochastic simulation algorithms. First, diffusive transfers between neighboring subvolumes are based on concentration gradients. This treatment necessitates sampling of only the net or observed diffusion events from higher to lower concentration gradients rather than sampling all diffusion events regardless of local concentration gradients. Second, we extend the non-negative Poisson tau-leaping method that was originally developed for speeding up nonspatial or homogeneous stochastic simulation algorithms. This method calculates each leap time in a unified step for both reaction and diffusion processes while satisfying the leap condition that the propensities do not change appreciably during the leap and ensuring that leaping does not cause molecular populations to become negative. Numerical results are presented that illustrate the improvement in simulation speed achieved by incorporating these two new strategies.

Progress of ILC High Gradient SRF Cavity R&D at Jefferson Lab

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R.L. Geng, J. Dai, G.V. Eremeev, A.D. Palczewski

2011-09-01

Latest progress of ILC high gradient SRF cavity R&D at Jefferson Lab will be presented. 9 out of 10 real 9-cell cavities reached an accelerating gradient of more than 38 MV/m at a unloaded quality factor of more than 8 {center_dot} 109. New understandings of quench limitation in 9-cell cavities are obtained through instrumented studies of cavities at cryogenic temperatures. Our data have shown that present limit reached in 9-cell cavities is predominantly due to localized defects, suggesting that the fundamental material limit of niobium is not yet reached in 9-cell cavities and further gradient improvement is still possible. Somemore » examples of quench-causing defects will be given. Possible solutions to pushing toward the fundamental limit will be described.« less

Microfluidic Synthesis of Composite Cross-Gradient Materials for Investigating Cell–Biomaterial Interactions

PubMed Central

He, Jiankang; Du, Yanan; Guo, Yuqi; Hancock, Matthew J.; Wang, Ben; Shin, Hyeongho; Wu, Jinhui; Li, Dichen; Khademhosseini, Ali

2010-01-01

Combinatorial material synthesis is a powerful approach for creating composite material libraries for the high-throughput screening of cell–material interactions. Although current combinatorial screening platforms have been tremendously successful in identifying target (termed “hit”) materials from composite material libraries, new material synthesis approaches are needed to further optimize the concentrations and blending ratios of the component materials. Here we employed a microfluidic platform to rapidly synthesize composite materials containing cross-gradients of gelatin and chitosan for investigating cell–biomaterial interactions. The microfluidic synthesis of the cross-gradient was optimized experimentally and theoretically to produce quantitatively controllable variations in the concentrations and blending ratios of the two components. The anisotropic chemical compositions of the gelatin/chitosan cross-gradients were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. The three-dimensional (3D) porous gelatin/chitosan cross-gradient materials were shown to regulate the cellular morphology and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in a gradient-dependent manner. We envision that our microfluidic cross-gradient platform may accelerate the material development processes involved in a wide range of biomedical applications. PMID:20721897

Biomaterials with persistent growth factor gradients in vivo accelerate vascularized tissue formation.

PubMed

Akar, Banu; Jiang, Bin; Somo, Sami I; Appel, Alyssa A; Larson, Jeffery C; Tichauer, Kenneth M; Brey, Eric M

2015-12-01

Gradients of soluble factors play an important role in many biological processes, including blood vessel assembly. Gradients can be studied in detail in vitro, but methods that enable the study of spatially distributed soluble factors and multi-cellular processes in vivo are limited. Here, we report on a method for the generation of persistent in vivo gradients of growth factors in a three-dimensional (3D) biomaterial system. Fibrin loaded porous poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) scaffolds were generated using a particulate leaching method. Platelet derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) was encapsulated into poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres which were placed distal to the tissue-material interface. PLGA provides sustained release of PDGF-BB and its diffusion through the porous structure results in gradient formation. Gradients within the scaffold were confirmed in vivo using near-infrared fluorescence imaging and gradients were present for more than 3 weeks. The diffusion of PDGF-BB was modeled and verified with in vivo imaging findings. The depth of tissue invasion and density of blood vessels formed in response to the biomaterial increased with magnitude of the gradient. This biomaterial system allows for generation of sustained growth factor gradients for the study of tissue response to gradients in vivo. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Desirable limits of accelerative forces in a space-based materials processing facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, Robert J.

1990-01-01

There are three categories of accelerations to be encountered on orbiting spacecraft: (1) quasi-steady accelerations, caused by atmospheric drag or by gravity gradients, 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -7) g sub o; (2) transient accelerations, caused by movements of the astronauts, mass translocations, landing and departure of other spacecraft, etc.; and (3) oscillary accelerations, caused by running machinery (fans, pumps, generators). Steady accelerations cause continuing displacements; transients cause time-limited displacements. The important aspect is the area under the acceleration curve, measured over a certain time interval. Note that this quantity is not equivalent to a velocity because of friction effects. Transient motions are probably less important than steady accelerations because they only produce constant displacements. If the accelerative forces were not equal and opposite, the displacement would increase with time. A steady acceleration will produce an increasing velocity of a particle, but eventually an equilibrium value will be reached where drag and acceleration forces are equal. From then on, the velocity will remain constant, and the displacement will increase linearly with time.

Ultra-High Gradient Channeling Acceleration in Nanostructures: Design/Progress of Proof-of-Concept (POC) Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Young Min; Green, A.; Lumpkin, A. H.

2016-09-16

A short bunch of relativistic particles or a short-pulse laser perturbs the density state of conduction electrons in a solid crystal and excites wakefields along atomic lattices in a crystal. Under a coupling condition the wakes, if excited, can accelerate channeling particles with TeV/m acceleration gradients in principle since the density of charge carriers (conduction electrons) in solids n 0 = ~ 10 20 – 10 23 cm -3 is significantly higher than what can be obtained in gaseous plasma. Nanostructures have some advantages over crystals for channeling applications of high power beams. The dechanneling rate can be reduced andmore » the beam acceptance increased by the large size of the channels. For beam-driven acceleration, a bunch length with a sufficient charge density would need to be in the range of the plasma wavelength to properly excite plasma wakefields, and channeled particle acceleration with the wakefields must occur before the ions in the lattices move beyond the restoring threshold. In the case of the excitation by short laser pulses, the dephasing length is appreciably increased with the larger channel, which enables channeled particles to gain sufficient amounts of energy. This paper describes simulation analyses on beam- and laser (X-ray)-driven accelerations in effective nanotube models obtained from Vsim and EPOCH codes. Experimental setups to detect wakefields are also outlined with accelerator facilities at Fermilab and NIU. In the FAST facility, the electron beamline was successfully commissioned at 50 MeV and it is being upgraded toward higher energies for electron accelerator R&D. The 50 MeV injector beamline of the facility is used for X-ray crystal-channeling radiation with a diamond target. It has been proposed to utilize the same diamond crystal for a channeling acceleration POC test. Another POC experiment is also designed for the NIU accelerator lab with time-resolved electron diffraction. Recently, a stable generation of single-cycle laser pulses with tens of Petawatt power based on thin film compression (TFC) technique has been investigated for target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) and radiation pressure acceleration (RPA). The experimental plan with a nanometer foil is discussed with an available test facility such as Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP).« less

Ultra-high gradient channeling acceleration in nanostructures: Design/progress of proof-of-concept (POC) experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Y. M.; Green, A.; Lumpkin, A. H.; Thurman-Keup, R. M.; Shiltsev, V.; Zhang, X.; Farinella, D. M.-A.; Taborek, P.; Tajima, T.; Wheeler, J. A.; Mourou, G.

2017-03-01

A short bunch of relativistic particles, or a short-pulse laser, perturb the density state of conduction electrons in a solid crystal and excite wakefields along atomic lattices in a crystal. Under a coupling condition between a driver and plasma, the wakes, if excited, can accelerate channeling particles with TeV/m acceleration gradients [1], in principle, since the density of charge carriers (conduction electrons) in solids n0 = 1020 - 1023 cm-3 is significantly higher than what was considered above in gaseous plasma. Nanostructures have some advantages over crystals for channeling applications of high power beams. The de-channeling rate can be reduced and the beam acceptance increased by the large size of the channels. For beam-driven acceleration, a bunch length with a sufficient charge density would need to be in the range of the plasma wavelength to properly excite plasma wakefields, and channeled particle acceleration with the wakefields must occur before the ions in the lattices move beyond the restoring threshold. In the case of the excitation by short laser pulses, the dephasing length is appreciably increased with the larger channel, which enables channeled particles to gain sufficient amounts of energy. This paper describes simulation analyses on beam- and laser (X-ray)-driven accelerations in effective nanotube models obtained from the Vsim and EPOCH codes. Experimental setups to detect wakefields are also outlined with accelerator facilities at Fermilab and Northern Illinois University (NIU). In the FAST facility, the electron beamline was successfully commissioned at 50 MeV, and it is being upgraded toward higher energies for electron accelerator R&D. The 50 MeV injector beamline of the facility is used for X-ray crystal-channeling radiation with a diamond target. It has been proposed to utilize the same diamond crystal for a channeling acceleration proof-of-concept (POC). Another POC experiment is also designed for the NIU accelerator lab with time-resolved electron diffraction. Recently, a stable generation of single-cycle laser pulses with tens of Petawatt power based on the thin film compression (TFC) technique has been investigated for target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) and radiation pressure acceleration (RPA). The experimental plan with a nanometer foil is discussed with an available test facility such as Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP).

Ultrashort laser pulse driven inverse free electron laser accelerator experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moody, J. T.; Anderson, S. G.; Anderson, G.

In this paper we discuss the ultrashort pulse high gradient Inverse Free Electron laser accelerator experiment carried out at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which demonstrated gra- dients exceeding 200 MV/m using a 4 TW 100 fs long 800 nm Ti:Sa laser pulse. Due to the short laser and electron pulse lengths, synchronization was determined to be one of the main challenges in this experiment. This made necessary the implementation of a single-shot, non destructive, electro-optic sampling based diagnostics to enable time-stamping of each laser accelerator shot with < 100 fs accuracy. The results of this experiment are expected tomore » pave the way towards the development of future GeV-class IFEL accelerators.« less

Ultrashort laser pulse driven inverse free electron laser accelerator experiment

DOE PAGES

Moody, J. T.; Anderson, S. G.; Anderson, G.; ...

2016-02-29

In this paper we discuss the ultrashort pulse high gradient Inverse Free Electron laser accelerator experiment carried out at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which demonstrated gra- dients exceeding 200 MV/m using a 4 TW 100 fs long 800 nm Ti:Sa laser pulse. Due to the short laser and electron pulse lengths, synchronization was determined to be one of the main challenges in this experiment. This made necessary the implementation of a single-shot, non destructive, electro-optic sampling based diagnostics to enable time-stamping of each laser accelerator shot with < 100 fs accuracy. The results of this experiment are expected tomore » pave the way towards the development of future GeV-class IFEL accelerators.« less

Optimization of a Small Scale Linear Reluctance Accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrera, Thor; Beard, Robby

2011-11-01

Reluctance accelerators are extremely promising future methods of transportation. Several problems still plague these devices, most prominently low efficiency. Variables to overcoming efficiency problems are many and difficult to correlate how they affect our accelerator. The study examined several differing variables that present potential challenges in optimizing the efficiency of reluctance accelerators. These include coil and projectile design, power supplies, switching, and the elusive gradient inductance problem. Extensive research in these areas has been performed from computational and theoretical to experimental. Findings show that these parameters share significant similarity to transformer design elements, thus general findings show current optimized parameters the research suggests as a baseline for further research and design. Demonstration of these current findings will be offered at the time of presentation.

Observation of High Transformer Ratio of Shaped Bunch Generated by an Emittance-Exchange Beam Line.

PubMed

Gao, Q; Ha, G; Jing, C; Antipov, S P; Power, J G; Conde, M; Gai, W; Chen, H; Shi, J; Wisniewski, E E; Doran, D S; Liu, W; Whiteford, C E; Zholents, A; Piot, P; Baturin, S S

2018-03-16

Collinear wakefield acceleration has been long established as a method capable of generating ultrahigh acceleration gradients. Because of the success on this front, recently, more efforts have shifted towards developing methods to raise the transformer ratio (TR). This figure of merit is defined as the ratio of the peak acceleration field behind the drive bunch to the peak deceleration field inside the drive bunch. TR is always less than 2 for temporally symmetric drive bunch distributions and therefore recent efforts have focused on generating asymmetric distributions to overcome this limitation. In this Letter, we report on using the emittance-exchange method to generate a shaped drive bunch to experimentally demonstrate a TR≈5 in a dielectric wakefield accelerator.

A simple microgravity table for the Orbiter or Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garriott, O. K.; Debra, D. B.

1985-01-01

Methods of limiting perturbations in microgravity experiments are proposed. An acceleration level below 10 to the -4th m/s-squared is necessary to maintain an undisturbed microgravity environment. Machinery vibrations, crew motion, and the firing of vernier thrusters produce acceleration levels greate than 10 to the -4th m/s-squared. The use of a weak spring system or simple electromagnets to isolate an experimental table from these factors is described. The manners in which crew motion and vernier firing are countered by the springs are examined. The steady acceleration caused by atmospheric drag, gravity gradient force, and steady rotation can be maintained below 10 to the -th m/s-squared; however, the springs can protect the table from these accelerations if required.

Geometrical correction of the e-beam proximity effect for raster scan systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belic, Nikola; Eisenmann, Hans; Hartmann, Hans; Waas, Thomas

1999-06-01

Increasing demands on pattern fidelity and CD accuracy in e- beam lithography require a correction of the e-beam proximity effect. The new needs are mainly coming from OPC at mask level and x-ray lithography. The e-beam proximity limits the achievable resolution and affects neighboring structures causing under- or over-exposion depending on the local pattern densities and process settings. Methods to compensate for this unequilibrated does distribution usually use a dose modulation or multiple passes. In general raster scan systems are not able to apply variable doses in order to compensate for the proximity effect. For system of this kind a geometrical modulation of the original pattern offers a solution for compensation of line edge deviations due to the proximity effect. In this paper a new method for the fast correction of the e-beam proximity effect via geometrical pattern optimization is described. The method consists of two steps. In a first step the pattern dependent dose distribution caused by back scattering is calculated by convolution of the pattern with the long range part of the proximity function. The restriction to the long range part result in a quadratic sped gain in computing time for the transformation. The influence of the short range part coming from forward scattering is not pattern dependent and can therefore be determined separately in a second step. The second calculation yields the dose curve at the border of a written structure. The finite gradient of this curve leads to an edge displacement depending on the amount of underground dosage at the observed position which was previously determined in the pattern dependent step. This unintended edge displacement is corrected by splitting the line into segments and shifting them by multiples of the writers address grid to the opposite direction.

Optimized operation of dielectric laser accelerators: Multibunch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-06-01

We present a self-consistent analysis to determine the optimal charge, gradient, and efficiency for laser driven accelerators operating with a train of microbunches. Specifically, we account for the beam loading reduction on the material occurring at the dielectric-vacuum interface. In the case of a train of microbunches, such beam loading effect could be detrimental due to energy spread, however this may be compensated by a tapered laser pulse. We ultimately propose an optimization procedure with an analytical solution for group velocity which equals to half the speed of light. This optimization results in a maximum efficiency 20% lower than the single bunch case, and a total accelerated charge of 1 06 electrons in the train. The approach holds promise for improving operations of dielectric laser accelerators and may have an impact on emerging laser accelerators driven by high-power optical lasers.

Single-shot EPI with Nyquist ghost compensation: Interleaved Dual-Echo with Acceleration (IDEA) EPI

PubMed Central

Poser, Benedikt A; Barth, Markus; Goa, Pål-Erik; Deng, Weiran; Stenger, V Andrew

2012-01-01

Echo planar imaging is most commonly used for BOLD fMRI, owing to its sensitivity and acquisition speed. A major problem with EPI is Nyquist (N/2) ghosting, most notably at high field. EPI data are acquired under an oscillating readout gradient and hence vulnerable to gradient imperfections such as eddy current delays and off-resonance effects, as these cause inconsistencies between odd and even k-space lines after time reversal. We propose a straightforward and pragmatic method herein termed Interleaved Dual Echo with Acceleration (IDEA) EPI: Two k-spaces (echoes) are acquired under the positive and negative readout lobes, respectively, by performing phase blips only before alternate readout gradients. From these two k-spaces, two almost entirely ghost free images per shot can be constructed, without need for phase correction. The doubled echo train length can be compensated by parallel imaging and/or partial Fourier acquisition. The two k-spaces can either be complex-averaged during reconstruction, which results in near-perfect cancellation of residual phase errors, or reconstructed into separate images. We demonstrate the efficacy of IDEA EPI and show phantom and in vivo images at both 3 and 7 Tesla. PMID:22411762

Electric-car simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chapman, C. P.; Slusser, R. A.

1980-01-01

PARAMET, interactive simulation program for parametric studies of electric vehicles, guides user through simulation by menu and series of prompts for input parameters. Program considers aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, linear and rotational acceleration, and road gradient as forces acting on vehicle.

Accelerated gradient methods for the x-ray imaging of solar flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonettini, S.; Prato, M.

2014-05-01

In this paper we present new optimization strategies for the reconstruction of x-ray images of solar flares by means of the data collected by the Reuven Ramaty high energy solar spectroscopic imager. The imaging concept of the satellite is based on rotating modulation collimator instruments, which allow the use of both Fourier imaging approaches and reconstruction techniques based on the straightforward inversion of the modulated count profiles. Although in the last decade, greater attention has been devoted to the former strategies due to their very limited computational cost, here we consider the latter model and investigate the effectiveness of different accelerated gradient methods for the solution of the corresponding constrained minimization problem. Moreover, regularization is introduced through either an early stopping of the iterative procedure, or a Tikhonov term added to the discrepancy function by means of a discrepancy principle accounting for the Poisson nature of the noise affecting the data.

Successful experiments on an external MHD Accelerator: wall confinement of the plasma, annihilation of the electrothermal instability by magnetic gradient inversion, creation of a stable spiral current pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petit, Jean-Pierre; Dore, Jean-Christophe

2013-09-01

MHD propulsion has been extensively studied since the fifties. To shift from propulsion to an MHD Aerodyne, one only needs to accelerate the air externally, along its outer skin, using Lorentz forces. We present a set of successful experiments, obtained around a model, placed in low density air. We successfully dealt with various problems: wall confinement of two-temperature plasma obtained by inversion of the magnetic pressure gradient, annihilation of the Velikhov electrothermal instability by magnetic confinement of the streamers, establishment of a stable spiral distribution of the current, obtained by an original method. Another direction of research is devoted to the study of an MHD-controlled inlet which, coupled with a turbofan engine and implying an MHD-bypass system, would extend the flight domain to hypersonic conditions. Research manager

Gravitational modulation of thermosolutal convection during directional solidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, B. T.; Coriell, S. R.; McFadden, G. B.; Wheeler, A. A.; Saunders, B. V.

1993-03-01

During directional solidification of a binary alloy at constant velocity, thermosolutal convection may occur due to the temperature and solute gradients associated with the solidification process. For vertical growth in an ideal furnace (lacking horizontal gradients) a quiescent state is possible. The effect of a time-periodic vertical gravitational acceleration (or equivalently vibration) on the onset of thermosolutal convection is calculated based on linear stability using Floquet theory. Numerical calculations for the onset of instability have been carried out for a semiconductor alloy with Schmidt number of 10 and Prandtl number of 0.1 with primary emphasis on large modulation frequencies in a microgravity environment for which the background gravitational acceleration is negligible. The numerical results demonstrate that there is a significant difference in stability depending on whether a heavier or lighter solute is rejected. For large modulation frequencies, the stability behavior can be described by either the method of averaging or an asymptotic resonant mode analysis.

Accelerating IMRT optimization by voxel sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Benjamin C.; Bortfeld, Thomas R.; Castañon, David A.

2007-12-01

This paper presents a new method for accelerating intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) optimization using voxel sampling. Rather than calculating the dose to the entire patient at each step in the optimization, the dose is only calculated for some randomly selected voxels. Those voxels are then used to calculate estimates of the objective and gradient which are used in a randomized version of a steepest descent algorithm. By selecting different voxels on each step, we are able to find an optimal solution to the full problem. We also present an algorithm to automatically choose the best sampling rate for each structure within the patient during the optimization. Seeking further improvements, we experimented with several other gradient-based optimization algorithms and found that the delta-bar-delta algorithm performs well despite the randomness. Overall, we were able to achieve approximately an order of magnitude speedup on our test case as compared to steepest descent.

Complete multipactor suppression in an X-band dielectric-loaded accelerating structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jing, C.; Gold, S. H.; Fischer, Richard

2016-05-09

Multipactor is a major issue limiting the gradient of rf-driven Dielectric-Loaded Accelerating (DLA) structures. Theoretical models have predicted that an axial magnetic field applied to DLA structures may completely block the multipactor discharge. However, previous attempts to demonstrate this magnetic field effect in an X-band traveling-wave DLA structure were inconclusive, due to the axial variation of the applied magnetic field, and showed only partial suppression of the multipactor loading [Jing et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 213503 (2013)]. The present experiment has been performed under improved conditions with a uniform axial magnetic field extending along the length of an X-bandmore » standing-wave DLA structure. Multipactor loading began to be continuously reduced starting from 3.5 kG applied magnetic field and was completely suppressed at 8 kG. Dependence of multipactor suppression on the rf gradient inside the DLA structure was also measured.« less

A review of turbulent-boundary-layer heat transfer research at Stanford, 1958-1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moffat, R. J.; Kays, W. M.

1984-01-01

For the past 25 years, there has existed in the Thermosciences Laboratory of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Stanford University a research program, primarily experimental, concerned with heat transfer through turbulent boundary layers. In the early phases of the program, the topics considered were the simple zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer with constant and with varying surface temperature, and the accelerated boundary layer. Later equilibrium boundary layers were considered along with factors affecting the boundary layer, taking into account transpired flows, flows with axial pressure gradients, transpiration, acceleration, deceleration, roughness, full-coverage film cooling, surface curvature, free convection, and mixed convection. A description is provided of the apparatus and techniques used, giving attention to the smooth plate rig, the rough plate rig, the full-coverage film cooling rig, the curvature rig, the concave wall rig, the mixed convection tunnel, and aspects of data reduction and uncertainty analysis.

In-situ plasma processing to increase the accelerating gradients of SRF cavities

DOE PAGES

Doleans, Marc; Afanador, Ralph; Barnhart, Debra L.; ...

2015-12-31

A new in-situ plasma processing technique is being developed at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to improve the performance of the cavities in operation. The technique utilizes a low-density reactive oxygen plasma at room temperature to remove top surface hydrocarbons. The plasma processing technique increases the work function of the cavity surface and reduces the overall amount of vacuum and electron activity during cavity operation; in particular it increases the field emission onset, which enables cavity operation at higher accelerating gradients. Experimental evidence also suggests that the SEY of the Nb surface decreases after plasma processing which helps mitigating multipactingmore » issues. This article discusses the main developments and results from the plasma processing R&D are presented and experimental results for in-situ plasma processing of dressed cavities in the SNS horizontal test apparatus.« less

Strong field acceleration and steering of ultrafast electron pulses from a sharp metallic nanotip.

PubMed

Park, Doo Jae; Piglosiewicz, Bjoern; Schmidt, Slawa; Kollmann, Heiko; Mascheck, Manfred; Lienau, Christoph

2012-12-14

We report a strong, laser-field induced modification of the propagation direction of ultrashort electron pulses emitted from nanometer-sized gold tapers. Angle-resolved kinetic energy spectra of electrons emitted from such tips are recorded using ultrafast near-infrared light pulses of variable wavelength and intensity for excitation. For sufficiently long wavelengths, we observe a pronounced strong-field acceleration of electrons within the field gradient at the taper apex. We find a distinct narrowing of the emission cone angle of the fastest electrons. We ascribe this to the field-induced steering of subcycle electrons as opposed to the diverging emission of quiver electrons. Our findings are corroborated by simulations based on a modified Simpleman model incorporating the curved, vectorial field gradient in the vicinity of the tip. Our results indicate new pathways for designing highly directional nanometer-sized ultrafast electron sources.

Conjugate gradient method for phase retrieval based on the Wirtinger derivative.

PubMed

Wei, Zhun; Chen, Wen; Qiu, Cheng-Wei; Chen, Xudong

2017-05-01

A conjugate gradient Wirtinger flow (CG-WF) algorithm for phase retrieval is proposed in this paper. It is shown that, compared with recently reported Wirtinger flow and its modified methods, the proposed CG-WF algorithm is able to dramatically accelerate the convergence rate while keeping the dominant computational cost of each iteration unchanged. We numerically illustrate the effectiveness of our method in recovering 1D Gaussian signals and 2D natural color images under both Gaussian and coded diffraction pattern models.

Steepest descent with momentum for quadratic functions is a version of the conjugate gradient method.

PubMed

Bhaya, Amit; Kaszkurewicz, Eugenius

2004-01-01

It is pointed out that the so called momentum method, much used in the neural network literature as an acceleration of the backpropagation method, is a stationary version of the conjugate gradient method. Connections with the continuous optimization method known as heavy ball with friction are also made. In both cases, adaptive (dynamic) choices of the so called learning rate and momentum parameters are obtained using a control Liapunov function analysis of the system.

One-Dimensional Shock Wave Formation by an Accelerating Piston. Ph.D. Thesis - Ohio State Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, M. J.

1970-01-01

The formation of a shock wave by a solid accelerating piston was studied. A theoretical solution using the method of characteristics for a perfect gas showed that a complex wave system exists, and that the compressed gas can have large gradients in temperature, density and entropy. Experiments were performed with a piston tube where piston speed, shock speed and pressure were measured. The comparison of theory and experiment was good.

Cascaded chirped photon acceleration for efficient frequency conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Matthew R.; Qu, Kenan; Jia, Qing; Mikhailova, Julia M.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2018-05-01

A cascaded sequence of photon acceleration stages using the instantaneous creation of a plasma density gradient by flash ionization allows the generation of coherent and chirped ultraviolet and x-ray pulses with independently tunable frequency and bandwidth. The efficiency of the cascaded process scales with 1/ω in energy, and multiple stages produce significant frequency up-conversion with gas-density plasmas. Chirping permits subsequent pulse compression to few-cycle durations, and output frequencies are not limited to integer harmonics.

Process modelling for Space Station experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. Iwan D.; Rosenberger, Franz; Nadarajah, Arunan; Ouazzani, Jalil; Amiroudine, Sakir

1990-01-01

Examined here is the sensitivity of a variety of space experiments to residual accelerations. In all the cases discussed the sensitivity is related to the dynamic response of a fluid. In some cases the sensitivity can be defined by the magnitude of the response of the velocity field. This response may involve motion of the fluid associated with internal density gradients, or the motion of a free liquid surface. For fluids with internal density gradients, the type of acceleration to which the experiment is sensitive will depend on whether buoyancy driven convection must be small in comparison to other types of fluid motion, or fluid motion must be suppressed or eliminated. In the latter case, the experiments are sensitive to steady and low frequency accelerations. For experiments such as the directional solidification of melts with two or more components, determination of the velocity response alone is insufficient to assess the sensitivity. The effect of the velocity on the composition and temperature field must be considered, particularly in the vicinity of the melt-crystal interface. As far as the response to transient disturbances is concerned, the sensitivity is determined by both the magnitude and frequency of the acceleration and the characteristic momentum and solute diffusion times. The microgravity environment, a numerical analysis of low gravity tolerance of the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique, and modeling crystal growth by physical vapor transport in closed ampoules are discussed.

Overview of High Power Vacuum Dry RF Load Designs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krasnykh, Anatoly

2015-08-27

A specific feature of RF linacs based on the pulsed traveling wave (TW) mode of operation is that only a portion of the RF energy is used for the beam acceleration. The residual RF energy has to be terminated into an RF load. Higher accelerating gradients require higher RF sources and RF loads, which can stably terminate the residual RF power. RF feeders (from the RF source though the accelerating section to the load) are vacuumed to transmit multi-megawatt high power RF. This overview will outline vacuumed RF loads only. A common method to terminate multi-MW RF power is tomore » use circulated water (or other liquid) as an absorbing medium. A solid dielectric interface (a high quality ceramic) is required to separate vacuum and liquid RF absorber mediums. Using such RF load approaches in TW linacs is troubling because there is a fragile ceramic window barrier and a failure could become catastrophic for linac vacuum and RF systems. Traditional loads comprising of a ceramic disk have limited peak and average power handling capability and are therefore not suitable for high gradient TW linacs. This overview will focus on ''vacuum dry'' or ''all-metal'' loads that do not employ any dielectric interface between vacuum and absorber. The first prototype is an original design of RF loads for the Stanford Two-Mile Accelerator.« less

Evaluation of differences between dual salt-pH gradient elution and mono gradient elution using a thermodynamic model: Simultaneous separation of six monoclonal antibody charge and size variants on preparative-scale ion exchange chromatographic resin.

PubMed

Lee, Yi Feng; Jöhnck, Matthias; Frech, Christian

2018-02-21

The efficiencies of mono gradient elution and dual salt-pH gradient elution for separation of six mAb charge and size variants on a preparative-scale ion exchange chromatographic resin are compared in this study. Results showed that opposite dual salt-pH gradient elution with increasing pH gradient and simultaneously decreasing salt gradient is best suited for the separation of these mAb charge and size variants on Eshmuno ® CPX. Besides giving high binding capacity, this type of opposite dual salt-pH gradient also provides better resolved mAb variant peaks and lower conductivity in the elution pools compared to single pH or salt gradients. To have a mechanistic understanding of the differences in mAb variants retention behaviors of mono pH gradient, parallel dual salt-pH gradient, and opposite dual salt-pH gradient, a linear gradient elution model was used. After determining the model parameters using the linear gradient elution model, 2D plots were used to show the pH and salt dependencies of the reciprocals of distribution coefficient, equilibrium constant, and effective ionic capacity of the mAb variants in these gradient elution systems. Comparison of the 2D plots indicated that the advantage of opposite dual salt-pH gradient system with increasing pH gradient and simultaneously decreasing salt gradient is the noncontinuous increased acceleration of protein migration. Furthermore, the fitted model parameters can be used for the prediction and optimization of mAb variants separation in dual salt-pH gradient and step elution. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2018. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

On blockage effects for a marine hydrokinetic turbine in free surface proximity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, A.; Kolekar, N.

2016-12-01

Experimental investigation was carried out with a three-bladed, constant chord marine hydrokinetic turbine to understand the influence of free surface proximity on blockage effects and near wake flow field. The turbine was placed at various depths of immersion as rotational speeds and flow speeds were varied; thrust and torque data was acquired through a submerged thrust torque sensor positioned in-line with the turbine axis. Blockage effects were quantified in terms of changes in power coefficient and were found to be dependent on flow velocity, rotational speed and blade-tip clearence (from free-surface). Flow acceleration near turbine rotation plane was attributed to blockage offered by the rotor, wake, and free surface deformation; the resulting performance improvements were calculated based on the measured thrust values. In addition, stereoscopic particle imaging velocimetry was carried out in the near-wake region using time-averaged and phase-averaged techniques to understand the mechanism responsible for variation of torque (and power coefficient) with rotational speed and free-surface proximity. Flow vizualisation revealed slower wake propagation for higher rotational velocities and increased assymetry in the wake with increasing free surface proximity. Improved performance at high rotational speed was attributed to enhanced wake blockage; performance enhancements with free-surface proximity was attributed to additional blockage effects caused by free surface deformation.

Effect of hinge-moment parameters on elevator stick forces in rapid maneuvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, R. T.; Greenberg, H.

1976-01-01

The importance of the stick force per unit normal acceleration as a criterion of longitudinal stability and the critical dependence of this gradient on elevator hinge moment parameters are investigated with special reference to transient effects for maneuvers of short duration. The analysis shows that different combinations of elevator parameters, which give the same stick force per unit acceleration in turns, give widely different force variations during the entries into and recoveries from steady turns and during maneuvers of short duration such as abrupt pull-ups. The stick force per unit acceleration is greater for abrupt than for gradual control movements.

Losses of leaf area owing to herbivory and early senescence in three tree species along a winter temperature gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Zurdo, P.; Escudero, A.; Nuñez, R.; Mediavilla, S.

2016-11-01

In temperate climates, evergreen leaves have to survive throughout low temperature winter periods. Freezing and chilling injuries can lead to accelerated senescence of part of the leaf surface, which contributes to a reduction of the lifespan of the photosynthetic machinery and of leaf lifetime carbon gain. Low temperatures are also associated with changes in foliar chemistry and morphology that affect consumption by herbivores. Therefore, the severity of foliar area losses caused by accelerated senescence and herbivory can change along winter temperature gradients. The aim of this study is to analyse such responses in the leaves of three evergreen species ( Quercus ilex, Q. suber and Pinus pinaster) along a climatic gradient. The leaves of all three species presented increased leaf mass per area (LMA) and higher concentrations of structural carbohydrates in cooler areas. Only the two oak species showed visible symptoms of damage caused by herbivory, this being less intense at the coldest sites. The leaves of all three species presented chlorotic and necrotic spots that increased in size with leaf age. The foliar surface affected by chlorosis and necrosis was larger at the sites with the coldest winters. Therefore, the effects of the winter cold on the lifespan of the photosynthetic machinery were contradictory: losses of leaf area due to accelerated senescence increased, but there was a decrease in losses caused by herbivory. The final consequences for carbon assimilation strongly depend on the exact timing of the appearance of the damage resulting from low temperature and grazing by herbivores.

Numerical algorithms for scatter-to-attenuation reconstruction in PET: empirical comparison of convergence, acceleration, and the effect of subsets.

PubMed

Berker, Yannick; Karp, Joel S; Schulz, Volkmar

2017-09-01

The use of scattered coincidences for attenuation correction of positron emission tomography (PET) data has recently been proposed. For practical applications, convergence speeds require further improvement, yet there exists a trade-off between convergence speed and the risk of non-convergence. In this respect, a maximum-likelihood gradient-ascent (MLGA) algorithm and a two-branch back-projection (2BP), which was previously proposed, were evaluated. MLGA was combined with the Armijo step size rule; and accelerated using conjugate gradients, Nesterov's momentum method, and data subsets of different sizes. In 2BP, we varied the subset size, an important determinant of convergence speed and computational burden. We used three sets of simulation data to evaluate the impact of a spatial scale factor. The Armijo step size allowed 10-fold increased step sizes compared to native MLGA. Conjugate gradients and Nesterov momentum lead to slightly faster, yet non-uniform convergence; improvements were mostly confined to later iterations, possibly due to the non-linearity of the problem. MLGA with data subsets achieved faster, uniform, and predictable convergence, with a speed-up factor equivalent to the number of subsets and no increase in computational burden. By contrast, 2BP computational burden increased linearly with the number of subsets due to repeated evaluation of the objective function, and convergence was limited to the case of many (and therefore small) subsets, which resulted in high computational burden. Possibilities of improving 2BP appear limited. While general-purpose acceleration methods appear insufficient for MLGA, results suggest that data subsets are a promising way of improving MLGA performance.

RF cavity design and qualification for proton accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teotia, Vikas; Malhotra, Sanjay; Ukarde, Priti

Alvarez type Drift Tube Linac (DTL) is used for acceleration of proton beam in low energy section of beta ranging from 0.04 to 0.40. DTL is cylindrical RF cavity resonating in TM010 mode at 352.21 MHz frequency. It consists of array of drift tubes arranged ensuring that DTL centre and Drift Tube centre are concentric. The Drift Tubes also houses Permanent Magnet Quadrupole for transverse focusing of proton beam. A twelve cell prototype of DTL section is designed, developed and fabricated at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay. Complete DTL accelerator consists of eight such DTL sections. High frequency microwave simulationsmore » are carried out in SOPRANO, vector fields and COMSOL simulation software. This prototype DTL is 1640.56 mm long cavity with 520 mm ID, 600 mm OD and consists of eleven Drift Tubes, two RF end flanges, three slug tuners, six post couplers, three RF field monitors, one RF waveguide coupler, two DN100 vacuum flanges and DTL tank platform with alignment features. Girder based Drift tube mounting arrangement utilizing uncompressing energy of disc springs for optimum combo RF-vacuum seal compression is worked out and implemented. This paper discusses design of this RF vacuum cavity operating at high accelerating field gradient in ultra-high vacuum. Detailed vacuum design and results of RF and vacuum qualifications are discussed. Results on mechanical accuracy achieved on scaled pre-prototype are also presented. Paper summarizes the engineering developments carried out for this RF cavity and brings out the future activities proposed in indigenous development of high gradient RF cavities for ion accelerators. (author)« less

Higher-Order Motion-Compensation for In Vivo Cardiac Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Rats

PubMed Central

Welsh, Christopher L.; DiBella, Edward V. R.; Hsu, Edward W.

2015-01-01

Motion of the heart has complicated in vivo applications of cardiac diffusion MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), especially in small animals such as rats where ultra-high-performance gradient sets are currently not available. Even with velocity compensation via, for example, bipolar encoding pulses, the variable shot-to-shot residual motion-induced spin phase can still give rise to pronounced artifacts. This study presents diffusion-encoding schemes that are designed to compensate for higher-order motion components, including acceleration and jerk, which also have the desirable practical features of minimal TEs and high achievable b-values. The effectiveness of these schemes was verified numerically on a realistic beating heart phantom, and demonstrated empirically with in vivo cardiac diffusion MRI in rats. Compensation for acceleration, and lower motion components, was found to be both necessary and sufficient for obtaining diffusion-weighted images of acceptable quality and SNR, which yielded the first in vivo cardiac DTI demonstrated in the rat. These findings suggest that compensation for higher order motion, particularly acceleration, can be an effective alternative solution to high-performance gradient hardware for improving in vivo cardiac DTI. PMID:25775486

Far infrared radiation promotes rabbit renal proximal tubule cell proliferation and functional characteristics, and protects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

PubMed

Chiang, I-Ni; Pu, Yeong-Shiau; Huang, Chao-Yuan; Young, Tai-Horng

2017-01-01

Far infrared radiation, a subdivision of the electromagnetic spectrum, is beneficial for long-term tissue healing, anti-inflammatory effects, growth promotion, sleep modulation, acceleration of microcirculation, and pain relief. We investigated if far infrared radiation is beneficial for renal proximal tubule cell cultivation and renal tissue engineering. We observed the effects of far infrared radiation on renal proximal tubules cells, including its effects on cell proliferation, gene and protein expression, and viability. We also examined the protective effects of far infrared radiation against cisplatin, a nephrotoxic agent, using the human proximal tubule cell line HK-2. We found that daily exposure to far infrared radiation for 30 min significantly increased rabbit renal proximal tubule cell proliferation in vitro, as assessed by MTT assay. Far infrared radiation was not only beneficial to renal proximal tubule cell proliferation, it also increased the expression of ATPase Na+/K+ subunit alpha 1 and glucose transporter 1, as determined by western blotting. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we found that far infrared radiation enhanced CDK5R1, GNAS, NPPB, and TEK expression. In the proximal tubule cell line HK-2, far infrared radiation protected against cisplatin-mediated nephrotoxicity by reducing apoptosis. Renal proximal tubule cell cultivation with far infrared radiation exposure resulted in better cell proliferation, significantly higher ATPase Na+/K+ subunit alpha 1 and glucose transporter 1 expression, and significantly enhanced expression of CDK5R1, GNAS, NPPB, and TEK. These results suggest that far infrared radiation improves cell proliferation and differentiation. In HK-2 cells, far infrared radiation mediated protective effects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by reducing apoptosis, as indicated by flow cytometry and caspase-3 assay.

A shower before bedtime may improve the sleep onset latency of youth soccer players.

PubMed

Whitworth-Turner, Craig; Di Michele, Rocco; Muir, Ian; Gregson, Warren; Drust, Barry

2017-10-01

During the competitive season, soccer players are likely exposed to numerous factors that may disrupt the process of sleep. The current investigation looked to evaluate a practical sleep hygiene strategy (10-min showering at ∼40°C before lights out), within a group of 11 youth soccer players in comparison to normal sleeping conditions (control). Each condition consisted of three days within a randomised crossover trial design. Sleep information was collected using a commercial wireless bedside sleep monitor. Measures of skin temperature were evaluated using iButton skin thermistors to establish both distal and proximal skin temperatures and distal to proximal gradient. The shower intervention elevated distal skin temperature by 1.1°C (95% CI: 0.1-2.1°C, p = .04) on average prior to lights out. The elevation in distal temperature was also present during the first 30-min following lights out (1.0°C, 95% CI: 0.4-1.6°C, p < .01). The distal to proximal gradient also showed a significant effect between the conditions within the first 30-min after lights out (0.7°C, 95% CI: 0.3-1.2°C, p < .01). On average the sleep latency of the youth soccer players was -7-min lower (95% CI: -13 to -2 min, p < .01) and sleep efficiency +2% higher (95% CI: 1-3%; p < .01) in the shower condition. These findings demonstrate that a warm shower performed before lights out may offer a practical strategy to promote thermoregulatory changes that may advance sleep onset latency and improve sleep efficiency in athletes.

Diurnal blood pressure variations are associated with changes in distal-proximal skin temperature gradient.

PubMed

Kräuchi, Kurt; Gompper, Britta; Hauenstein, Daniela; Flammer, Josef; Pflüger, Marlon; Studerus, Erich; Schötzau, Andy; Orgül, Selim

2012-11-01

It is generally assumed that skin vascular resistance contributes only to a small extent to total peripheral resistance and hence to blood pressure (BP). However, little is known about the impact of skin blood flow (SBF) changes on the diurnal variations of BP under ambulatory conditions. The main aim of the study was to determine whether diurnal patterns of distal SBF are related to mean arterial BP (MAP). Twenty-four-hour ambulatory measurements of BP, heart rate (HR) and distal (mean of hands and feet) as well as proximal (mean of sternum and infraclavicular region) skin temperatures were carried out in 51 patients (men/women = 18/33) during a 2-d eye hospital investigation. The standardized ambulatory protocol allowed measurements with minimal interference from uncontrolled parameters and, hence, some conclusive interpretations. The distal minus proximal skin temperature gradient (DPG) provided a measure for distal SBF. Individual cross-correlation analyses revealed that the diurnal pattern of MAP was nearly a mirror image of DPG and hence of distal SBF. Scheduled lunch and dinner induced an increase in DPG and a decline in MAP, while HR increased. Low daytime DPG (i.e. low distal SBF) levels significantly predicted sleep-induced BP dipping (r = -.436, p = .0014). Preliminary path analysis suggested that outdoor air temperature and atmospheric pressure may act on MAP via changed distal SBF. Changes in distal SBF may contribute to diurnal variation in MAP, including sleep-induced BP dipping and changes related to food intake. This finding might have an impact on individual cardiovascular risk prediction with respect to diurnal, seasonal and weather variations; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be discovered.

On Nonconvex Decentralized Gradient Descent

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

and J. Bolte, On the convergence of the proximal algorithm for nonsmooth functions involving analytic features, Math . Program., 116: 5-16, 2009. [2] H...splitting, and regularized Gauss-Seidel methods, Math . Pro- gram., Ser. A, 137: 91-129, 2013. [3] P. Bianchi and J. Jakubowicz, Convergence of a multi-agent...subgradient method under random communication topologies , IEEE J. Sel. Top. Signal Process., 5:754-771, 2011. [11] A. Nedic and A. Ozdaglar, Distributed

Channel Responses and Hydromodification in Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawley, R. J.; Dust, D. W.; Bledsoe, B. P.

2007-12-01

Hydromodification (changes in watershed hydrologic characteristics, and the resulting hydraulics and channel forms due to urbanization) is ubiquitous in Southern California. In this region, the effects of hydromodification are driven and compounded by the arid/semiarid climate, high relief, erodible soils, high urbanization rates, and relatively low frequency of retention/detention. We conducted a preliminary survey of over 50 stream reaches along a gradient from least disturbed to fully urbanized. All stages of the Channel Evolution Model (CEM) of Schumm et al. (1984) were observed, from stable to degrading, widening, aggrading, and quasi-equilibrium channels. Several sites have CEM stages II through V in close proximity due to headcutting, hardpoints, and infrastructure. We also observed channels in undeveloped watersheds impacted by downstream urbanization via headcutting. A range of intervention measures was observed, with the frequent evolutionary endpoint as a concrete engineered flood control channel. We also observed multiple channel evolution sequences that deviate from the CEM for single-thread, incising channels. An alternative channel response, particularly on smaller urbanized streams is a stabilized, vegetation encroached low-flow channel with regular baseflow supplied by residential irrigation runoff. The limited cases of unimpacted streams that remain tend to be high gradient, high energy systems that are naturally proximate to the transition between braided and meandering form for a given sediment size.

Mild anastomotic stenosis in patient-specific CABG model may enhance graft patency: a new hypothesis.

PubMed

Huo, Yunlong; Luo, Tong; Guccione, Julius M; Teague, Shawn D; Tan, Wenchang; Navia, José A; Kassab, Ghassan S

2013-01-01

It is well known that flow patterns at the anastomosis of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) are complex and may affect the long-term patency. Various attempts at optimal designs of anastomosis have not improved long-term patency. Here, we hypothesize that mild anastomotic stenosis (area stenosis of about 40-60%) may be adaptive to enhance the hemodynamic conditions, which may contribute to slower progression of atherosclerosis. We further hypothesize that proximal/distal sites to the stenosis have converse changes that may be a risk factor for the diffuse expansion of atherosclerosis from the site of stenosis. Twelve (12) patient-specific models with various stenotic degrees were extracted from computed tomography images using a validated segmentation software package. A 3-D finite element model was used to compute flow patterns including wall shear stress (WSS) and its spatial and temporal gradients (WSS gradient, WSSG, and oscillatory shear index, OSI). The flow simulations showed that mild anastomotic stenosis significantly increased WSS (>15 dynes · cm(-2)) and decreased OSI (<0.02) to result in a more uniform distribution of hemodynamic parameters inside anastomosis albeit proximal/distal sites to the stenosis have a decrease of WSS (<4 dynes · cm(-2)). These findings have significant implications for graft adaptation and long-term patency.

[Characterisation of microbial growth and role of the foot tendinous-synovial formation in pathogenesis of diabetic gangrene of the lower extremity].

PubMed

Islamov, A S; Zhanabaev, B B; Bobobekov, A S

2002-01-01

The paper is based on the analysis of results of treatment of 74 patients with diabetes mellitus complicated by pyo-necrotic injuries of the foot. In all patients, microbiological procedures were done besides general clinical studies. The material for microbiological assays was the purulent exudation taken from the deeper portions of the wound immediately after lancing the pathological focus. The microbial content was studied separately in fragments of the tendon from its distal (adjacent to the wound) and proximal (every other 6 to 7 cm within the confines of the intact common integument) ends. In the wound, it came up to 6.45 +/- 0.16 lg/ml and 5.2 +/- 0.31 lg/ml (P < 0.05), in the distal end it was 5.93 +/- 0.19 lg/ã and 4.81 +/- 0.24 lg/ã (P < 0.005) for aerobs and anaerobs respectively. In the proximal end of tendons 6-7 cm from the primary pathological focus, aerob gradient was 2.8 +/- 0.19 lg/ã, that for representatives of anaerobic microbes being 1.71 +/- 0.161 lg/ã (P < 0.001). In one third of patients the anaerobic microflora gradient was not found out.

An Undulator-Based Laser Wakefield Accelerator Electron Beam Diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakeman, Michael S.

Currently particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider use RF cavities with a maximum field gradient of 50-100 MV/m to accelerate particles over long distances. A new type of plasma based accelerator called a Laser Plasma Accelerator (LPA) is being investigated at the LOASIS group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which can sustain field gradients of 10-100 GV/m. This new type of accelerator offers the potential to create compact high energy accelerators and light sources. In order to investigate the feasibility of producing a compact light source an undulator-based electron beam diagnostic for use on the LOASIS LPA has been built and calibrated. This diagnostic relies on the principal that the spectral analysis of synchrotron radiation from an undulator can reveal properties of the electron beam such as emittance, energy and energy spread. The effects of electron beam energy spread upon the harmonics of undulator produced synchrotron radiation were derived from the equations of motion of the beam and numerically simulated. The diagnostic consists of quadrupole focusing magnets to collimate the electron beam, a 1.5 m long undulator to produce the synchrotron radiation, and a high resolution high gain XUV spectrometer to analyze the radiation. The undulator was aligned and tuned in order to maximize the flux of synchrotron radiation produced. The spectrometer was calibrated at the Advanced Light Source, with the results showing the ability to measure electron beam energy spreads at resolutions as low as 0.1% rms, a major improvement over conventional magnetic spectrometers. Numerical simulations show the ability to measure energy spreads on realistic LPA produced electron beams as well as the improvements in measurements made with the quadrupole magnets. Experimentally the quadrupoles were shown to stabilize and focus the electron beams at specific energies for their insertion into the undulator, with the eventual hope of producing an all optical Free Electron Laser operating in the XUV and soft x-ray regimes.

Acceleration techniques and their impact on arterial input function sampling: Non-accelerated versus view-sharing and compressed sensing sequences.

PubMed

Benz, Matthias R; Bongartz, Georg; Froehlich, Johannes M; Winkel, David; Boll, Daniel T; Heye, Tobias

2018-07-01

The aim was to investigate the variation of the arterial input function (AIF) within and between various DCE MRI sequences. A dynamic flow-phantom and steady signal reference were scanned on a 3T MRI using fast low angle shot (FLASH) 2d, FLASH3d (parallel imaging factor (P) = P0, P2, P4), volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) (P = P0, P3, P2 × 2, P2 × 3, P3 × 2), golden-angle radial sparse parallel imaging (GRASP), and time-resolved imaging with stochastic trajectories (TWIST). Signal over time curves were normalized and quantitatively analyzed by full width half maximum (FWHM) measurements to assess variation within and between sequences. The coefficient of variation (CV) for the steady signal reference ranged from 0.07-0.8%. The non-accelerated gradient echo FLASH2d, FLASH3d, and VIBE sequences showed low within sequence variation with 2.1%, 1.0%, and 1.6%. The maximum FWHM CV was 3.2% for parallel imaging acceleration (VIBE P2 × 3), 2.7% for GRASP and 9.1% for TWIST. The FWHM CV between sequences ranged from 8.5-14.4% for most non-accelerated/accelerated gradient echo sequences except 6.2% for FLASH3d P0 and 0.3% for FLASH3d P2; GRASP FWHM CV was 9.9% versus 28% for TWIST. MRI acceleration techniques vary in reproducibility and quantification of the AIF. Incomplete coverage of the k-space with TWIST as a representative of view-sharing techniques showed the highest variation within sequences and might be less suited for reproducible quantification of the AIF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum efficiency temporal response and lifetime of a GaAs cathode in SRF electron gun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, E.; Ben-Zvi, I.; Kewisch, J.

2010-05-23

RF electron guns with a strained super lattice GaAs cathode can generate polarized electron beam of higher brightness and lower emittance than do DC guns, due to their higher field gradient at the cathode's surface. In a normal conducting RF gun, the extremely high vaccum required by these cathodes can not be met. We report on an experiment with a superconducting SRF gun, which can maintain a vacuum of nearly 10-12 torr because of cryo-pumping at the temperature of 4.2K. With conventional activation, we obtained a QE of 3% at 532 nm, with lifetime of nearly 3 days in themore » preparation chamber. We plan to use this cathode in a 1.3 GHz 1/2 cell SRF gun to study its performance. In addition, we studied the multipacting at the location of cathode. A new model based on the Forkker-Planck equation which can estimate the bunch length of the electron beam is discussed in this paper. Future particle accelerators such as eRHIC and ILC require high brightness, high current polarized electrons Recently, using a superlattice crystal, the maximum polarization of 95% was reached. Activation with Cs,O lowers the electron affinity and makes it energetically possible for all the electrons excited in to the conduction band and reach the surface to escape into the vacuum. Presently the polarized electron sources are based on DC gun, such as that at the CEBAF at Jlab. In these devices, the life time of the cathode is extended due to the reduced back bombardment in their UHV conditions. However, the low accelerating gradient of the DC guns lead to poor longitudinal emittance. The higher accelerating gradient of the RF gun generates low emittance beams. Superconducting RF guns combine the excellent vacuum conditions of the DC guns with the higher accelerating gradients of the RF guns and provide potentially a long lived cathode with very low transverse and longitudinal emittance. In our work at BNL, we successfully activated the GaAs. The quantum efficient is 3% at 532 nm and is expected to improve further. In addition, we studied the multipacting at the location of cathode. A new model based on the Forkker-Planck equation which can estimate the bunch length of the electron beam is discussed in this paper.« less

A New Type of Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Driven By Magnetowaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Pisin; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Taiwan, Natl. Taiwan U.; Chang, Feng-Yin

2011-09-12

We present a new concept for a plasma wakefield accelerator driven by magnetowaves (MPWA). This concept was originally proposed as a viable mechanism for the 'cosmic accelerator' that would accelerate cosmic particles to ultra-high energies in the astrophysical setting. Unlike the more familiar plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) and the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) where the drivers, the charged-particle beam and the laser, are independently existing entities, MPWA invokes the high-frequency and high-speed whistler mode as the driver, which is a medium wave that cannot exist outside of the plasma. Aside from the difference in drivers, the underlying mechanism that excitesmore » the plasma wakefield via the ponderomotive potential is common. Our computer simulations show that under appropriate conditions, the plasma wakefield maintains very high coherence and can sustain high-gradient acceleration over many plasma wavelengths. We suggest that in addition to its celestial application, the MPWA concept can also be of terrestrial utility. A proof-of-principle experiment on MPWA would benefit both terrestrial and celestial accelerator concepts.« less

Proximal arm kinematics affect grip force-load force coordination

PubMed Central

Vermillion, Billy C.; Lum, Peter S.

2015-01-01

During object manipulation, grip force is coordinated with load force, which is primarily determined by object kinematics. Proximal arm kinematics may affect grip force control, as proximal segment motion could affect control of distal hand muscles via biomechanical and/or neural pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of proximal kinematics on grip force modulation during object manipulation. Fifteen subjects performed three vertical lifting tasks that involved distinct proximal kinematics (elbow/shoulder), but resulted in similar end-point (hand) trajectories. While temporal coordination of grip and load forces remained similar across the tasks, proximal kinematics significantly affected the grip force-to-load force ratio (P = 0.042), intrinsic finger muscle activation (P = 0.045), and flexor-extensor ratio (P < 0.001). Biomechanical coupling between extrinsic hand muscles and the elbow joint cannot fully explain the observed changes, as task-related changes in intrinsic hand muscle activation were greater than in extrinsic hand muscles. Rather, between-task variation in grip force (highest during task 3) appears to contrast to that in shoulder joint velocity/acceleration (lowest during task 3). These results suggest that complex neural coupling between the distal and proximal upper extremity musculature may affect grip force control during movements, also indicated by task-related changes in intermuscular coherence of muscle pairs, including intrinsic finger muscles. Furthermore, examination of the fingertip force showed that the human motor system may attempt to reduce variability in task-relevant motor output (grip force-to-load force ratio), while allowing larger fluctuations in output less relevant to task goal (shear force-to-grip force ratio). PMID:26289460

Robust resolution enhancement optimization methods to process variations based on vector imaging model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xu; Li, Yanqiu; Guo, Xuejia; Dong, Lisong

2012-03-01

Optical proximity correction (OPC) and phase shifting mask (PSM) are the most widely used resolution enhancement techniques (RET) in the semiconductor industry. Recently, a set of OPC and PSM optimization algorithms have been developed to solve for the inverse lithography problem, which are only designed for the nominal imaging parameters without giving sufficient attention to the process variations due to the aberrations, defocus and dose variation. However, the effects of process variations existing in the practical optical lithography systems become more pronounced as the critical dimension (CD) continuously shrinks. On the other hand, the lithography systems with larger NA (NA>0.6) are now extensively used, rendering the scalar imaging models inadequate to describe the vector nature of the electromagnetic field in the current optical lithography systems. In order to tackle the above problems, this paper focuses on developing robust gradient-based OPC and PSM optimization algorithms to the process variations under a vector imaging model. To achieve this goal, an integrative and analytic vector imaging model is applied to formulate the optimization problem, where the effects of process variations are explicitly incorporated in the optimization framework. The steepest descent algorithm is used to optimize the mask iteratively. In order to improve the efficiency of the proposed algorithms, a set of algorithm acceleration techniques (AAT) are exploited during the optimization procedure.

Influence of Flow Gradients on Mach Stem Initiation of PBX-9502

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, Lawrence; Miller, Phillip; Mas, Eric; Focused Experiments Team

2017-06-01

Recent experiments and theory explore the effect of flow gradients on reaction acceleration and stability in the pressure-enhanced region between colliding sub-detonative shock waves in PBX-9502. The experiments are designed to produce divergent curved incident shock waves that interact in a convergent irregular reflection, or ``Mach stem'', configuration. Although this flow is fundamentally unsteady, such a configuration does feature particle paths having a single shock wave that increases the pressure from zero to the wave-reflected enhanced pressure. Thus, the possibility of pre-shock desensitization is precluded in this interaction region. Diagnostics record arrival wave velocity, shape, and material velocity along the angled free surface face of a large wedge. The wedge is large enough to allow observation of the wave structure for distances much larger than the run-to-detonation derived from classical ``Pop plot'' data. The explosive driver system produces the incident shocks and allows some control of the flow gradients in the collision region. Further, the incident shocks are very weak and do not transition to detonation. The experiments discussed feature incident shock waves that would be expected to cause initiation in the Mach stem, based on the Pop plot. Results show that the introduction of pressure/velocity gradients in the reaction zone strongly influences the ability of the flow to build to a steady ``CJ'' detonation. As expected, the ability of the Mach stem to stabilize or accelerate is strongly influenced by the incident shock pressure.

Numerical studies of surface tensions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.

1995-01-01

Liquid-vapor (bubble) interface disturbances caused by various types of accelerations, including centrifugal, lateral and axial impulses, gravity gradient and g-jitter accelerations associated with spinning and slew motion in microgravity, are reviewed. Understanding of bubble deformations and fluctuations is important in the development of spacecraft orbital and attitude control techniques to secure its normal operation. This review discusses bubble deformations and oscillations driven by various forces in the microgravity environment. The corresponding bubble mass center fluctuations and slosh reaction forces and torques due to bubble deformations are also reviewed.

High-Power Testing of 11.424-GHz Dielectric-Loaded Accelerating Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, Steven; Gai, Wei

2001-10-01

Argonne National Laboratory has previously described the design, construction, and bench testing of an X-band traveling-wave accelerating structure loaded with a permittivity=20 dielectric (P. Zou et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 71, 2301, 2000.). We describe a new program to build a test accelerator using this structure. The accelerator will be powered by the high-power 11.424-GHz radiation from the magnicon facility at the Naval Research Laboratory ( O.A. Nezhevenko et al., Proc. PAC 2001, in press). The magnicon is expected to provide up to 30 MW from each of two WR-90 output waveguide arms in pulses of up to 1 microsecond duration, permitting tests up to a gradient of 40 MV/m. Still higher power pulses (100-500 MW) may be available at the output of an active pulse compressor driven by the magnicon ( A.L. Vikharev et al., Proc. 9th Workshop on Advanced Accelerator Concepts.).

Method for maximizing the brightness of the bunches in a particle injector by converting a highly space-charged beam to a relativistic and emittance-dominated beam

DOEpatents

Hannon, Fay

2016-08-02

A method for maximizing the brightness of the bunches in a particle injector by converting a highly space-charged beam to a relativistic and emittance-dominated beam. The method includes 1) determining the bunch charge and the initial kinetic energy of the highly space-charge dominated input beam; 2) applying the bunch charge and initial kinetic energy properties of the highly space-charge dominated input beam to determine the number of accelerator cavities required to accelerate the bunches to relativistic speed; 3) providing the required number of accelerator cavities; and 4) setting the gradient of the radio frequency (RF) cavities; and 5) operating the phase of the accelerator cavities between -90 and zero degrees of the sinusoid of phase to simultaneously accelerate and bunch the charged particles to maximize brightness, and until the beam is relativistic and emittance-dominated.

Collective electron driven linac for high energy physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seeman, J.T.

1983-08-01

A linac design is presented in which an intense ultrarelativistic electron bunch is used to excite fields in a series of cavities and accelerate charged particles. The intense electron bunch is generated in a simple storage ring to have the required transverse and longitudinal dimensions. The bunch is then transferred to the linac. The linac structure can be inexpensively constructed of spacers and washers. The fields in the cells resulting from the bunch passage are calculated using the program BCI. The results show that certain particles within the driving bunch and also trailing particles of any sign charge can bemore » accelerated. With existing electron storage rings, accelerating gradients greater than 16 MV/m are possible. Examples of two accelerators are given: a 30 GeV electron/positron accelerator useful as an injector for a high energy storage ring and 2) a 110 GeV per beam electron-positron collider.« less

Computational fluid dynamics evaluation of incomplete stent apposition in a tapered artery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poon, Eric; Thondapu, Vikas; Ooi, Andrew; Hayat, Umair; Barlis, Peter; Moore, Stephen

2015-11-01

Coronary stents are deployed to prop open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow, however in-stent restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis (ST) remain possibly catastrophic complications. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses can elucidate the pathological impact of alterations in coronary hemodynamics and correlate wall shear stress (WSS) with atherosclerotic processes. The natural tapering of a coronary artery often leads to proximal incomplete stent apposition (ISA) where stent struts are not in contact with the vessel wall. By employing state-of-the-art computer-aided design (CAD) software, generic open-cell and closed-cell coronary stent designs were virtually deployed in an idealised tapered coronary artery. Pulsatile blood flow (80 mL/min at 75 beats/min) was carried out numerically on these CAD models using a finite volume solver. CFD results reveal significant fluctuations in proximal WSS and large recirculation regions in the setting of proximal ISA, resulting in regions of high wall shear stress gradient (WSSG) that have been previously linked to poor endothelial cell coverage and vascular injury. The clinical significance of these proximal high WSSG regions will be correlated with findings from high-resolution in-vivo imaging. Supported by the Australian Research Council (LP120100233) and Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VR0210).

COSMOS2015 photometric redshifts probe the impact of filaments on galaxy properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laigle, C.; Pichon, C.; Arnouts, S.; McCracken, H. J.; Dubois, Y.; Devriendt, J.; Slyz, A.; Le Borgne, D.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Hwang, Ho Seong; Ilbert, O.; Kraljic, K.; Malavasi, N.; Park, Changbom; Vibert, D.

2018-03-01

The variation of galaxy stellar masses and colour types with the distance to projected cosmic filaments are quantified using the precise photometric redshifts of the COSMOS2015 catalogue extracted from Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field (2 deg2). Realistic mock catalogues are also extracted from the lightcone of the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation HORIZON-AGN. They show that the photometric redshift accuracy of the observed catalogue (σz < 0.015 at M* > 1010M⊙ and z < 0.9) is sufficient to provide two-dimensional (2D) filaments that closely match their projected three-dimensional (3D) counterparts. Transverse stellar mass gradients are measured in projected slices of thickness 75 Mpc between 0.5 < z < 0.9, showing that the most massive galaxies are statistically closer to their neighbouring filament. At fixed stellar mass, passive galaxies are also found closer to their filament, while active star-forming galaxies statistically lie further away. The contributions of nodes and local density are removed from these gradients to highlight the specific role played by the geometry of the filaments. We find that the measured signal does persist after this removal, clearly demonstrating that proximity to a filament is not equivalent to proximity to an overdensity. These findings are in agreement with gradients measured in both 2D and 3D in the HORIZON-AGN simulation and those observed in the spectroscopic surveys VIPERS and GAMA (which both rely on the identification of 3D filaments). They are consistent with a picture in which the influence of the geometry of the large-scale environment drives anisotropic tides that impact the assembly history of galaxies, and hence their observed properties.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE PAGES

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; ...

2016-06-02

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. In this study, we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel ismore » created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m -1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.« less

On-Chip Laser-Power Delivery System for Dielectric Laser Accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Tyler W.; Tan, Si; Zhao, Zhexin; Sapra, Neil V.; Leedle, Kenneth J.; Deng, Huiyang; Miao, Yu; Black, Dylan S.; Solgaard, Olav; Harris, James S.; Vuckovic, Jelena; Byer, Robert L.; Fan, Shanhui; England, R. Joel; Lee, Yun Jo; Qi, Minghao

2018-05-01

We propose an on-chip optical-power delivery system for dielectric laser accelerators based on a fractal "tree-network" dielectric waveguide geometry. This system replaces experimentally demanding free-space manipulations of the driving laser beam with chip-integrated techniques based on precise nanofabrication, enabling access to orders-of-magnitude increases in the interaction length and total energy gain for these miniature accelerators. Based on computational modeling, in the relativistic regime, our laser delivery system is estimated to provide 21 keV of energy gain over an acceleration length of 192 μ m with a single laser input, corresponding to a 108-MV/m acceleration gradient. The system may achieve 1 MeV of energy gain over a distance of less than 1 cm by sequentially illuminating 49 identical structures. These findings are verified by detailed numerical simulation and modeling of the subcomponents, and we provide a discussion of the main constraints, challenges, and relevant parameters with regard to on-chip laser coupling for dielectric laser accelerators.

Gyrokinetic theory of turbulent acceleration and momentum conservation in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, WANG; Shuitao, PENG; P, H. DIAMOND

2018-07-01

Understanding the generation of intrinsic rotation in tokamak plasmas is crucial for future fusion reactors such as ITER. We proposed a new mechanism named turbulent acceleration for the origin of the intrinsic parallel rotation based on gyrokinetic theory. The turbulent acceleration acts as a local source or sink of parallel rotation, i.e., volume force, which is different from the divergence of residual stress, i.e., surface force. However, the order of magnitude of turbulent acceleration can be comparable to that of the divergence of residual stress for electrostatic ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence. A possible theoretical explanation for the experimental observation of electron cyclotron heating induced decrease of co-current rotation was also proposed via comparison between the turbulent acceleration driven by ITG turbulence and that driven by collisionless trapped electron mode turbulence. We also extended this theory to electromagnetic ITG turbulence and investigated the electromagnetic effects on intrinsic parallel rotation drive. Finally, we demonstrated that the presence of turbulent acceleration does not conflict with momentum conservation.

Gas-filled capillaries for plasma-based accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Brentegani, E.; Biagioni, A.; Cianchi, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Ferrario, M.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Zigler, A.

2017-07-01

Plasma Wakefield Accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves excited by either a laser or a particle driver beam. The amplitude of the waves, as well as their spatial dimensions and the consequent accelerating gradient depend strongly on the background electron density along the path of the accelerated particles. The process needs stable and reliable plasma sources, whose density profile must be controlled and properly engineered to ensure the appropriate accelerating mechanism. Plasma confinement inside gas filled capillaries have been studied in the past since this technique allows to control the evolution of the plasma, ensuring a stable and repeatable plasma density distribution during the interaction with the drivers. Moreover, in a gas filled capillary plasma can be pre-ionized by a current discharge to avoid ionization losses. Different capillary geometries have been studied to allow the proper temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma along the acceleration length. Results of this analysis obtained by varying the length and the number of gas inlets will be presented.

9 GeV energy gain in a beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litos, M.; Adli, E.; Allen, J. M.

2016-02-15

An electron beam has gained a maximum energy of 9 GeV per particle in a 1.3 m-long electron beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerator. The amount of charge accelerated in the spectral peak was 28.3 pC, and the root-mean-square energy spread was 5.0%. The mean accelerated charge and energy gain per particle of the 215 shot data set was 115 pC and 5.3 GeV, respectively, corresponding to an acceleration gradient of 4.0 GeV m -1 at the spectral peak. Moreover, the mean energy spread of the data set was 5.1%. Our results are consistent with the extrapolation of the previously reported energymore » gain results using a shorter, 36 cm-long plasma source to within 10%, evincing a non-evolving wake structure that can propagate distances of over a meter in length. Wake-loading effects were evident in the data through strong dependencies observed between various spectral properties and the amount of accelerated charge.« less

Development of a Dielectric-Loaded Accelerator Test Facility Based on an X-Band Magnicon Amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, S. H.; Kinkead, A. K.; Gai, W.; Power, J. G.; Konecny, R.; Jing, C.; Tantawi, S. G.; Nantista, C. D.; Hu, Y.; Du, X.; Tang, C.; Lin, Y.; Bruce, R. W.; Bruce, R. L.; Fliflet, A. W.; Lewis, D.

2006-01-01

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), in collaboration with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), are developing a dielectric-loaded accelerator (DLA) test facility powered by the 11.424-GHz magnicon amplifier that was developed jointly by NRL and Omega-P, Inc. Thus far, DLA structures developed by ANL have been tested at the NRL Magnicon Facility without injected electrons, including tests of alumina and magnesium calcium titanate structures at gradients up to ˜8 MV/m. The next step is to inject electrons in order to build a compact DLA test accelerator. The Accelerator Laboratory of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China has developed a 5-MeV electron injector for the accelerator, and SLAC is developing a means to combine the two magnicon output arms, and to drive the injector and an accelerator section with separate control of the power ratio and relative phase. Also, RWBruce Associates, working with NRL, is developing a means to join ceramic tubes to produce long accelerating sections using a microwave brazing process. The installation and commissioning of the first dielectric-loaded test accelerator, including injector, DLA structure, and spectrometer, should take place within the next year.

Linear induction accelerators made from pulse-line cavities with external pulse injection.

PubMed

Smith, I

1979-06-01

Two types of linear induction accelerator have been reported previously. In one, unidirectional voltage pulses are generated outside the accelerator and injected into the accelerator cavity modules, which contain ferromagnetic material to reduce energy losses in the form of currents induced, in parallel with the beam, in the cavity structure. In the other type, the accelerator cavity modules are themselves pulse-forming lines with energy storage and switches; parallel current losses are made zero by the use of circuits that generate bidirectional acceleration waveforms with a zero voltage-time integral. In a third type of design described here, the cavities are externally driven, and 100% efficient coupling of energy to the beam is obtained by designing the external pulse generators to produce bidirectional voltage waveforms with zero voltage-time integral. A design for such a pulse generator is described that is itself one hundred percent efficient and which is well suited to existing pulse power techniques. Two accelerator cavity designs are described that can couple the pulse from such a generator to the beam; one of these designs provides voltage doubling. Comparison is made between the accelerating gradients that can be obtained with this and the preceding types of induction accelerator.

Potential clinical impact of laser-accelerated beams in cancer ion therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obcemea, Ceferino

2016-09-01

In this article, I present three advantages of plasma-accelerated ion beams for cancer therapy. I discuss how: 1. low-emittance and well-collimated beams are advantageous in proximal normal tissue-sparing; 2. highly-peaked quasi-monoenergetic beams are ideal for fast energy selection and switching in Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) as a treatment delivery; 3. high fluence and ultra-short pulse delivery produce collective excitations in the medium and enhance the stopping power. This in turn produces denser ionization track signatures (spurs, blobs, etc.) in target tumors, higher linear energy transfer, higher Bragg peak, and higher radiobiological effectiveness at the micro-level.

Polarity and transport properties of rabbit kidney proximal tubule cells on collagen IV-coated porous membranes.

PubMed

Genestie, I; Morin, J P; Vannier, B; Lorenzon, G

1995-07-01

A high degree of functional polarity has been obtained in primary cultures of rabbit kidney proximal tubule cells grown on collagen IV-coated porous membranes. Tight confluency was attained 6 days after seeding and maintained for at least 6 more days, as shown by analysis of paracellular inulin diffusion. From day 6 onward, L-lactate, ammonia, and D-glucose concentration gradient and a pH difference of approximately 1 unit developed between the two nutrient medium compartments. Confluent monolayers expressed organic ion transport properties higher than those formerly reported for other cell models. Transcellular transport of 20 microM tetraethylammonium was directed from basal to apical compartment and was specifically inhibited by mepiperphenidol (1 mM). Unidirectional transport of 2.4 microM p-aminohippurate also occurred from basal to apical compartment, was saturable, and specifically inhibited by probenecid (1 mM). These results suggest that rabbit kidney proximal tubule cells, cultured under the experimental conditions described here, may be a useful model for the in vitro study of highly polarized renal transport processes.

Plasma inverse transition acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, Ming

It can be proved fundamentally from the reciprocity theorem with which the electromagnetism is endowed that corresponding to each spontaneous process of radiation by a charged particle there is an inverse process which defines a unique acceleration mechanism, from Cherenkov radiation to inverse Cherenkov acceleration (ICA) [1], from Smith-Purcell radiation to inverse Smith-Purcell acceleration (ISPA) [2], and from undulator radiation to inverse undulator acceleration (IUA) [3]. There is no exception. Yet, for nearly 30 years after each of the aforementioned inverse processes has been clarified for laser acceleration, inverse transition acceleration (ITA), despite speculation [4], has remained the least understood,more » and above all, no practical implementation of ITA has been found, until now. Unlike all its counterparts in which phase synchronism is established one way or the other such that a particle can continuously gain energy from an acceleration wave, the ITA to be discussed here, termed plasma inverse transition acceleration (PITA), operates under fundamentally different principle. As a result, the discovery of PITA has been delayed for decades, waiting for a conceptual breakthrough in accelerator physics: the principle of alternating gradient acceleration [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. In fact, PITA was invented [7, 8] as one of several realizations of the new principle.« less

An update on the study of high-gradient elliptical SRF cavities at 805 MHz for proton and other applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tajima, Tsuyoshi; Haynes, Brian; Krawczyk, Frank

2010-09-09

An update on the study of 805 MHz elliptical SRF cavities that have been optimized for high gradient will be presented. An optimized cell shape, which is still appropriate for easy high pressure water rinsing, has been designed with the ratios of peak magnetic and electric fields to accelerating gradient being 3.75 mT/(MV/m) and 1.82, respectively. A total of 3 single-cell cavities have been fabricated. Two of the 3 cavities have been tested so far. The second cavity achieved an E{sub acc} of {approx}50 MV/m at Q{sub 0} of 1.4 x 10{sup 10}. This result demonstrates that 805 MHz cavitiesmore » can, in principle, achieve as high as, or could even be better than, 1.3 GHz high-gradient cavities.« less

Finding Dantzig Selectors with a Proximity Operator based Fixed-point Algorithm

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

experiments showed that this method usually outperforms the method in [2] in terms of CPU time while producing solutions of comparable quality. The... method proposed in [19]. To alleviate the difficulty caused by the subprob- lem without a closed form solution , a linearized ADM was proposed for the...a closed form solution , but the β-related subproblem does not and is solved approximately by using the nonmonotone gradient method in [18]. The

Gravitation is a Gradient in the Velocity of Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froedge, Dt

2017-01-01

It is well known that a photon moving in a gravitational field has a trajectory that can be defined by Fermat's principle with a variable speed of light and no other gravitational influence. If it can be shown that a particle composed of speed of light sub-particles has the same acceleration in a variable index of refraction as a particle in a gravitational field, then there is no need to ascribe any other mechanism to gravitation than a gradient in c. This makes gravitation an electromagnetic phenomenon, and if QFT can illustrate a gradient in c can be produced by the internal motion of lightspeed sub-particles then the unification of QM and gravitation becomes more straightforward. http://www.arxdtf.org/css/GravAPS.pdf.

Fabrication of high gradient insulators by stack compression

DOEpatents

Harris, John Richardson; Sanders, Dave; Hawkins, Steven Anthony; Norona, Marcelo

2014-04-29

Individual layers of a high gradient insulator (HGI) are first pre-cut to their final dimensions. The pre-cut layers are then stacked to form an assembly that is subsequently pressed into an HGI unit with the desired dimension. The individual layers are stacked, and alignment is maintained, using a sacrificial alignment tube that is removed after the stack is hot pressed. The HGI's are used as high voltage vacuum insulators in energy storage and transmission structures or devices, e.g. in particle accelerators and pulsed power systems.

A 1 GeV CW FFAG High Intensity Proton Driver

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnstone, C.; Sheehy, S. L.

2012-05-01

The drive for high beam power, high duty cycle, and reliable beams at reasonable cost has focused world attention on fixed-field accelerators, notably Fixed-Field Alternating Gradient accelerators (FFAGs). High-intensity GeV proton drivers are of particular interest, as these encounter duty cycle and space-charge limits in the synchrotron and machine size concerns in the weaker-focusing cyclotron. Recently, the concept of isochronous orbits has been explored and developed for non-scaling FFAGs using powerful new methodologies in FFAG accelerator design. These new breeds of FFAGs have been identified by international collaborations for serious study thanks to their potential applications including Accelerator Driven Subcriticalmore » Reactors (ADS) a nd Accelerator Transmutation of Waste. The extreme reliability requirements for ADS mandate CW operation capability and the FFAG s strong focusing, particularly in the vertical, will serve to mitigate the effect of space charge (as compared with the weak- focusing cyclotron). This paper reports on these new advances in FFAG accelerator technology and presents a stable, 0.25-1GeV isochronous FFAG for an accelerator driven subcritical reactor.« less

Distribution uniformity of laser-accelerated proton beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jun-Gao; Zhu, Kun; Tao, Li; Xu, Xiao-Han; Lin, Chen; Ma, Wen-Jun; Lu, Hai-Yang; Zhao, Yan-Ying; Lu, Yuan-Rong; Chen, Jia-Er; Yan, Xue-Qing

2017-09-01

Compared with conventional accelerators, laser plasma accelerators can generate high energy ions at a greatly reduced scale, due to their TV/m acceleration gradient. A compact laser plasma accelerator (CLAPA) has been built at the Institute of Heavy Ion Physics at Peking University. It will be used for applied research like biological irradiation, astrophysics simulations, etc. A beamline system with multiple quadrupoles and an analyzing magnet for laser-accelerated ions is proposed here. Since laser-accelerated ion beams have broad energy spectra and large angular divergence, the parameters (beam waist position in the Y direction, beam line layout, drift distance, magnet angles etc.) of the beamline system are carefully designed and optimised to obtain a radially symmetric proton distribution at the irradiation platform. Requirements of energy selection and differences in focusing or defocusing in application systems greatly influence the evolution of proton distributions. With optimal parameters, radially symmetric proton distributions can be achieved and protons with different energy spread within ±5% have similar transverse areas at the experiment target. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11575011, 61631001) and National Grand Instrument Project (2012YQ030142)

Particle-in-cell simulation of x-ray wakefield acceleration and betatron radiation in nanotubes

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Xiaomei; Tajima, Toshiki; Farinella, Deano; ...

2016-10-18

Though wakefield acceleration in crystal channels has been previously proposed, x-ray wakefield acceleration has only recently become a realistic possibility since the invention of the single-cycled optical laser compression technique. We investigate the acceleration due to a wakefield induced by a coherent, ultrashort x-ray pulse guided by a nanoscale channel inside a solid material. By two-dimensional particle-in-cell computer simulations, we show that an acceleration gradient of TeV/cm is attainable. This is about 3 orders of magnitude stronger than that of the conventional plasma-based wakefield accelerations, which implies the possibility of an extremely compact scheme to attain ultrahigh energies. In additionmore » to particle acceleration, this scheme can also induce the emission of high energy photons at ~O(10–100) MeV. Here, our simulations confirm such high energy photon emissions, which is in contrast with that induced by the optical laser driven wakefield scheme. In addition to this, the significantly improved emittance of the energetic electrons has been discussed.« less

Multi-GPU Accelerated Admittance Method for High-Resolution Human Exposure Evaluation.

PubMed

Xiong, Zubiao; Feng, Shi; Kautz, Richard; Chandra, Sandeep; Altunyurt, Nevin; Chen, Ji

2015-12-01

A multi-graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated admittance method solver is presented for solving the induced electric field in high-resolution anatomical models of human body when exposed to external low-frequency magnetic fields. In the solver, the anatomical model is discretized as a three-dimensional network of admittances. The conjugate orthogonal conjugate gradient (COCG) iterative algorithm is employed to take advantage of the symmetric property of the complex-valued linear system of equations. Compared against the widely used biconjugate gradient stabilized method, the COCG algorithm can reduce the solving time by 3.5 times and reduce the storage requirement by about 40%. The iterative algorithm is then accelerated further by using multiple NVIDIA GPUs. The computations and data transfers between GPUs are overlapped in time by using asynchronous concurrent execution design. The communication overhead is well hidden so that the acceleration is nearly linear with the number of GPU cards. Numerical examples show that our GPU implementation running on four NVIDIA Tesla K20c cards can reach 90 times faster than the CPU implementation running on eight CPU cores (two Intel Xeon E5-2603 processors). The implemented solver is able to solve large dimensional problems efficiently. A whole adult body discretized in 1-mm resolution can be solved in just several minutes. The high efficiency achieved makes it practical to investigate human exposure involving a large number of cases with a high resolution that meets the requirements of international dosimetry guidelines.

Relationship Between Proximal Aorta Morphology and Progression Rate of Aortic Stenosis.

PubMed

Capoulade, Romain; Teoh, Jonathan G; Bartko, Philipp E; Teo, Eliza; Scholtz, Jan-Erik; Tastet, Lionel; Shen, Mylene; Mihos, Christos G; Park, Yong H; Garcia, Julio; Larose, Eric; Isselbacher, Eric M; Sundt, Thoralf M; MacGillivray, Thomas E; Melnitchouk, Serguei; Ghoshhajra, Brian B; Pibarot, Philippe; Hung, Judy

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to examine the association between abnormal morphology of the proximal aorta and aortic stenosis (AS) progression rate. The main hypothesis was that morphologic changes of the proximal aorta, such as effacement of the sinotubular junction (STJ), result in increased biomechanical stresses and contribute to calcification and progression of AS. Between 2010 and 2012, 426 patients with mild to moderate AS were included in this study. Proximal aortic dimensions were measured at three different levels (i.e., sinus of Valsalva, STJ, and ascending aorta), and sinuses of Valsalva/STJ and ascending aorta/STJ ratios were used to determine degree of aortic deformity. AS progression rate was assessed by annualized increase in mean gradient (median follow-up time, 3.1 years; interquartile range, 2.6-3.9 years). The degree of aortic flow turbulence was examined in 18 matched patients with and without STJ effacement using cardiac magnetic resonance phase-contrast imaging. Patients' mean age was 71 ± 13 years, and 64% were men. Patients with low ratios had greater AS progression (P < .05). After comprehensive adjustment, sinuses of Valsalva/STJ (P = .025) and ascending aorta/STJ (P = .027) ratios were independently associated with greater AS progression rate. Compared with patients without STJ effacement, those with effacement of the STJ had higher degrees of aortic flow turbulence (24.4% vs 17.2%, P = .038). Effacement of the STJ is independently associated with greater AS progression, regardless of arterial hemodynamics, aortic valve phenotype, or baseline AS severity. Patients with abnormal proximal aortic geometry had disturbed aortic flow patterns. These findings suggest an interrelation between proximal aorta morphology and stenosis progression. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proximal bicarbonate absorption independent of Na+-H+ exchange: effect of bicarbonate load.

PubMed

Bank, N; Aynedjian, H S; Mutz, B F

1989-04-01

To study proximal tubule bicarbonate absorption that is not due to the neutral Na+-H+ antiporter, mid to late proximal convolutions of the rat kidney were microperfused in vivo with a sodium-free choline solution containing 10(-3) M amiloride. The average sodium concentration resulting from sodium influx was 12 mM. At such low intraluminal [Na+], 10(-3) M amiloride should have inhibited the Na+-H+ antiporter by greater than 95%. When 25 mM HCO3- was in the perfusion fluid, measured total CO2 absorption was 100 pmol.mm-1.min-1. When luminal [HCO3-] was raised to 50 mM, and blood [HCO3-] was also raised to approximately 50 mM to avoid a transepithelial HCO3- concentration gradient, total CO2 absorption increased to greater than 300 pmol.mm-1.min-1. Thus raising intraluminal HCO3- concentration caused a marked increase in total CO2 absorption even though intraluminal [Na+] was low and amiloride was present. Control perfusions containing 140 mM Na+ yielded total CO2 absorption that was approximately 100 pmol.mm-1.min-1 higher than with the respective sodium-free perfusion solutions. In additional experiments, either DCCD or NEM was added to sodium-free perfusion solutions to inhibit H+-ATPase. These inhibitors reduced Na+-H+ independent total CO2 absorption markedly. Our observations suggest that under physiological acid-base conditions, sodium-independent H+ secretion can account for approximately 50% of total HCO3- absorption in mid to late proximal convolutions. This mechanism is stimulated by an increase in ambient HCO(-3) concentration to a degree that might account for the load-dependency of proximal HCO(-3) absorption in these segments of the proximal tubule.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Patterns in understory woody diversity and soil nitrogen across native- and non-native-urban tropical forests

Treesearch

D.F. Cusack; T.L. McCleery; NO-VALUE

2014-01-01

Urban expansion is accelerating in the tropics, and may promote the spread of introduced plant species into urban-proximate forests. For example, soil disturbance can deplete the naturally high soil nitrogen pools in wet tropical soils, favoring introduced species with nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Also, forest fragmentation and canopy disturbance are likely to favor...

Phenomenological Model of Current Sheet Canting in Pulsed Electromagnetic Accelerators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markusic, Thomas; Choueiri, E. Y.

2003-01-01

The phenomenon of current sheet canting in pulsed electromagnetic accelerators is the departure of the plasma sheet (that carries the current) from a plane that is perpendicular to the electrodes to one that is skewed, or tipped. Review of pulsed electromagnetic accelerator literature reveals that current sheet canting is a ubiquitous phenomenon - occurring in all of the standard accelerator geometries. Developing an understanding of current sheet canting is important because it can detract from the propellant sweeping capabilities of current sheets and, hence, negatively impact the overall efficiency of pulsed electromagnetic accelerators. In the present study, it is postulated that depletion of plasma near the anode, which results from axial density gradient induced diamagnetic drift, occurs during the early stages of the discharge, creating a density gradient normal to the anode, with a characteristic length on the order of the ion skin depth. Rapid penetration of the magnetic field through this region ensues, due to the Hall effect, leading to a canted current front ahead of the initial current conduction channel. In this model, once the current sheet reaches appreciable speeds, entrainment of stationary propellant replenishes plasma in the anode region, inhibiting further Hall-convective transport of the magnetic field; however, the previously established tilted current sheet remains at a fairly constant canting angle for the remainder of the discharge cycle, exerting a transverse J x B force which drives plasma toward the cathode and accumulates it there. This proposed sequence of events has been incorporated into a phenomenological model. The model predicts that canting can be reduced by using low atomic mass propellants with high propellant loading number density; the model results are shown to give qualitative agreement with experimentally measured canting angle mass dependence trends.

Floral and nesting resources, habitat structure, and fire influence bee distribution across an open-forest gradient

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grundel, R.; Jean, R.P.; Frohnapple, K.J.; Glowacki, G.A.; Scott, P.E.; Pavlovic, N.B.

2010-01-01

Given bees' central effect on vegetation communities, it is important to understand how and why bee distributions vary across ecological gradients. We examined how plant community composition, plant diversity, nesting suitability, canopy cover, land use, and fire history affected bee distribution across an open-forest gradient in northwest Indiana, USA, a gradient similar to the historic Midwest United States landscape mosaic. When considered with the other predictors, plant community composition was not a significant predictor of bee community composition. Bee abundance was negatively related to canopy cover and positively to recent fire frequency, bee richness was positively related to plant richness and abundance of potential nesting resources, and bee community composition was significantly related to plant richness, soil characteristics potentially related to nesting suitability, and canopy cover. Thus, bee abundance was predicted by a different set of environmental characteristics than was bee species richness, and bee community composition was predicted, in large part, by a combination of the significant predictors of bee abundance and richness. Differences in bee community composition along the woody vegetation gradient were correlated with relative abundance of oligolectic, or diet specialist, bees. Because oligoleges were rarer than diet generalists and were associated with open habitats, their populations may be especially affected by degradation of open habitats. More habitat-specialist bees were documented for open and forest/scrub habitats than for savanna/woodland habitats, consistent with bees responding to habitats of intermediate woody vegetation density, such as savannas, as ecotones rather than as distinct habitat types. Similarity of bee community composition, similarity of bee abundance, and similarity of bee richness between sites were not significantly related to proximity of sites to each other. Nestedness analysis indicated that species composition in species-poor sites was not merely a subset of species composition at richer sites. The lack of significant proximity or nestedness effects suggests that factors at a small spatial scale strongly influence bees' use of sites. The findings indicate that patterns of plant diversity, nesting resource availability, recent fire, and habitat shading, present at the scale of a few hundred meters, are key determinants of bee community patterns in the mosaic open-savanna-forest landscape. ?? 2010 by the Ecological Society of America.

Changes in the topography of cellular components in pea root statocytes exposed to high gradient magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belyavskaya, Ninel A.; Polishchuk, Olexandr V.; Kondrachuk, Alexander V.

2005-08-01

High-gradient magnetic field (HGMF) is one of methods, by which gravitropism in plants is studied. The aim of our study was elucidation of HGMF effects on topography of cellular components in root statocytes of 4- day Pisum sativum L. seedlings in comparison to gravistimulation. Under gravistimulation during 5, 30 and 60 min seedlings were rotated 45o; magnetostimulation was carried out along gap between two NdFeB magnets (0.7 T). Morphometric measurements were made from images of whole statocytes, for upper, middle and lower thirds of cells, and proximal and distal halves of cells. Morphometric analysis revealed that HGMF resulted in the redistribution of all cellular components in statocytes. The correlation in the amyloplast distribution between gravistimulation and magnetostimulation was established.

Relativistically induced transparency acceleration of light ions by an ultrashort laser pulse interacting with a heavy-ion-plasma density gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, Aakash A.; Tsung, Frank S.; Tableman, Adam R.; Mori, Warren B.; Katsouleas, Thomas C.

2013-10-01

The relativistically induced transparency acceleration (RITA) scheme of proton and ion acceleration using laser-plasma interactions is introduced, modeled, and compared to the existing schemes. Protons are accelerated with femtosecond relativistic pulses to produce quasimonoenergetic bunches with controllable peak energy. The RITA scheme works by a relativistic laser inducing transparency [Akhiezer and Polovin, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz 30, 915 (1956); Kaw and Dawson, Phys. FluidsPFLDAS0031-917110.1063/1.1692942 13, 472 (1970); Max and Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.27.1342 27, 1342 (1971)] to densities higher than the cold-electron critical density, while the background heavy ions are stationary. The rising laser pulse creates a traveling acceleration structure at the relativistic critical density by ponderomotively [Lindl and Kaw, Phys. FluidsPFLDAS0031-917110.1063/1.1693437 14, 371 (1971); Silva , Phys. Rev. E1063-651X10.1103/PhysRevE.59.2273 59, 2273 (1999)] driving a local electron density inflation, creating an electron snowplow and a co-propagating electrostatic potential. The snowplow advances with a velocity determined by the rate of the rise of the laser's intensity envelope and the heavy-ion-plasma density gradient scale length. The rising laser is incrementally rendered transparent to higher densities such that the relativistic-electron plasma frequency is resonant with the laser frequency. In the snowplow frame, trace density protons reflect off the electrostatic potential and get snowplowed, while the heavier background ions are relatively unperturbed. Quasimonoenergetic bunches of velocity equal to twice the snowplow velocity can be obtained and tuned by controlling the snowplow velocity using laser-plasma parameters. An analytical model for the proton energy as a function of laser intensity, rise time, and plasma density gradient is developed and compared to 1D and 2D PIC OSIRIS [Fonseca , Lect. Note Comput. Sci.9783-540410.1007/3-540-47789-6_36 2331, 342 (2002)] simulations. We model the acceleration of protons to GeV energies with tens-of-femtoseconds laser pulses of a few petawatts. The scaling of proton energy with laser power compares favorably to other mechanisms for ultrashort pulses [Schreiber , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.97.045005 97, 045005 (2006); Esirkepov , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.92.175003 92, 175003 (2004); Silva , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.92.015002 92, 015002 (2004); Fiuza , Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.109.215001 109, 215001 (2012)].

Electron acceleration by surface plasma waves in double metal surface structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. S.; Kumar, Gagan; Singh, D. B.; Tripathi, V. K.

2007-12-01

Two parallel metal sheets, separated by a vacuum region, support a surface plasma wave whose amplitude is maximum on the two parallel interfaces and minimum in the middle. This mode can be excited by a laser using a glass prism. An electron beam launched into the middle region experiences a longitudinal ponderomotive force due to the surface plasma wave and gets accelerated to velocities of the order of phase velocity of the surface wave. The scheme is viable to achieve beams of tens of keV energy. In the case of a surface plasma wave excited on a single metal-vacuum interface, the field gradient normal to the interface pushes the electrons away from the high field region, limiting the acceleration process. The acceleration energy thus achieved is in agreement with the experimental observations.

Variable reluctance proximity sensors for cryogenic valve position indication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cloyd, R. A.

1982-01-01

A test was conducted to determine the performance of a variable reluctance proximity sensor system when installed in a space shuttle external tank vent/relief valve. The sensors were used as position indicators. The valve and sensors were cycled through a series of thermal transients; while the valve was being opened and closed pneumatically, the sensor's performance was being monitored. During these thermal transients, the vent valve was cooled ten times by liquid nitrogen and two times by liquid hydrogen. It was concluded that the sensors were acceptable replacements for the existing mechanical switches. However, the sensors need a mechanical override for the target similar to what is presently used with the mechanical switches. This override could insure contact between sensor and target and eliminate any problems of actuation gap growth caused by thermal gradients.

Microstructural imaging of the human brain with a 'super-scanner': 10 key advantages of ultra-strong gradients for diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Jones, D K; Alexander, D C; Bowtell, R; Cercignani, M; Dell'Acqua, F; McHugh, D J; Miller, K L; Palombo, M; Parker, G J M; Rudrapatna, U S; Tax, C M W

2018-05-22

The key component of a microstructural diffusion MRI 'super-scanner' is a dedicated high-strength gradient system that enables stronger diffusion weightings per unit time compared to conventional gradient designs. This can, in turn, drastically shorten the time needed for diffusion encoding, increase the signal-to-noise ratio, and facilitate measurements at shorter diffusion times. This review, written from the perspective of the UK National Facility for In Vivo MR Imaging of Human Tissue Microstructure, an initiative to establish a shared 300 mT/m-gradient facility amongst the microstructural imaging community, describes ten advantages of ultra-strong gradients for microstructural imaging. Specifically, we will discuss how the increase of the accessible measurement space compared to a lower-gradient systems (in terms of Δ, b-value, and TE) can accelerate developments in the areas of 1) axon diameter distribution mapping; 2) microstructural parameter estimation; 3) mapping micro-vs macroscopic anisotropy features with gradient waveforms beyond a single pair of pulsed-gradients; 4) multi-contrast experiments, e.g. diffusion-relaxometry; 5) tractography and high-resolution imaging in vivo and 6) post mortem; 7) diffusion-weighted spectroscopy of metabolites other than water; 8) tumour characterisation; 9) functional diffusion MRI; and 10) quality enhancement of images acquired on lower-gradient systems. We finally discuss practical barriers in the use of ultra-strong gradients, and provide an outlook on the next generation of 'super-scanners'. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Phenomenological analysis of hydroplaning through intelligent tyres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Alessandro, Vincenzo; Melzi, Stefano; Sbrosi, Marco; Brusarosco, Massimo

2012-01-01

Hydroplaning, as well known, greatly affects safety since it leads to the loss of contact between the tyre and the road, preventing the vehicle from responding to control inputs such as steering, braking and acceleration. Sensorised tyres developed in recent years have proved to be able to detect hydroplaning risks in terms of proximity to the so-called hydroplaning speed. The availability of such devices can push towards the development of control systems that are able to preserve vehicle stability and directionality also close to hydroplaning onset. This paper presents results relevant to the identification of hydroplaning proximity through smart tyres and describes an experimental campaign focused on the identification of the lateral response of tyres while approaching the hydroplaning speed.

Tailored electron bunches with smooth current profiles for enhanced transformer ratios in beam-driven acceleration

DOE PAGES

Lemery, F.; Piot, P.

2015-08-03

Collinear high-gradient O(GV/m) beam-driven wakefield methods for charged-particle acceleration could be critical to the realization of compact, cost-efficient, accelerators, e.g., in support of TeV-scale lepton colliders or multiple-user free-electron laser facilities. To make these options viable, the high accelerating fields need to be complemented with large transformer ratios >2, a parameter characterizing the efficiency of the energy transfer between a wakefield-exciting “drive” bunch to an accelerated “witness” bunch. While several potential current distributions have been discussed, their practical realization appears challenging due to their often discontinuous nature. In this paper we propose several alternative continuously differentiable (smooth) current profiles whichmore » support enhanced transformer ratios. We especially demonstrate that one of the devised shapes can be implemented in a photo-emission electron source by properly shaping the photocathode-laser pulse. We finally discuss a possible superconducting linear-accelerator concept that could produce shaped drive bunches at high-repetition rates to drive a dielectric-wakefield accelerator with accelerating fields on the order of ~60 MV/m and a transformer ratio ~5 consistent with a recently proposed multiuser free-electron laser facility.« less

Tailored electron bunches with smooth current profiles for enhanced transformer ratios in beam-driven acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lemery, F.; Piot, P.

Collinear high-gradient O(GV/m) beam-driven wakefield methods for charged-particle acceleration could be critical to the realization of compact, cost-efficient, accelerators, e.g., in support of TeV-scale lepton colliders or multiple-user free-electron laser facilities. To make these options viable, the high accelerating fields need to be complemented with large transformer ratios >2, a parameter characterizing the efficiency of the energy transfer between a wakefield-exciting “drive” bunch to an accelerated “witness” bunch. While several potential current distributions have been discussed, their practical realization appears challenging due to their often discontinuous nature. In this paper we propose several alternative continuously differentiable (smooth) current profiles whichmore » support enhanced transformer ratios. We especially demonstrate that one of the devised shapes can be implemented in a photo-emission electron source by properly shaping the photocathode-laser pulse. We finally discuss a possible superconducting linear-accelerator concept that could produce shaped drive bunches at high-repetition rates to drive a dielectric-wakefield accelerator with accelerating fields on the order of ~60 MV/m and a transformer ratio ~5 consistent with a recently proposed multiuser free-electron laser facility.« less

Aerial dispersal and multiple-scale spread of epidemics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Disease spread has traditionally been described as a traveling wave of constant velocity. However, aerially dispersed pathogens capable of long distance dispersal (LDD) often have dispersal gradients with extended tails that could result in acceleration of the epidemic front over time and space. W...

Is proximity to land-based sources of coral stressors an appropriate measure of risk to coral reefs? An example from the Florida Reef Tract.

PubMed

Lirman, Diego; Fong, Peggy

2007-06-01

Localized declines in coral condition are commonly linked to land-based sources of stressors that influence gradients of water quality, and the distance to sources of stressors is commonly used as a proxy for predicting the vulnerability and future status of reef resources. In this study, we evaluated explicitly whether proximity to shore and connections to coastal bays, two measures of potential land-based sources of disturbance, influence coral community and population structure, and the abundance, distribution, and condition of corals within patch reefs of the Florida Reef Tract. In the Florida Keys, long-term monitoring has documented significant differences in water quality along a cross-shelf gradient. Inshore habitats exhibit higher levels of nutrients (DIN and TP), TOC, turbidity, and light attenuation, and these levels decrease with increasing distance from shore and connections to tidal bays. In clear contrast to these patterns of water quality, corals on inshore patch reefs exhibited significantly higher coral cover, higher growth rates, and lower partial mortality rates than those documented in similar offshore habitats. Coral recruitment rates did not differ between inshore and offshore habitats. Corals on patch reefs closest to shore had well-spread population structures numerically dominated by intermediate to large colonies, while offshore populations showed narrower size-distributions that become increasingly positively skewed. Differences in size-structure of coral populations were attributed to faster growth and lower rates of partial mortality at inshore habitats. While the underlying causes for the favorable condition of inshore coral communities are not yet known, we hypothesize that the ability of corals to shift their trophic mode under adverse environmental conditions may be partly responsible for the observed patterns, as shown in other reef systems. This study, based on data collected from a uniform reef habitat type and coral species with diverse life-history and stress-response patterns from a heavily exploited reef system, showed that proximity to potential sources of stressors may not always prove an adequate proxy for assigning potential risks to reef health, and that hypothesized patterns of coral cover, population size-structure, growth, and mortality are not always directly related to water quality gradients.

Design of a high power TM01 mode launcher optimized for manufacturing by milling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dal Forno, Massimo

2016-12-15

Recent research on high-gradient rf acceleration found that hard metals, such as hard copper and hard copper-silver, have lower breakdown rate than soft metals. Traditional high-gradient accelerating structures are manufactured with parts joined by high-temperature brazing. The high temperature used in brazing makes the metal soft; therefore, this process cannot be used to manufacture structures out of hard metal alloys. In order to build the structure with hard metals, the components must be designed for joining without high-temperature brazing. One method is to build the accelerating structures out of two halves, and join them by using a low-temperature technique, atmore » the symmetry plane along the beam axis. The structure has input and output rf power couplers. We use a TM01 mode launcher as a rf power coupler, which was introduced during the Next Linear Collider (NLC) work. The part of the mode launcher will be built in each half of the structure. This paper presents a novel geometry of a mode launcher, optimized for manufacturing by milling. The coupler was designed for the CERN CLIC working frequency f = 11.9942 GHz; the same geometry can be scaled to any other frequency.« less

Practical strategies for stable operation of HFF-QCM in continuous air flow.

PubMed

Wessels, Alexander; Klöckner, Bernhard; Siering, Carsten; Waldvogel, Siegfried R

2013-09-09

Currently there are a few fields of application using quartz crystal microbalances (QCM). Because of environmental conditions and insufficient resolution of the microbalance, chemical sensing of volatile organic compounds in an open system was as yet not possible. In this study we present strategies on how to use 195 MHz fundamental quartz resonators for a mobile sensor platform to detect airborne analytes. Commonly the use of devices with a resonant frequency of about 10 MHz is standard. By increasing the frequency to 195 MHz the frequency shift increases by a factor of almost 400. Unfortunately, such kinds of quartz crystals tend to exhibit some challenges to obtain a reasonable signal-to-noise ratio. It was possible to reduce the noise in frequency in a continuous air flow of 7.5 m/s to 0.4 Hz [i.e., σ(τ) = 2 × 10-9] by elucidating the major source of noise. The air flow in the vicinity of the quartz was analyzed to reduce turbulences. Furthermore, we found a dependency between the acceleration sensitivity and mechanical stress induced by an internal thermal gradient. By reducing this gradient, we achieved reduction of the sensitivity to acceleration by more than one decade. Hence, the resulting sensor is more robust to environmental conditions such as temperature, acceleration and air flow.

Design, fabrication, and high-gradient testing of an X -band, traveling-wave accelerating structure milled from copper halves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argyropoulos, Theodoros; Catalan-Lasheras, Nuria; Grudiev, Alexej; Mcmonagle, Gerard; Rodriguez-Castro, Enrique; Syrachev, Igor; Wegner, Rolf; Woolley, Ben; Wuensch, Walter; Zha, Hao; Dolgashev, Valery; Bowden, Gorden; Haase, Andrew; Lucas, Thomas Geoffrey; Volpi, Matteo; Esperante-Pereira, Daniel; Rajamäki, Robin

2018-06-01

A prototype 11.994 GHz, traveling-wave accelerating structure for the Compact Linear Collider has been built, using the novel technique of assembling the structure from milled halves. The use of milled halves has many advantages when compared to a structure made from individual disks. These include the potential for a reduction in cost, because there are fewer parts, as well as a greater freedom in choice of joining technology because there are no rf currents across the halves' joint. Here we present the rf design and fabrication of the prototype structure, followed by the results of the high-power test and post-test surface analysis. During high-power testing the structure reached an unloaded gradient of 100 MV /m at a rf breakdown rate of less than 1.5 ×10-5 breakdowns /pulse /m with a 200 ns pulse. This structure has been designed for the CLIC testing program but construction from halves can be advantageous in a wide variety of applications.

Optical shaping of gas targets for laser–plasma ion sources

DOE PAGES

Dover, N. P.; Cook, N.; Tresca, O.; ...

2016-02-09

In this paper, we report on the experimental demonstration of a technique to generate steep density gradients in gas-jet targets of interest to laser–plasma ion acceleration. By using an intentional low-energy prepulse, we generated a hydrodynamic blast wave in the gas to shape the target prior to the arrival of an intense COmore » $$_{2}$$($${\\it\\lambda}\\approx 10~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$) drive pulse. This technique has been recently shown to facilitate the generation of ion beams by shockwave acceleration (Trescaet al.,Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 115 (9), 2015, 094802). Here, we discuss and introduce a model to understand the generation of these blast waves and discuss in depth the experimental realisation of the technique, supported by hydrodynamics simulations. With appropriate prepulse energy and timing, this blast wave can generate steepened density gradients as short as$$l\\approx 20~{\\rm\\mu}\\text{m}$$($1/e$), opening up new possibilities for laser–plasma studies with near-critical gaseous targets.« less

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

PubMed Central

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-01-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser–plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck. PMID:28290479

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration.

PubMed

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-14

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Prospects of target nanostructuring for laser proton acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lübcke, Andrea; Andreev, Alexander A.; Höhm, Sandra; Grunwald, Ruediger; Ehrentraut, Lutz; Schnürer, Matthias

2017-03-01

In laser-based proton acceleration, nanostructured targets hold the promise to allow for significantly boosted proton energies due to strong increase of laser absorption. We used laser-induced periodic surface structures generated in-situ as a very fast and economic way to produce nanostructured targets capable of high-repetition rate applications. Both in experiment and theory, we investigate the impact of nanostructuring on the proton spectrum for different laser-plasma conditions. Our experimental data show that the nanostructures lead to a significant enhancement of absorption over the entire range of laser plasma conditions investigated. At conditions that do not allow for efficient laser absorption by plane targets, i.e. too steep plasma gradients, nanostructuring is found to significantly enhance the proton cutoff energy and conversion efficiency. In contrast, if the plasma gradient is optimized for laser absorption of the plane target, the nanostructure-induced absorption increase is not reflected in higher cutoff energies. Both, simulation and experiment point towards the energy transfer from the laser to the hot electrons as bottleneck.

Van Allen Probes Observations of Radiation Belt Acceleration associated with Solar Wind Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, J. C.; Wygant, J. R.; Baker, D. N.

2017-12-01

During a moderate solar wind shock event on 8 October 2013 the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft observed the shock-induced electric field in the dayside magnetosphere and the response of the electron populations across a broad range of energies. Whereas other mechanisms populating the radiation belts close to Earth (L 3-5) take place on time scales of months (diffusion) or hours (storm and substorm effects), acceleration during shock events occurs on a much faster ( 1 minute) time scale. During this event the dayside equatorial magnetosphere experienced a strong dusk-dawn/azimuthal component of the electric field of 1 min duration. This shock-induced pulse accelerates radiation belt electrons for the length of time they are exposed to it creating "quasi-periodic pulse-like" enhancements in the relativistic (2 - 6 MeV) electron flux. Electron acceleration occurs on a time scale that is a fraction of their orbital drift period around the Earth. Those electrons whose drift velocity closely matches the azimuthal phase velocity of the shock-induced pulse stay in the accelerating wave as it propagates tailward and receive the largest increase in energy. Relativistic electron gradient drift velocities are energy-dependent, selecting a preferred range of energies (3-4 MeV) for the strongest enhancement. The time scale for shock acceleration is short with respect to the electron drift period ( 5 min), but long with respect to bounce and gyro periodicities. As a result, the third invariant is broken and the affected electron populations are displaced earthward experiencing an adiabatic energy gain. At radial distances tailward of the peak in phase space density, the impulsive inward displacement of the electron population produces a decrease in electron flux and a sequence of gradient drifting "negative holes".Dual spacecraft coverage of the 8 October 2013 event provided a before/after time sequence documenting shock effects.

Study on Misalignment Angle Compensation during Scale Factor Matching for Two Pairs of Accelerometers in a Gravity Gradient Instrument

PubMed Central

Huang, Xiangqing; Deng, Zhongguang; Xie, Yafei; Fan, Ji; Hu, Chenyuan

2018-01-01

A method for automatic compensation of misalignment angles during matching the scale factors of two pairs of the accelerometers in developing the rotating accelerometer gravity gradient instrument (GGI) is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. The purpose of automatic scale factor matching of the four accelerometers in GGI is to suppress the common mode acceleration of the moving-based platforms. However, taking the full model equation of the accelerometer into consideration, the other two orthogonal axes which is the pendulous axis and the output axis, will also sense the common mode acceleration and reduce the suppression performance. The coefficients from the two axes to the output are δO and δP respectively, called the misalignment angles. The angle δO, coupling with the acceleration along the pendulous axis perpendicular to the rotational plane, will not be modulated by the rotation and gives little contribution to the scale factors matching. On the other hand, because of coupling with the acceleration along the centripetal direction in the rotating plane, the angle δP would produce a component with 90 degrees phase delay relative to the scale factor component. Hence, the δP component coincides exactly with the sensitive direction of the orthogonal accelerometers. To improve the common mode acceleration rejection, the misalignment angle δP is compensated by injecting a trimming current, which is proportional to the output of an orthogonal accelerometer, into the torque coil of the accelerometer during the scale factor matching. The experimental results show that the common linear acceleration suppression achieved three orders after the scale factors balance and five orders after the misalignment angles compensation, which is almost down to the noise level of the used accelerometers of 1~2 × 10−7 g/√Hz (1 g ≈ 9.8 m/s2). PMID:29670021

Study on Misalignment Angle Compensation during Scale Factor Matching for Two Pairs of Accelerometers in a Gravity Gradient Instrument.

PubMed

Huang, Xiangqing; Deng, Zhongguang; Xie, Yafei; Fan, Ji; Hu, Chenyuan; Tu, Liangcheng

2018-04-18

A method for automatic compensation of misalignment angles during matching the scale factors of two pairs of the accelerometers in developing the rotating accelerometer gravity gradient instrument (GGI) is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. The purpose of automatic scale factor matching of the four accelerometers in GGI is to suppress the common mode acceleration of the moving-based platforms. However, taking the full model equation of the accelerometer into consideration, the other two orthogonal axes which is the pendulous axis and the output axis, will also sense the common mode acceleration and reduce the suppression performance. The coefficients from the two axes to the output are δ O and δ P respectively, called the misalignment angles. The angle δ O , coupling with the acceleration along the pendulous axis perpendicular to the rotational plane, will not be modulated by the rotation and gives little contribution to the scale factors matching. On the other hand, because of coupling with the acceleration along the centripetal direction in the rotating plane, the angle δ P would produce a component with 90 degrees phase delay relative to the scale factor component. Hence, the δ P component coincides exactly with the sensitive direction of the orthogonal accelerometers. To improve the common mode acceleration rejection, the misalignment angle δ P is compensated by injecting a trimming current, which is proportional to the output of an orthogonal accelerometer, into the torque coil of the accelerometer during the scale factor matching. The experimental results show that the common linear acceleration suppression achieved three orders after the scale factors balance and five orders after the misalignment angles compensation, which is almost down to the noise level of the used accelerometers of 1~2 × 10 −7 g/√Hz (1 g ≈ 9.8 m/s²).

High power experimental studies of hybrid photonic band gap accelerator structures

DOE PAGES

Zhang, JieXi; Munroe, Brian J.; Xu, Haoran; ...

2016-08-31

This paper reports the first high power tests of hybrid photonic band gap (PBG) accelerator structures. Three hybrid PBG (HPBG) structures were designed, built and tested at 17.14 GHz. Each structure had a triangular lattice array with 60 inner sapphire rods and 24 outer copper rods sandwiched between copper disks. The dielectric PBG band gap map allows the unique feature of overmoded operation in a TM 02 mode, with suppression of both lower order modes, such as the TM 11 mode, as well as higher order modes. The use of sapphire rods, which have negligible dielectric loss, required inclusion ofmore » the dielectric birefringence in the design. The three structures were designed to sequentially reduce the peak surface electric field. Simulations showed relatively high surface fields at the triple point as well as in any gaps between components in the clamped assembly. The third structure used sapphire rods with small pin extensions at each end and obtained the highest gradient of 19 MV/m, corresponding to a surface electric field of 78 MV/m, with a breakdown probability of 5×10 –1 per pulse per meter for a 100-ns input power pulse. Operation at a gradient above 20 MV/m led to runaway breakdowns with extensive light emission and eventual damage. For all three structures, multipactor light emission was observed at gradients well below the breakdown threshold. As a result, this research indicated that multipactor triggered at the triple point limited the operational gradient of the hybrid structure.« less

Radiation Generation from Ultra Intense Laser Plasma Interactions with Solid Density Plasmas for Active Interrogation of Nuclear Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulick, Calvin Andrew

The development of short pulse high power lasers has led to interest in laser based particle accelerators. Laser produced plasmas have been shown to support quasi-static TeV/m acceleration gradients which are more than four orders of magnitude stronger than conventional accelerators. These high gradients have the potential to allow compact particle accelerators for active interrogation of nuclear material. In order to better understand this application, several experiments have been conducted at the HERCULES and Lambda Cubed lasers as the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science at the University of Michigan. Electron acceleration and bremsstrahlung generation were studied on the Lambda Cubed laser. The scaling of the intensity, angular, and material dependence of bremsstrahlung radiation from an intense (I > 10 18 W/cm2 ) laser-solid interaction has been characterized at energies between 100 keV and 1 MeV. These were the first high resolution (lambda / d lambda > 100) measurements of bremsstrahlung photons from a relativistic laser plasma interaction. The electron populations and bremsstrahlung temperatures were modeled in the particle-in-cell code OSIRIS and the Monte Carlo code MCNPX and were in good agreement with the experimental results. Proton acceleration was studied on the HERCULES laser. The effect of three dimensional perturbations of electron sheaths on proton acceleration was investigated through the use of foil, grid, and wire targets. Hot electron density, as measured with an imaging Cu Kalpha crystal, increased as the target surface area was reduced and was correlated to an increase in the temperature of the accelerated proton beam. Additionally, experiments at the HERCULES laser facility have produced directional neutron beams with energies up to 16.8 (+/-0.3) MeV using (d,n) and (p,n) reactions. Efficient (d,n) reactions required the selective acceleration of deuterons through the introduction of a deuterated plastic or cryogenically frozen D2O layer on the surface of a thin film target. The measured neutron yield was up to 1.0 (+/-0.5) x 107 neutrons/sr with a flux 6.2 (+/-3.7) times higher in the forward direction than at 90 degrees . This demonstrated that femtosecond lasers are capable of providing a time averaged neutron flux equivalent to commercial DD generators with the advantage of a directional beam with picosecond bunch duration.

Active Plasma Lensing for Relativistic Laser-Plasma-Accelerated Electron Beams

DOE PAGES

van Tilborg, J.; Steinke, S.; Geddes, C. G. R.; ...

2015-10-28

The compact, tunable, radially symmetric focusing of electrons is critical to laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) applications. Experiments are presented demonstrating the use of a discharge-capillary active plasma lens to focus 100-MeV-level LPA beams. The lens can provide tunable field gradients in excess of 3000 T/m, enabling cm-scale focal lengths for GeV-level beam energies and allowing LPA-based electron beams and light sources to maintain their compact footprint. For a range of lens strengths, excellent agreement with simulation was obtained.

Optical Absorption in Molecular Crystals from Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-18

fundamental gap but there is little effect on the optical spectra. We therefore believe that the method is robust and can be used for studies of... quantitative DFT- based prediction of excited-state properties in molecu- lar solids.[28, 29] In this approach, one first computes the underlying gas...gradient ap- proximation (GGA). In some cases , the fraction of SR Fock exchange, α, can be determined from first-principles based on satisfaction of

Coyotes, deer, and wildflowers: diverse evidence points to a trophic cascade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waser, Nickolas M.; Price, Mary V.; Blumstein, Daniel T.; Arózqueta, S. Reneé; Escobar, Betsabé D. Castro; Pickens, Richard; Pistoia, Alessandra

2014-05-01

Spatial gradients in human activity, coyote activity, deer activity, and deer herbivory provide an unusual type of evidence for a trophic cascade. Activity of coyotes, which eat young mule deer (fawns), decreased with proximity to a remote biological field station, indicating that these predators avoided an area of high human activity. In contrast, activity of adult female deer (does) and intensity of herbivory on palatable plant species both increased with proximity to the station and were positively correlated with each other. The gradient in deer activity was not explained by availabilities of preferred habitats or plant species because these did not vary with distance from the station. Does spent less time feeding when they encountered coyote urine next to a feed block, indicating that increased vigilance may contribute, along with avoidance of areas with coyotes, to lower herbivory away from the station. Judging from two palatable wildflower species whose seed crop and seedling recruitment were greatly reduced near the field station, the coyote-deer-wildflower trophic cascade has the potential to influence plant community composition. Our study illustrates the value of a case-history approach, in which different forms of ecological data about a single system are used to develop conceptual models of complex ecological phenomena. Such an iterative model-building process is a common, but underappreciated, way of understanding how ecological systems work.

Abluminal Stimulation of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptors 1 and 3 Promotes and Stabilizes Endothelial Sprout Formation

PubMed Central

Lenz, Steven M.; Awojoodu, Anthony O.

2015-01-01

Local delivery of lipid mediators has become a promising new approach for therapeutic angiogenesis and regenerative medicine. In this study, we investigated how gradient stimulation (either abluminal/distal or luminal/proximal) of engineered microvessels with sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor-subtype-targeted molecules affects endothelial sprout growth using a microfluidic device. Our studies show that distal stimulation of microvessels with FTY720, an S1P1/3 selective agonist, promotes both arterial and venular sprout growth, whereas proximal stimulation does not. Using novel pharmacological antagonists of S1P receptor subtypes, we further show that S1P3 functionality is necessary for VEGF-induced sprouting, and confirmed these findings ex vivo using a murine aortic ring assay from S1P3-deficient mice. S1P3 agonist stimulation enhanced vascular stability in both cell types via upregulation of the interendothelial junction protein VE-cadherin. Lastly, S1P3 activation under flow promoted endothelial sprouting and branching while decreasing migratory cell fate in the microfluidic device. We used an in vivo murine dorsal skinfold window chamber model to confirm S1P3's role in neovascular branching. Together, these data suggest that a distal transendothelial gradient of S1P1/3-targeted drugs is an effective technique for both enhancing and stabilizing capillary morphogenesis in angiogenic applications. PMID:25315888

RF design of 324 MHz superconducting (SC) CH cavity for 0.21 beta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taletskiy, K.; Surkov, D.; Gusarova, M.

2017-12-01

The results of RF optimizations for 324 MHz SC cross-bar H-mode (CH) cavity for 0.21 beta are presented. Maximum surface electric field of 36 MV/m and a corresponding effective accelerating gradient of 7 MV/m have been achieved.

Evaluation of Temperature Gradient in Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (AADSF) by Numerical Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bune, Andris V.; Gillies, Donald C.; Lehoczky, Sandor L.

1996-01-01

A numerical model of heat transfer using combined conduction, radiation and convection in AADSF was used to evaluate temperature gradients in the vicinity of the crystal/melt interface for variety of hot and cold zone set point temperatures specifically for the growth of mercury cadmium telluride (MCT). Reverse usage of hot and cold zones was simulated to aid the choice of proper orientation of crystal/melt interface regarding residual acceleration vector without actual change of furnace location on board the orbiter. It appears that an additional booster heater will be extremely helpful to ensure desired temperature gradient when hot and cold zones are reversed. Further efforts are required to investigate advantages/disadvantages of symmetrical furnace design (i.e. with similar length of hot and cold zones).

Hydrodynamic Model for Density Gradients Instability in Hall Plasmas Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Sukhmander

2017-10-01

There is an increasing interest for a correct understanding of purely growing electromagnetic and electrostatic instabilities driven by a plasma gradient in a Hall thruster devices. In Hall thrusters, which are typically operated with xenon, the thrust is provided by the acceleration of ions in the plasma generated in a discharge chamber. The goal of this paper is to study the instabilities due to gradients of plasma density and conditions for the growth rate and real part of the frequency for Hall thruster plasmas. Inhomogeneous plasmas prone a wide class of eigen modes induced by inhomogeneities of plasma density and called drift waves and instabilities. The growth rate of the instability has a dependences on the magnetic field, plasma density, ion temperature and wave numbers and initial drift velocities of the plasma species.

k and q Dedicated to Paul Callaghan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blümich, Bernhard

2016-06-01

The symbols k and q denote wave numbers in scattering experiments as well as in NMR imaging. Their exploration in NMR is intimately linked to the legacy of Paul Callaghan with his books Magnetic Resonance Microscopy and Translational Dynamics & Magnetic Resonance (Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991 and 2011) placing their focus with their titles on k and q, respectively. Some aspects of k and q have been revisited in the Paul Callaghan lecture of the author at the ISMAR Conference in Shanghai in 2015, which are reviewed here. In particular, there are two definitions of q, one relating to diffusive displacement (q) and the other to coherent flow (qv). Concerning the latter, it turns out, that in the short gradient pulse limit, the common anti-phase pulsed field-gradient scheme can be replaced with schemes employing three and more gradient pulses, which derive from differentiation rules in numerical analysis. Practical gradient modulation schemes with finite gradient pulse widths follow from these to measure velocity with improved accuracy. This approach can be expanded to acceleration and higher order transport coefficients with applications to measurements of flow and potentially also restricted diffusion.

Uncertainty based pressure reconstruction from velocity measurement with generalized least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiacheng; Scalo, Carlo; Vlachos, Pavlos

2017-11-01

A method using generalized least squares reconstruction of instantaneous pressure field from velocity measurement and velocity uncertainty is introduced and applied to both planar and volumetric flow data. Pressure gradients are computed on a staggered grid from flow acceleration. The variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients is evaluated from the velocity uncertainty by approximating the pressure gradient error to a linear combination of velocity errors. An overdetermined system of linear equations which relates the pressure and the computed pressure gradients is formulated and then solved using generalized least squares with the variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients. By comparing the reconstructed pressure field against other methods such as solving the pressure Poisson equation, the omni-directional integration, and the ordinary least squares reconstruction, generalized least squares method is found to be more robust to the noise in velocity measurement. The improvement on pressure result becomes more remarkable when the velocity measurement becomes less accurate and more heteroscedastic. The uncertainty of the reconstructed pressure field is also quantified and compared across the different methods.

Radiation measurement in the environment of FLASH using passive dosimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, B.; Rybka, D.; Makowski, D.; Lipka, T.; Simrock, S.

2007-08-01

Sophisticated electronic devices comprising sensitive microelectronic components have been installed in the close proximity of the 720 MeV superconducting electron linear accelerator (linac) driving the FLASH (Free Electron Laser in Hamburg), presently in operation at DESY in Hamburg. Microelectronic chips are inherently vulnerable to ionizing radiation, usually generated during routine operation of high-energy particle accelerator facilities like the FLASH. Hence, in order to assess the radiation effect on microelectronic chips and to develop suitable mitigation strategy, it becomes imperative to characterize the radiation field in the FLASH environment. We have evaluated the neutron and gamma energy (spectra) and dose distributions at critical locations in the FLASH tunnel using superheated emulsion (bubble) detectors, GaAs light emitting diodes (LED), LiF-thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) and radiochromic (Gafchromic EBT) films. This paper highlights the application of passive dosimeters for an accurate analysis of the radiation field produced by high-energy electron linear accelerators.

GRAIL Gravity Map of Orientale Basin

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-27

This color-coded map shows the strength of surface gravity around Orientale basin on Earth's moon, derived from data obtained by NASA's GRAIL mission. The GRAIL mission produced a very high-resolution map of gravity over the surface of the entire moon. This plot is zoomed in on the part of that map that features Orientale basin, where the two GRAIL spacecraft flew extremely low near the end of their mission. Their close proximity to the basin made the probes' measurements particularly sensitive to the gravitational acceleration there (due to the inverse squared law). The color scale plots the gravitational acceleration in units of "gals," where 1 gal is one centimeter per second squared, or about 1/1000th of the gravitational acceleration at Earth's surface. (The unit was devised in honor of the astronomer Galileo). Labels on the x and y axes represent latitude and longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21050

Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE PAGES

Doche, A.; Beekman, C.; Corde, S.; ...

2017-10-27

High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. Here in these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positronmore » bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. Finally, the results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.« less

Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doche, A.; Beekman, C.; Corde, S.

High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. Here in these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positronmore » bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. Finally, the results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.« less

Blind One-Bit Compressive Sampling

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-17

14] Q. Li, C. A. Micchelli, L. Shen, and Y. Xu, A proximity algorithm accelerated by Gauss - Seidel iterations for L1/TV denoising models, Inverse...methods for nonconvex optimization on the unit sphere and has a provable convergence guarantees. Binary iterative hard thresholding (BIHT) algorithms were... Convergence analysis of the algorithm is presented. Our approach is to obtain a sequence of optimization problems by successively approximating the ℓ0

Progress with High-Field Superconducting Magnets for High-Energy Colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apollinari, Giorgio; Prestemon, Soren; Zlobin, Alexander V.

2015-10-01

One of the possible next steps for high-energy physics research relies on a high-energy hadron or muon collider. The energy of a circular collider is limited by the strength of bending dipoles, and its maximum luminosity is determined by the strength of final focus quadrupoles. For this reason, the high-energy physics and accelerator communities have shown much interest in higher-field and higher-gradient superconducting accelerator magnets. The maximum field of NbTi magnets used in all present high-energy machines, including the LHC, is limited to ˜10 T at 1.9 K. Fields above 10 T became possible with the use of Nb3Sn superconductors. Nb3Sn accelerator magnets can provide operating fields up to ˜15 T and can significantly increase the coil temperature margin. Accelerator magnets with operating fields above 15 T require high-temperature superconductors. This review discusses the status and main results of Nb3Sn accelerator magnet research and development and work toward 20-T magnets.

Self-mapping the longitudinal field structure of a nonlinear plasma accelerator cavity

DOE PAGES

Clayton, C. E.; Adli, E.; Allen, J.; ...

2016-08-16

The preservation of emittance of the accelerating beam is the next challenge for plasma-based accelerators envisioned for future light sources and colliders. The field structure of a highly nonlinear plasma wake is potentially suitable for this purpose but has not been yet measured. Here we show that the longitudinal variation of the fields in a nonlinear plasma wakefield accelerator cavity produced by a relativistic electron bunch can be mapped using the bunch itself as a probe. We find that, for much of the cavity that is devoid of plasma electrons, the transverse force is constant longitudinally to within ±3% (r.m.s.).more » Moreover, comparison of experimental data and simulations has resulted in mapping of the longitudinal electric field of the unloaded wake up to 83 GV m –1 to a similar degree of accuracy. Lastly, these results bode well for high-gradient, high-efficiency acceleration of electron bunches while preserving their emittance in such a cavity.« less

Self-mapping the longitudinal field structure of a nonlinear plasma accelerator cavity

PubMed Central

Clayton, C. E.; Adli, E.; Allen, J.; An, W.; Clarke, C. I.; Corde, S.; Frederico, J.; Gessner, S.; Green, S. Z.; Hogan, M. J.; Joshi, C.; Litos, M.; Lu, W.; Marsh, K. A.; Mori, W. B.; Vafaei-Najafabadi, N.; Xu, X.; Yakimenko, V.

2016-01-01

The preservation of emittance of the accelerating beam is the next challenge for plasma-based accelerators envisioned for future light sources and colliders. The field structure of a highly nonlinear plasma wake is potentially suitable for this purpose but has not been yet measured. Here we show that the longitudinal variation of the fields in a nonlinear plasma wakefield accelerator cavity produced by a relativistic electron bunch can be mapped using the bunch itself as a probe. We find that, for much of the cavity that is devoid of plasma electrons, the transverse force is constant longitudinally to within ±3% (r.m.s.). Moreover, comparison of experimental data and simulations has resulted in mapping of the longitudinal electric field of the unloaded wake up to 83 GV m−1 to a similar degree of accuracy. These results bode well for high-gradient, high-efficiency acceleration of electron bunches while preserving their emittance in such a cavity. PMID:27527569

Progress with high-field superconducting magnets for high-energy colliders

DOE PAGES

Apollinari, Giorgio; Prestemon, Soren; Zlobin, Alexander V.

2015-10-01

One of the possible next steps for high-energy physics research relies on a high-energy hadron or muon collider. The energy of a circular collider is limited by the strength of bending dipoles, and its maximum luminosity is determined by the strength of final focus quadrupoles. For this reason, the high-energy physics and accelerator communities have shown much interest in higher-field and higher-gradient superconducting accelerator magnets. The maximum field of NbTi magnets used in all present high-energy machines, including the LHC, is limited to ~10 T at 1.9 K. Fields above 10 T became possible with the use of Nbmore » $$_3$$Sn superconductors. Nb$$_3$$Sn accelerator magnets can provide operating fields up to ~15 T and can significantly increase the coil temperature margin. Accelerator magnets with operating fields above 15 T require high-temperature superconductors. Furthermore, this review discusses the status and main results of Nb$$_3$$Sn accelerator magnet research and development and work toward 20-T magnets.« less

FMEA on the superconducting torus for the Jefferson Lab 12 GeV accelerator upgrade

DOE PAGES

Ghoshal, Probir K.; Biallas, George H.; Fair, Ruben J.; ...

2015-01-16

As part of the Jefferson Lab 12GeV accelerator upgrade project, Hall B requires two conduction cooled superconducting magnets. One is a magnet system consisting of six superconducting trapezoidal racetrack-type coils assembled in a toroidal configuration and the second is an actively shielded solenoidal magnet system consisting of 5 coils. Both magnets are to be wound with Superconducting Super Collider-36 NbTi strand Rutherford cable soldered into a copper channel. This paper describes the various failure modes in torus magnet along with the failure modes that could be experienced by the torus and its interaction with the solenoid which is located inmore » close proximity.« less

HEATHER - HElium Ion Accelerator for RadioTHERapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, Jordan; Edgecock, Thomas; Green, Stuart

2017-05-01

A non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient (nsFFAG) accelerator is being designed for helium ion therapy. This facility will consist of 2 superconducting rings, treating with helium ions (He²⁺ ) and image with hydrogen ions (H + 2 ). Currently only carbon ions are used to treat cancer, yet there is an increasing interest in the use of lighter ions for therapy. Lighter ions have reduced dose tail beyond the tumour compared to carbon, caused by low Z secondary particles produced via inelastic nuclear reactions. An FFAG approach for helium therapy has never been previously considered. Having demonstrated isochronous acceleration frommore » 0.5 MeV to 900 MeV, we now demonstrate the survival of a realistic beam across both stages.« less

Towards Attosecond High-Energy Electron Bunches: Controlling Self-Injection in Laser-Wakefield Accelerators Through Plasma-Density Modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tooley, M. P.; Ersfeld, B.; Yoffe, S. R.; Noble, A.; Brunetti, E.; Sheng, Z. M.; Islam, M. R.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

2017-07-01

Self-injection in a laser-plasma wakefield accelerator is usually achieved by increasing the laser intensity until the threshold for injection is exceeded. Alternatively, the velocity of the bubble accelerating structure can be controlled using plasma density ramps, reducing the electron velocity required for injection. We present a model describing self-injection in the short-bunch regime for arbitrary changes in the plasma density. We derive the threshold condition for injection due to a plasma density gradient, which is confirmed using particle-in-cell simulations that demonstrate injection of subfemtosecond bunches. It is shown that the bunch charge, bunch length, and separation of bunches in a bunch train can be controlled by tailoring the plasma density profile.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria inhabiting natural corrosion deposits from marine steel structures.

PubMed

Païssé, Sandrine; Ghiglione, Jean-François; Marty, Florence; Abbas, Ben; Gueuné, Hervé; Amaya, José Maria Sanchez; Muyzer, Gerard; Quillet, Laurent

2013-08-01

In the present study, investigations were conducted on natural corrosion deposits to better understand the role of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the accelerated corrosion process of carbon steel sheet piles in port environments. We describe the abundance and diversity of total and metabolically active SRB within five natural corrosion deposits located within tidal or low water zone and showing either normal or accelerated corrosion. By using molecular techniques, such as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis, and sequence cloning based on 16S rRNA, dsrB genes, and their transcripts, we demonstrated a clear distinction between SRB population structure inhabiting normal or accelerated low-water corrosion deposits. Although SRB were present in both normal and accelerated low-water corrosion deposits, they dominated and were exclusively active in the inner and intermediate layers of accelerated corrosion deposits. We also highlighted that some of these SRB populations are specific to the accelerated low-water corrosion deposit environment in which they probably play a dominant role in the sulfured corrosion product enrichment.

On the accurate analysis of vibroacoustics in head insert gradient coils.

PubMed

Winkler, Simone A; Alejski, Andrew; Wade, Trevor; McKenzie, Charles A; Rutt, Brian K

2017-10-01

To accurately analyze vibroacoustics in MR head gradient coils. A detailed theoretical model for gradient coil vibroacoustics, including the first description and modeling of Lorentz damping, is introduced and implemented in a multiphysics software package. Numerical finite-element method simulations were used to establish a highly accurate vibroacoustic model in head gradient coils in detail, including the newly introduced Lorentz damping effect. Vibroacoustic coupling was examined through an additional modal analysis. Thorough experimental studies were used to validate simulations. Average experimental sound pressure levels (SPLs) and accelerations over the 0-3000 Hz frequency range were 97.6 dB, 98.7 dB, and 95.4 dB, as well as 20.6 g, 8.7 g, and 15.6 g for the X-, Y-, and Z-gradients, respectively. A reasonable agreement between simulations and measurements was achieved. Vibroacoustic coupling showed a coupled resonance at 2300 Hz for the Z-gradient that is responsible for a sharp peak and the highest SPL value in the acoustic spectrum. We have developed and used more realistic multiphysics simulation methods to gain novel insights into the underlying concepts for vibroacoustics in head gradient coils, which will permit improved analyses of existing gradient coils and novel SPL reduction strategies for future gradient coil designs. Magn Reson Med 78:1635-1645, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

The flares of August 1972

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zirin, H.; Tanaka, K.

1972-01-01

Analysis is made of observations of the August, 1972 flares at Big Bear and Tel Aviv, involving monochromatic movies, magnetograms, and spectra. In each flare the observations fit a model of particle acceleration in the chromosphere with emission produced by impart and by heating by the energetic electrons and protons. The region showed twisted flux and high gradients from birth, and flares appear due to strong magnetic shears and gradients across the neutral line produced by sunspot motions. Post flare loops show a strong change from sheared, force-free fields parallel to potential-field-like loops, perpendicular to the neutral line above the surface.

Control of multi-joint arm movements for the manipulation of touch in keystroke by expert pianists

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Production of a variety of finger-key touches in the piano is essential for expressive musical performance. However, it remains unknown how expert pianists control multi-joint finger and arm movements for manipulating the touch. The present study investigated differences in kinematics and kinetics of the upper-limb movements while expert pianists were depressing a key with two different touches: pressed and struck. The former starts key-depression with the finger-tip contacting the key, whereas the latter involves preparatory arm-lift before striking the key. To determine the effect of individual muscular torque (MUS) as well as non-muscular torques on joint acceleration, we performed a series of inverse and forward dynamics computations. Results The pressed touch showed smaller elbow extension velocity, and larger shoulder and finger flexion velocities during key-depression compared with the struck touch. The former touch also showed smaller elbow extension acceleration directly attributed to the shoulder MUS. In contrast, the shoulder flexion acceleration induced by elbow and wrist MUS was greater for the pressed touch than the struck touch. Towards the goal of producing the target finger-key contact dynamics, the pressed and struck touches effectively took advantage of the distal-to-proximal and proximal-to-distal inter-segmental dynamics, respectively. Furthermore, a psychoacoustic experiment confirmed that a tone elicited by the pressed touch was perceived softer than that by the struck touch. Conclusion The present findings suggest that manipulation of tone timbre depends on control of inter-segmental dynamics in piano keystroke. PMID:20630085

Longitudinal dynamics of twin electron bunches in the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Zhen; Ding, Yuantao; Marinelli, Agostino; ...

2015-03-02

The recent development of two-color x-ray free-electron lasers, as well as the successful demonstration of high-gradient witness bunch acceleration in a plasma, have generated strong interest in electron bunch trains, where two or more electron bunches are generated, accelerated and compressed in the same accelerating bucket. In this paper we give a detailed analysis of a twin-bunch technique in a high-energy linac. This method allows the generation of two electron bunches with high peak current and independent control of time delay and energy separation. We find that the wakefields in the accelerator structures play an important role in the twin-bunchmore » compression, and through analysis show that they can be used to extend the available time delay range. As a result, based on the theoretical model and simulations we propose several methods to achieve larger time delay.« less

Design of Octupole Channel for Integrable Optics Test Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antipov, Sergey; Carlson, Kermit; Castellotti, Riccardo

We present the design of octupole channel for Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA). IOTA is a test accelerator at Fermilab, aimed to conduct research towards high-intensity machines. One of the goals of the project is to demonstrate high nonlinear betatron tune shifts while retaining large dynamic aperture in a realistic accelerator design. At the first stage the tune shift will be attained with a special channel of octupoles, which creates a variable octupole potential over a 1.8 m length. The channel consists of 18 identical air-cooled octupole magnets. The magnets feature a simple low-cost design, while meeting the requirements onmore » maximum gradient - up to 1.4 kG/cm³, and field quality - strength of harmonics below 1%. Numerical simulations show that the channel is capable of producing a nonlinear tune shift of 0.08 without restriction of dynamic aperture of the ring.« less

Modeling multi-GeV class laser-plasma accelerators with INF&RNO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Carlo; Schroeder, Carl; Bulanov, Stepan; Geddes, Cameron; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2016-10-01

Laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) can produce accelerating gradients on the order of tens to hundreds of GV/m, making them attractive as compact particle accelerators for radiation production or as drivers for future high-energy colliders. Understanding and optimizing the performance of LPAs requires detailed numerical modeling of the nonlinear laser-plasma interaction. We present simulation results, obtained with the computationally efficient, PIC/fluid code INF&RNO (INtegrated Fluid & paRticle simulatioN cOde), concerning present (multi-GeV stages) and future (10 GeV stages) LPA experiments performed with the BELLA PW laser system at LBNL. In particular, we will illustrate the issues related to the guiding of a high-intensity, short-pulse, laser when a realistic description for both the laser driver and the background plasma is adopted. Work Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Dynamics of Mesoscale Magnetic Field in Diffusive Shock Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond, P. H.; Malkov, M. A.

2007-01-01

We present a theory for the generation of mesoscale (krg<<1, where rg is the cosmic-ray gyroradius) magnetic fields during diffusive shock acceleration. The decay or modulational instability of resonantly excited Alfvén waves scattering off ambient density perturbations in the shock environment naturally generates larger scale fields. For a broad spectrum of perturbations, the physical mechanism of energy transfer is random refraction, represented by the diffusion of Alfvén wave packets in k-space. The scattering field can be produced directly by the decay instability or by the Drury instability, a hydrodynamic instability driven by the cosmic-ray pressure gradient. This process is of interest to acceleration since it generates waves of longer wavelength, and so enables the confinement and acceleration of higher energy particles. This process also limits the intensity of resonantly generated turbulent magnetic fields on rg scales.

The GOCE end-to-end system simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catastini, G.; Cesare, S.; de Sanctis, S.; Detoma, E.; Dumontel, M.; Floberghagen, R.; Parisch, M.; Sechi, G.; Anselmi, A.

2003-04-01

The idea of an end-to-end simulator was conceived in the early stages of the GOCE programme, as an essential tool for assessing the satellite system performance, that cannot be fully tested on the ground. The simulator in its present form is under development at Alenia Spazio for ESA since the beginning of Phase B and is being used for checking the consistency of the spacecraft and of the payload specifications with the overall system requirements, supporting trade-off, sensitivity and worst-case analyses, and preparing and testing the on-ground and in-flight calibration concepts. The software simulates the GOCE flight along an orbit resulting from the application of Earth's gravity field, non-conservative environmental disturbances (atmospheric drag, coupling with Earth's magnetic field, etc.) and control forces/torques. The drag free control forces as well as the attitude control torques are generated by the current design of the dedicated algorithms. Realistic sensor models (star tracker, GPS receiver and gravity gradiometer) feed the control algorithms and the commanded forces are applied through realistic thruster models. The output of this stage of the simulator is a time series of Level-0 data, namely the gradiometer raw measurements and spacecraft ancillary data. The next stage of the simulator transforms Level-0 data into Level-1b (gravity gradient tensor) data, by implementing the following steps: - transformation of raw measurements of each pair of accelerometers into common and differential accelerations - calibration of the common and differential accelerations - application of the post-facto algorithm to rectify the phase of the accelerations and to estimate the GOCE angular velocity and attitude - computation of the Level-1b gravity gradient tensor from calibrated accelerations and estimated angular velocity in different reference frames (orbital, inertial, earth-fixed); computation of the spectral density of the error of the tensor diagonal components (measured gravity gradient minus input gravity gradient) in order to verify the requirement on the error of gravity gradient of 4 mE/sqrt(Hz) within the gradiometer measurement bandwidth (5 to 100 mHz); computation of the spectral density of the tensor trace in order to verify the requirement of 4 sqrt(3) mE/sqrt(Hz) within the measurement bandwidth - processing of GPS observations for orbit reconstruction within the required 10m accuracy and for gradiometer measurement geolocation. The current version of the end-to-end simulator, essentially focusing on the gradiometer payload, is undergoing detailed testing based on a time span of 10 days of simulated flight. This testing phase, ending in January 2003, will verify the current implementation and conclude the assessment of numerical stability and precision. Following that, the exercise will be repeated on a longer-duration simulated flight and the lesson learnt so far will be exploited to further improve the simulator's fidelity. The paper will describe the simulator's current status and will illustrate its capabilities for supporting the assessment of the quality of the scientific products resulting from the current spacecraft and payload design.

Design of a New Acceleration System for High-Current Pulsed Proton Beams from an ECR Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Andrew L.; Pogrebnyak, Ivan; Surbrook, Jason T.; Kelly, Keegan J.; Carlin, Bret P.; Champagne, Arthur E.; Clegg, Thomas B.

2014-03-01

A primary objective for accelerators at TUNL's Laboratory for Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics (LENA) is to maximize target beam intensity to ensure a high rate of nuclear events during each experiment. Average proton target currents of several mA are needed from LENA's electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source because nuclear cross sections decrease substantially at energies of interest <200 keV. We seek to suppress undesired continuous environmental background by pulsing the beam and detecting events only during beam pulses. To improve beam intensity and transport, we installed a more powerful, stable microwave system for the ECR plasma, and will install a new acceleration system. This system will: reduce defocusing effects of the beam's internal space charge; provide better vacuum with a high gas conductance accelerating column; suppress bremsstrahlung X-rays produced when backstreaming electrons strike internal acceleration tube structures; and provide better heat dissipation by using deionized water to provide the current drain needed to establish the accelerating tube's voltage gradient. Details of beam optical modeling calculations, proposed accelerating tube design, and initial beam pulsing tests will be described. Work supported in part by USDOE Office of HE and Nuclear Physics.

Acceleration of electron bunches by intense laser pulse in vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, J. F.; Ho, Y. K.; Lin, Y. Z.; Cao, N.

2003-08-01

This paper addresses the output characteristics of real electron bunches accelerated with ultra-intense laser pulse in vacuum by the capture & acceleration scenario (CAS) scheme (see, e.g., Phys. Rev. E66 (2002) 066501). Normally, the size of an electron bunch is much larger than that of a tightly focused and compressed laser pulse. We examine in detail the features of the intersection region, the distribution of electrons which can experience an intense laser field and be accelerated to high energy. Furthermore, the output properties of the accelerated CAS electrons, such as the energy spectra, the angular distributions, the energy-angle correlations, the acceleration gradient, the energy which can be reached with this scheme, the emittances of the outgoing electron bunches, and the dependence of the output properties on the incident electron beam qualities such as the emittance, focusing status, etc. were studied and explained. We found that with intense laser systems and electron beam technology currently available nowadays, the number of CAS electrons can reach 10 4-10 5, when the total number of incident electrons in the practical bunch reaches ˜10 8. These results demonstrate that CAS is promising to become a novel mechanism of vacuum laser accelerators.

Experimental effects of grazers on autotrophic species assemblages across a nitrate gradient in Florida springs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Springs face accelerated degradation of ecosystem structure, namely in the form of autotrophic species assemblage shifts from submerged vascular macrophytes to benthic filamentous algae. Increasing nitrate concentrations have been cited as a primary driver of this shift and numeric nutrient criteria...

MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION OF ETHYLENE AND AUXIN DURING FLOWER ABSCISSION

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Abscission, the separation of organs from the parent plant, results in postharvest quality loss in many ornamentals and other fresh produce. The process is initiated by changes in the auxin gradient across the abscission zone (AZ), is triggered by ethylene, and may be accelerated by postharvest stre...

14 CFR 121.199 - Nontransport category airplanes: Takeoff limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... airplane can be safely controlled in flight after an engine becomes inoperative) or 115 percent of the... this section— (1) It may be assumed that takeoff power is used on all engines during the acceleration... reported tailwind component, may be taken into account; (3) The average runway gradient (the difference...

14 CFR 121.199 - Nontransport category airplanes: Takeoff limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... airplane can be safely controlled in flight after an engine becomes inoperative) or 115 percent of the... this section— (1) It may be assumed that takeoff power is used on all engines during the acceleration... reported tailwind component, may be taken into account; (3) The average runway gradient (the difference...

14 CFR 121.199 - Nontransport category airplanes: Takeoff limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... airplane can be safely controlled in flight after an engine becomes inoperative) or 115 percent of the... this section— (1) It may be assumed that takeoff power is used on all engines during the acceleration... reported tailwind component, may be taken into account; (3) The average runway gradient (the difference...

14 CFR 121.199 - Nontransport category airplanes: Takeoff limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... airplane can be safely controlled in flight after an engine becomes inoperative) or 115 percent of the... this section— (1) It may be assumed that takeoff power is used on all engines during the acceleration... reported tailwind component, may be taken into account; (3) The average runway gradient (the difference...

14 CFR 121.199 - Nontransport category airplanes: Takeoff limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... airplane can be safely controlled in flight after an engine becomes inoperative) or 115 percent of the... this section— (1) It may be assumed that takeoff power is used on all engines during the acceleration... reported tailwind component, may be taken into account; (3) The average runway gradient (the difference...

Energy minimization in medical image analysis: Methodologies and applications.

PubMed

Zhao, Feng; Xie, Xianghua

2016-02-01

Energy minimization is of particular interest in medical image analysis. In the past two decades, a variety of optimization schemes have been developed. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art optimization approaches. These algorithms are mainly classified into two categories: continuous method and discrete method. The former includes Newton-Raphson method, gradient descent method, conjugate gradient method, proximal gradient method, coordinate descent method, and genetic algorithm-based method, while the latter covers graph cuts method, belief propagation method, tree-reweighted message passing method, linear programming method, maximum margin learning method, simulated annealing method, and iterated conditional modes method. We also discuss the minimal surface method, primal-dual method, and the multi-objective optimization method. In addition, we review several comparative studies that evaluate the performance of different minimization techniques in terms of accuracy, efficiency, or complexity. These optimization techniques are widely used in many medical applications, for example, image segmentation, registration, reconstruction, motion tracking, and compressed sensing. We thus give an overview on those applications as well. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A mathematical model for the generation and control of a pH gradient in an immobilized enzyme system involving acid generation.

PubMed

Chen, G; Fournier, R L; Varanasi, S

1998-02-20

An optimal pH control technique has been developed for multistep enzymatic synthesis reactions where the optimal pH differs by several units for each step. This technique separates an acidic environment from a basic environment by the hydrolysis of urea within a thin layer of immobilized urease. With this technique, a two-step enzymatic reaction can take place simultaneously, in proximity to each other, and at their respective optimal pH. Because a reaction system involving an acid generation represents a more challenging test of this pH control technique, a number of factors that affect the generation of such a pH gradient are considered in this study. The mathematical model proposed is based on several simplifying assumptions and represents a first attempt to provide an analysis of this complex problem. The results show that, by choosing appropriate parameters, the pH control technique still can generate the desired pH gradient even if there is an acid-generating reaction in the system. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Swarming behavior of gradient-responsive Brownian particles in a porous medium.

PubMed

Grančič, Peter; Štěpánek, František

2012-07-01

Active targeting by Brownian particles in a fluid-filled porous environment is investigated by computer simulation. The random motion of the particles is enhanced by diffusiophoresis with respect to concentration gradients of chemical signals released by the particles in the proximity of a target. The mathematical model, based on a combination of the Brownian dynamics method and a diffusion problem is formulated in terms of key parameters that include the particle diffusiophoretic mobility and the signaling threshold (the distance from the target at which the particles release their chemical signals). The results demonstrate that even a relatively simple chemical signaling scheme can lead to a complex collective behavior of the particles and can be a very efficient way of guiding a swarm of Brownian particles towards a target, similarly to the way colonies of living cells communicate via secondary messengers.

Contrasting mercury and manganese deposition in a mangrove-dominated estuary (Guaratuba Bay, Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, C. J.; Santos, I. R.; Silva-Filho, E. V.; Patchineelam, S. R.

2008-08-01

Sediment cores were taken at seven sites along the mangrove-bound Guaratuba Bay estuary (southern Brazil), with the purpose of assessing conditions controlling Hg deposition along a horizontal estuarine sediment gradient. The data suggest contrasting depositional patterns for Hg and Mn in this relatively pristine setting. Total Hg contents of bulk sediments ranged from 12 to 36 ng/g along the estuary, the highest values being found in muddier organic-rich sediments of the upper estuary (the corresponding mud gradient is 12 to 42 wt.%, and the organic matter gradient 4 to 10 wt.%). Thus, the deposition of fine sediments relatively enriched in mercury occurs primarily in closer proximity to the freshwater source. The data also indicate a reverse gradient in reactive Mn contents, ranging from 29 to 81 μg/g, and increasing seaward. This implies that reactive Mn is mobilized from fine-grained reducing mangrove forest sediments in the upper estuary, and deposited downstream in sandier, oxygen-rich nearshore sediments. These results suggest that mangrove-surrounded estuaries may act as barriers to mercury transport to coastal waters, but as a source of manganese. The present findings also imply that reactive Mn may be used as an indication of Hg depositional patterns in other similar coastal sedimentary settings.

Regional distribution of mineral and matrix in the femurs of rats flown on Cosmos 1887 biosatellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mechanic, Gerald L.; Arnaud, Sara B.; Boyde, Alan; Bromage, Timothy G.; Buckendahl, Patricia

1990-01-01

The location and nature of the defect in mineralization known to occur in growing animals after spaceflight are studied. The distribution of bone mineral density in situ is mapped, and these images are correlated with the chemical composition of the diaphyseal bone. Concentrations of mineral and osteocalcin are found to be low in the distal half of the diaphysis and concentrations of collagen to be low with evidence of increased synthesis in the proximal half of the diaphysis of the flight bones. X-ray microtomography indicates a longitudinal gradient of decreasing mineralization toward the distal diaphysis. Analysis of embedded sections by backscattered electrons reveals patterns of mineral distribution in the proximal, central, and distal regions of the diaphysis and also shows a net reduction in mineral levels toward the distal shaft. Increases in mineral density to higher fractions in controls are less in the flight bones at all three levels.

Paracellular transport and energy utilization in the renal tubule.

PubMed

Yu, Alan S L

2017-09-01

Paracellular transport across the tight junction is a general mechanism for transepithelial transport of solutes in epithelia, including the renal tubule. However, why paracellular transport evolved, given the existence of a highly versatile system for transcellular transport, is unknown. Recent studies have identified the paracellular channel, claudin-2, that is responsible for paracellular reabsorption of sodium in the proximal renal tubule. Knockout of claudin-2 in mice impairs proximal sodium and fluid reabsorption but is compensated by upregulation of sodium reabsorption in the loop of Henle. This occurs at the expense of increased renal oxygen consumption, hypoxia of the outer medulla and increased susceptibility to ischemic kidney injury. Paracellular transport can be viewed as a mechanism to exploit the potential energy in existing electrochemical gradients to drive passive transepithelial transport without consuming additional energy. In this way, it enhances the efficiency of energy utilization by transporting epithelia.

Particle-Based Microfluidic Device for Providing High Magnetic Field Gradients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Tak S. (Inventor); Lin, Adam Y. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A microfluidic device for manipulating particles in a fluid has a device body that defines a main channel therein, in which the main channel has an inlet and an outlet. The device body further defines a particulate diverting channel therein, the particulate diverting channel being in fluid connection with the main channel between the inlet and the outlet of the main channel and having a particulate outlet. The microfluidic device also has a plurality of microparticles arranged proximate or in the main channel between the inlet of the main channel and the fluid connection of the particulate diverting channel to the main channel. The plurality of microparticles each comprises a material in a composition thereof having a magnetic susceptibility suitable to cause concentration of magnetic field lines of an applied magnetic field while in operation. A microfluidic particle-manipulation system has a microfluidic particle-manipulation device and a magnet disposed proximate the microfluidic particle-manipulation device.

Suppression of morphogenesis in embryonic mouse limbs exposed in vitro to excess gravity.

PubMed

Duke, J C

1983-06-01

This paper is a report of the first investigation of the effect of excess gravity on in vitro mammalian limb chondrogenesis. Limb buds from mice of various gestational stages were exposed to excess gravity (2.6G) using a culture centrifuge. Both forelimbs and hind limbs were cultured and the development of various limb elements was scored after four to six days. The 2.6G force significantly depressed the development of limb elements when applied during the teratogen-sensitive period of chondrogenesis. There was a proximodistal gradient of sensitivity to excess gravity in the limb with proximal structures being less susceptible than distal ones. In some cases, proximal limb elements present prior to explantation disappeared upon exposure to excess gravity. Hypergravity's teratogenic effect is assumed to operate via changes in tension and/or pressure on the cells, accompanied by alterations in cell morphometry and membrane properties.

Assessment of Early Diastolic Strain-Velocity Temporal Relationships Using SPAMM-PAV (SPAtial Modulation of Magnetization with Polarity Alternating Velocity encoding)

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ziheng; Dione, Donald P.; Brown, Peter B.; Shapiro, Erik M.; Sinusas, Albert J.; Sampath, Smita

2011-01-01

A novel MR imaging technique, spatial modulation of magnetization with polarity alternating velocity encoding (SPAMM-PAV), is presented to simultaneously examine the left ventricular early diastolic temporal relationships between myocardial deformation and intra-cavity hemodynamics with a high temporal resolution of 14 ms. This approach is initially evaluated in a dynamic flow and tissue mimicking phantom. A comparison of regional longitudinal strains and intra-cavity pressure differences (integration of computed in-plane pressure gradients within a selected region) in relation to mitral valve inflow velocities is performed in eight normal volunteers. Our results demonstrate that apical regions have higher strain rates (0.145 ± 0.005 %/ms) during the acceleration period of rapid filling compared to mid-ventricular (0.114 ± 0.007 %/ms) and basal regions (0.088 ± 0.009 %/ms), and apical strain curves plateau at peak mitral inflow velocity. This pattern is reversed during the deceleration period, when the strain-rates in the basal regions are the highest (0.027 ± 0.003 %/ms) due to ongoing basal stretching. A positive base-to-apex gradient in peak pressure difference is observed during acceleration, followed by a negative base-to apex gradient during deceleration. These studies shed insight into the regional volumetric and pressure difference changes in the left ventricle during early diastolic filling. PMID:21630348

Fast and accurate matrix completion via truncated nuclear norm regularization.

PubMed

Hu, Yao; Zhang, Debing; Ye, Jieping; Li, Xuelong; He, Xiaofei

2013-09-01

Recovering a large matrix from a small subset of its entries is a challenging problem arising in many real applications, such as image inpainting and recommender systems. Many existing approaches formulate this problem as a general low-rank matrix approximation problem. Since the rank operator is nonconvex and discontinuous, most of the recent theoretical studies use the nuclear norm as a convex relaxation. One major limitation of the existing approaches based on nuclear norm minimization is that all the singular values are simultaneously minimized, and thus the rank may not be well approximated in practice. In this paper, we propose to achieve a better approximation to the rank of matrix by truncated nuclear norm, which is given by the nuclear norm subtracted by the sum of the largest few singular values. In addition, we develop a novel matrix completion algorithm by minimizing the Truncated Nuclear Norm. We further develop three efficient iterative procedures, TNNR-ADMM, TNNR-APGL, and TNNR-ADMMAP, to solve the optimization problem. TNNR-ADMM utilizes the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), while TNNR-AGPL applies the accelerated proximal gradient line search method (APGL) for the final optimization. For TNNR-ADMMAP, we make use of an adaptive penalty according to a novel update rule for ADMM to achieve a faster convergence rate. Our empirical study shows encouraging results of the proposed algorithms in comparison to the state-of-the-art matrix completion algorithms on both synthetic and real visual datasets.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Environmental Impact Statement for the Closure of Pease Air Force Base. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-01

initially known as Portsmouth AFB. In 1957, it was rededicated as Pease AFB in honor of Captain Harl Pease, Jr., a native of Plymouth , Now Hampshire. During... barren soil, up-gradient from storm drains, or in close proximity of floor drains. Corrective action currently being taken is the prompt disposal of...Plant communities on base are indicative of the pine / northern hardwood ecosystem.. The forest resources of. Pease AFB are substantial. More than one

Convection currents in a water calorimeter.

PubMed

Schulz, R J; Weinhous, M S

1985-10-01

A flexible, temperature-regulated water calorimeter has been constructed containing two pairs of thermistor sensors at depths of 6.23 and 10.0 cm. It may be irradiated by vertical or horizontal beams, and operated at temperatures in the range from 3 to 40 degrees C. When irradiated at 30 degrees C with a vertically downward 19 MeV electron beam, the responses of the proximal and midline thermistors were in accordance with the depth-dose curve. When irradiated horizontally, the initial patterns of temperature rise were the same, but after about 30 s (4 Gy) the rate of temperature rise decreased at the proximal thermistors and increased at the midline thermistors. Shortly after irradiation, the temperature curve and increased at the midline thermistors. Shortly after irradiation, the temperature curve of the midline thermistors crossed that for the proximal thermistors, a pattern that suggested the presence of convection currents. To test this hypothesis, the calorimeter was operated at 4 degrees C. The temperature patterns for horizontal irradiation became the same as those obtained with vertical beams, thus demonstrating the production of convection currents in water at a temperature of 30 degrees C for temperature gradients as small as 10(-3) degrees C cm-1.

Competing factors of compost concentration and proximity to root affect the distribution of streptomycetes.

PubMed

Inbar, Ehud; Green, Stefan J; Hadar, Yitzhak; Minz, Dror

2005-07-01

Streptomycetes are important members of soil microbial communities and are particularly active in the degradation of recalcitrant macromolecules and have been implicated in biological control of plant disease. Using a streptomycetes-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) methodology coupled with band excision and sequence analysis, we examined the effect of grape marc compost amendment to soil on cucumber plant-associated streptomycetes community composition. We observed that both compost amendment and proximity to the root surface influenced the streptomycetes community composition. A strong root selection for a soil-derived Streptomycete, most closely related to Streptomyces thermotolerans, S. iakyrus, and S. thermocarboxydus, was independent of compost amendment rate. However, while the impact of compost amendment was mitigated with increasing proximity to the root, high levels of compost amendment resulted in the detection of compost-derived species on the root surface. Conversely, in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, the community composition of streptomycetes was affected strongly even by modest compost amendment. The application of a streptomycetes-specific PCR primer set combined with DGGE analysis provided a rapid means of examining the distribution and ecology of streptomycetes in soils and plant-associated environments.

SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY: An efficient dose-compensation method for proximity effect correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Wang; Weihua, Han; Xiang, Yang; Renping, Zhang; Yang, Zhang; Fuhua, Yang

2010-08-01

A novel simple dose-compensation method is developed for proximity effect correction in electron-beam lithography. The sizes of exposed patterns depend on dose factors while other exposure parameters (including accelerate voltage, resist thickness, exposing step size, substrate material, and so on) remain constant. This method is based on two reasonable assumptions in the evaluation of the compensated dose factor: one is that the relation between dose factors and circle-diameters is linear in the range under consideration; the other is that the compensated dose factor is only affected by the nearest neighbors for simplicity. Four-layer-hexagon photonic crystal structures were fabricated as test patterns to demonstrate this method. Compared to the uncorrected structures, the homogeneity of the corrected hole-size in photonic crystal structures was clearly improved.

Small scale spatial gradients of outdoor and indoor benzene in proximity of an integrated steel plant.

PubMed

Licen, Sabina; Tolloi, Arianna; Briguglio, Sara; Piazzalunga, Andrea; Adami, Gianpiero; Barbieri, Pierluigi

2016-05-15

Benzene is known as a human carcinogen, whose annual mean concentration exceeded the EU limit value (5 μg/m(3)) only in very few locations in Europe during 2012. Nevertheless 10% to 12% of the EU-28 urban population was still exposed to benzene concentrations above the WHO reference level of 1.7 μg/m(3). WHO recommended a wise choice of monitoring stations positioning in proximity of "hot spots" to define and assess the representativeness of each site paying attention to micro-scale conditions. In this context benzene and other VOCs of health concern (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) concentrations have been investigated, with weekly passive sampling for one year, both in outdoor and indoor air in inhabited buildings in close proximity (180 m far up to 1100 m) of an integrated steel plant in NE of Italy. Even though the outdoor mean annual benzene concentration was below the EU limit in every site, in the site closest to the works the benzene concentration was above 5 μg/m(3) in 14 weeks. These events were related to a benzene over toluene ratio above one, which is diagnostic for the presence of an industrial source, and to meteorological factors. These information pointed at the identification of the coke ovens of the plant as the dominant outdoor source of benzene. Benzene gradients with the increasing distance from coke ovens have been found for both outdoor and indoor air. Linear models linking outdoor to indoor benzene concentrations have been then identified, allowing to estimate indoor exposure from ambient air benzene data. In the considered period, a narrow area of about 250 m appeared impacted at a higher degree than the other sites both considering outdoor and indoor air. Passive BTEX sampling permits to collect information on both ambient air and daily life settings, allowing to assemble a valuable data support for further environmental cost-benefit analyses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Acceleration Disturbances on Microgravity Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Narayanan

2000-01-01

Normal vibrational modes on large spacecraft are excited by crew activity, operating machinery, and other mechanical disturbances. Periodic engine burns for maintaining vehicle attitude and random impulse type disturbances also contribute to the acceleration environment of a Spacecraft. Accelerations from these vibrations (often referred to as g-jitter) are several orders of magnitude larger than the residual accelerations from atmospheric drag and gravity gradient effects. Naturally, the effects of such accelerations have been a concern to prospective experimenters wishing to take advantage of the microgravity environment offered by spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit and the topic has been studied extensively, both numerically and analytically. However, these studies have not produced a general theory that predicts the effects of multi-spectral periodic accelerations on a general class of experiments nor have they produced scaling laws that a prospective experimenter could use to assess how his/her experiment might be affected by this acceleration environment. Furthermore, there are no actual flight experimental data that correlates heat or mass transport with measurements of the periodic acceleration environment. The present investigation approaches this problem with carefully conducted terrestrial experiments and rigorous numerical modeling thereby providing comparative theoretical and experimental data. The modeling, it is hoped will provide a predictive tool that can be used for assessing experiment response to Spacecraft vibrations.

Electron-beam lithography data preparation based on multithreading MGS/PROXECCO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhorn, Hans; Lemke, Melchior; Gramss, Juergen; Buerger, B.; Baetz, Uwe; Belic, Nikola; Eisenmann, Hans

2001-04-01

This paper will highlight an enhanced MGS layout data post processor and the results of its industrial application. Besides the preparation of hierarchical GDS layout data, the processing of flat data has been drastically accelerated. The application of the Proximity Correction in conjunction with the OEM version of the PROXECCO was crowned with success for data preparation of mask sets featuring 0.25 micrometers /0.18 micrometers integration levels.

Generalized Wall Function for Complex Turbulent Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Tsan-Hsing; Povinelli, Louis A.; Liu, Nan-Suey; Chen, Kuo-Huey

2000-01-01

A generalized wall function was proposed by Shih et al., (1999). It accounts the effect of pressure gradients on the flow near the wall. Theory shows that the effect of pressure gradients on the flow in the inertial sublayer is very significant and the standard wall function should be replaced by a generalized wall function. Since the theory is also valid for boundary layer flows toward separation, the generalized wall function may be applied to complex turbulent flows with acceleration, deceleration, separation and recirculation. This paper is to verify the generalized wall function with numerical simulations for boundary layer flows with various adverse and favorable pressure gradients, including flows about to separate. Furthermore, a general procedure of implementation of the generalized wall function for National Combustion Code (NCC) is described, it can be applied to both structured and unstructured CFD codes.

Generation of double pulses at the Shanghai soft X-ray free electron laser facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zhen; Feng, Chao; Gu, Qiang

2017-01-28

In this paper, we present the promise of a new method generating double electron pulses with the picosecond-scale pulse length and the tunable interpulse spacing at several picoseconds, which has been witnessed an impressive potential of application in pump-probe techniques, two-color X-ray free electron laser (FEL), high-gradient witness bunch acceleration in a plasma, etc. Three-dimensional simulations are carried out to analyze the dynamic of the electron beam in the linear accelerator. Some comparisons have been made between the new method and the existing ways as well.

Straight scaling FFAG beam line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagrange, J.-B.; Planche, T.; Yamakawa, E.; Uesugi, T.; Ishi, Y.; Kuriyama, Y.; Qin, B.; Okabe, K.; Mori, Y.

2012-11-01

Fixed field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerators are recently subject to a strong revival. They are usually designed in a circular shape; however, it would be an asset to guide particles with no overall bend in this type of accelerator. An analytical development of a straight FFAG cell which keeps zero-chromaticity is presented here. A magnetic field law is thus obtained, called "straight scaling law", and an experiment has been conducted to confirm this zero-chromatic law. A straight scaling FFAG prototype has been designed and manufactured, and horizontal phase advances of two different energies are measured. Results are analyzed to clarify the straight scaling law.

Coupler Studies for PBG Fiber Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

England, J.; Ng, C.; Noble, R.

Photonic band gap (PBG) fiber with hollow core defects are being designed and fabricated for use as laser driven accelerators because they can provide gradients of several GeV/m for picosecond pulse lengths. We expect to produce fiber down to {lambda} = 1.5-2.0 {micro}m wavelengths but still lack a viable means for efficient coupling of laser power into such structures due to the very different character of the TM-like modes from those used in the telecom field and the fact that the defect must function as both a longitudinal waveguide for the accelerating field and a transport channel for the particles.more » We discuss the status of our work in pursuing both end and side coupling. For both options, the symmetry of these crystals leads to significant differences with the telecom field. Side coupling provides more options and appears to be preferred. Our goals are to test gradients, mode content and coupling efficiencies on the NLCTA at SLAC. While there are many potential types of fiber based on very different fabrication methods and materials we will concentrate on 2D axisymmetric glass with hexagonal symmetry but will discuss several different geometries including 2D and 3D planar structures. Since all of these can be fabricated using modern techniques with a variety of dielectric materials they are expected to have desirable optical and radiation hardness properties. Thus, we expect a new generation of very high gradient accelerators that extends the Livingston-Panofsky chart of exponential growth in energy vs. time at greatly reduced costs. For illustration, Fig.1 shows a simulation of our first engineered fiber with an accelerating mode expected near 7.3 {micro}m that is now ready to test on the NLCTA. In this example, one sees the uniform longitudinal accelerating field in the central defect as first shown by Lin3 together with a hexagonal array of surrounding hot spots. Contrary to what one expects from the telecom field, Ng et al. have shown4 that the ideal end-coupling scheme for this structure appears as shown in Fig. 2 with a six-fold array of laser spots focused inside the end of the fiber. While convenient for an on-axis particle beam, this is inconvenient for the laser drive field as well as the tolerances it places on the end cleave of the fiber. The importance of the crystal symmetry is clearly shown so that one might expect side coupling to reflect a similar pattern which we find that it does unless the hexagonal symmetry is perturbed sufficiently. This can be done in several ways and will be discussed further.« less

Chemically active colloids near osmotic-responsive walls with surface-chemistry gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popescu, M. N.; Uspal, W. E.; Dietrich, S.

2017-04-01

Chemically active colloids move by creating gradients in the composition of the surrounding solution and by exploiting the differences in their interactions with the various molecular species in solution. If such particles move near boundaries, e.g. the walls of the container confining the suspension, gradients in the composition of the solution are also created along the wall. This give rise to chemi-osmosis (via the interactions of the wall with the molecular species forming the solution), which drives flows coupling back to the colloid and thus influences its motility. Employing an approximate ‘point-particle’ analysis, we show analytically that—owing to this kind of induced active response (chemi-osmosis) of the wall—such chemically active colloids can align with, and follow, gradients in the surface chemistry of the wall. In this sense, these artificial ‘swimmers’ exhibit a primitive form of thigmotaxis with the meaning of sensing the proximity of a (not necessarily discontinuous) physical change in the environment. We show that the alignment with the surface-chemistry gradient is generic for chemically active colloids as long as they exhibit motility in an unbounded fluid, i.e. this phenomenon does not depend on the exact details of the propulsion mechanism. The results are discussed in the context of simple models of chemical activity, corresponding to Janus particles with ‘source’ chemical reactions on one half of the surface and either ‘inert’ or ‘sink’ reactions over the other half.