533 research outputs found
Extending Continuum Models for Atom Probe Simulation
This work describes extensions to existing level-set algorithms developed for
application within the field of Atom Probe Tomography (APT). We present a new
simulation tool for the simulation of 3D tomographic volumes, using advanced
level set methods. By combining narrow-band, B-Tree and particle-tracing
approaches from level-set methods, we demonstrate a practical tool for
simulating shape changes to APT samples under applied electrostatic fields, in
three dimensions. This work builds upon our previous studies by allowing for
non-axially symmetric solutions, with minimal loss in computational speed,
whilst retaining numerical accuracy
Analysis of Temporal Features of Gamma Ray Bursts in the Internal Shock Model
In a recent paper we have calculated the power density spectrum of Gamma-Ray
Bursts arising from multiple shocks in a relativistic wind. The wind optical
thickness is one of the factors to which the power spectrum is most sensitive,
therefore we have further developed our model by taking into account the photon
down-scattering on the cold electrons in the wind. For an almost optically
thick wind we identify a combination of ejection features and wind parameters
that yield bursts with an average power spectrum in agreement with the
observations, and with an efficiency of converting the wind kinetic energy in
50-300 keV emission of order 1%. For the same set of model features the
interval time between peaks and pulse fluences have distributions consistent
with the log-normal distribution observed in real bursts.Comment: ApJ in press, 2000; with slight revisions; 12 pag, 6 fi
DF-Fit : A robust algorithm for detection of crystallographic information in Atom Probe Tomography data
We report on a new algorithm for detection of crystallographic information in
3D, as retained in Atom Probe Tomography (APT), with improved robustness and
signal detection performance. The algorithm is underpinned by 1D distribution
functions, as per existing algorithms, but eliminates an unnecessary parameter
as compared to current methods. By examining traditional distribution functions
in an automated fashion in real space, rather than using Fourier transform
approaches, we utilise an error metric based upon the expected value for a
spatially random distribution for detecting crystallography. We show cases
where the metric is able to successfully obtain orientation information, and
show that it can function with high levels of additive and displacive
background noise. We additionally compare this metric to Fourier transform
methods, showing fewer artefacts when examining simulated datasets. An
extension of the approach is used to aid the automatic detection of
high-quality data regions within an entire dataset, albeit with a large
increase in computational cost. This extension is demonstrated on acquired
Aluminium and Tungsten APT datasets, and shown to be able to discern regions of
the data which have relatively improved spatial data quality. Finally, this
program has been made available for use in other laboratories undertaking their
own analyses
Severe New Limits on the Host Galaxies of Gamma Ray Bursts
The nature of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) remains a complete mystery, despite the
recent breakthrough discovery of low energy counterparts, although it is now
generally believed that at least most GRBs are at cosmological distances.
Virtually all proposed cosmological models require bursters to reside in
ordinary galaxies. This can be tested by looking inside the smallest GRB error
boxes to see if ordinary galaxies appear at the expected brightness levels.
This letter reports on an analysis of the contents of 26 of the smallest
regions, many from the brightest bursts. These events will have and
small uncertainties about luminosity functions, K corrections and galaxy
evolutions; whereas the recent events with optical transients are much fainter
and hence have high redshifts and grave difficulties in interpretation. This
analysis strongly rejects the many models with peak luminosities of as deduced from the curve with no evolution.
Indeed, the lower limit on acceptable luminosities is . The only possible solution is to either place GRBs at
unexpectedly large distances (with for the faint BATSE bursts) or to
require bursters to be far outside any normal host galaxy.Comment: 17 pages, to be published by ApJ
Large-scale atom probe tomography data mining: methods and application to inform hydrogen behavior
A large number of atom probe tomography (APT) datasets from past experiments were collected into a database to conduct statistical analyses. An effective way of handling the data is shown, and a study on hydrogen is conducted to illustrate the usefulness of this approach. We propose to handle a large collection of APT spectra as a point cloud and use a city block distance-based metric to measure dissimilarity between spectra. This enables quick and automated searching for spectra by similarity. Since spectra from APT experiments on similar materials are similar, the point cloud of spectra contains clusters. Analysis of these clusters of spectra in this point cloud allows us to infer the sample materials. The behavior of contaminant hydrogen is analyzed and correlated with voltage, electric field, and sample base material. Across several materials, the H2+ /H+ ratio is found to decrease with increasing field, likely an indication of postionization of H2+ ions. The absolute amounts of H2+ and H+ are found to frequently increase throughout APT experiments
On the effect of Ti on Oxidation Behaviour of a Polycrystalline Nickel-based Superalloy
Titanium is commonly added to nickel superalloys but has a well-documented
detrimental effect on oxidation resistance. The present work constitutes the
first atomistic-scale quantitative measurements of grain boundary and bulk
compositions in the oxide scale of a current generation polycrystalline nickel
superalloy performed through atom probe tomography. Titanium was found to be
particularly detrimental to oxide scale growth through grain boundary
diffusion
A gas-phase reaction cell for modern Atom Probe systems
In this work, we demonstrate a new system for the examination of gas
interactions with surfaces via Atom Probe Tomography. This system provides the
capability to examine the surface and subsurface interactions of gases with a
wide range of specimens, as well as a selection of input gas types. This system
has been primarily developed to aid the investigation of hydrogen interactions
with metallurgical samples, to better understand the phenomenon of hydrogen
embrittlement. In its current form, it is able to operate at pressures from
10^-6 to 1000 mbar (abs), can operate using a variety of gasses, and is
equipped with heating and cryogenic quenching capabilities. We use this system
to examine the interaction of hydrogen with Pd, as well as the interaction of
water vapour and oxygen in Mg samples
Atomic-scale Studies of Uranium Oxidation and Corrosion by Water Vapour
Understanding the corrosion of uranium is important for its safe, long-term storage. Uranium metal corrodes rapidly in air, but the exact mechanism remains subject to debate. Atom Probe Tomography was used to investigate the surface microstructure of metallic depleted uranium specimens following polishing and exposure to moist air. A complex, corrugated metal-oxide interface was observed, with approximately 60 at.% oxygen content within the oxide. Interestingly, a very thin (~5 nm) interfacial layer of uranium hydride was observed at the oxide-metal interface. Exposure to deuterated water vapour produced an equivalent deuteride signal at the metal-oxide interface, confirming the hydride as originating via the water vapour oxidation mechanism. Hydroxide ions were detected uniformly throughout the oxide, yet showed reduced prominence at the metal interface. These results support a proposed mechanism for the oxidation of uranium in water vapour environments where the transport of hydroxyl species and the formation of hydride are key to understanding the observed behaviour
Nano-scale corrosion mechanism of T91 steel in static lead-bismuth eutectic: a combined APT, EBSD, and STEM investigation
T91 steel is a candidate material for structural components in lead-bismuth-eutectic (LBE) cooled systems, for example fast reactors and solar power plants [1]. However, the corrosion mechanisms of T91 in LBE remain poorly understood. In this study, we have analysed the static corrosion of T91 in liquid LBE using a range of characterisation techniques at increasingly smaller scales. A unique pattern of liquid metal intrusion was observed that does not appear to correlate with the grain boundary network. Upon closer inspection, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals a change in the morphology of grains at the LBE-exposed surface, suggesting a local phase transition. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) maps show that Cr is depleted in the T91 material near the LBE interface. Furthermore, we observed the dissolution of all Cr-enriched precipitates in this region. Although the corrosion is conducted in an oxygen deficient environment, both scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) reveal a thin surface oxide layer (presumably wüstite) at the LBE-steel interface. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the STEM, as well as APT, the atomic scale elemental redistribution and 3D morphology of the corrosion interface is investigated. By combining results from these different techniques, several types of oxide phases and structures can be identified. Based on this detailed nano-scale information, we propose potential mechanisms of T91 corrosion in LBE
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