660 research outputs found
An Alpha-p-x Analytical Instrument for Lunar Resource Investigations
An instrument using alpha backscattering, alpha-proton nuclear reactions, and x-ray production by alpha particles and other auxiliary sources can be used on lunar landers to provide detailed analytical information concerning the lunar surface material. This information is important scientifically and can be the basis for utilizing efficiently lunar resources to build lunar colonies in the future. This alpha particle instrument uses radioactive isotopes, silicon detectors for the alpha and proton modes, and mercuric iodide detectors operating at room temperature for the x-ray mode. The alpha and proton modes of the instrument can provide an analysis for all elements (except hydrogen) present in amounts greater than about 1 percent by atom. These modes have excellent sensitivity and accuracy for the lighter elements, in particular, directly determining the amount of oxygen in the lunar soil. This is an element of paramount significance for the lunar resource mission. The x-ray mode makes possible a determination of Ti, Fe, and other important metals with even greater accuracy. In general, the x-ray mode provides increased sensitivity for heavier elements, in many cases achieving a sensitivity of several hundred ppm
Chemical Analysis of Surfaces Using Alpha Particles
Chemical analysis of surfaces using alpha particle interactions in instruments incorporating curium 242 alpha sources and semiconductor silicon detector
The chemical analysis experiment for the Surveyor lunar mission
Alpha particle detector experiment for chemical analysis of lunar surface by Surveyor spacecraf
Alpha radioactivity of the lunar surface at the Surveyor 5, 6, and 7 landing sites
Alpha radioactivity of lunar surface at Surveyor 5, 6, and 7 landing site
Diffusion-limited aggregation as branched growth
I present a first-principles theory of diffusion-limited aggregation in two
dimensions. A renormalized mean-field approximation gives the form of the
unstable manifold for branch competition, following the method of Halsey and
Leibig [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 46}, 7793 (1992)]. This leads to a result for the
cluster dimensionality, D \approx 1.66, which is close to numerically obtained
values. In addition, the multifractal exponent \tau(3) = D in this theory, in
agreement with a proposed `electrostatic' scaling law.Comment: 13 pages, one figure not included (available by request, by ordinary
mail), Plain Te
Development of an alpha scattering instrument for heavy element detection in surface materials
The development and characteristics of a portable instrument for detecting and measuring the amounts of lead in painted surfaces are discussed. The instrument is based on the ones used with the alpha scattering experiment on the Surveyor lunar missions. The principles underlying the instrument are described. It is stated that the performance tests of the instrument were satisfactory
Exact solution of diffusion limited aggregation in a narrow cylindrical geometry
The diffusion limited aggregation model (DLA) and the more general dielectric
breakdown model (DBM) are solved exactly in a two dimensional cylindrical
geometry with periodic boundary conditions of width 2. Our approach follows the
exact evolution of the growing interface, using the evolution matrix E, which
is a temporal transfer matrix. The eigenvector of this matrix with an
eigenvalue of one represents the system's steady state. This yields an estimate
of the fractal dimension for DLA, which is in good agreement with simulations.
The same technique is used to calculate the fractal dimension for various
values of eta in the more general DBM model. Our exact results are very close
to the approximate results found by the fixed scale transformation approach.Comment: 18 pages RevTex, 6 eps figure
Diffusion Limited Aggregation with Power-Law Pinning
Using stochastic conformal mapping techniques we study the patterns emerging
from Laplacian growth with a power-law decaying threshold for growth
(where is the radius of the particle cluster). For
the growth pattern is in the same universality class as diffusion
limited aggregation (DLA) growth, while for the resulting patterns
have a lower fractal dimension than a DLA cluster due to the
enhancement of growth at the hot tips of the developing pattern. Our results
indicate that a pinning transition occurs at , significantly
smaller than might be expected from the lower bound
of multifractal spectrum of DLA. This limiting case shows that the most
singular tips in the pruned cluster now correspond to those expected for a
purely one-dimensional line. Using multifractal analysis, analytic expressions
are established for both close to the breakdown of DLA universality
class, i.e., , and close to the pinning transition, i.e.,
.Comment: 5 pages, e figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Diffusion limited aggregation as a Markovian process. Part I: bond-sticking conditions
Cylindrical lattice Diffusion Limited Aggregation (DLA), with a narrow width
N, is solved using a Markovian matrix method. This matrix contains the
probabilities that the front moves from one configuration to another at each
growth step, calculated exactly by solving the Laplace equation and using the
proper normalization. The method is applied for a series of approximations,
which include only a finite number of rows near the front. The matrix is then
used to find the weights of the steady state growing configurations and the
rate of approaching this steady state stage. The former are then used to find
the average upward growth probability, the average steady-state density and the
fractal dimensionality of the aggregate, which is extrapolated to a value near
1.64.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figure
- …