Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Measurement of vector boson production cross sections and their ratios using pp collisions at √s = 13.6 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Abstract available from publisher's website

Beam-induced backgrounds measured in the ATLAS detector during local gas injection into the LHC beam vacuum

Inelastic beam-gas collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), within a few hundred metres of the ATLAS experiment, are known to give the dominant contribution to beam backgrounds. These are monitored by ATLAS with a dedicated Beam Conditions Monitor (BCM) and with the rate of fake jets in the calorimeters. These two methods are complementary since the BCM probes backgrounds just around the beam pipe while fake jets are observed at radii of up to several metres. In order to quantify the correlation between the residual gas density in the LHC beam vacuum and the experimental backgrounds recorded by ATLAS, several dedicated tests were performed during LHC Run 2. Local pressure bumps, with a gas density several orders of magnitude higher than during normal operation, were introduced at different locations. The changes of beam-related backgrounds, seen in ATLAS, are correlated with the local pressure variation. In addition the rates of beam-gas events are estimated from the pressure measurements and pressure bump profiles obtained from calculations. Using these rates, the efficiency of the ATLAS beam background monitors to detect beam-gas events is derived as a function of distance from the interaction point. These efficiencies and characteristic distributions of fake jets from the beam backgrounds are found to be in good agreement with results of beam-gas simulations performed with theFluka Monte Carlo programme

Reconstructing climate and environmental change in Northern England through chironomid and pollen analyses: evidence from Talkin Tarn, Cumbria

Chironomids have been used extensively for reconstructing past temperatures from the late glacial chronozone but far less work has focused on their use as temperature proxies throughout the Holocene, and little work has been undertaken within the UK. Northern England does have many detailed palaeoclimate records, although the majority of these are reconstructions from ombrotrophic peat bogs, which yield a combined temperature and precipitation proxy record. A lake sediment core from Talkin Tarn, dating back 6000 years, was therefore analysed for chironomid remains in an attempt to produce a Holocene temperature reconstruction. Although chironomids have been shown to respond to air temperature by many modern training sets, it is also known that they can respond to other environmental factors. Pollen and loss-on-ignition analyses were therefore undertaken to ascertain whether the lake had been subjected to major environmental changes. Some anthropogenic changes in land use were detected, which may have affected the lake water chemistry and sediments, but they seem to have had little direct impact on the chironomid fauna for the majority of the record. Part of the geology of the catchment is limestone, which suggests that the lake may be buffered against any changes in pH. A chironomid-inferred mean July temperature transfer function from a Norwegian training set was applied to the chironomid data and produced a reconstruction with significant fluctuations throughout the later Holocene, which were associated with cold and warm stenotherms within the assemblages. The uppermost chironomid sample from the lake core (less than 100 years old) has a reconstructed temperature of 14.6 °C (± sample-specific error of 1.18 °C), which compares well with the contemporary mean July average of 14.8 °C. It is therefore concluded that chironomids can be used to reconstruct Holocene temperature, provided the site is well-buffered in relation to pH changes and can be shown not to have been influenced to any great extent by anthropogenic disturbance

Decline and localized extinction of a major raised bog species across the British Isles: evidence for associated land-use intensification

The decline of S. austinii Sull. Ex Aust. (formerly S. imbricatum Hornsch. Ex Russ. ssp. austinii Sull. Abstract: The decline of S. austinii Sull. represents one of the most striking vegetation Russ. ssp. on the raised Ex Aust.), in most cases to local extinction, represents one of the most striking vegetation changes on the raised bogs of Britain and Northwest Europe during the last 2000 years. This study uses plant macrofossil, pollen and geochemical analyses to explore the record of human impact and land-use intensification at the S. austinii decline. There is a clear temporal association between anthropogenic woodland clearance, cereal cultivation, soil erosion and contemporary climatic change, with the decline of S. austinii. These findings suggest that S. austinii is sensitive not only to rapid climate changes but also to the aerial deposition of soil dust and/or accompanying pollutants. A modern comparison of atmospherically derived nitrogen (N) loadings with the present presence/absence of S. austinii on 16 raised bogs shows that the species is only present where the loading lies below a critical threshold for N of 10 kg/ha per yr. The palaeoecological record also shows that S. austinii has re-established itself during phases of reduced human activity but in contemporary Europe it is difficult to see this happening in the near future

The declining quality of late-Holocene ombrotrophic communities and the loss of Sphagnum austinii (Sull. ex Aust.) on raised bogs in Wales

The modern floristic composition of the principal raised bogs of Wales is significantly altered compared with their histories of development from the early to mid Holocene. This paper uses pollen and plant macrofossil records from two raised bogs together with previously published data from a further two sites to explore the key factors contributing to the present condition of Welsh ombrotrophic plant communities. Results show Betula and Molinia invasion is a recent feature of bog development in Wales. Previous Holocene 'dry-phases' were characterized by Ericaceae and Pinus establishment, supporting recent experimental evidence that Betula and Molinia encroachment is primarily a response to nitrogen (N) loading rather than desiccation on intact bogs. Several of the bogs featured in this study also show severe signs of structural damage, not only from peat cutting but, in the case of Cors Caron, from channel processes in the adjacent River Teifi. Radiocarbon dating and inter-site comparisons of peat accumulation rates show that Rhos Goch Common in particular has been heavily impacted by peripheral peat cutting, leading to dewatering, significant subsidence of its peat dome and the spread of hummock and high dry ridge communities. Finally, the decline and local extinction of Sphagnum austinii in bogs across Europe represents one of the most significant changes in ombrotrophic community composition in the late Holocene. Co-registered pollen and macrofossil evidence from Cors Caron demonstrates that increases in landuse intensity over the last 2000 years are temporally associated with reductions in the abundance of S. austinii and ultimately its local disappearance from the palaeoecological record

Tools for Performance Simulation of Heat, Air and Moisture Conditions of Whole Buildings

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