97 research outputs found
Data Mining the SDSS SkyServer Database
An earlier paper (Szalay et. al. "Designing and Mining MultiTerabyte
Astronomy Archives: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey," ACM SIGMOD 2000) described
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's (SDSS) data management needs by defining twenty
database queries and twelve data visualization tasks that a good data
management system should support. We built a database and interfaces to support
both the query load and also a website for ad-hoc access. This paper reports on
the database design, describes the data loading pipeline, and reports on the
query implementation and performance. The queries typically translated to a
single SQL statement. Most queries run in less than 20 seconds, allowing
scientists to interactively explore the database. This paper is an in-depth
tour of those queries. Readers should first have studied the companion overview
paper Szalay et. al. "The SDSS SkyServer, Public Access to the Sloan Digital
Sky Server Data" ACM SIGMOND 2002.Comment: 40 pages, Original source is at
http://research.microsoft.com/~gray/Papers/MSR_TR_O2_01_20_queries.do
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A feasibility study of space-charge neutralized ion induction linacs: Final report
Applications for high current (> 1 kA) ion beams are increasing. They include hardening of material surfaces, transmutation of radioactive waste, cancer treatment, and possibly driving fusion reactions to create energy. The space-charge of ions limits the current that can be accelerated in a conventional ion linear accelerator (linac). Furthermore, the accelerating electric field must be kept low enough to avoid the generation and acceleration of counter-streaming electrons. These limitations have resulted in ion accelerator designs that employ long beam lines and would be expensive to build. Space-charge neutralization and magnetic insulation of the acceleration gaps could substantially reduce these two limitations, but at the expense of increasing the complexity of the beam physics. We present theory and experiments to determine the degree of charge-neutralization that can be achieved in various environments found in ion accelerators. Our results suggest that, for high current applications, space-charge neutralization could be used to improve on the conventional ion accelerator technology. There are two basic magnetic field geometries that can be used to insulate the accelerating gaps, a radial field or a cusp field. We will present studies related to both of these geometries. We shall also present numerical simulations of {open_quotes}multicusp{close_quotes} accelerator that would deliver potassium ions at 400 MeV with a total beam power of approximately 40 TW. Such an accelerator could be used to drive fusion
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Proto-I axial-focusing experiments
The time-integrated axial (z) focus of the 4.5-cm-radius Proto I (1.5 MV, 500 kA) radial proton diode is presently limited to approx. 3 mm FWHM. This result is obtained with current neutralized beam transport in a gas cell with 6 Torr argon. If the vertical local divergence were the same (1/sup 0/ or less) as the horizontal divergence, the local divergence alone would produce a 1.5 mm FWHM focus. The axial focal size is evidently limited by time-dependent effects. These are studied by observing the beam incident upon various targets with two time-resolved pinhole cameras. The first camera observes Rutherford-scattered protons from gold targets with an array of 11 siicon PIN detectors. The second camera observes K/sub ..cap alpha../-fluorescence from aluminum targets with 4 independently-gated microchannel plates imaging tubes
Hot dense capsule implosion cores produced by z-pinch dynamic hohlraum radiation
Hot dense capsule implosions driven by z-pinch x-rays have been measured for
the first time. A ~220 eV dynamic hohlraum imploded 1.7-2.1 mm diameter
gas-filled CH capsules which absorbed up to ~20 kJ of x-rays. Argon tracer atom
spectra were used to measure the Te~ 1keV electron temperature and the ne ~ 1-4
x10^23 cm-3 electron density. Spectra from multiple directions provide core
symmetry estimates. Computer simulations agree well with the peak compression
values of Te, ne, and symmetry, indicating reasonable understanding of the
hohlraum and implosion physics.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Exploring the parameter space of MagLIF implosions using similarity scaling. II. Current scaling
Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) is a magneto-inertial-fusion (MIF)
concept, which is presently being studied on the Z Pulsed Power Facility. The
MagLIF platform has achieved interesting plasma conditions at stagnation and
produced significant fusion yields in the laboratory. Given the relative
success of MagLIF, there is a strong interest to scale the platform to higher
peak currents. However, scaling MagLIF is not entirely straightforward due to
the large dimensionality of the experimental input parameter space and the
large number of distinct physical processes involved in MIF implosions. In this
work, we propose a novel method to scale MagLIF loads to higher currents. Our
method is based on similarity (or similitude) scaling and attempts to preserve
much of the physics regimes already known or being studied on today's Z
pulsed-power driver. By avoiding significant deviations into unexplored and/or
less well-understood regimes, the risk of unexpected outcomes on future
scaled-up experiments is reduced. Using arguments based on similarity scaling,
we derive the scaling rules for the experimental input parameters
characterizing a MagLIF load (as functions of the characteristic current
driving the implosion). We then test the estimated scaling laws for various
metrics measuring performance against results of 2D
radiation--magneto-hydrodynamic HYDRA simulations. Agreement is found between
the scaling theory and the simulation results.Comment: 19 pages, submitted to Physics of Plasma
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Direct energy conversion in fission reactors: A U.S. NERI project
In principle, the energy released by a fission can be converted directly into electricity by using the charged fission fragments. The first theoretical treatment of direct energy conversion (DEC) appeared in the literature in 1957. Experiments were conducted over the next ten years, which identified a number of problem areas. Research declined by the late 1960's due to technical challenges that limited performance. Under the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative the authors are determining if these technical challenges can be overcome with todays technology. The authors present the basic principles of DEC reactors, review previous research, discuss problem areas in detail, and identify technological developments of the last 30 years that can overcome these obstacles. As an example, the fission electric cell must be insulated to avoid electrons crossing the cell. This insulation could be provided by a magnetic field as attempted in the early experiments. However, from work on magnetically insulated ion diodes they know how to significantly improve the field geometry. Finally, a prognosis for future development of DEC reactors will be presented
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An Inertial-Fusion Z-Pinch Power Plant Concept
With the promising new results of fast z-pinch technology developed at Sandia National Laboratories, we are investigating using z-pinch driven high-yield Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) as a fusion power plant energy source. These investigations have led to a novel fusion system concept based on an attempt to separate many of the difficult fusion engineering issues and a strict reliance on existing technology, or a reasonable extrapolation of existing technology, wherever possible. In this paper, we describe the main components of such a system with a focus on the fusion chamber dynamics. The concept works with all of the electrically-coupled ICF proposed fusion designs. It is proposed that a z-pinch driven ICF power system can be feasibly operated at high yields (1 to 30 GJ) with a relatively low pulse rate (0.01-0.1 Hz). To deliver the required current from the rep-rated pulse power driver to the z-pinch diode, a Recyclable Transmission Line (RTL) and the integrated target hardware are fabricated, vacuum pumped, and aligned prior to loading for each power pulse. In this z-pinch driven system, no laser or ion beams propagate in the chamber such that the portion of the chamber outside the RTL does not need to be under vacuum. Additionally, by utilizing a graded-density solid lithium or fluorine/lithium/beryllium eutectic (FLiBe) blanket between the source and the first-wall the system can breed its own fuel absorb a large majority of the fusion energy released from each capsule and shield the first-wall from a damaging neutron flux. This neutron shielding significantly reduces the neutron energy fluence at the first-wall such that radiation damage should be minimal and will not limit the first-wall lifetime. Assuming a 4 m radius, 8 m tall cylindrical chamber design with an 80 cm thick spherical FLiBe blanket, our calculations suggest that a 20 cm thick 6061-T6 Al chamber wall will reach the equivalent uranium ore radioactivity level within 100 years after a 30 year plant operation. The implication of this low radioactivity is that a z-pinch driven power plant may not require deep geologic waste storage
High Magnetic Shear Gain in a Liquid Sodium Stable Couette Flow Experiment; A Prelude to an alpha-Omega Dynamo
The -phase of the liquid sodium - dynamo experiment
at NMIMT in cooperation with LANL has successfully demonstrated the production
of a high toroidal field, from the radial
component of an applied poloidal magnetic field, . This enhanced toroidal
field is produced by rotational shear in stable Couette flow within liquid
sodium at . The small turbulence in stable Taylor-Couette flow
is caused by Ekman flow where . This high
-gain in low turbulence flow contrasts with a smaller -gain in
higher turbulence, Helmholtz-unstable shear flows. This result supports the
ansatz that large scale astrophysical magnetic fields are created within
semi-coherent large scale motions in which turbulence plays only a smaller
diffusive role that enables magnetic flux linkage.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted PRL revised version: add one author,
minor typo'
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