The photoionization of the beryllium-like isoelectronic series has been studied. The bound state wave functions of the target ions were built with CIV3 program. The relativistic Breit-Pauli R-matrix method was used to calculate the cross sections in the photon energy range between the ionization threshold and 1s24f7/2 threshold for each ion. For the total cross sections of Be, B+, C+2, N+3, and O+4, our results match experiment well. The comparison between the present work and other theoretical works are also discussed. We show the comparison with our LS results as it indicates the importance of relativistic effects on different ions. In the analysis, the resonances converging to 1s22lj and 1s23lj were identified and characterized with quantum defects, energies and widths using the eigenphase sum methodology. We summarize the general appearance of resonances along the resonance series and along the isoelectronic sequence. Partial cross sections are also reported systematically along the sequence. All calculations were performed on the NERSC system.

Photoionization cross section calculations are performed for the ground ([Ne]3s23p63d 2D ) and the first two excited ([Ne]3s23p63d 2D and [Ne]3s23p64s 2S ) states of potassium-like transition metal ions (Sc+2, Ti+3, V+4, Cr+5, Mn+6, Fe+7), along with photoionization calculations for K-like Ca+ ions in the ground ([Ne]3s23p64s 2S ) state and the first two excited ([Ne]3s23p63d 2D and [Ne]3s23p63d 2D ) states. The discrete N-electron final state ion system orbitals are generated using the computer program AUTOSTRUCTURE; 24 configurations are included in the configuration-interaction (CI) calculation for transition metal ions, and 30 configurations for the case of Ca+ ions. The initial and final (N+1)-electron wavefunctions are generated using R-matrix along with photoionization cross sections. In addition to the non-relativistic (LS-coupling) R-matrix, we have used the relativistic (Breit-Pauli) R -matrix method to carry out these calculations to focus on relativistic effects. Relativistic and non-relativistic results are compared to demonstrate the influence of relativistic effects. The prominent 3p → 3d giant resonances are analyzed and identified, and our calculated positions and widths are compared with experimental results for K-like ions such as Ca+, Sc+2 and Ti+3. In the case of lower Z (22  Z  20) ions (Ca+, Sc+2 and Ti+3), the photoionization cross section spectra are dominated by the giant (3p  3d excitation) resonances, while in cases of higher Z (26  Z  23) ions (V+4, Cr+5, Mn+6 and Fe+7), the 3p  3d resonances lie below the ionization threshold, and the cross sections are dominated by 3p53d nd and 3p53d n’s Rydberg series of resonances. Comparison of the Ca+, Sc+2 and Ti3+ results with available theoretical and experimental data shows good agreement.

By analyzing ISAR images, the characteristics of military platforms with respect to radar visibility can be evaluated. The method, which is based on the Discrete-Time Fourier Transform (DTFT), that is currently used to calculate the ISAR images requires large computations efforts. This thesis investigates the possibility to replace the DTFT with the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Such a replacement is not trivial since the DTFT is able to compute a contribution anywhere along the spatial axis while the FFT delivers output data at fixed sampling, which requires subsequent interpolation. The interpolation leads to a difference in the ISAR image compared to the ISAR image obtained by DTFT. On the other hand, the FFT is much faster. In this quality-and-time trade-off, the objective is to minimize the error while keeping high computational efficiency. The FFT-approach is evaluated by studying execution time and image error when generating ISAR images for an aircraft model in a controlled environment. The FFT method shows good results. The execution speed is increased significantly without any visible differences in the ISAR images. The speed-up- factor depends on different parameters: image size, degree of zero-padding when calculating the FFT and the number of frequencies in the input data.

This paper examines the determinants of profitability using operations strategy, productivity, and service measures in the context of the U.S. domestic airline industry. Data on ten carriers was collected on a quarterly basis between 1995 and 2007. An analysis is performed separately on data prior and post 9/11 attack. It is found that operations strategy and productivity measures are significant both before and after the 9/11 attack, whereas service measures are only significant before 9/11. Some managerial implications are provided. Additionally, it is found that the profitability of full-service carriers is improving faster than low-cost carriers after 9/11.

The increase in foreign students in countries such as the US, the UK and Francesuggests that the international ‘education industry’ is growing in importance. Thepurpose of this paper is to investigate the empirical determinants of internationalstudent mobility. A secondary purpose is to give tentative policy suggestions to hostcountry, source country and also to provide some recommendations to students whowant to study abroad. Using pooled cross-sectional time series data for the US overthe time period 1993-2006, we estimate an econometric model of enrolment rates offoreign students in the US. Our results suggest that tuition fees, US federal support ofeducation, and the size of the ‘young’ generation of source countries have asignificant influence on international student mobility. We also consider other factorsthat may be relevant in this context.

<p>Measurements of the three-body photodisintegration of <super>3</super>He were performed at the High Intensity &gamma-ray Source (HI&gammaS). Neutrons emitted in this reaction inside a <super>3</super>He gas target were detected with seven 12.7 cm diameter liquid scintillator detectors. Time-of-flight (TOF) and pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) techniques were used to identify neutron events. The absolute differential cross sections for the <super>3</super>He(&gamma, n)pp reaction as a function of outgoing neutron scattering angle and energy were determined from the measurements at the incident &gamma-ray energies of 11.4, 12.8, 13.5, and 14.7 MeV to within a precision better than +/- 6 %.</p><p>The absolute cross sections at each incident energy are compared to the results of Gorbunov [Gor74], phase space calculations, and state-of-the-art three-body calculations. The inclusion of the Coulomb interaction in the three-body problem has been a long-standing challenge in theoretical nuclear physics. The present experimental data were found to be in good agreement with the state-of-the-art theory, which includes a full treatment of the Coulomb interaction between</p><p>the protons in the final state [Del05].</p> / Dissertation

A numerical analysis scheme has been developed to extract dynamic information from experimental images by the three-dimensional sliced fluorescence imaging method. The present scheme is based on a generalized framework in analyzing fluorescence images from the photo-initiated dynamic process. Specifically, image quality optimization, noise reduction and numerical fitting codes have been implemented in the present scheme to determine differential cross sections of the state-to-state inelastic collisions between CN(A 2£S) and He. These codes are indispensable in extracting state-to-state dynamic information from experimental images in any photo-initiated collision experiment, no matter it is executed in the beam or bulb environment.

Applicability of the Hartree-Fock (HF) based random phase approximation (RPA) with several Skyrme effective interactions to the description of the isoscalar giant monopole (ISGMR) and the isoscalar giant dipole resonance (ISGDR) in 90Zr, 116Sn, 144Sm and 208Pb nuclei has been investigated. The existing Skyrme interactions SL1, SkM*, SGII, Sly4 and Sk255 were used. Hartree-Fock description of the ground state properties of all nuclei of interest was obtained using these Skyrme interactions. Transition strength distributions for the ISGMR and the ISGDR in nuclei of interest were calculated using coordinate space representation for the RPA in the Green’s function formalism with discretized continuum. A method of projecting out the spurious state contribution from the transition strength distribution and the transition density of the ISGDR was employed to eliminate spurious state mixing, due to a not fully selfconsistent description of the particle-hole interaction within the RPA. Differential cross sections of 240 MeV alpha-particles inelastic scattering on all nuclei of interest were calculated using the folding model within the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA). Optical potentials were obtained by folding HF ground state densities with a alpha-nucleon density dependent Gaussian interaction. Parameters of the interaction were obtained by fitting experimental angular distribution of alpha-nucleus elastic scattering. The inelastic differential cross sections were calculated using both collective and microscopic transition densities. Possible underestimations of the energy weighted sum rule for the case of the ISGDR are reported. An alternative description for the ISGDR in nuclei based on the Fermi liquid drop model (FLDM) with the collisional Fermi surface distortion was investigated. The FLDM dispersion relation was obtained from the linearized Landau-Vlasov equation. Centroid energies, E0 and E1, and widths, gamma-0 and gamma-1, of the ISGMR and ISGDR, respectively, were calculated as functions of the damping parameter using appropriate boundary conditions. Comparison of the theoretical ratios of the ISGDR and ISGMR centroid energies, E1/E0, to the experimental values resulted in a damping parameter equal to 0.5, however, systematic overestimation of energy of the ISGMR and ISGDR by 2.0-2.5 MeV was observed. The applicability of the HF-RPA to the description for the ISGDR in nuclei is confirmed.

In this study, a MATLAB&reg / code based on the Shooting and Bouncing Ray (SBR) algorithm is developed to compute the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of complex targets. SBR is based on ray tracing and combine Geometric Optics (GO) and Physical Optics (PO) approaches to compute the RCS of arbitrary scatterers. The presented algorithm is examined in two parts / the first part addresses a new aperture selection strategy named as &ldquo / conformal aperture&rdquo / , which is proposed and formulated to increase the performance of the code outside the specular regions, and the second part is devoted to testing the multiple scattering and shadowing performance of the code. The conformal aperture approach consists of a configuration that gathers all rays bouncing back from the target, and calculates their contribution to RCS. Multiple scattering capability of the algorithm is verified and tested over simple shapes. Ray tracing part of the code is also used as v a shadowing algorithm. In the first instance, simple shapes like sphere, plate, cylinder and polyhedron are used to model simple targets. With primitive shapes, complex targets can be modeled up to some degree. Later, patch representation is used to model complex targets accurately. In order to test the whole code over complex targets, a Computer Aided Design (CAD) format known as Stereo Lithography (STL) mesh is used. Targets that are composed in CAD tools are imported in STL mesh format and handled in the code. Different sweep geometries are defined to compute the RCS of targets with respect to aspect angles. Complex targets are selected according to their RCS characteristics to test the code further. In addition to these, results are compared with PO, Method of Moments (MoM) and Multilevel Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM) results obtained from the FEKO software. These comparisons enabled us to improve the code as possible as it is.

In the deep burn research of Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), it is desired to make an accurate estimation of absorption cross sections and absorption rates in burnable poison (BP) pins. However, in traditional methods, multi-group cross sections are generated from single bundle calculations with specular reflection boundary condition, in which the energy spectral effect in the core environment is not taken into account. This approximation introduces errors to the absorption cross sections especially for BPs neighboring reflectors and control rods. In order to correct the BP absorption cross sections in whole core diffusion calculations, energy spectrum reconstruction (ESR) methods have been developed to reconstruct the fine group spectrum (and in-core continuous energy spectrum). Then, using the reconstructed spectrum as boundary condition, a BP pin cell local transport calculation serves an imbedded module within the whole core diffusion code to iteratively correct the BP absorption cross sections for improved results. The ESR methods were tested in a 2D prismatic High Temperature Reactor (HTR) problem. The reconstructed fine-group spectra have shown good agreement with the reference spectra. Comparing with the cross sections calculated by single block calculation with specular reflection boundary conditions, the BP absorption cross sections are effectively improved by ESR methods. A preliminary study was also performed to extend the ESR methods to a 2D Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) problem. The results demonstrate that the ESR can reproduce the energy spectra on the fuel-outer reflector interface accurately.