<p>An experimental study of the two-neutrino double-beta (2&nu;&beta;&beta;) decay of <super>150</super>Nd to various excited final states of <super>150</super>Sm was performed at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). Such data provide important checks for theoretical models used to predict 0&nu;&beta;&beta; decay half lives.</p> <p>The measurement was performed at the recently established Kimballton Underground Research Facility (KURF) in Ripplemeade, Virginia using the TUNL-ITEP double-beta decay setup. In this setup, two high-purity germanium detectors were operated in coincidence to detect the deexcitation gamma rays of the daughter nucleus. This coincidence technique, along with the location underground, provides a considerable reduction in background in the regions of interest.</p> <p>This study yields the first results from KURF and the first detection of the</p> <p>coincidence gamma rays from the 0<super>+</super>₁ excited state of <super>150</super>Sm. These gamma rays</p> <p>have energies of 334.0 keV and 406.5 keV, and are emitted in coincidence through a 0<super>+</super>₁&rarr;2<super>+</super>₁&rarr;0<super>+</super>_gs transition. The enriched Nd₂O₃ sample obtained from Oak Ridge</p> <p>National Laboratory consists of 40.13 g <super>150</sub>Nd. This sample was observed for 391 days, producing 29 raw events in the region of interest. This count rate gives a half life of T_1/2 = (0.72<super>+0.36</super>_&#8722;0.18 &plusmn; 0.04(syst.)) &times; 10<super>20</super> years, which agrees within error with</p> <p>another recent measurement, in which only the single deexcitation gamma rays were detected (i.e., no coincidence was employed). Lower limits were also obtained for decays to higher excited final states.</p> / Dissertation

Ultrafast time-resolved pump-probe (TRPP) apparatus has been applied to study the carrier dynamics of Si-doped InN thin films grown buffer by molecular beam expitaxy with and without a low-temperature growth GaN buffer layer. The peak of the PL has been found to increase from 0.7 to 0.8 eV with the back ground density. The total decay rates as a function of the delay time were obtained by the density-dependent TRPP peak intensity and the time-resolved TRPP signals. The total decay rates were interpreted as the sum of radiative and nonradiative recombination. The Shockley-Read-Hall decay rate derived from the TRPP signal at low photoexccitation density was found to increase with the doping density. At low concentration, the Auger recombination is not effective. The dominant recombination mechanism at room temperature is the Shockely-Read-Hall recombination.

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) is a powerful analytical tool for quantifying the biochemical composition of organic and inorganic materials. The potentials of TRFS as nondestructive clinical tool for tissue diagnosis have been recently demonstrated. To facilitate the translation of TRFS technology to the clinical arena, algorithms for online TRFS data analysis are of great need. A fast model-free TRFS deconvolution algorithm based on the Laguerre expansion method has been previously introduced, demonstrating faster performance than standard multiexponential methods, and the ability to estimate complex fluorescence decay without any a-priori assumption of its functional form. One limitation of this method, however, was the need to select, a priori, the Laguerre parameter a and the expansion order, which are crucial for accurate estimation of the fluorescence decay. In this thesis, a new implementation of the Laguerre deconvolution method is introduced, in which a nonlinear least-square optimization of the Laguerre parameter is performed, and the selection of optimal expansion order is attained based on a Minimum Description Length (MDL) criterion. In addition, estimation of the zero-time delay between the recorded instrument response and fluorescence decay is also performed based on a normalized means square error criterion. The method was fully validated on fluorescence lifetime, endogenous tissue fluorophores, and human tissue. The automated Laguerre deconvolution method is expected to facilitate online applications of TRFS, such as clinical real-time tissue diagnosis.

The technical feasibility of hypersonic flight (i.e., re-entry, hypersonic flight vehicles, cruise missiles, etc.) hinges on our ability to understand, predict, and control the transport of turbulence in the presence of non-equilibrium effects. A theoretical analysis of the governing equations suggests a mechanism by which fluctuations in internal energy are coupled to the transport of turbulence. Numerical studies of these flows have been conducted, but limited computational power results in reduced fidelity. Experimental studies are exceedingly rare and, consequently, experimental data available to build and evaluate turbulence models is nearly non-existent. The Decaying Mesh Turbulence (DMT) facility was designed and constructed to generate a fundamental decaying mesh turbulent flow field with passive grids. Vibrational non-equilibrium was achieved via a capacitively-coupled radio-frequency (RF) plasma discharge which required an operating pressure of 30 Torr. The flow velocity was 30 m/s. Data was recorded with each grid at multiple plasma powers (Off, 150 W, and 300 W). Over two terabytes of highly resolved (3,450 image pairs) two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) was acquired and archived. Temperature measurements were carried out using coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS). The primary objective of this study was to answer the fundamental scientific question: "Does thermal non-equilibrium alter the decay rate of turbulence?" The results of this study show that the answer is "Yes." The results demonstrate a clear coupling between thermal non-equilibrium and turbulence transport. The trends observed agree with those expected based on an analysis of the Reynolds stress transport equations, which provides confidence in transport equation-based modeling. A non-trivial reduction (~30%) in the decay rate downstream of the 300 W plasma discharge was observed. The data also show that the decay of TKE downstream of the plasma discharge was delayed (~20% downstream shift). In addition, the thermal non-equilbrium was observed to have no effect on the transverse stress. This suggests that, for this flow, the energy dilatation terms are small and unaffected by the plasma discharge, which simplifies modeling.

In this thesis, the development and implementation of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy that integrates time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and a confocal microscope will be described. The TCSPC method has high detection efficiency, with a time resolution limited only by the transit time spread of the detector, and directly delivers the decay functions in the time domain. TCSPC can also be used to obtain images that indicate the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect between critical fluorophores, an important method distinguish the difference between binding and co-localization. Estimation of distances between RET fluorophore pairs can also be established. Additionally, the effects of ion concentration, oxygen concentration, pH value, ..etc. can also be revealed.

No description available.

The purpose of this report is to present the results of the study and analysis of loss-of-coolant and loss-of-flow simulations performed on the Modular Helium Reactor developed by General Atomics using the thermal-hydraulics code RELAP5-3D/ATHENA. The MHR is a high temperature gas cooled reactor. It is a prismatic core concept for New Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). Very few reactors of that kind have been designed in the past. Furthermore, the MHR is supposed to be a highly passively safe concept. So there are high needs for numerical simulations in order to confirm the design. The project is dedicated to the assessment of the passive decay heat capabilities of the reactor under abnormal transient conditions. To comply with the requirements of the NGNP, fuel and structural temperatures must be kept under design safety limits under any circumstances. During the project, the MHR has been investigated: first under steady-state conditions and then under transient settings. The project confirms that satisfying passive decay heat removal by means of natural heat transfer mechanisms (convection, conduction and radiation) occurs.

This theses investigates the carrier dynamics in Indium Nitride thin films grown on Si(111) substrates by means of ultrafast time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) apparatus. The study of energy relaxation shows hot phonon effective is prominent at photogenerated carrier concentration above 4¡Ñ10^18cm^-3 and become insignificant at carrier concentration below 7¡Ñ10^17cm^-3. Effective phonon emission times in the range of 116 to 23 femtoseoncds are obtained from the time evolution of carrier temperature assuming that the carrier-LO-phonon interaction is the dominant energy relaxation process. In the study of carrier recombination, the TRPL¡¦s are studied at the peak energies of the time-integrated PL at various lattice temperatures and are converted to decay rates with a rate equation, which includes the nonradiative and radiative coefficients, and a nonlinear dependence of PL intensity on the photogenerated carrier concentration. The increase with temperatures of the Shockley-Read-Hall rates implies that, in addition to the mid-gap defect states, a thermally activated trapping may become prominent at high lattice temperatures due to the increased kinetic energy gained by the carriers. The radiative recombination is the dominated recombination mechanism at low temperature but become trivial at high temperature. The fitted radiative coefficient at a temperature of 35K is consistent to the theoretical prediction. The Auger recombination exhibits a quadratic dependence on carrier concentration and becomes effective at high carrier concentration and at high temperature. The fitted Auger recombination coefficients are comparable to those of InGaAs and InGaAsP materials with band gap energies in the range of 0.6-0.8eV.

The N=88 nuclei lie in a transitional region of the nuclear chart. Collective structure and nuclear deformation for this region is commonly occurring. Previously, some of the nuclei having 88 neutrons have been well studied, e.g., 148Nd, 150Sm, 152Gd, 154Dy; however, 156Er has not. To be able to understand the nuclei in this region one needs to extract all the systematics of these deformed nuclei and the relations between them. The structure of 156Er is the main focus in this thesis and the work seeks understanding of the N=88 nuclei and systematics among them. To accomplish this task, 156Tm to 156Er beta decay was studied. Many new levels and gamma transitions have been added to the existing scheme. The significance for detailed decay scheme studies far from stability is also discussed.

There is an intense interest in the availability of radioactive isotopes that could be developed into nuclear batteries. Promethium-147 is one of the isotopes of interest for use in nuclear batteries as well as in other compact low power applications. Pm-147 is a pure beta (β-) emitter with a half-life of 2.62 years. For this research, Pm-147 was produced from enriched Nd-146 via the neutron capture method in the Hydraulic Tube facility of HFIR at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Radioisotopic impurities produced via the neutron capture method have significant effects on its potential final use for nuclear battery applications. This research provides information on the co-production levels of the radioisotopic impurities in the samples containing Pm-147 and their effects on the required shielding. Gamma spectroscopy analysis served as the primary method in the evaluation of the impurities. Previous research had identified the presence of these impurities but it had not studied them in detail.