Extreme Radiation Conditions Research Articles

Optimum Multilayer-Graphene-Montmorillonite Composites From Sugar for Thermosolar Coatings Formulations

Solar thermal coatings are designed to achieve the highest incident solar flux into the receiver of a tower solar plant. These materials are subjected to extreme working conditions of temperature and solar concentrated radiation. Much effort is being made to develop a durable and high absorptive coating that can provide an excellent solar to heat conversion efficiency. Complex deposition techniques (PVD, CVD, electrodeposition, etc.) are developed and tested to achieve solar selectivity. High solar absorptance paints are an alternative technique, that is, easy to apply and implement in the field. In paint, pigments are the compound that provides high absorptance values, whose stability impacts the durability of optical properties. The search for new selective solar pigments for solar receivers is a promising route to improve the efficiency of this technology. In this work, novel nanocomposites were synthesized from low-cost organic materials such as table sugar. Promising results were obtained when intercalated and calcined in the laminar structure of montmorillonite, a type of smectite clay. The pigments were tested in a paint format on metallic coupons at different temperatures to obtain absorptivities above 96% of absorptance after 24 h at 700 °C. Further experiments are still needed to obtain optimum conditions to maximize the coating's absorptivity and durability at high temperature.

Radiation studies for the MOMENT target station**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11425524, 11527811, 11575226) and Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA10010100)

The discovery of the neutrino mixing angle θ13 opens new opportunities for the discovery of leptonic CP violation at high intensity neutrino beams. MOMENT, a future neutrino facility with a high-power proton beam of 15 MW from a continuous-wave linac, is focused on that discovery. The high power of the proton beam causes extreme radiation conditions for the facility and especially for the target station, where the pion capture system of five superconducting solenoids is located. In this paper initial studies are performed for the effects of the radiation on the solenoid structure and the area surrounding it. A concept cooling system is also proposed.

Investigation of the AGFA high dose cassette for quality assurance in radiotherapy

Introduction The Agfa CR system is comprised by the CR 35-X digitizer, the NX workstation and the CR RT1.5 high dose cassette (HDC). The HDC has a nominal tolerance of about 400 MU and is designated for portal imaging in radiotherapy, during irradiation of the patient with the full field dose. Purpose To investigate the characteristics of the HDC and its applicability to radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) tests. Materials and methods The HDC was irradiated with doses in the range of 0.02–4.1 Gy, using different: (a) field sizes, (b) irradiation geometries and, (c) beam energies (6 MV, 15 MV, wedged fields), in order to determine the dependence of its response on the above conditions. Results An exponential equation was found to accurately reproduce dose from pixel values, for single irradiated 10 × 10 cm 2 fields. However, this equation was not accurate for irradiations made using other field sizes, multiple and complex field irradiations. Typical errors were within ±20% but larger errors were observed in some extreme irradiation conditions. The main problems identified were: the increased response of the HDC to lower energy scattered photons and the non-uniformities observed across its area. However, concerning geometry, the accuracy of distance measurements was better than ±0.2 mm. The HDC was also proven useful for testing the dynamic multileaf collimator and the enhanced dynamic wedges. Conclusion The HDC is very useful as a first level QA tool, mainly for geometrical tests but also for dosimetry tests, when relative rather than absolute dosimetry issues are under investigation.

Photoprotective effect and acute oral systemic toxicity evaluation of the novel heterocyclic compound LQFM048

The new heterocyclic derivative LQFM048 (3) (2,4,6-tris ((E)-ethyl 2-cyano-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acrylate)-1,3,5-triazine) was originally designed through the molecular hybridization strategy from Uvinul® T 150 (1) and (E)-ethyl 2-cyano-3-(4hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acrylate (2) sunscreens, using green chemistry approach. This compound was obtained in global yields (80%) and showed an interesting redox potential. In addition, it is thermally stable up to temperatures around 250°C. It was observed that LQFM048 (3) showed a low degradation after 150min of sunlight exposure at 39°C, whereas the extreme radiation conditions induced a considerable photodegradation of the LQFM048 (3), especially when irradiated by VIS and VIS+UVA. During the determination of sun protection factor, LQFM048 (3) showed interesting results, specially as in association with other photoprotective compounds and commercial sunscreen. Additionally, the compound (3) did not promote cytotoxicity for 3T3 fibroblasts. Moreover, it was not able to trigger acute oral systemic toxicity in mice, being classified as a compound with low acute toxicity hazard (2.000mg/kg>LD50<5.000mg/kg). Therefore, this compound synthesized using green chemistry approach is promising showing potential to development of a new sunscreen product with advantage of presenting redox potential, indicating antioxidant properties.

Elaboration and behavior under extreme irradiation conditions of nano- and micro-structured TiC

Titanium carbide samples were prepared by spark plasma sintering. Three different microstructures were prepared with average grain sizes of about 0.3, 1.3 and 25.0μm. Each microstructure was irradiated with either 500keV 40Ar+ ions or 800keV 129Xe++ ions. The irradiation fluence varied from 6×1016 to 3.2×1017at.cm−2. Irradiation was carried out at room temperature (RT) or at 1000°C. Post-irradiation annealing was performed on some samples to follow the surface modification. In fact, clusters and nanocracks were observed at depth in the nanometric grains (<100nm) whereas more extended cracks were found in larger grains (>1μm). Microcracks can induce localized surface blistering after irradiation at RT and for the highest fluencies. The size, shape and density of the blisters were proposed to depend on the crystallographic orientation of each grain. The microstructure with sub-micrometric grains exhibited increased surface roughness after irradiation, with grain removal and grain boundary abrasion but no blistering. Surface blistering is not observed after irradiation at 1000°C but the complete delamination of extended areas containing large grains occurs. In this article, we highlight the role played by gastight grain boundaries and porosity to explain the distinct behavior of microstructures.

Electric-field-induced band bending on GaN: in situ effects of electron beam irradiation on time-dependent cathodoluminescence

Electron beam bombardment of GaN has been monitored by secondary electron (SE), cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, simultaneous in situ CL, and specimen current (SC) measurements. Under extreme irradiation conditions, system perturbations, as seen by SE and time-dependent CL, are attributed to internal charge dynamics extending beyond the scanned areas. Under moderate irradiation conditions, the size of affected regions correlates with nominal scanned regions. Time-dependent CL at the near band edge (NBE) revealed complex interplay with SC, which was modeled through band bending at the Au/GaN interface. The system has shown distinctive internal electric field dynamics upon sample handling, affecting both time-dependent CL spectra and SC as well as producing contrast reversal in SE imaging, to which humidity adsorption could be contributing. The band-bending model presented here can account for both moderate irradiation and humidity effects through variations of depletion widths and Schottky barrier heights. Our findings are consistent with current models where e-beam activated VGa promotes decreased NBE intensities and CN promotes DL emissions.

XUV-driven mass loss from extrasolar giant planets orbiting active stars

Upper atmospheres of Hot Jupiters are subject to extreme radiation conditions that can result in rapid atmospheric escape. The composition and structure of the upper atmospheres of these planets are affected by the high-energy spectrum of the host star. This emission depends on stellar type and age, which are thus important factors in understanding the behaviour of exoplanetary atmospheres. In this study, we focus on Extrasolar Giant Planets (EPGs) orbiting K and M dwarf stars. XUV spectra for three different stars – ∊ Eridani, AD Leonis and AU Microscopii – are constructed using a coronal model. Neutral density and temperature profiles in the upper atmosphere of hypothetical EGPs orbiting these stars are then obtained from a fluid model, incorporating atmospheric chemistry and taking atmospheric escape into account. We find that a simple scaling based solely on the host star’s X-ray emission gives large errors in mass loss rates from planetary atmospheres and so we have derived a new method to scale the EUV regions of the solar spectrum based upon stellar X-ray emission. This new method produces an outcome in terms of the planet’s neutral upper atmosphere very similar to that obtained using a detailed coronal model of the host star. Our results indicate that in planets subjected to radiation from active stars, the transition from Jeans escape to a regime of hydrodynamic escape at the top of the atmosphere occurs at larger orbital distances than for planets around low activity stars (such as the Sun).

Molecular dynamics simulations of grain boundary thermal resistance in UO2

By means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we have calculated Kaptiza resistance of UO2 with or without radiation damage. For coincident site lattice boundaries of different configurations, the boundary thermal resistance of unirradiated UO2 can be well described by a parameter-reduced formula by using boundary energies as variables. We extended the study to defect-loaded UO2 by introducing damage cascades in close vicinity to the boundaries. Following cascade annealing and defect migrations toward grain boundaries, the boundary energy increases and so does Kaptiza resistance. The correlations between these two still follow the same formula extracted from the unirradiated UO2. The finding will benefit multi-scale modeling of UO2 thermal properties under extreme radiation conditions by combining effects from boundary configurations and damage levels.

Developments on DC/DC converters for the LHC experiment upgrades

Prototypes of DC/DC power and Point of Load (PoL) converters were designed and built with the aim of satisfying the foreseen working parameters of the High Luminosity (HL) LHC experiments, using both Silicon (Si) MOSFETs and/or more recent devices substantiated of better power performance, like Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. Optimization of their design, based on the comparison between the simulated and measured thermal, electrical and mechanical performance, is in progress, and many improvements with respect to the previous versions are under implementation. We discuss in this paper the results of the last modifications.In addition, many tens of discrete component samples, chosen among the devices commercially available in the three different technologies (Si, SiC and GaN), were electrically characterized and tested under γ-rays, neutron, proton and heavy ion radiation, also using a combined run method.We have also planned to test some commercial DC/DCs under the extreme conditions of radiation and magnetic field expected in the upgrades of the LHC experiments. Here we show the first results on few samples.

Defect annihilation at grain boundaries in alpha-Fe

Understanding radiation responses of Fe-based metals is essential to develop radiation tolerant steels for longer and safer life cycles in harsh reactor environments. Nanograined metals have been explored as self-healing materials due to point-defect recombination at grain boundaries. The fundamental defect-boundary interactions, however, are not yet well understood. We discover that the interactions are always mediated by formation and annealing of chain-like defects, which consist of alternately positioned interstitials and vacancies. These chain-like defects are closely correlated to the patterns of defect formation energy minima on the grain boundary, which depend on specific boundary configurations. Through chain-like defects, a point defect effectively translates large distances, to annihilate with its opposite, thus grain boundaries act as highly efficient defect sinks that cannot saturate under extreme radiation conditions.

Photolysis of tembotrione and its main by-products under extreme artificial conditions:: Comparison with another β-triketone herbicide

The photolytic behaviour of tembotrione, a new chemical herbicide intended for foliar application in corn, was investigated under unnatural and extreme photochemical exposure in aqueous solutions in the laboratory. It appeared that degradation was dependent on pH and occurred more rapidly under acidic and neutral conditions, leading predominantly to the formation of a xanthenedione type compound by intramolecular cyclisation with loss of HCl. Trace amounts of benzoic acid by-products appeared also during UV-C irradiation (λ=254nm) of the parent compound. Results were comparable to those obtained with sulcotrione, another β-triketone herbicide. These extreme irradiation conditions clearly accelerated the phototransformation of sulcotrione vs. simulated sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, the photolysis of the degradation by-products, resulting from either photolysis, hydrolysis or biotic pathways of the two active ingredients, was also carried out. The benzoic acid by-products appeared more stable to photolysis than their parent molecules. Xanthenedione derivatives were degraded more rapidly with several differences depending on the pH value.

New Substrates on the Block: Clinically Relevant Resistances for EmrE and Homologues

Transporters of the small multidrug resistance (SMR) family are small homo- or heterodimers that confer resistance to multiple toxic compounds by exchanging substrate with protons. Despite the wealth of biochemical information on EmrE, the most studied SMR member, a high-resolution three-dimensional structure is missing. To provide proteins that are more amenable to biophysical and structural studies, we identified and partially characterized SMR transporters from bacteria living under extreme conditions of temperature and radiation. Interestingly, these homologues as well as EmrE confer resistance to streptomycin and tobramycin, two aminoglycoside antibiotics widely used in clinics. These are hydrophilic and clinically important substrates of SMRs, and study of their mode of action should contribute to understanding the mechanism of transport and to combating the phenomenon of multidrug resistance. Furthermore, our study of one of the homologues, a putative heterodimer, supports the suggestion that in the SMR family, heterodimers can also function as homodimers.

First-principles prediction of the thermodynamic stability of xenon in monoclinic, tetragonal, and yttrium-stabilized cubic ZrO2

Fission product incorporation in ceramic fuels has long been an active area of research. In this work, we consider a special case of xenon incorporation in ZrO${}_{2}$ in the framework of closed systems under extreme radiation conditions where thermal defects are less important than cascade driven defects. The energetics of a variety of defect configurations associated with xenon incorporation are considered. We use first-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations to predict the thermodynamic stability of xenon in different ZrO${}_{2}$ structural forms, including monoclinic, tetragonal, and yttrium-stabilized cubic ZrO${}_{2}$. Two defect configurations are found to dominate the fission gas incorporation process: xenon interstitial and oxygen substitutional configurations. In yttrium-stabilized cubic ZrO${}_{2}$, the pre-existing structural oxygen vacancies provide ideal sites for Xe incorporation since no oxygen Frenkel pairs need to be formed. The charge-transfer issue in oxides modeling is important in defects calculations. This issue has also been addressed through our supercell benchmark calculations.

Molecular assessment of UVC radiation-induced DNA damage repair in the stromatolitic halophilic archaeon, Halococcus hamelinensis

The halophilic archaeon Halococcus hamelinensis was isolated from living stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia, that are known to be exposed to extreme conditions of salinity, desiccation, and UV radiation. Modern stromatolites are considered analogues of very early life on Earth and thus inhabitants of modern stromatolites, and Hcc. hamelinensis in particular, are excellent candidates to examine responses to high UV radiation. This organism was exposed to high dosages (up to 500 J/m 2) of standard germicidal UVC (254 nm) radiation and overall responses such as survival, thymine–thymine cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation, and DNA repair have been assessed. Results show that Hcc. hamelinensis is able to survive high UVC radiation dosages and that intact cells give an increased level of DNA protection over purified DNA. The organism was screened for the bacterial-like nucleotide excision repair (NER) genes uvrA, uvrB, uvrC, as well as for the photolyase phr2 gene. All four genes were discovered and changes in the expression levels of those genes during repair in either light or dark were investigated by means of quantitative Real-Time (qRT) PCR. The data obtained and presented in this study show that the uvrA, uvrB, and uvrC genes were up-regulated during both repair conditions. The photolyase phr2 was not induced during dark repair, yet showed a 20-fold increase during repair in light conditions. The data presented is the first molecular study of different repair mechanisms in the genus Halococcus following exposure to high UVC radiation levels.

Diamond pixel modules

With the commissioning of the LHC in 2010 and upgrades expected in 2015, ATLAS and CMS are planning to upgrade their innermost tracking layers with radiation hard technologies. Chemical Vapor Deposition diamond has been used extensively in beam conditions monitors as the innermost detectors in the highest radiation areas of BaBar, Belle, CDF and all LHC experiments. This material is now being considered as a sensor material for use very close to the interaction region where the most extreme radiation conditions exist. Recently the RD42 collaboration constructed, irradiated and tested polycrystalline and single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamond sensors to the highest fluences expected at the super-LHC. We present beam test results of chemical vapor deposition diamond up to fluences of 1.8×10 16 protons/cm 2 illustrating that both polycrystalline and single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamonds follow a single damage curve. We also present beam test results of irradiated complete diamond pixel modules.

Thermo-mechanical and neutron lifetime modelling and design of Be pebbles in the neutron multiplier for the LIFE engine

Concept designs for the laser inertial fusion/fission energy (LIFE) engine include a neutron multiplication blanket containing Be pebbles flowing in a molten salt coolant. These pebbles must be designed to withstand the extreme irradiation and temperature conditions in the blanket to enable a reliable and cost-effective operation of LIFE. In this work, we develop design criteria for spherical Be pebbles on the basis of their thermo-mechanical behaviour under continued neutron exposure. We consider the effects of high fluence and fast fluxes on the elastic, thermal and mechanical properties of nuclear-grade Be. Our results suggest a maximum pebble diameter of 30 mm to avoid tensile failure, coated with an anti-corrosive, high-strength metallic shell to avoid failure by pebble contact. Moreover, we find that the operation temperature must always be kept above 450 °C to enable creep to relax the stresses induced by swelling. Under these circumstances, we estimate the pebble lifetime to be at least 16 months if uncoated, and up to six years when coated. We identify the sources of uncertainty on the properties used and discuss the advantages of new intermetallic beryllides and their use in LIFE's neutron multiplier. To establish Be-pebble lifetimes with improved confidence, reliable experiments to measure irradiation creep must be performed.

Characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) used in commercial bottled water

The aim of this study is to determine which compounds are present into drinking water packaged in poly(ethylene terephtalate) bottles and to know the origin of these substances in relationship with the material.A screening procedure was established for the detection of unknown compounds into bottled water. A panel of water bottles has been tested after exposure to extreme conditions of temperature and UV radiation to accelerate the possible migration of substances.At the same time, physico-chemical characterization of polymeric material has been performed namely calorimetric analysis, IRTF and low-frequency mechanical spectroscopy. The results thus obtained allow understanding in a better way the migration kinetics of molecules inside the polymer, it means the pollution of the bottled water.

Investigating Degradation Mechanisms in 130 nm and 90 nm Commercial CMOS Technologies Under Extreme Radiation Conditions

The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanisms underlying performance degradation in 130 nm and 90 nm commercial CMOS technologies exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation. The investigation has been mainly focused on their noise properties in view of applications to the design of low-noise, low-power analog circuits to be operated in harsh environment. Experimental data support the hypothesis that charge trapping in shallow trench isolation (STI), besides degrading the static characteristics of interdigitated NMOS transistors, also affects their noise performances in a substantial fashion. The model discussed in this paper, presented in a previous work focused on CMOS devices irradiated with a 10 Mrad(SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ) gamma -ray dose, has been applied here also to transistors exposed to much higher (up to 100 Mrad(SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> )) doses of X-rays. Such a model is able to account for the extent of the observed noise degradation as a function of the device polarity, dimensions and operating point.

Lipid biomarkers, pigments and cyanobacterial diversity of microbial mats across intertidal flats of the arid coast of the Arabian Gulf (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

Variations in morphology, fatty acids, pigments and cyanobacterial community composition were studied in microbial mats across intertidal flats of the arid Arabian Gulf coast. These mats experience combined extreme conditions of salinity, temperature, UV radiation and desiccation depending on their tidal position. Different mat forms were observed depending on the topology of the coast and location. The mats contained 63 fatty acids in different proportions. The increased amounts of unsaturated fatty acids (12-39%) and the trans/cis ratio (0.6-1.6%) of the cyanobacterial fatty acid n-18:1omega9 in the higher tidal mats suggested an adaptation of the mat microorganisms to environmental stress. Chlorophyll a concentrations suggested lower cyanobacterial abundance in the higher than in the lower intertidal mats. Scytonemin concentrations were dependent on the increase in solar irradiation, salinity and desiccation. The mats showed richness in cyanobacterial species, with Microcoleus chthonoplastes and Lyngbya aestuarii morphotypes as the dominant cyanobacteria. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns suggested shifts in the cyanobacterial community dependent on drainage efficiency and salinity from lower to higher tidal zones. We conclude that the topology of the coast and the variable extreme environmental conditions across the tidal flat determine the distribution of microbial mats as well as the presence or absence of different microorganisms.

Status of ionization by radial electron neat adaptation ion source research and development for SPIRAL2 and EURISOL-DS

To take up the challenging issue of supplying a plasma ion source able to produce radioactive beams under extreme SPIRAL2 and EURISOL irradiation conditions, a research and development program has been initiated to work out ionization by radial electron neat adaptation (IRENA) ion source. Based on the electron beam generated plasma concept, the ion source is specifically adapted for thick target exploitation under intense irradiation. A validation prototype has been designed, constructed, and tested. First results obtained will be presented and commented. IRENA potential will be discussed, particularly in the framework of multimegawatt EURISOL.