Comparison of new and existing algorithms for the analysis of 2D radioxenon beta gamma spectra

The aim of this paper is to compare radioxenon beta–gamma analysis algorithms using simulated spectra with experimentally measured background, where the ground truth of the signal is known. We believe that this is among the largest efforts to date in terms of the number of synthetic spectra generated and number of algorithms compared using identical spectra. We generate an estimate for the minimum detectable counts for each isotope using each algorithm. The paper also points out a conceptual model to put the various algorithms into a continuum. Our results show that existing algorithms can be improved and some newer algorithms can be better than the ones currently used.

     

The ambient gamma dose-rate and the inventory of fission products estimations with the soil samples collected at Canadian embassy in Tokyo during Fukushima nuclear accident

In this study, soil samples were collected at Canadian embassy in Tokyo (about 300 km from Fukushima) on 23 March and 23 May of 2011 for purposes of estimating concentrations of radionuclides in fallout, the total fallout inventory, the depth distribution of radionuclide of interest and the elevated ambient gamma dose-rate at this limited location. Some fission products and actinides were analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry, alpha spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting. The elevated activity concentration levels of ¹³¹I, ¹³²I, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁶Cs, ¹³²Te, ¹²⁹mTe, ¹²⁹Te, ¹⁴⁰Ba and ¹⁴⁰La were measured by the gamma-ray spectrometer in the first sample collected on 23 March. Two months after the accident, the ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs became only detectable nuclides. A mass relaxation depth of 3.0 g/cm² was determined by the activities on the depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in a soil core. The total fallout inventory was thus calculated as 225 kBq/m² on March sampling date and 25 kBq/m² on May sampling date. The ambient gamma dose-rates in the sampling area estimated by the fallout fission products inventory and ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution ranged from 184 to 38 nGy/h. There was no detectable americium or plutonium in the soil samples by alpha spectrometry. Although ⁹⁰Sr or ⁸⁹Sr were detected supposedly as a result of this accident, it was less than the detection limit, which was about 0.4 Bq/kg in the soil samples.     

Worldwide measurements of radioxenon background near isotope production facilities, a nuclear power plant and at remote sites: the “EU/JA-II” Project

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) specifies that radioxenon measurements should be performed at 40 or more stations worldwide within the International Monitoring System (IMS). Measuring radioxenon is one of the principle techniques to detect underground nuclear explosions. Specifically, presence and ratios of different radioxenon isotopes allows determining whether a detection event under consideration originated from a nuclear explosion or a civilian source. However, radioxenon monitoring on a global scale is a novel technology and the global civil background must be characterized sufficiently. This paper lays out a study, based on several unique measurement campaigns, of the worldwide concentrations and sources of verification relevant xenon isotopes. It complements the experience already gathered with radioxenon measurements within the CTBT IMS programme and focuses on locations in Belgium, Germany, Kuwait, Thailand and South Africa where very little information was available on ambient xenon levels or interesting sites offered opportunities to learn more about emissions from known sources. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that a few major radioxenon sources contribute in great part to the global radioxenon background. Additionally, the existence of independent sources of ^131mXe (the daughter of ¹³¹I) has been demonstrated, which has some potential to bias the isotopic signature of signals from nuclear explosions.     

The synthesis of transition metal nitrides via thermolysis of metal-ammine complexes, Part I: Chromium nitride

The thermal decomposition of a CrN precursor, hexaammine chromium(II) chloride, in ammonia has been investigated via a combination of thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Upon heating, [Cr(NH₃)₆]Cl₂ sequentially loses ammonia ligands, ultimately forming CrCl₂·NH₃ at ∼400 °C. When heat-treated to 500 °C in ammonia, this compound ammonolyzes to form nanocrystalline CrN.     

Isotope ratio analysis on micron-sized particles in complex matrices by Laser Ablation-Absorption Ratio Spectrometry

Laser ablation has been combined with dual tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry to measure ¹⁵²Gd:¹⁶⁰Gd isotope ratios in micron-size particles. The diode lasers are tuned to specific isotopes in two different atomic transitions at 405.9 nm (¹⁵²Gd) and 413.4 nm (¹⁶⁰Gd) and directed collinearly through the laser ablation plume, separated on a diffraction grating, and detected with photodiodes to monitor transient absorption signals on a shot-by-shot basis. The method has been characterized first using Gd metal foil and then with particles of GdCl₃·xH₂0 as binary and ternary mixtures with ¹⁵²Gd:¹⁶⁰Gd isotope ratios ranging from 0.01 to 0.43. These particulate mixtures have been diluted with Columbia River sediment powder (SRM 4350B) to simulate environmental samples and we show the method is capable of detecting a few highly-enriched particles in the presence of a >100-fold excess of low-enrichment particles, even when the Gd-bearing particles are a minor component (0.08%) in the SRM powder and widely dispersed (1178 particles detected in 800,000 ablation laser shots). The implications for monitoring ²³⁵U:²³⁸U enrichment ratios in airborne particle samples, as related to the nuclear industry, are discussed.     

Self contained enrichment cell for tritium

Tritiated water is probably the most mobile manmade nuclide found in the environment. The low-energy beta decay produces few health concerns except at extremely high concentrations of tritium. However, because of the ubiquitous nature of tritiated water, when identified in the bionetwork, it can be viewed as a precursor of nuclides with greater health risks. For this reason alone it becomes desirable to determine tritium concentrations many orders of magnitude below that considered a health concern. A devise is described that eliminates the need for large water-filled chest freezers used as coolers. The enrichment cells can be employed individually or in series.     

The effect of fine structure on the stability of planar vortices

This study considers the linear, inviscid response to an external strain field of classes of planar vortices. The case of a Gaussian vortex has been considered elsewhere, and an enstrophy rebound phenomenon was noted: after the vortex is disturbed enstrophy feeds from the non-axisymmetric to mean flow. At the same time an irreversible spiral wind-up of vorticity fluctuations takes place. A top-hat or Rankine vortex, on the other hand, can support a non-decaying normal mode.In vortex dynamics processes such as stripping and collisions generate vortices with sharp edges and often with bands or rings of fine scale vorticity at their periphery, rather than smooth profiles. This paper considers the stability and response of a family of vortices that vary from a broad profile to a top-hat vortex. As the edge of the vortex becomes sharper, a quasi-mode emerges and vorticity winds up in a critical layer, at the radius where the angular velocity of the fluid matches that of a normal mode on a top-hat vortex. The decay rate of these quasi-modes is proportional to the vorticity gradient at the critical layer, in agreement with theory. As the vortex edge becomes sharper it is found that the rebound of enstrophy becomes stronger but slower.The stability and linear behaviour of coherent vortices is then studied for distributions which exhibit additional fine structure within the critical layer. In particular we consider vorticity profiles with ‘bumps’, ‘troughs’ or ‘steps’ as this fine structure. The modified evolution equation that governs the critical layer is studied using numerical simulations and asymptotic analysis. It is shown that depending on the form of the short-scale vorticity distribution, this can stabilise or destabilise quasi-modes, and it may also lead to oscillatory behaviour.     

Complexity and approximability results for slicing floorplan designs

The first stage in hierarchical approaches to floorplan design determines certain topological relations between the positions of indivisible cells on a VLSI chip. Various optimizations are then performed on this initial layout to minimize certain cost measures such as the chip area. We consider optimization problems in fixing the orientations of the cells and simultaneously fixing the directions of the cuts that are specified by a given slicing tree; the goal is to minimize the area of the chip.We prove that these problems are NP-hard in the ordinary sense, and we describe a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm for them. We also present fully polynomial time approximation schemes for these problems.     

On-line characterization of gaseous and particulate organic analytes using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

A modified atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion source is applied for direct analysis of volatile or low volatile organic compounds in air. The method is based on the direct introduction of the analytes in the gas phase and/or particle phase into the ion source of a commercial ion-trap mass spectrometer. Two methods are employed for the production of primary ions at atmospheric pressure, photoionization and corona discharge. It is shown that in the presence of a dopant, photoionization can be a highly efficient ionization method also for real-time analysis with detection limits for selected analytes in the lower ppt-range. Using corona discharge for the production of primary ions, which is instrumentally easier since no additional chemicals have to be added to the sample flow, we demonstrate the analytical potential of on-line atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry for reaction monitoring experiments. To do so, an atmospherically relevant gas phase reaction is carried out in a 500 l reaction chamber and gaseous and particulate compounds are monitored in the positive and negative ion mode of the mass spectrometer.