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Brodie Anderson of Hydrodynamic and X-Ray Physics (P-22) makes a final adjustment to one of the Bechtel Nevada's x-ray instruments that were used as part of the diagnostic systems in Tuesday's experiment. The Altas shot was a collaborative Los Alamos and Bechtel Nevada effort.
Laboratory's Atlas machine begins experimental work
Scientists at the Laboratory performed the first liner implosion shot on the Atlas pulsed power facility last Tuesday. This successful experiment demonstrated that the Atlas facility is ready to support the Laboratory's research work relating to the certification of the nuclear weapons stockpile.
In the shot, the 650-ton Atlas pulsed-power generator successfully discharged approximately 20 million amperes of current through an aluminum cylindrical shell or liner about the size and shape of a tuna can, causing the liner to implode at very high speeds.
The purpose of this first experiment was to demonstrate Atlas was capable of the implosion quality that had been obtained with an earlier Los Alamos pulsed power machine, Pegasus II. Pegasus II produced the most uniform, symmetric and controllable implosions ever achieved. The experiment also demonstrated successful delivery of electrical energy at high currents and voltages and successful collection of complex data at the Atlas facility.
Essentially, Atlas is a giant power multiplier using energy that is accumulated slowly and stored in the machine's capacitor banks for sudden release into a roughly four-inch-diameter liner. As the electrical current surges through the Atlas machine, it crushes the targets at velocities nearly high enough to escape Earth's gravity - 22,000 miles per hour or 10 times the speed of a high-powered rifle bullet - and at pressures that occur at the center of the earth, or millions of times that of Earth's atmosphere. During the few millionths of a second that it is operating at full strength, the tremendous electrical output of Atlas is roughly equal to four times the world's total electric power production.
The Atlas pulsed-power facility was designed as a tool to provide basic physics data suitable for validating the computer codes used for weapon certification and to help scientists improve the models in those codes.
Atlas was conceived in 1993 as part of the Department of Energy's strategy to maintain the nuclear stockpile without the use of underground nuclear testing. The Atlas construction project began in 1995 with engineering design and component tests. Full-scale assembly began in November 1999 and construction was completed in August 2000.
Under the current plan, Atlas will conduct approximately 17 physics experiments for the science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program at Los Alamos before being disassembled and moved to the Nevada Test Site next year.
After being reassembled, certified and prepared for continuous operation at the Nevada site, Atlas will continue its mission supporting stockpile stewardship as a tri-lab (Lawrence Livermore, Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories) resource and as a state-of-the-art research facility providing experimental opportunities to investigators from many laboratories and academic institutions.
--Todd Hanson
Members of the team, lead by Bucky Cochrane, left, and Peter Turchi, right, both of P-22, meet the morning of last Tuesday's test for a final review of Atlas operational and safety procedures. Photos by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs
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America's Pride Day / Community United Way Event fundraiser is Thursday The Department of Energy, the Laboratory, Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico, Protection Technology Los Alamos, the University of California's Northern New Mexico office, Los Alamos County, Del Norte Credit Union and other community organizations are hosting "America's Pride Day" fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Proceeds will go to the United Way September 11th Fund. Community organizations will sell frito pies, baked goods and other donated foods and drink at three locations: Technical Area 60 (Building 2), JCNNM; in town at the Metzger's parking lot at the corner of Central Avenue and 15th Street in front of the Laboratory's Community Relations (CRO) Office; and in White Rock at the Del Norte Credit Union branch at 35 Rover Blvd. Lab workers who would like to provide food items such as chile and beans for frito pies, or baked goods, can drop off the food items at any of the three locations between 7 and 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Likewise, volunteers also are needed to staff the fundraisers. For more information, see the Sept. 25 Daily Newsbulletin. |
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Browne, UC Lab presidents meet at Los Alamos Director John Browne, on Tuesday greets William Friend, chair of the University of California President's Council on the National Laboratories, in the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center. Browne joined Bruce Tarter, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Charles Shank, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in addressing the panel about each director's institution in order to help the Council develop an annual performance assessment for the UC-managed national laboratories. The UC President's Council continues its meeting here today. Photo by James E. Rickman, Public Affairs |
Lab public lecture series begins today
Scientists and engineers will take on roles of educators through the Frontiers in Science Public Lecture Series that begins today. The series is intended to inform the public about the diversity of research being conducted at the Laboratory.
Sponsored by the Laboratory Fellows, four free lectures a year are planned. Each lecture will be presented in Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Española and Taos to ensure that Northern New Mexico residents can attend. All lectures are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Charles Keller, of the Los Alamos branch of the University of California's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP), will talk about his global warming research tonight in the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe. He will repeat that lecture on Oct. 3 at Los Alamos High School, Oct. 4 at Northern New Mexico Community College in Española and Oct. 17 at the Taos Convention Center.
William Feldman, of Space and Atmospheric Sciences (NIS-1), will discuss his work on the Lunar Prospector and Mars Odyssey mission on Oct. 30 at Los Alamos High School. He will repeat his discussion on Nov.1 at the Center for the Arts Theater at Northern New Mexico Community College in Española, Nov. 7 at the James A. Little Theater in Santa Fe and Nov. 8 in the Taos Convention Center.
For more information about the lecture series, contact Ginocchio at 7-5630, or write to gino@lanl.gov by electronic mail. Also visit the public lecture series Web site at http://stb.lanl.gov/fellows.html online or see the Sept. 18 Daily Newsbulletin.
Surplus property sale set for Thursday
The monthly Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico surplus property sale will be held at noon Thursday at its normal Technical Area 60 location.
Johnson Controls Northern New Mexico conducts a surplus property sale every third Thursday of the month. However, last week's sale was postponed due to the increased security status at the Laboratory.
While at the property sale, Lab workers also can contribute to the special United Way September 11th Fund fundraiser (see story above).
For more information, call 7-6225 or write to wastenot@lanl.gov by electronic mail.
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Operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration, of the US Department of Energy. |
Work Wear New Mexico at Lab today
and Thursday
