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BEG Special Seminar: Swadesh M. Mahajan, UT Austin
Start:June 14, 2013 at 10:30 am
End:
June 14, 2013 at 11:30 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room, PRC
Contact:
Emily Hooks
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Title: Nuclear Energy – Green and Plentiful, Fusion-Fission Hybrids
Speaker: Swadesh M. Mahajan, Professor of Physics, Institute for Fusion Studies, the University of Texas at Austin
Video Streaming: http://mediasite.beg.utexas.edu/Media/Viewer/?peid=3408fdd39f6b491fb55113b202f9101e
**PARKING: Any visitor, without a UT Parking Permit, must obtain a PRC “Pay & Display” parking permit upon entering the campus. Please be sure to clearly display the permit on the dashboard of your vehicle. Link to maps and additional instructions: http://www.beg.utexas.edu/info/maps.php
ABSTRACT:
If the world were forced to shift its energy “burden” from fossils to nuclear, will ”nuclear energy” be ready to assume this role? Can one, for example, envision an economically, environmentally and socially acceptable path, and could such a transition be engineered in near future? Can a nuclear energy dominant future be built on the foundations of the current and near term cindustrial technologies?
“Nuclear energy” must, first, demonstrate safe and acceptable technical solutions to two fundamental problems of fission power:
• The nuclear waste: transuranic isotopes that have long-term radio toxicity and biohazard, and
• The problem of limited “naturally fissile (U235)” fuel supply that must be solved by breeding fuel from fertile materials like U238 and Th232
It will be shown that a Fusion-Fission Hybrid reactor- a creative combination of fusion and fission can indeed lay the foundations of a “green “ and plentiful nuclear energy economy on time scales of less than a couple decades. Although nuclear fusion is not ready for direct energy production, recent game changing inventions, and innovations have led to the design of a workable highly compact intense fusion neutron source. In a hybrid driven by such an intense fusion neutron source, several novel fuel cycles that would be inaccessible to pure fission, become available. The resulting vastly enhanced overall nuclear capability can be readily exploited to slay the twin dragon of the “constraining” problems of fission- the problems of nuclear waste and that of limited fuel supply.
Glimpses of the conceptual/scientific new technology along with relevant applications will be given. How the fusion-fission hybrid adds a new, perhaps, crucial dimension to the quest for a vibrant nuclear future will be examined in a global energy perspective.
UTIG Special Seminar: Amy McAdam, Planetary Environments Lab, NASA
Start:June 19, 2013 at 12:00 pm
End:
June 19, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Joe Levy, joe.levy@utexas.edu , 512.475.6121
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“Investigating the Signatures of Aqueous Alteration on Mars”
Abstract:
The nature of the martian surface environment, and the implications for past and present alteration conditions, have important implications for understanding martian climatic history, surface weathering processes, and ultimately the possibility of past or present life. The characteristics of martian surface materials, and implications for formation environments, can be investigated using several key approaches. In this talk, I will discuss my recent work on terrestrial analogs to martian materials, as well as in situ analyses of martian surface materials from the recently landed Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity.
I plan to present the results of MSL-like analyses of Mars-relevant materials carried out during several field seasons of the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE), as a member of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument team. AMASE expeditions have investigated a range of geologic settings on the arctic archipelago of Svalbard with methodologies and techniques under development for Mars missions. During AMASE, I worked with a complementary instrument setup that simulates measurements made by the MSL SAM instrument. SAM analyzes gases evolved by pyrolysis of samples, as well as atmospheric gases admitted through an atmospheric inlet. A suite of instruments inside SAM are used to carry out isotopic and chemical analyses of Martian samples, including studies of inorganic compounds and a sensitive search for volatile organic sample components, thereby investigating Martian geochemical processes and potential habitability. The results of the AMASE SAM team analyses, together with other AMASE team data, have given us valuable insight into the organic content, organic-mineral associations, and mineralogy of several analog materials. These results and interpretations are relevant to the interpretation of in situ analyses from MSL.
I also plan to give a brief overview of MSL results that will primarily center on SAM solid sample analyses, though some comparisons to other MSL instrument datasets will be included. Although MSL has analyzed many rocks and soil samples since landing in August of last year, SAM solid sample analyses have only been performed on a select few of the samples. I will discuss the results of analyses of soil materials from the Rocknest aeolian bedform, selected results from analysis of drilled powder from the rock John Klein, and preliminary implications of these results for surface alteration environments and habitability on Mars.
Planetary Habitability Seminar SeriesApril, 22 2024Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: PMA 15.216B UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734 In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg. UT Austin, Department of Astronomy 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400 Austin, Texas 78712-1205 |
UTIG Discussion Hour: Nicholas Montiel - PhD Talk (UTIG)April, 23 2024Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PMLocation: ROC 2.201 |
UTIG Seminar Series: Cornelia Rasmussen, UTIGApril, 26 2024Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMLocation: PRC 196/ROC 1.603 Speaker: Cornelia Rasmussen, Research Associate, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Host: Krista Soderlund Title: The Emerging Field Of Position-Specific Isotope Analysis: Applications in chemical forensics, exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences Abstract: Complex organics can be found all over our solar system and within each living thing on our planet, be it as part of its physiology or as a contaminant. However, different processes can lead to the formation of chemical identical molecules. This makes answering a number of scientific questions challenging. One example is distinguishing between biotic and abiotic molecules, hence hindering life detection on early Earth but especially on other planetary bodies, such as on Mars, Titan, Enceladus and on meteorites where organics have been detected. Moreover, tracing molecules as they move through the environment can be demanding, yet is essential in studying the flow of organic molecules as well as correlating pollutants with their source. Novel tools to address these challenges are currently being developed. Especially, the emerging field of position-specific isotope analysis is beginning to grant access to the unique intramolecular carbon (13C/12C) isotope fingerprint preserved in complex molecules. This fingerprint can be applied in various scientific disciplines, ranging from forensics to exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences, including geo health. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has the potential to become a key player in this research area, as it allows the analysis of organics within complex mixtures, all without the need to fragment the molecule into single carbon units or the combustion of the molecule of interest. We have been developing several NMR tools that allow us to investigate the intramolecular carbon isotope distribution within various molecule classes and to test the central hypothesis that the position-specific carbon isotope distribution within complex organics depends on a molecule’s source and formation history. |
Planetary Habitability Seminar SeriesApril, 29 2024Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: PMA 15.216B UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734 In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg. UT Austin, Department of Astronomy 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400 Austin, Texas 78712-1205 |
UTIG Discussion Hour: Kristian Chan - PhD Talk (UTIG)April, 30 2024Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PMLocation: ROC 2.201 |