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A new computer cluster developed for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) offers the efficiency and flexibility of real-time results in a field where researchers generally wait hours, days or weeks for analyzed data.
"The goal is to give users immediate feedback," said Francesco De Carlo (XFD), one of the system's developers. "Now by the time the user is done preparing the next sample, he or she has an image."
The new computer system has been developed by De Carlo and Brian Tieman (XFD) as an integral part of the beamline instrumentation for a process called X-ray computed tomography. The non-invasive process digitally reconstructs three-dimensional images or cross-sectional slices of chemical and biological samples using compiled information from a series of X-ray projections. Computerized tomography (CT) scans are often used in medicine to image a patient's head or spine.
At Argonne, X-ray computed tomography has also been used to investigate the quality of a protec
tive coating for airplane engine turbine blades, the unique physical properties of a sea urchin spine, and the presence of tiny cracks in artificial inserts medical doctors use to repair bone. But projects like these require a lot of computation.
The new cluster's 16 dual processors offer a total of 33 gigahertz of processing power and 2,400 gigabytes of disk space. Previously, raw data from the X-rays had to be saved to disks and processed and analyzed on a later day. Users would go home and analyze the data. Later, they might return to the APS to process more samples or revise their experiment based on what they saw.
Now, users can look at the results of recent tests after just a few minutes, while still preparing the next sample. If necessary, they could even modify an experiment as they go.
"If we can see what's going on, instead of just taking data, we can watch and make more intelligent decisions about how to run the next sample," said Stuart Stock, an APS user from Northwestern University.
Stock, who has been doing tomography for more than 15 years, said he expects the computer system to change the way he plans his experiments.
To take full advantage of computing capabilities, researchers may design experiments with more room for adjustment. Also, fewer samples may be required to get the same amount of usable data.
— Jennifer Ann Hutt
Beauty may be only skin deep, but contrary to many textbooks, structural disorder is not.
Argonne theorists Dima Feldman and Valerii Vinokur reported in the Nov. 25 issue of Physical Review Letters that weak disorder on the surface of a material causes bulk disorder. Their discovery may force scientists and engineers to rethink the way they design diagnostic tools, electrical devices and research experiments that depend on structural order.
"The general belief was that if you have something [impure] only on the surface, then the bulk remains intact because the surface is just a teeny tiny part of everything," said Vinokur. "What we see now, is that this common wisdom is not the full truth."
Using mathematical techniques, some of which have been developed only within the
last decade, Feldman and Vinokur demonstrated that weak impurities on a surface can destroy bulk order enough to alter the material's characteristic properties.
The molecules in structured materials are arranged much like bricks in a brick wall, Vinokur explained. The precision with which those bricks line up determines some of the material's characteristics, like conductivity or light-scattering ability.
As researchers and engineers control the structural purity of materials they use, they expect to be able to predict the characteristics those materials express, such as the conductivity of wires in an electrical device. But surface impurities are often disregarded, Vinokur said, which may lead to unusual results.
"What you get may be different from what you expect, and then you may ascribe this differ
ence to the wrong cause," he said. "You may never be able to design what you wish, because you don't know what is happening."
Understanding how bulk properties can be influenced by surface corruption will account for some of these differences and make it possible to design more precise equipment. The knowledge may also be put to use as a non-destructive diagnostic tool to detect impurities on a hidden surface. For example, detecting a change in light-scattering ability of a liquid crystal display might suggest surface impurities that have caused disorder in the material.
— Jennifer Ann Hutt
Taking his cue from the SETI@home project, in which thousands of personal computer users help sift radio-telescope data for extraterrestrial signals using a screen saver, Brian Tieman and Francesco De Carlo (XFD) once turned to Argonne volunteers for the computing power they needed, and may again.
Since office computers generally use only a small portion of their computing capabilities, De Carlo enlisted volunteers at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to donate time on their personal computers. Through the APS local network, these computers worked double duty to receive, process and report information for a data-intensive research procedure called X-ray computed tomography.
"What we did is start a calculation process on the donated computer with very low priority," De Carlo said. "This means that any time the computer was idle, we were taking all the CPU (central processing unit) time available. But as soon as the user started to work on it, our task CPU time dropped to zero."
Two years ago, processing and analyzing data for X-ray computed tomography research might take days. With the aid of networked office computers, that time was reduced to hours.
Recently, De Carlo and Tieman introduced a new computer cluster able to handle the massive amounts of data in minutes. With the new computer cluster in place, donated CPU time is not currently needed for tomography research. But the infrastructure is still in place, De Carlo said, and could one day be used again to accommodate increasing amounts of data generated at the APS.
— Jennifer Ann Hutt
Dale Knutson has been named director of Argonne's Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA), a project early in the planning stages.
Research at the extremes of nuclear physics will be RIA's mission once it is approved and built by the Department of Energy. RIA will create and accelerate beams of short-lived, unstable nuclei — the ultra-dense cores of atoms that may spontaneously disintegrate in a fraction of a second.
The billion-dollar project could begin construction in 2005, and the user facility will draw an estimated 2,000 scientists from research institutions around the world. Many are already involved in RIA planning.
Knutson has most recently served as technical group and laboratory manager for radiochemical science and engineering at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington.
Argonne deputy director Bev Hartline said that Knutson "brings expertise in project management and an impressive track record of building and leading teams able to deliver the desired technical capability within budget and on schedule. He will be a real asset to Argonne and to RIA."
Knutson said he is looking forward to the challenge of bringing RIA to Argonne and seeing it successfully built. "The basic building blocks are already here," he said. "RIA will be a truly unique user facility, requiring a collaborative effort to accomplish. The results discovered here may redefine physics for years to come, and it's exciting to bring a meritorious project like RIA to life."
The 13th "mini-symposium" highlighting laboratory-directed research and development (LDRD) projects will be held Thursday, Dec. 12, from 2-3:30 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 402, Conference Room A1100.
All employees whose schedules permit are invited to attend. The agenda includes:
2 p.m. — "Assembly and
Properties of Cluster-Based Nanoparticles," by Stephen Riley (CHM)
2:15 p.m. — "Short Wavelength
Extension of Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE)" by Stephen Milton (ASD)
2:30 p.m. — "Robotic-Based
Precision Sample Handling System for X-Ray Analysis" by Deming Shu (XFD)
2:45 p.m. — Break.
3 p.m. — "HEIGHTS Target
Simulation for the Neutrino Factory and RIA Initiatives at Argonne" by Ahmed Hassanein (ET)
3:15 p.m. — "Development of
Ultra-Fast X-Ray Streak-Camera and Timing Equipment" by Jin Wang (XFD)
3:30 p.m. — Adjourn
Photo badges for Argonne-East's temporary employees with an expiration date of December 2002 will be exchanged at the Building 213 Cafeteria from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, through Wednesday, Dec. 11.
After Dec. 11, badges will be available for exchange at Building 224, the Argonne Information Center.
The new badges will be required for site access effective Jan. 15, 2003. It is necessary to
turn in the old badge to receive the new one. This badge exchange does not include employees with standard blue, yellow or gray badges, or APS users.
For more information call Ben Clement (OSS) at ext. 2-5757.
Conveyor chain pins coated with "Near-Frictionless Carbon" (NFC) performed well during recent tests at a large automotive assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario.
The super-slick coating, developed by Materials scientist Ali Erdemir (ET) and recently approved by the U.S. Patent Office, may extend the life of conveyor chains and reduce the need for potentially harmful organic lubricants.
S&G Technologies conducted industrial tests with NFC coated pins and designed a nylon bushing that cushions the interface between links of chain and the pins that connect them. At present, the coating and nylon bushings are not available commercially. For more information, visit the Office of Technology Transfer's Web site.
Sodexho has a trio of specials lined up for the holiday season at Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
Fannie May candy will be available for
purchase from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Friday, Dec. 13.
A Christmas buffet of prime rib, fish
and all the fixings will be offered from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.
New to-go items are now available.
They are located in the cooler near the entrance to the serving area.
A demonstration and tasting of holiday cooking will be held at the Argonne Guest House Monday, Dec. 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Argonne Guest House Executive Chef Chris Kaminsky's menu will include artichoke pancakes with goat cheese, smoked salmon bisquets and saffron risotto cakes. Those who attend can taste the results.
Class size is limited. Cost is $25 per person, cash, check or charge, due at registration. Register in person at the Guest House, or mail checks to Kathy, Building 460.
Registration is due by Monday, Dec. 9. For more information, call ext. 5-2006.
Closed Dec. 19
The Guest House Restaurant will be closed at lunchtime Thursday, Dec. 19 due a special event.
The last issue of Argonne News in 2002 will be Monday, Dec. 16. The deadline for the first issue of the new year, on Monday, Jan. 13, will be Monday, Jan. 6.
The Argonne News Web site will be updated Monday, Jan. 6.
The Argonne Pioneers will sell patriotic pens and travel alarm clocks at Argonne-East Thursday, Dec. 12, and Friday, Dec. 13.
The items will be available in the Building 213 Cafeteria lobby from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Both have the Pioneers' running deer and Argonne logos.
The Argonne Choral group will sing holiday songs Wednesday, Dec. 11, at noon in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria, at 1:30 p.m. in the Argonne Credit Union and at 2 p.m. in the lobby of Building 201.
The group started as an octet 22 years ago and has grown to an expected 25 participants this season. Harry Bell (PFS) has been the group's only director.
A representative from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) will visit Argonne-East Tuesday, Dec. 17, to meet with individual employees for insurance comparisons and quotes for the "METPAY" group automobile and homeowners insurance program.
To schedule an appointment, call (630) 810-0346, ext. 143.