REMOTE, WIRELESS MONITORING OF POSITRON ESCAPE FOR GAUGING TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN

THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE MONITORING OF STRAINS AND TEMPERATURES BASED ON THE UNIQUE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF POSITRONS AT METAL SURFACES. UNLIKE BOUND ELECTRONS, POSITRONS ARE OFTEN ACTIVELY EXPELLED FROM METALS DUE TO A NET NEGATIVE WORK FUNCTION THAT CAN BE SENSITIVE TO STRAINTEMPERATURE. SOURCES CAN BE INEXPENSIVELY CREATED INSIDE A METAL COMPONENT BY ACCELERATOR ACTIVATION. THE FRACTION OF POSITRONS LEAVING THE SURFACE WOULD BE AFFECTED BY A NUMBER OF STRAIN OR TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE VARIABLES SUCH AS WORK FUNCTION, DEFECT DENSITY, GRAIN-BOUNDARY SIZE, AND CONDUCTIVITY. THUS, MONITORING OF ANNIHILATION GAMMA RAYS AWAY FROM THE ACTIVATED SURFACE WILL INDICATE STRAIN OR TEMPERATURE AS IN CONVENTIONAL SENSORS BUT AT MUCH HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND WITH NONE OF THE DISADVANTAGES THAT CHARACTERIZE ELECTRICAL OR OPTICAL FIBER CONNECTIONS. THIS WOULD BE IDEAL FOR OPERATING HIGH-TEMPERATURE ENGINES, PARTICULARLY ON ROTATING PARTS. REFRACTORY MATERIALS COULD BE USED AT EXTREMELY HIGH TEMPERATURES, OVER 2000 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. RAPIDITY OF MEASUREMENT WOULD BE A FUNCTION OF SOURCE STRENGTH, BUT QUITE MODEST SOURCES THAT DO NOT INVOLVE ANY HAZARD OR SPECIAL HANDLING COULD PRODUCE RELIABLE MEASUREMENTS EVERY 10 TO 20 SECONDS. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE MONITORING OF STRAINS AND TEMPERATURES BASED ON THE UNIQUE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF POSITRONS AT METAL SURFACES. UNLIKE BOUND ELECTRONS, POSITRONS ARE OFTEN ACTIVELY EXPELLED FROM METALS DUE TO A NET NEGATIVE WORK FUNCTION THAT CAN BE SENSITIVE TO STRAINTEMPERATURE. SOURCES CAN BE INEXPENSIVELY CREATED INSIDE A METAL COMPONENT BY ACCELERATOR ACTIVATION. THE FRACTION OF POSITRONS LEAVING THE SURFACE WOULD BE AFFECTED BY A NUMBER OF STRAIN OR TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE VARIABLES SUCH AS WORK FUNCTION, DEFECT DENSITY, GRAIN-BOUNDARY SIZE, AND CONDUCTIVITY. THUS, MONITORING OF ANNIHILATION GAMMA RAYS AWAY FROM THE ACTIVATED SURFACE WILL INDICATE STRAIN OR TEMPERATURE AS IN CONVENTIONAL SENSORS BUT AT MUCH HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND WITH NONE OF THE DISADVANTAGES THAT CHARACTERIZE ELECTRICAL OR OPTICAL FIBER CONNECTIONS. THIS WOULD BE IDEAL FOR OPERATING HIGH-TEMPERATURE ENGINES, PARTICULARLY ON ROTATING PARTS. REFRACTORY MATERIALS COULD BE USED AT EXTREMELY HIGH TEMPERATURES, OVER 2000 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. RAPIDITY OF MEASUREMENT WOULD BE A FUNCTION OF SOURCE STRENGTH, BUT QUITE MODEST SOURCES THAT DO NOT INVOLVE ANY HAZARD OR SPECIAL HANDLING COULD PRODUCE RELIABLE MEASUREMENTS EVERY 10 TO 20 SECONDS.