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Liu, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Liu, K..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

The design and construction of the Chips water Cherenkov neutrino detector

Chips (CHerenkov detectors In mine PitS) was a prototype large-scale water Cherenkov detector located in northern Minnesota. The main aim of the R&D project was to demonstrate that construction costs of neutrino oscillation detectors could be reduced by at least an order of magnitude compared to other equivalent experiments. This article presents design features of the Chips detector along with details of the implementation and deployment of the prototype. While issues during and after the deployment of the detector prevented data taking, a number of key concepts and designs were successfully demonstrated.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Letter of Intent for a Drell-Yan experiment with a polarized proton target

It is well known that the proton is a spin-1/2 particle, but how the constituents (quarks and gluons) assemble to this quantized spin is still a mystery. There is a worldwide effort to map out the individual contributions to the proton spin. It is established that the quark spins contribute around 30%, while the gluon intrinsic angular momentum is still under active investigation at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Fully resolving the proton spin puzzle requires information on the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of both quarks and gluons. Recent studies have shown that the so-called transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) can inform us about the OAM of the partons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sensitivity of puff dynamics and airborne droplet nuclei distribution to variations in violent expiration events

Here, we use large eddy simulations to investigate the puff and droplet dynamics from violent expiratory events such as coughs and sneezes in the first few seconds following an ejection. For each of the eleven simulations considered, over 60,000 droplets are ejected and individually tracked using the point-particle Euler–Lagrange approach. We test the sensitivity of the puff and droplet dynamics to various parameters including the ejection volume, momentum, and orientation. We also explore the effect of the mouth shape on the aforementioned dynamics by considering elliptical and circular inlet cross-sections. The results from the simulations compare favorably with a recent theoretical framework put forth by Balachandar et al. in terms of the puff size and propagation velocity. More importantly however, the theory is able to accurately predict the number and size spectra of the potentially virus-laden droplet nuclei that remain airborne within the puff. We observe that the ejection angle and mouth shape do not significantly affect the puff and droplet dynamics. Additionally, we quantify the carrying capacity of the detached puff portions in terms of the number and size spectra of droplets/droplet nuclei suspended within.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigation of theoretical scaling laws using large eddy simulations for airborne spreading of viral contagion from sneezing and coughing

Using a set of large eddy point-particle simulations, we explore the fluid dynamics of an ejected puff resulting from a cough/sneeze. The ejection contains over 61,000 potentially virus-laden droplets at an injection Reynolds number of about 46,000, comparable to an actual cough/ sneeze. We observe that global puff properties, such as centroid, puff volume, momentum, and buoyancy vary little across realizations. Other properties, such as maximum extent, shape, and edge velocity of the puff, may exhibit substantial variation. In many realizations, a portion of the puff splits off and advances along a random direction, while keeping airborne droplet nuclei afloat. This peeled-off portion provides a mechanism for virus-laden droplets to travel over large distances in a short amount of time. We also observe that the vast majority of droplets remain suspended within the puff after all liquid has evaporated. The main objectives of the study are to (i) evaluate assumptions of Balachandar’s et al. theory [Int. J. Multiphase Flow 132, 103439 (2020)], which include buoyancy effects, shape of the puff, and droplet evaporation rate, (ii) obtain values of closure parameters, which include location and time of the virtual origin, and puff entrainment and drag coefficients, and (iii) evaluate the accuracy of the theory in predicting the shape, size, and location of the puff, as well as droplet number density long after ejection. The theory adequately predicts global puff properties including size, velocity, and distance traveled, the largest size of droplets that exit the puff due to settling, and the droplet size distribution within the puff long after ejection.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigation of turbulent inflow specification in Euler–Lagrange simulations of mid-field spray

The process of atomization of a liquid jet by a parallel high-speed gas stream results in a spray, whose downstream development is of considerable interest to several applications. The round jet spray can be spatially divided into (i) a near-field (near-nozzle) region of liquid atomization and (ii) a downstream mid-field region of fully-dispersed droplets. In order to accurately model mid-field droplet dispersion, this work aims at developing a rigorous and robust injection model for Euler–Lagrange spray simulations. Results from experiments are used to obtain the relevant droplet number density, size distribution, and mean and standard deviation velocity distributions of the injection model, systematically in a step-by-step process. Two-phase large eddy simulations are performed by stochastically generating the Lagrangian droplets at the inlet of the mid-field region. Number flux, diameter distribution, mean velocity, and other time-averaged statistics at several downstream locations are shown to agree well with the corresponding experimental data.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Toward particle-resolved accuracy in Euler–Lagrange simulations of multiphase flow using machine learning and pairwise interaction extended point-particle (PIEP) approximation

This study presents two different machine learning approaches for the modeling of hydrodynamic force on particles in a particle-laden multiphase flow. Results from particle-resolved direct numerical simulations (PR-DNS) of flow over a random array of stationary particles for eight combinations of particle Reynolds number (Re) and volume fraction (φ) are used in the development of the models. The first approach follows a two-step process. In the first flow prediction step, the perturbation flow due to a particle is obtained as an axisymmetric superposable wake using linear regression. In the second force prediction step, the force on a particle is evaluated in terms of the perturbation flow induced by all its neighbors using the generalized Faxén form of the force expression. In the second approach, the force data on all the particles from the PR-DNS simulations are used to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model for direct prediction of force on a particle. Due to the unavoidable limitation on the number of fully resolved particles in the PR-DNS simulations, direct force prediction with the ANN model tends to over-fit the data and performs poorly in the prediction of test data. In contrast, due to the millions of grid points used in the PR-DNS simulations, accurate flow prediction is possible, which then allows accurate prediction of particle force. This hybridization of multiphase physics and machine learning is particularly important, since it blends the strength of each, and the resulting pairwise interaction extended point-particle model cannot be developed by either physics or machine learning alone.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Deformation mechanisms and ductile fracture characteristics of a friction stir processed transformative high entropy alloy

Deformation mechanisms of a friction stir processed Fe 40 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 transformative high entropy alloy using three different process parameters were studied to explain the microstructural dependence of tensile response in these specimens. The relative strain hardening contribution due to transformation and twinning effects was different for the three different microstructural conditions and thus resulted in different magnitude of work hardening. Crystal plasticity simulations confirmed that synergistic activity of face centered cubic and hexagonal close packed slip and twin mechanisms resulted in sustained work hardening and enhanced uniform elongation. The non-uniform ductility and extent of void nucleation and growth in these specimens were limited. Nevertheless, fractography and X-ray microscopy of fractured tensile specimens verified that microstructural flexibility induced different propensities for void growth and ductile fracture mode. Thus, alloy design induced phase stability, adaptive phase evolution due to friction stir processing, extent and kinetics of martensitic transformation and related work hardening capability of the individual phases combined together to determine the overall tensile response. The crystallographic orientation dependence of deformation induced phase transformation was also thoroughly studied. Finally, this study included quantitative determination of the crystallographic orientation where resolved shear stress on leading and trailing partial dislocations favored separation of the partials to cause transformation at a critical value of applied stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Hyperpolarized relaxometry based nuclear T 1 noise spectroscopy in diamond

The origins of spin lifetimes in quantum systems is a matter of importance in several areas of quantum information. Spectrally mapping spin relaxation processes provides insight into their origin and motivates methods to mitigate them. In this paper, we map nuclear relaxation in a prototypical system of 13 C nuclei in diamond coupled to Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers over a wide field range (1 mT-7 T). Nuclear hyperpolarization through optically pumped NV electrons allows signal measurement savings exceeding million-fold over conventional methods. Through a systematic study with varying substitutional electron (P1 center) and 13 C concentrations, we identify the operational relaxation channels for the nuclei at different fields as well as the dominant role played by 13 C coupling to the interacting P1 electronic spin bath. These results motivate quantum control techniques for dissipation engineering to boost spin lifetimes in diamond, with applications including engineered quantum memories and hyperpolarized 13 C imaging.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

The SeaQuest spectrometer at Fermilab

The SeaQuest spectrometer at Fermilab was designed to detect oppositely-charged pairs of muons (dimuons) produced by interactions between a 120 GeV proton beam and liquid hydrogen, liquid deuterium and solid nuclear targets. The primary physics program uses the Drell–Yan process to probe antiquark distributions in the target nucleon. The spectrometer consists of a target system, two dipole magnets and four detector stations. The upstream magnet is a closed-aperture solid iron magnet which also serves as the beam dump, while the second magnet is an open aperture magnet. Each of the detector stations consists of scintillator hodoscopes and a high-resolution tracking device. The FPGA-based trigger compares the hodoscope signals to a set of pre-programmed roads to determine if the event contains oppositely-signed, high-mass muon pairs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Optical power dependence of capacitance in uni-traveling-carrier photodetectors

Optical power dependence of capacitance in uni-traveling-carrier photodetectors is analyzed by founding a differential capacitance model. The trend of capacitance variation against optical power by simulation gets a good agreement with the measured results. The relationship between light-intensity-dependent capacitance and DC saturation characteristics of the device is also investigated at different collection layer thicknesses. The optical power at the maximum point of capacitance is near that at the DC saturation point. With the thickness of collection layer increasing, the maximum capacitance decreases and optical power at capacitance maximum point also becomes small.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Test-Particle Simulations of Linear and Nonlinear Interactions Between a 2-D Whistler-Mode Wave Packet and Radiation Belt Electrons

Using test-particle simulations, we describe (in 2-D) the interaction of an ensemble of electrons with a discrete whistler-mode wave packet, which propagates with a moderate wave-normal angle with respect to the background magnetic field. We evaluate both the average transport coefficients used in quasi-linear diffusion transport and also the full nonlinear wave-particle interactions. The magnitude of the calculated diffusion coefficients is found to increase proportionally to the wave amplitude squared, in agreement with quasi-linear diffusion theory. Cyclotron resonance of counterstreaming electrons (n = 1 harmonic number) is more important for pitch angle scattering than Landau resonance. Landau resonance of costreaming electrons (n = 0) is comparable to cyclotron resonance for energy diffusion and advection. Strong acceleration of high pitch angle, costreaming electrons arises in nonlinear wave-particle interactions with high-amplitude waves. In our simulations with zero parallel electric field, the energy source for electron acceleration is the wave’s perpendicular electric field, in both the cyclotron and Landau resonances. The Landau resonance can happen even with zero parallel electric field, if the wave packet propagates with a finite wave-normal angle. This resonance between the particle’s azimuthal velocity and the wave fields leads to trapping and substantial parallel acceleration.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Ni content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metal with both-side submerged arc welding technique

Highlights: • This manuscript primarily studied the effects of Ni content on the K65 weld metals; • Increase Ni content could significantly improve the strength and low temperature impact toughness of the weld metal. • The beneficial effect of Ni is attributed to its positive effect on phase transformation. • GBF keeps K-S or N-W relations only with one austenite and the variants belong to the same bain group are two reasons. • The M/A islands are considered to be another reason for the reduced toughness. - Abstract: The effects of nickel (Ni) content on the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution in the weld metals of commercial K65 oil and gas pipeline steel were studied. Increase Ni content could significantly improve the strength and low temperature impact toughness (−40 °C and −60 °C) of the weld metal. The above influences of Ni were attributed to the formation of predominant acicular ferrite (AF), at the expense of grain boundary ferrite (GBF), ferrite side plates (FSP) and martensite/austenite (M/A) constituent in weld metal. EBSD results indicated that GBF keeps K-S or N-W relations only with the prior austensite grain that belongs to one side of the grain boundary and the variants belong to the same bain group which always forms low angle boundary. Moreover, the retained austenite as one part of M/A constituent was mainly found in the weld metal with lower Ni content. It indicated that the transformation process could be promoted more completely by the increase of Ni content. The mechanism of the toughness improvement brought by Ni increasing was ascribed to the relatively uniform transformation to final microstructure, which reduces the appearance of GBF and M/A constituents.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗