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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Series-nonuniform rational B-spline signal feedback: From chaos to any embedded periodic orbit or target point

The self-controlling feedback control method requires an external periodic oscillator with special design, which is technically challenging. This paper proposes a chaos control method based on time series non-uniform rational B-splines (SNURBS for short) signal feedback. It first builds the chaos phase diagram or chaotic attractor with the sampled chaotic time series and any target orbit can then be explicitly chosen according to the actual demand. Second, we use the discrete timing sequence selected from the specific target orbit to build the corresponding external SNURBS chaos periodic signal, whose difference from the system current output is used as the feedback control signal. Finally, by properly adjusting the feedback weight, we can quickly lead the system to an expected status. We demonstrate both the effectiveness and efficiency of our method by applying it to two classic chaotic systems, i.e., the Van der Pol oscillator and the Lorenz chaotic system. Further, our experimental results show that compared with delayed feedback control, our method takes less time to obtain the target point or periodic orbit (from the starting point) and that its parameters can be fine-tuned more easily.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE EFFECTS OF X-RAY FEEDBACK FROM ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI ON HOST GALAXY EVOLUTION

Hydrodynamic simulations of galaxies with active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have typically employed feedback that is purely local, i.e., an injection of energy to the immediate neighborhood of the black hole (BH). We perform GADGET-2 simulations of massive elliptical galaxies with an additional feedback component: an observationally calibrated X-ray radiation field which emanates from the BH and heats gas out to large radii from the galaxy center. We find that including the heating and radiation pressure associated with this X-ray flux in our simulations enhances the effects which are commonly reported from AGN feedback. This new feedback model is twice as effective as traditional feedback at suppressing star formation, produces three times less star formation in the last 6 Gyr, and modestly lowers the final BH mass (30%). It is also significantly more effective than an X-ray background in reducing the number of satellite galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EXACT SOLUTION TO FINITE TEMPERATURE SFDM: NATURAL CORES WITHOUT FEEDBACK

Recent high-quality observations of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies have shown that their dark matter (DM) halos prefer flat central density profiles. However, the standard cold dark matter model simulations predict a more cuspy behavior. One mechanism used to reconcile the simulations with the observed data is the feedback from star formation. While this mechanism may be successful in isolated dwarf galaxies, its success in LSB galaxies remains unclear. Additionally, the inclusion of too much feedback in the simulations is a double-edged sword-in order to obtain a cored DM distribution from an initially cuspy one, the feedback recipes usually require one to remove a large quantity of baryons from the center of the galaxies; however, some feedback recipes produce twice the number of satellite galaxies of a given luminosity and with much smaller mass-to-light ratios from those that are observed. Therefore, one DM profile that produces cores naturally and that does not require large amounts of feedback would be preferable. We find both requirements to be satisfied in the scalar field dark matter model. Here, we consider that DM is an auto-interacting real scalar field in a thermal bath at temperature T with an initial Z {sub 2} symmetric potential. As the universe expands, the temperature drops so that the Z {sub 2} symmetry is spontaneously broken and the field rolls down to a new minimum. We give an exact analytic solution to the Newtonian limit of this system, showing that it can satisfy the two desired requirements and that the rotation curve profile is no longer universal.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE INTERSTELLAR BUBBLES OF G38.9-0.4 AND THE IMPACT OF STELLAR FEEDBACK ON STAR FORMATION

We present a study of the star formation (SF) region G38.9-0.4 using publicly available multiwavelength Galactic plane surveys from ground- and space-based observatories. This region is composed of four bright mid-IR bubbles and numerous infrared dark clouds. Two bubbles, N 74 and N 75, each host a star cluster anchored by a single O9.5V star. We identified 162 young stellar objects (YSOs) and classify 54 as stage I, 7 as stage II, 6 as stage III, and 32 as ambiguous. We do not detect the classical signposts of triggered SF, i.e., star-forming pillars or YSOs embedded within bubble rims. We conclude that feedback-triggered SF has not occurred in G38.9-0.4. The YSOs are preferentially coincident with infrared dark clouds. This leads to a strong correlation between areal YSO mass surface density and gas mass surface density with a power law slope near 1.3, which closely matches the Schmidt-Kennicutt Law. The correlation is similar inside and outside the bubbles and may mean that the SF efficiency is neither enhanced nor suppressed in regions potentially influenced by stellar feedback. This suggests that gas density, regardless of how it is collected, is a more important driver of SF than stellar feedback. Larger studies should be able to quantify the fraction of all SF that is feedback-triggered by determining the fraction SF, feedback-compressed gas surrounding H II regions relative to that already present in molecular clouds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The role of stellar feedback in the dynamics of H II regions

Stellar feedback is often cited as the biggest uncertainty in galaxy formation models today. This uncertainty stems from a dearth of observational constraints as well as the great dynamic range between the small scales (≲1 pc) where the feedback originates and the large scales of galaxies (≳1 kpc) that are shaped by this feedback. To bridge this divide, in this paper we aim to assess observationally the role of stellar feedback at the intermediate scales of H II regions (∼10-100 pc). In particular, we employ multiwavelength data to examine several stellar feedback mechanisms in a sample of 32 H II regions (with ages ∼3-10 Myr) in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, respectively. Using optical, infrared, radio, and X-ray images, we measure the pressures exerted on the shells from the direct stellar radiation, the dust-processed radiation, the warm ionized gas, and the hot X-ray-emitting gas. We find that the warm ionized gas dominates over the other terms in all of the sources, although two have comparable dust-processed radiation pressures to their warm gas pressures. The hot gas pressures are comparatively weak, while the direct radiation pressures are one to two orders of magnitude below the other terms. We discuss the implications of these results, particularly highlighting evidence for hot gas leakage from the H II shells and regarding the momentum deposition from the dust-processed radiation to the warm gas. Furthermore, we emphasize that similar observational work should be done on very young H II regions to test whether direct radiation pressure and hot gas can drive the dynamics at early times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development of electron source feedback for enhanced X-ray beam stability at NSLS-II

Future synchrotron light sources are being designed to deliver significantly higher brightness and coherence, enabling faster scanning and more advanced imaging techniques. However, realizing these capabilities requires improved X-ray beam stability, as vibrations directly limit measurement accuracy and image quality. At the NSLS-II Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (HXN), a local mechanical feedback system mitigates low-frequency motion but provides only limited suppression of dominant vibrations at 27 Hz and 120 Hz. To address this limitation, this work explores the use of the electron beam itself as the actuator for feedback by integrating X-ray beam position monitor signals into the fast orbit feedback system through a dedicated electrometer. Experimental results show that this approach effectively suppresses the dominant vibration peaks and enhances stability at the focusing point. Benchmark ptychography measurements further confirm that electron-beam-based feedback reduces background fluctuations and mitigates vibration-induced artifacts under fast-scanning conditions. These results establish the feasibility of using the electron beam as a feedback actuator for next-generation synchrotron applications and provide an experimental assessment of its potential and limitations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observational Constraints on the Cloud Feedback Pattern Effect

Abstract Model evidence for the “pattern effect” assumes that global climate models (GCMs) faithfully simulate how clouds respond to varying sea surface temperature (SST) patterns and associated meteorological perturbations. We exploit time-invariant satellite-based estimates of the sensitivity of marine low clouds to meteorological perturbations to estimate how these clouds responded to time-varying SST patterns and meteorology between 1870 and 2014. GCMs and reanalyses provide estimates of the historical meteorological changes. Observations suggest that increasing estimated inversion strength (EIS) between 1980 and 2014 produced a negative low cloud feedback, opposite to the positive feedback expected from increasing CO 2 . This indicates that the processes responsible for marine cloud changes from 1980 to the near present are distinct from those associated with an increase in CO 2 . We also observationally constrain the difference between the historical near-global marine low cloud feedback, , and that arising from increasing CO 2 , . We find that this cloud feedback pattern effect depends strongly on time period and reanalysis dataset, and that varying changes in EIS and SST with warming explain much of its variability. Between 1980 and 2014, we estimate that (90% confidence) assuming meteorological changes from the Multiple Reanalysis Ensemble, implying a total pattern effect (that arising from all climate feedbacks) of 1.86 ± 0.45 W m −2 K −1 . This observational evidence corroborates previous quantitative estimates of the pattern effect, which heretofore relied largely upon GCM-based cloud changes. However, disparate historical meteorological changes across individual reanalyses contribute to considerable uncertainty in its magnitude.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Residential Feedback Devices and Programs: Opportunities for Natural Gas

Behavior-based approaches have been a growing interest in the energy efficiency field over recent years and the use of residential energy feedback has garnered particular interest. By providing an increased level of detail, feedback can greatly increase a consumer's understanding of how energy is used in their home. This project reviewed the existing body of research on electricity feedback to identify parallel lessons for gas, discussed the benefits and challenges of different types of feedback, and identifying three feedback options that show strong potential for natural gas savings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2012

Residential Feedback Devices and Programs: Opportunities for Natural Gas

Behavior-based approaches have been a growing interest in the energy efficiency field over recent years and the use of residential energy feedback has garnered particular interest. By providing an increased level of detail, feedback can greatly increase a consumer’s understanding of how energy is used in their home. This project reviewed the existing body of research on electricity feedback to identify parallel lessons for gas, discussed the benefits and challenges of different types of feedback, and identifying three feedback options that show strong potential for natural gas savings.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2016

MASS TRANSPORT AND TURBULENCE IN GRAVITATIONALLY UNSTABLE DISK GALAXIES. II. THE EFFECTS OF STAR FORMATION FEEDBACK

Self-gravity and stellar feedback are capable of driving turbulence and transporting mass and angular momentum in disk galaxies, but the balance between them is not well understood. In the previous paper in this series, we showed that gravity alone can drive turbulence in galactic disks, regulate their Toomre Q parameters to ∼1, and transport mass inwards at a rate sufficient to fuel star formation in the centers of present-day galaxies. In this paper we extend our models to include the effects of star formation feedback. We show that feedback suppresses galaxies’ star formation rates by a factor of ∼5 and leads to the formation of a multi-phase atomic and molecular interstellar medium. Both the star formation rate and the phase balance produced in our simulations agree well with observations of nearby spirals. After our galaxies reach steady state, we find that the inclusion of feedback actually lowers the gas velocity dispersion slightly compared to the case of pure self-gravity, and also slightly reduces the rate of inward mass transport. Nevertheless, we find that, even with feedback included, our galactic disks self-regulate to Q ∼ 1, and transport mass inwards at a rate sufficient to supply a substantial fraction of the inner disk star formation. We argue that gravitational instability is therefore likely to be the dominant source of turbulence and transport in galactic disks, and that it is responsible for fueling star formation in the inner parts of galactic disks over cosmological times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2013

Effects of Type and Strength of Force Feedback on Movement Time in a Target Selection Task

Future cockpits will likely include new onboard technologies, such as cockpit displays of traffic information, to help support future flight deck roles and responsibilities. These new technologies may benefit from multimodal feedback to aid pilot information processing. The current study investigated the effects of multiple levels of force feedback on operator performance in an aviation task. Participants were presented with two different types of force feedback (gravitational and spring force feedback) for a discrete targeting task, with multiple levels of gain examined for each force feedback type. Approach time and time in target were recorded. Results suggested that the two highest levels of gravitational force significantly reduced approach times relative to the lowest level of gravitational force. Spring force level only affected time in target. Implications of these findings for the design of future cockpit displays will be discussed.

CDTI↗
NASA NTRS2021

Observational Constraint on Cloud Feedbacks Suggests Moderate Climate Sensitivity

Global climate models (GCMs) predict warming in response to increasing greenhouse gases, partly due to decreased tropical low-level cloud cover and reflectance. We use satellite observations that discriminate stratocumulus (Sc) from shallow cumulus (Cu) clouds to separately evaluate their sensitivity to warming and constrain the tropical contribution to low-cloud feedback. We find an observationally inferred low-level feedback two times smaller than a previous estimate. Cu are insensitive to warming whereas GCMs exhibit a large positive cloud feedback in Cu regions. In contrast, Sc show sensitivity to warming and the tropical inversion layer strength, controlled by the tropical Pacific SST gradient. Models fail to reproduce the historical SST gradient trends and therefore changes in inversion strength, generating an overestimate of the positive Sc cloud feedback. Continued weak east-Pacific warming would therefore produce a weaker low-cloud feedback and imply a more moderate climate sensitivity (3.47  0.33 K) than many models predict.

Cloud feedback↗
NASA NTRS2019

ESD Reviews: Climate Feedbacks in the Earth System and Prospects for Their Evaluation

Earth system models (ESMs) are key tools for providing climate projections under different scenarios of human-induced forcing. ESMs include a large number of additional processes and feedbacks such as biogeochemical cycles that traditional physical climate models do not consider. Yet, some processes such as cloud dynamics and ecosystem functional response still have fairly high uncertainties. In this article, we present an overview of climate feedbacks for Earth system components currently included in state-of-the-art ESMs and discuss the challenges to evaluate and quantify them. Uncertainties in feedback quantification arise from the interdependencies of biogeochemical matter fluxes and physical properties, the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of processes, and the lack of long-term continuous observational data to constrain them. We present an outlook for promising approaches that can help to quantify and to constrain the large number of feedbacks in ESMs in the future. The target group for this article includes generalists with a background in natural sciences and an interest in climate change as well as experts working in interdisciplinary climate research (researchers, lecturers, and students). This study updates and significantly expands upon the last comprehensive overview of climate feedbacks in ESMs, which was produced 15 years ago (NRC, 2003).

Climate feedbacks↗
DOE OSTI2011

SuperB Bunch-By-Bunch Feedback R&D

The SuperB project has the goal to build in Italy, in the Frascati or Tor Vergata area, an asymmetric e{sup +}/e{sup -} Super Flavor Factory to achieve a peak luminosity > 10**36 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}. The SuperB design is based on collisions with extremely low vertical emittance beams and high beam currents. A source of emittance growth comes from the bunch by bunch feedback systems producing high power correction signals to damp the beams. To limit any undesirable effect, a large R&D program is in progress, partially funded by the INFN Fifth National Scientific Committee through the SFEED (SuperB Feedback) project approved within the 2010 budget. The SuperB project [1] has the goal to build in Italy, in the Frascati or Tor Vergata area, an asymmetric e{sup +}/e{sup -} Super Flavor Factory to achieve a peak luminosity > 10**36 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}. In the last and current years, the machine layout has been deeply modified, in particular the main rings are now shorter and an option with high currents has been foreseen. In the fig.1 the new SuperB layout is shown. From bunch-by-bunch feedback point of view, the simultaneous presence in the machine parameters, of very low emittance, of the order of 5-10 pm in the vertical plane, and very high currents, at level of 4 Ampere for the Low Energy Ring, asks for designing very carefully the bunch-by-bunch feedback systems. The parameter list is presented in Fig. 2. The bunch-by-bunch feedback design must take care of the risky and exciting challenges proposed in the SuperB specifications, but it should consider also some other important aspects: flexibility in terms of being able to cope to unexpected beam behaviours [2], [3] legacy of previous version experience [4], [5] and internal powerful diagnostics [6] as in the systems previously used in PEP-II and DAFNE [7].

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Developing a theory of the societal lifecycle of cigarette smoking : explaining and anticipating trends using information feedback.

Cigarette smoking presented the most significant public health challenge in the United States in the 20th Century and remains the single most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in this country. A number of System Dynamics models exist that inform tobacco control policies. We reviewed them and discuss their contributions. We developed a theory of the societal lifecycle of smoking, using a parsimonious set of feedback loops to capture historical trends and explore future scenarios. Previous work did not explain the long-term historical patterns of smoking behaviors. Much of it used stock-and-flow to represent the decline in prevalence in the recent past. With noted exceptions, information feedbacks were not embedded in these models. We present and discuss our feedback-rich conceptual model and illustrate the results of a series of simulations. A formal analysis shows phenomena composed of different phases of behavior with specific dominant feedbacks associated with each phase. We discuss the implications of our society's current phase, and conclude with simulations of what-if scenarios. Because System Dynamics models must contain information feedback to be able to anticipate tipping points and to help identify policies that exploit leverage in a complex system, we expanded this body of work to provide an endogenous representation of the century-long societal lifecycle of smoking.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Spatial homogenization of thermal feedback regions in Monte Carlo reactor calculations

An integrated thermal-hydraulic feedback module has previously been developed for the Monte Carlo transport solver, MC21. The module incorporates a flexible input format that allows the user to describe heat transfer and coolant flow paths within the geometric model at any level of spatial detail desired. The effect that the varying levels of spatial homogenization of thermal regions has on the accuracy of the Monte Carlo simulations is examined in this study. Six thermal feedback mappings are constructed from the same geometric model of the Calvert Cliffs core. The spatial homogenization of the thermal regions is varied, giving each scheme a different level of detail, and the adequacy of the spatial homogenization is determined based on the eigenvalue produced by each Monte Carlo calculation. The purpose of these numerical experiments is to determine the level of detail necessarily to accurately capture the thermal feedback effect on reactivity. Several different core models are considered: axial-flow only, axial and lateral flow, asymmetry due to control rod insertion, and fuel heating (temperature -dependent cross sections). The thermal results generated by the MC21 thermal feedback module are consistent with expectations. Based upon the numerical experiments conducted it is concluded that the amount of spatial detail necessary to accurately capture the feedback effect on reactivity is relatively small. Homogenization at the assembly level for the Calvert Cliffs PWR model results in a similar power defect to that calculated with individual pin-cells modeled as explicit thermal regions. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Robust control of a family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems via continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback

Summary The problem of global robust stabilization is studied by both continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback for a family of nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems with uncertainty. The uncertain nonlinear system considered in this paper has an interconnect structure consisting of a driving system and a possibly unstable zero dynamics with uncertainty, ie, the uncertain driven system. Under a linear growth condition on the uncertain zero dynamics and a Lipschitz condition on the driving system, we show that it is possible to globally robustly stabilize the family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems by a single continuous‐time or a sampled‐data output feedback controller. The sampled‐data output feedback controller is designed by using the emulated versions of a continuous‐time observer and a state feedback controller, ie, by holding the input/output signals constant over each sampling interval. The design of either continuous‐time or sampled‐data output compensator uses only the information of the nominal system of the uncertain controlled plant. In the case of sampled‐data control, global robust stability of the hybrid closed‐loop system with uncertainty is established by means of a feedback domination method together with the robustness of the nominal closed‐loop system if the sampling time is small enough.

Lin, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2013

Self-Management of Patient Body Position, Pose, and Motion Using Wide-Field, Real-Time Optical Measurement Feedback: Results of a Volunteer Study

Purpose: We present the results of a clinical feasibility study, performed in 10 healthy volunteers undergoing a simulated treatment over 3 sessions, to investigate the use of a wide-field visual feedback technique intended to help patients control their pose while reducing motion during radiation therapy treatment. Methods and Materials: An optical surface sensor is used to capture wide-area measurements of a subject's body surface with visualizations of these data displayed back to them in real time. In this study we hypothesize that this active feedback mechanism will enable patients to control their motion and help them maintain their setup pose and position. A capability hierarchy of 3 different level-of-detail abstractions of the measured surface data is systematically compared. Results: Use of the device enabled volunteers to increase their conformance to a reference surface, as measured by decreased variability across their body surfaces. The use of visual feedback also enabled volunteers to reduce their respiratory motion amplitude to 1.7 ± 0.6 mm compared with 2.7 ± 1.4 mm without visual feedback. Conclusions: The use of live feedback of their optically measured body surfaces enabled a set of volunteers to better manage their pose and motion when compared with free breathing. The method is suitable to be taken forward to patient studies.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗