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At least 217 records · Page 12

Cosmological moduli and non-perturbative production of axions

Cosmological moduli generically come to dominate the energy density of the early universe, and thereby trigger an early matter dominated era. Such non-standard cosmological histories are expected to have profound effects on the evolution and production of axion cold dark matter and dark radiation, as well as their prospects for detection. We consider moduli-axion couplings and investigate the early history of the coupled system, considering closely the evolution of the homogeneous modulus field, the back-reaction from the axion, and the energy densities of the two fields. A particular point of interest is the enhancement of axion production from modulus decay, due to tachyonic and parametric resonant instabilities, and the implications of such production on the cosmological moduli problem, axion dark radiation, and the available parameter space for axion dark matter. Using an effective field theory approach, WKB-based semi-analytical analysis, and detailed numerical estimates of the co-evolution of the system, we evaluate the expected decay efficiency of the modulus to axions. The effects of higher-order operators are studied and implications for UV-complete frameworks such as the Large Volume Scenarios in Type IIB string theory are considered in detail.

Axions and ALPs↗

Revealing Three-Dimensional Morphology in Nanoporous Gold Using Three-Dimensional X-Ray Fresnel Coherent Diffractive Imaging Tomography

Nanoporous metals fabricated by dealloying have a unique bi-continuous, sponge-like porous structure with ultra-high surface area. The unique properties of these materials, especially nanoporous gold, have numerous potential applications in sensors and actuators and in energy-related applications such as catalytic materials, super-capacitors, and battery supports. The degree of porosity and size of the metal ligaments are critical parameters that determine many properties and thus govern the functionalities of nanoporous metals in many applications including energy storage and conversion. Additionally, we used Fresnel coherent diffractive imaging combined with tomographic reconstruction to quantify the nanoscale three-dimensional spatial distribution and homogeneity of the porosity and ligament size within a bulk sample of nanoporous gold. The average porosity and its standard deviation along the axial direction through the sample were determined, as well as the characteristic feature size and its standard deviation. The result shows that free corrosion is an effective way to create homogeneous nanoporous metals with sample sizes on the order of 1 µm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Approximating the linear response of physical chaos

Abstract Parametric derivatives of statistics are highly desired quantities in prediction, design optimization and uncertainty quantification. In the presence of chaos, the rigorous computation of these quantities is certainly possible, but mathematically complicated and computationally expensive. Based on Ruelle’s formalism, this paper shows that the sophisticated linear response algorithm can be dramatically simplified in higher-dimensional systems featuring statistical homogeneity in the physical space. We argue that the contribution of the SRB (Sinai–Ruelle–Bowen) measure gradient, which is an integral yet the most cumbersome part of the full algorithm, is negligible if the objective function is appropriately aligned with unstable manifolds. This abstract condition could potentially be satisfied by a vast family of real-world chaotic systems, regardless of the physical meaning and mathematical form of the objective function and perturbed parameter. We demonstrate several numerical examples that support these conclusions and that present the use and performance of a simplified linear response algorithm. In the numerical experiments, we consider physical models described by differential equations, including Lorenz 96 and Kuramoto–Sivashinsky.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of Joint Performance in Aluminum-Steel Lap Welds Formed by Friction Stir Dovetailing

Friction stir dovetailing (FSD) is a new dissimilar material joining process that simultaneously forms a mechanical interlock and metallurgical bond at the dissimilar material interface. This work presents development of a modeling and simulation approach to predict mechanical performance of FSD thick section aluminum to steel joints. A finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out in order to predict the load-carrying capacity and failure location for aluminum thicknesses between 12.7 mm and 50.8 mm with different numbers of dovetails. The numerical results and corresponding experimental investigation are in agreement and suggest that the developed methods can be used effectively for design and analysis of FSD joints using standard FEA tools.

Friction stir dovetailing, Friction stir welding, ↗

Reynolds-number scaling of wall-pressure–velocity correlations in wall-bounded turbulence

Wall-pressure fluctuations are a practically robust input for real-time control systems aimed at modifying wall-bounded turbulence. The scaling behaviour of the wall-pressure–velocity coupling requires investigation to properly design a controller with such input data so that it can actuate upon the desired turbulent structures. A comprehensive database from direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulent channel flow is used for this purpose, spanning a Reynolds-number range$Re_\tau \approx 550\unicode{x2013}5200$. Spectral analysis reveals that the streamwise velocity is most strongly coupled to the linear term of the wall pressure, at a Reynolds-number invariant distance-from-the-wall scaling of$\lambda _x/y \approx 14$(and$\lambda _x/y \approx 8$for the wall-normal velocity). When extending the analysis to both homogeneous directions in$x$and$y$, the peak coherence is centred at$\lambda _x/\lambda _z \approx 2$and$\lambda _x/\lambda _z \approx 1$for$p_w$and$u$, and$p_w$and$v$, respectively. A stronger coherence is retrieved when the quadratic term of the wall pressure is concerned, but there is only little evidence for a wall-attached-eddy type of scaling. An experimental dataset comprising simultaneous measurements of wall pressure and velocity complements the DNS-based findings at one value of$Re_\tau \approx 2$k, with ample evidence that the DNS-inferred correlations can be replicated with experimental pressure data subject to significant levels of (acoustic) facility noise. It is furthermore shown that velocity-state estimations can be achieved with good accuracy by including both the linear and quadratic terms of the wall pressure. An accuracy of up to 72 % in the binary state of the streamwise velocity fluctuations in the logarithmic region is achieved; this corresponds to a correlation coefficient of$\approx$0.6. This thus demonstrates that wall-pressure sensing for velocity-state estimation – e.g. for use in real-time control of wall-bounded turbulence – has merit in terms of its realization at a range of Reynolds numbers.

Mechanics↗

Magnetic potential based formulation for linear and non-linear 3D RF sheath simulation

Abstract This paper reports a new numerical scheme to simulate the radio-frequency (RF) induced RF sheath, which is suitable for a large 3D simulation. In the RF sheath boundary model, the tangential component of the electric field ( E t ) is given by the gradient of a scalar electric field potential. We introduce two additional scalar potentials for the tangential components of the magnetic field, which effectively impose the normal electric displacement ( D n ) on the plasma sheath boundary condition via in-homogeneous Neumann boundary condition and constrain the tangential electric field on the surface as curl-free ( ∇ × E t = 0 ). In our approach, the non-linear sheath impedance is formulated as a natural extension of the large thickness (or asymptotic) sheath limit ( D n = 0 ), allowing for handling both asymptotic and non-linear regimes seamlessly. The new scheme is implemented using the Petra-M finite element method analysis framework and is verified with simulations in the literature. The significance of non-linearity is discussed in various plasma conditions. An application of this scheme to asymptotic RF sheath simulation on the WEST ICRF antenna side limiters is also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Data-Driven Reduced-Order Modeling of Convective Heat Transfer in Porous Media

This work presents a data-driven Reduced-Order Model (ROM) for parametric convective heat transfer problems in porous media. The intrusive Proper Orthogonal Decomposition aided Reduced-Basis (POD-RB) technique is employed to reduce the porous medium formulation of the incompressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with heat transfer. Instead of resolving the exact flow configuration with high fidelity, the porous medium formulation solves a homogenized flow in which the fluid-structure interactions are captured via volumetric flow resistances with nonlinear, semi-empirical friction correlations. A supremizer approach is implemented for the stabilization of the reduced fluid dynamics equations. The reduced nonlinear flow resistances are treated using the Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM), while the turbulent eddy viscosity and diffusivity are approximated by adopting a Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation-based approach. The proposed method is tested using a 2D numerical model of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR), which involves the simulation of both clean and porous medium regions in the same domain. For the steady-state example, five model parameters are considered to be uncertain: the magnitude of the pumping force, the external coolant temperature, the heat transfer coefficient, the thermal expansion coefficient, and the Prandtl number. For transient scenarios, on the other hand, the coastdown-time of the pump is the only uncertain parameter. The results indicate that the POD-RB-ROMs are suitable for the reduction of similar problems. The relative L2 errors are below 3.34% for every field of interest for all cases analyzed, while the speedup factors vary between 54 (transient) and 40,000 (steady-state).

German, Péter (ORCID:0000000307285283)↗

Lattice Physics Calculations Using the Embedded Self-Shielding Method in Polaris, Part I: Methods and Implementation

Polaris is a 2-dimensional multigroup lattice physics capability in the SCALE code system for the analysis of light water reactor fuel designs. The goal of light water reactor lattice physics codes is to generate few-group homogenized cross sections for downstream full-core nodal diffusion calculations. Additionally, lattice physics calculations contain three primary components: the cross section processing calculation, the 2D transport calculation, and the depletion calculation. This paper summarizes the calculational methods and their implementation into Polaris, with an emphasis on implementation of the embedded self-shielding method. The accuracy of the embedded self-shielding method depends on the procedure used to generate self-shielding factors on the multigroup library. Numerical benchmarks calculations reveal that the accuracy of Polaris eigenvalue predictions is enhanced by (1) using heterogeneous unit cell models to generate the self-shielding factors on the library and (2) using self-shielding factors for within-group scattering cross section.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

On the force exerted on a non-spherical asymmetric dust grain from homogeneous, stationary, isotropic, non-magnetized plasma

Whereas the conventional wisdom suggests that the force between non-magnetized homogeneous, stationary, isotropic plasma, and the dust grain is only possible for the case of relative plasma–grain velocity, it is shown that stationary non-spherical asymmetric dust grain immersed in stationary, non-magnetized, isotropic plasma can experience a force caused by the grain–plasma interactions. The component of the force due to scattering of plasma particles in the limit of infinite Debye length is considered analytically. Both the particle scattering and absorption force components are modeled numerically in the limits of infinite and finite Debye length using a newly developed 2D3V Aspherical Particle-in-Cell code. The code simulates interactions of dust grain of selected non-spherical asymmetric shape with plasmas using dust shape conforming coordinates. Here, the simulations confirm the existence of the force on non-spherical asymmetric grain in stationary non-magnetized plasma and show that the plasma screening effects can lead to reversal of the force direction.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Relative permeability as a stationary process: Energy fluctuations in immiscible displacement

Relative permeability is commonly used to model immiscible fluid flow through porous materials. In this work, we derive the relative permeability relationship from conservation of energy, assuming that the system to be non-ergodic at large length scales and relying on averaging in both space and time to homogenize the behavior. Explicit criteria are obtained to define stationary conditions: (1) there can be no net change for extensive measures of the system state over the time averaging interval; (2) the net energy inputs into the system are zero, meaning that the net rate of work done on the system must balance with the heat removed; and (3) there is no net work performed due to the contribution of internal energy fluctuations. Results are then evaluated based on direct numerical simulation. Dynamic connectivity is observed during steady-state flow, which is quantitatively assessed based the Euler characteristic. We show that even during steady-state flow at low capillary number ([Formula: see text]), typical flow processes will explore multiple connectivity states. The residence time for each connectivity state is captured based on the time-and-space average. The distribution for energy fluctuations is shown to be multi-modal and non-Gaussian when terms are considered independently. However, we demonstrate that their sum is zero. Given an appropriate choice of the thermodynamic driving force, we show that the conventional relative permeability relationship is sufficient to model the energy dissipation in systems with complex pore-scale dynamics that routinely alter the structure of fluid connected pathways.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

On the competition between mixing rate and uniformity in a coaxial hydrodynamic focusing mixer

Fast microfluidic mixers for use with line-of-sight integrating detection schemes pose unique challenges. Such detectors typically cannot discriminate signal from slow moving (e.g. near internal walls) and fast-moving portions of the fluid stream. This convolves reaction rate dynamics with fluid flow residence time dynamics. Further, the small cross sections of typical three-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing devices lead to lower detection signals. The current study focuses on achieving both small time scales of mixing and homogenous residence times. This is achieved by injecting sample through a center capillary and hydrodynamically focusing using a sheath flow within a tapered second capillary. The current design also features a third, larger coaxial capillary. The mixed stream flows into the large cross-section of this third capillary to decelerate and expand the stream by up to 14-fold to improve line-of-sight signal strength of reaction products. Hydrodynamic focusing, mixing, and expansion are studied using analytical and numerical models and also studied experimentally using a fluorescein-iodide quenching reaction. The experimentally validated models are used to explore trade-offs between mixing rate and uniformity. For the first time, this work presents detailed analysis of the Lagrangian time history of species transport during mixing inside coaxial capillaries to measure mixing nonuniformity. The mixing region enables order 100 μs mixing times and residence time widths of the same order (140 μs).

42 ENGINEERING↗

Thermal equilibrium of collisional non-neutral plasma in a magnetic dipole trap

This paper discusses thermal equilibrium states of single-species plasmas, such as pure electron plasmas and pure positron plasmas, that are confined in a dipole trap. Thermal equilibrium states for such plasmas are routinely realized in the homogeneous magnetic field of Penning–Malmberg traps. We generalize the theory of these states to include inhomogeneous magnetic dipole fields. The approach to thermal equilibrium takes place in two stages with well separated time scales. On the collision time scale, thermal equilibrium is established along each magnetic field line. On the much longer transport time scale, heat conduction and viscosity bring the plasmas on different flux contours into thermal equilibrium, we call this a state of global thermal equilibrium. We present numerical results for local and global thermal equilibria. These results agree with the analytic predictions for charge collections that are large compared with the Debye length. There is, in principle, no limit to the confinement time of a single-species plasma in a global thermal equilibrium state. Experiments with hot electron–ion plasmas performed in the LDX and RT1 devices give us confidence that, in contrast to a Penning–Malmberg trap, a magnetic dipole field can also confine cold quasi-neutral electron–positron pair plasmas on the time scale of the phenomena of interest. Such pair plasmas are assumed to form in the magnetosphere of neutron stars but have so far not been realized in a laboratory. The creation of an electron–positron pair plasma is the main goal of the APEX collaboration.

Steinbrunner, P. (ORCID:0000000317693686)↗

Pair plasma instability in homogeneous magnetic guide fields

Pair plasmas, collections of both matter and antimatter particles of equal mass, represent a paradigm for the study of basic plasma science, and many open questions exist regarding these unique systems. They are found in many astrophysical settings, such as gamma-ray bursts, and have recently also been produced in carefully designed laboratory experiments. A central research topic in plasma physics is instability; however, unlike their more common ion–electron siblings, pair plasmas are generally thought to be stable to cross field pressure gradients in homogeneous magnetic fields. It is shown here by means of kinetic full-f simulations that, when a pressure gradient is first established, the Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode is destabilized and becomes turbulent. Force balance is eventually achieved by a combination of flattened pressure profiles due to turbulent transport and establishment of a magnetic field gradient, saturating the growth. During the unstable phase, key physics can be captured by a δf gyrokinetic description, where it is shown analytically and numerically that parallel particle motion results in a coupling of all electromagnetic field components. A fluid model derived therefrom accurately predicts linear eigenmodes and is used to resolve global profile effects. For laser-based electron–positron plasma experiments, prompt instability is predicted with growth times much shorter than plasma lifetimes. Similarly, growth rates are calculated for the planned APEX experiment as well as gamma-ray burst scenarios, suggesting that the instability may contribute to the early evolution of these systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Clustering of inertial particles in turbulent flow through a porous unit cell

We report direct numerical simulation is used to investigate effects of turbulent flow in the confined geometry of a face-centred cubic porous unit cell on the transport, clustering and deposition of fine particles at different Stokes numbers (St = 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2) and at a pore Reynolds number of 500. Particles are advanced using one-way coupling and the collision of particles with pore walls is modelled as perfectly elastic with specular reflection. Tools for studying inertial particle dynamics and clustering developed for homogeneous flows are adapted to take into account the embedded, curved geometry of the pore walls. The pattern and dynamics of clustering are investigated using the volume change of Voronoi tesselation in time to analyse the divergence and convergence of the particles. Similar to the case of homogeneous, isotropic turbulence, the cluster formation is present at large volumes, while cluster destruction is prominent at small volumes and these effects are amplified with the Stokes number. However, unlike homogeneous, isotropic turbulence, the formation of a large number of very small volumes was observed at all Stokes numbers and attributed to the collision of particles with the pore wall. Multiscale wavelet analysis of the particle number density indicates that the peak of the energy density spectrum, representative of enhanced particle clustering, shifts towards larger scales with an increase in the Stokes number. Scale-dependent skewness and flatness quantify the intermittent void and cluster distribution, with cluster formation observed at small scales for all Stokes numbers, and void regions at large scales for large Stokes numbers.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Emerging contact force heterogeneity in ordered soft granular media

Under external perturbations, inter-particle forces in disordered granular media are well known to form a heterogeneous distribution with filamentary patterns. Better understanding these forces and the distribution is important for predicting the collective behavior of granular media, the media second only to water as the most manipulated material in global industry. However, studies in this regard so far have been largely confined to granular media exhibiting only geometric heterogeneity, leaving the dimension of mechanical heterogeneity a rather uncharted area. In this work, through a FEM contact mechanics model, we show that a heterogeneous inter-particle force distribution can also emerge from the dimension of mechanical heterogeneity alone. Specifically, we numerically study inter-particle forces in packing of mechanically heterogeneous disks arranged over either a square or a hexagonal lattice and under quasi-static isotropic compression. Our results show that, at the system scale, a hexagonal packing exhibit a more heterogeneous inter-particle force distribution than a square packing does; At the particle scale, for both packing lattices, preliminary analysis shows the consistent coexistence of outliers (i.e., softer disks sustaining larger forces while stiffer disks sustaining smaller forces) in comparison to their homogeneous counterparts, which implies the existence of nonlocal effect. Further analysis on the portion of outliers and on spatial contact force correlations suggest that the hexagonal packing shows more pronounced nonlocal effect over the square packing under small mechanical heterogeneity. However, such trend is reversed when assemblies becomes more mechanically heterogeneous. Lastly, we confirm that, in the absence of particle reorganization events, contact friction merely plays the role of packing stabilization while its variation has little effect on inter-particle forces and their distribution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

An Integrated Multiscale Experimental-Numerical Analysis on Reconsolidation of Salt-Clay Mixture for Disposal of Heat-Generating Waste (Final NEUP Technical Report)

The overall purpose of this research is to improve understanding of THMC coupling effect on the reconsolidation of granular (or crushed) salt-clay mixture used for seal systems of shafts and drifts in salt repositories. This proposed work is partially motivated by the recent work on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) that shows the promising sealing capability of clay-salt mixture compared to crushed salt. In particular, primary emphasis is to develop a fully integrated multiscale experiment-numerical study to determine and explain what leads to the superior sealing ability of the clay-salt mixture. These research activities are designed to seek further understanding of (1) why clay additives may enhance the fluid trapping and (2) whether this flow barrier effect may prevail under different combinations of temperature, confining pressure, deviatoric stress and other foreseeable environmental factors. If successful, this enhanced flow trapping ability of the seal provides significant improvement to the seal and repository performance and therefore make the repository safer in the long-term. The experiment component includes microstructural investigation and macroscopic tests on a reconsolidated salt-clay mixture. In the microstructural study, the goal is to (1) characterize microscopic distributions of distinct phases (e.g., clay, salt crystal boundaries, trapped brine, and pore) to examine the connectivity of the pore network inside the salt-clay mixture with different amounts of clay additive and moisture content and (2) analyze multiscale imaging data to reconstruct the polycrystalline microstructures for numerical simulations. Meanwhile, macroscopic tests are performed to analyze how clay alters the failure/creep mechanisms in the salt-clay mixture. Microscopic and macroscopic experimental observations will both be used to calibrate and validate a multiscale model that explicitly simulates the capillary and multiphase flow in the connected pores and the deformation due to the presence of intra-crystalline brine at the pore scale via a new polyhedral discrete element–lattice Boltzmann method (DEM-LBM) coupling model. The pore-scale simulations are homogenized via an upscaling procedure that converts pore-scale information (e.g. force exerted on grain boundary, sliding, pressure-solution) to continuum measures (e.g. Cauchy stress, Darcy’s flow) at each integration point in the macroscopic multiphase TMHC model. This multiscale scheme will allow coupling be- tween high-fidelity simulations of brine-salt-clay interaction and the macroscopic TMHC model. The multiscale model helps the understanding of how the trapped brine inclusion affects the pressure-solution mechanism with the presence of clay and moisture. This work brings new insight into the sealing capacity of salt-clay mixture under elevated temperature over a long period of time - a key to evaluating the potential of salt-clay mixture usage for salt repositories.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Aerial drone fleet deployment optimization with endogenous battery replacements for direct delivery of time-sensitive products

Aerial drones offer a distinct potential to reduce the delivery time and energy consumption for the delivery of time-sensitive and small products. However, there is still a need in the relevant industry to understand the performance of drone-based delivery under different business needs and drone operating conditions. We studied a drone deployment optimization problem for direct delivery of time-sensitive products with release dates to customers maintaining a specified time window. This paper presents a new mixed-integer programming model, new valid inequalities, a new greedy heuristic algorithm, and a Genetic algorithm to help business owners optimally schedule and route their drone fleet minimizing the required fleet size, the required number of additional batteries, and total energy consumption. A realistic feature of the optimization method is that instead of replacing the drone battery after each return to the depot, it keeps track of the remaining energy in the drone battery and decides on battery replacements accounting for the drone routing and the user-specified minimum required battery energy. Numerical results based on real data from drone flight tests and prepared food delivery industry provide insights into the effect of different practical drone operating parameters on the required fleet size, the required number of battery replacements, and energy consumption. Here, results demonstrate that the proposed heuristic algorithm substantially outperforms the accelerated CPLEX in runtime while sacrificing the solution quality by a small amount. Additionally, results show that using a mixed fleet of hexacopter and quadcopter drones reduces the total energy consumption by 48.52% compared to using a homogeneous fleet of only hexacopters.

Drone energy consumption↗

An Analytic Benchmark for Neutron Boltzmann Transport with Downscattering—Part I: Flux and Eigenvalue Solutions

Computing in the energy dimension is one of the greatest challenges confronting present-day deterministic neutron transport solvers. Accurately resolving the neutron flux as neutrons downscatter across resonances in the nuclear cross sections currently requires considerable computing power and suffers from approximation errors. Flux uncertainty resulting from the uncertainty of the resonance structure is the single-largest cause of reactivity uncertainty. Any additional reference solution for the critical neutron downscattering problem with resonance phenomena would be a boon to verification and validation of neutronics codes. This paper establishes a benchmark to verify the accuracy of neutron transport criticality solvers along the energy dimension. For the first time, the analytic solution of the flux amplitude is derived in the particular case of an infinite homogeneous medium with isotropic scattering in the center of mass and an arbitrary number of no-threshold, neutral particle reaction resonances (e.g., radiative capture, fission, and resonance scattering). Furthermore, original analytic expressions are established to quantify the discrepancy between the ψ k (E) and ψ α (E) flux amplitudes, respective solutions of the multiplication factor k, or the exponential time-evolution frequency α eigenproblems. The physical study of these relations led to analysis of their first-order relative difference near the criticality condition α=0. Finally, numerical solutions are provided to a benchmark problem constituted of the first resonance of 239 Pu, the 6.67-eV resonance of 238 U, and a scattering isotope with a flat cross section, allowing for the computational verification of the energy resolution of current neutron transport criticality codes. Through these novel results, this analytic benchmark can serve as a reference to verify the energy resolution and sensitivity analysis of neutron transport criticality calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗