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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental study of the isomeric state in 16 N using the 16 N$^{g,m}$($\textit{d}$, 3 He) reaction

Here, the isomeric state of 16 N was studied using the 16 N$^{g,m}$($\textit{d}$, 3 He) proton-removal reactions at 11.8 MeV/u in inverse kinematics. The 16 N beam, of which 24% was in the isomeric state, was produced using the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) in-flight system and delivered to the Helical Orbit Spectrometer (HELIOS), which was used to analyze the 3 He ions from the ($\textit{d}$, 3 He) reactions. The simultaneous measurement of reactions on both the ground state and the isomeric states, reduced the systematic uncertainties from the experiment and in the analysis. A direct and reliable extraction of the relative spectroscopic factors was made based on a distorted-wave Born approximation approach. The experimental results suggest that the isomeric state of 16N is an excited neutron-halo state. The results can be understood through calculations using a Woods-Saxon potential model, which captures the effects of weak binding.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantifying Lithium Ion Exchange in Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) on Graphite Anode Surfaces

Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) has been identified as the most important and least understood component in lithium-ion batteries. Despite extensive studies in the past two decades, a few mysteries remain: what is the chemical form of and degree of mobility of Li + in the interphase? What fraction of Li + is permanently immobilized in the SEI, while the rest are still able to participate in the cell reactions via the ion-exchange process with Li + in the electrolyte? This study attempted to answer, in part, these questions by using 6 Li and 7 Li-isotopes to label SEIs and electrolytes, and then quantifying the distribution of permanently immobilized and ion-exchangeable Li + with solid-state NMR and ToF-SIMS. The results showed that the majority of Li + were exchanged after one SEI formation cycle, and a complete exchange after 25 cycles. Ion exchange by diffusion based on concentration gradient in the absence of applied potential also occurred simultaneously. This knowledge will provide a foundation for not only understanding but also designing better SEIs for future battery chemistries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement report: Properties of aerosol and gases in the vertical profile during the LAPSE-RATE campaign

Abstract. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are increasingly being used as observation platforms for atmospheric applications. The Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation – a Remotely-piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) in Alamosa, Colorado, USA, on 14–20 July 2018 investigated and validated different UASs, measurement sensors and setup configurations. Flight teams from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and Kansas State University (KSU) participated in LAPSE-RATE to measure and investigate properties of aerosol particles and gases in the lower atmosphere. During the experiment, the performance of different UAS configurations were investigated and confirmed to operate reliably, resulting in a scientifically sound observational dataset. As an example, concentration of aerosols – including two new particle formation events, CO2 and water vapor, and meteorological parameters in the atmospheric vertical profile were measured during the short experiment. Such observations characterizing atmospheric phenomena of this specific environment would have not been possible in any other way and, thus, demonstrate the power of UASs as new, promising tools in atmospheric and environmental research.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Role of Kinetic Instabilities and Waves in Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection converts magnetic field energy into particle energy by breaking and reconnecting magnetic field lines. Magnetic reconnection is a kinetic process that generates a wide variety of kinetic waves via wave-particle interactions. Kinetic waves have been proposed to play an important role in magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas by, for example, contributing to anomalous resistivity and diffusion, particle heating, and transfer of energy between different particle populations. These waves range from below the ion cyclotron frequency to above the electron plasma frequency and from ion kinetic scales down to electron Debye length scales. This review aims to describe the progress made in understanding the relationship between magnetic reconnection and kinetic waves. We focus on the waves in different parts of the reconnection region, namely, the diffusion region, separatrices, outflow regions, and jet fronts. Particular emphasis is placed on the recent observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft and numerical simulations, which have substantially increased the understanding of the interplay between kinetic waves and reconnection. Some of the ongoing questions related to waves and reconnection are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

PROTOCALC, a W -band Polarized Calibrator for Cosmic Microwave Background Telescopes: Application to Simons Observatory and CLASS

Current- and next-generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments will measure polarization anisotropies with unprecedented sensitivities. The need for high precision in these measurements underscores the importance of gaining a comprehensive understanding of instrument properties, with a particular emphasis on the study of the beam properties, and especially their polarization characteristics and the measurement of the polarization angle. In this context, a major challenge lies in the scarcity of millimeter polarized astrophysical sources with sufficient brightness and calibration knowledge to meet the stringent accuracy requirements of future CMB missions. This led to the development of a drone-borne calibration source designed for the frequency band centered on approximately 90 GHz, matching a commonly used channel in ground-based CMB measurements. The Prototype Calibrator for Cosmology, PROTOCALC, has undergone thorough in-lab testing, and its properties have been subsequently modeled through simulation software integrated into the standard Simons Observatory analysis pipeline. Moreover, the PROTOCALC system has been tested in the field, having been deployed twice on calibration campaigns with CMB telescopes in the Atacama Desert. The data collected constrain the roll angle of the source with a statistical accuracy of 0$^°_•$045.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

FORECASTOR – II. Simulating galaxy surveys with the Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and UV Research

The Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and UV Research (CASTOR) is a planned flagship space telescope, covering the blue-optical and UV part of the spectrum. Here, we introduce the CASTOR image simulator, a python GalSim package-based script capable of generating mock CASTOR images from an input catalogue. We generate example images from the CASTOR Wide, Deep, and Ultra-Deep surveys using simulated lightcones from the Santa Cruz semi-analytic model. We make predictions for the performance of these surveys by comparing galaxies that are extracted from each image using Source Extractor to the input catalogue. We find that the Wide, Deep, and Ultra-Deep surveys will be 75 per cent complete for point sources down to $\sim 27$, 29, and 30 mag, respectively, in the UV, u, and g filters, with the UV-split and u-split filters reaching a shallower depth. With a large area of $\sim 2200$ deg$^2$, the Wide survey will detect hundreds of millions of galaxies out to $z\sim 4$, mostly with $M_\ast \gtrsim 10^{9}\,{\rm M}_{\odot }$. The Ultra-Deep survey will probe to $z\sim 5$, detecting galaxies with $M_\ast \gtrsim 10^{7}{\rm M}_{\odot }$. These galaxy samples will enable precision measurements of the distribution of star formation in the cosmic web, connecting the growth of stellar mass to the assembly of dark matter haloes over two thirds of the history of the Universe, and other core goals of CASTOR’s legacy surveys. These image simulations and the tools developed to generate them will be a vital planning tool to estimate CASTOR’s performance and iterate the telescope and survey designs prior to launch.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

NPFTURBULENCE: Fast Response Temperature by Airborne Measurements

The original data were collected during the field campaign of the “Turbulent layers promoting New Particle Formation” experiment (NPFTURBULENCE; https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/aaf2024npfturbulence; https://www.arm.gov/publications/programdocs/doe-sc-arm-25-004.pdf ) over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) Atmospheric Observatory (https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/sgp ) in north-central Oklahoma. The ARM Aerial Facility ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system (UAS, https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/aaf/uas) was based at Blackwell–Tonkawa Municipal Airport (IATA: BWL, ICAO: KBKN, FAA LID: BKN, 36.74475° N, 97.34918° W, 313.9 m MSL), for the field campaign from May 5 through May 29, 2024. The ArcticShark UAS performed 11 flights, including 10 research flights over the Central Facility of the ARM SGP to measure atmospheric state, turbulence, surface IR temperature and imagery, aerosol number concentration and size distribution. The current dataset presents fast response temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer and lower free troposphere measured on the airborne platform throughout the field campaign. The primary instruments used to create the current dataset were the fine wire thermocouple probe, Pitot-static system (part of the UAS control), and infrared gas analyzer sensor for H2O and CO2 (LI-840A). All parameters used in the temperature calculations (static and dynamic pressure, absolute humidity in form of dew point temperature) were included in the data set. For user convenience, one additional parameter was also included: the type of flight flag (level, up, down, turn, and combination of thereof).

Air temperature↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fast Response Temperature by airborne measurements over BNF

The original data were collected during the AAF Engineering Flights (AEF2025) in the vicinity of the ARM Bankhead National Forest (BNF) Atmospheric Observatory (https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/bnf ) in northwestern Alabama in March 2025. The ARM Aerial Facility ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system (UAS, https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/aaf/uas) was based at the public-use airport of Posey Field, Alabama (FAA LID: 1M4, 34.28027778° N, 87.60055556° W, 283m MSL) from March 9 through March 24, 2025. The ArcticShark UAS performed nine flights, including eight research flights over the AMF3 (BNF Main Site) and Supplemental Facilities to measure atmospheric state, turbulence, surface IR temperature and imagery, and aerosol number concentration and size distribution. The current data set presents fast response temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer and lower free troposphere measured on the airborne platform throughout the field campaign. The primary instruments used to create the current data set were the fine wire thermocouple probe, the Aircraft Integrated Meteorological Measurement System (AIMMS-30), the Pitot-static system (part of UAS flight control), and the infrared gas analyzer sensor for H2O and CO2 (LI-840). All parameters used in temperature calculations (static pressure, True Air Speed, and absolute humidity in form of dew point temperature) were included in the data set. For user convenience, one additional parameter was also included: the type of flight flag (level, up, down, turn, and combination of thereof).

Air temperature, fast response↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of the transition from the metastable tetragonal st12 to the diamond-cubic phase in germanium characterized by neutron spectroscopy

The complex phase diagram of germanium allows for exotic crystalline phases recoverable from high pressure. Among these, the tetragonal st12 phase is unusual as it shares characteristics with amorphous Ge resulting in desirable band-gap characteristics. Here, we leverage a high neutron flux and large volume pressure capabilities to characterize st12-Ge and its dynamics upon conversion to diamond-cubic Ge with inelastic neutron scattering. Here, we exploit the characteristics of time-of-flight neutron scattering for time-resolved investigations. This analysis may suggest the existence of a transient disordered state upon annealing befitting the known structural relationship between st12-Ge and amorphous Ge, a relationship that can open the potential for band-gap tuning.

Elemental semiconductors↗
DOE OSTI2025

Turbulent Parameters by airborne measurements over BNF in March 2025

The original data were collected during the AAF Engineering Flights (AEF2025) in the vicinity of the ARM Bankhead National Forest (BNF) Atmospheric Observatory (https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/bnf ) in northwestern Alabama in March 2025. The ARM Aerial Facility ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system (UAS, https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/aaf/uas) was based at the public-use airport of Posey Field, Alabama (FAA LID: 1M4, 34.28027778° N, 87.60055556° W, 283m MSL) from March 10 through March 24, 2025. The ArcticShark UAS performed nine flights, including eight research flights over the AMF3 (BNF Main Site) and Supplemental Facilities to measure atmospheric state, turbulence, surface IR temperature and imagery, and aerosol number concentration and size distribution. The current data set presents a collection of turbulent parameters in the atmospheric boundary layer or lower free troposphere based on airborne measurement throughout the field campaign. The primary instruments used to create the current data set were the Aircraft Integrated Meteorological Measurement System (AIMMS-30) and the fine-wire thermocouple probe.

Atmosphere↗
DOE OSTI2026

Interaction of Molecular Hydrogen on α-Pu at 300 K: Nucleation of Hydrides and Pu-Catalyzed Carbides

An α-Pu sample was studied in its “as-received” and “sputtered” state by both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). Analysis of the “as-received” surface indicated significant carbon and oxygen, with oxygen signal pertaining to plutonium dioxide (PuO 2 ) and sesquioxide (Pu 2 O 3 ). The “sputtered” clean metal surface was then dosed with hydrogen (H 2 ) gas at 300 K and found to nucleate hydride species (PuH x ). Interestingly, H 2 was observed to be critical for nucleation of carbides (Pu x C y ) by acting as a catalyst for Pu’s reaction with background gases. Because Pu metal has a high affinity for oxygen, reoxidation occurred under UHV, forming Pu x O y and disrupting both PuH x and Pu x C y growth. Observations from the experiments were modeled for the α-Pu(020) surface, illustrating the ability of H 2 to readily dissociate onto sputtered and speciated surfaces at 300 K. The projected density of states from these calculations were compared to experiments, showing good agreement between the Pu 5f, 6d, and 7s states and the H 1s, O 2p, and C 2p valence states. Overall, the above results indicated that the formed hydride layer is unstable at 300 K in UHV conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu

Organic matter in meteorites reveals clues about early Solar System chemistry and the origin of molecules important to life, but terrestrial exposure complicates interpretation. Samples returned from the B-type asteroid Bennu by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer mission enabled us to study pristine carbonaceous astromaterial without uncontrolled exposure to Earth’s biosphere. Here we show that Bennu samples are volatile rich, with more carbon, nitrogen and ammonia than samples from asteroid Ryugu and most meteorites. Nitrogen-15 isotopic enrichments indicate that ammonia and other N-containing soluble molecules formed in a cold molecular cloud or the outer protoplanetary disk. We detected amino acids (including 14 of the 20 used in terrestrial biology), amines, formaldehyde, carboxylic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and N-heterocycles (including all five nucleobases found in DNA and RNA), along with ~10,000 N-bearing chemical species. All chiral non-protein amino acids were racemic or nearly so, implying that terrestrial life’s left-handed chirality may not be due to bias in prebiotic molecules delivered by impacts. The relative abundances of amino acids and other soluble organics suggest formation and alteration by low-temperature reactions, possibly in NH 3 -rich fluids. Bennu’s parent asteroid developed in or accreted ices from a reservoir in the outer Solar System where ammonia ice was stable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Air temperature and precipitation constraining the modelled wetland methane emissions in a boreal region in northern Europe

Wetland methane responses to temperature and precipitation are studied in a boreal wetland-rich region in northern Europe using ecosystem process models. Six ecosystem models (JSBACH-HIMMELI, LPX-Bern, LPJ-GUESS, JULES, CLM4.5, and CLM5) are compared to multi-model means of ecosystem models and atmospheric inversions from the Global Carbon Project and upscaled eddy covariance flux results for their temperature and precipitation responses and seasonal cycles of the regional fluxes. Two models with contrasting response patterns, LPX-Bern and JSBACH-HIMMELI, are used as priors in atmospheric inversions with Carbon Tracker Europe–CH4 (CTE-CH4) in order to find out how the assimilation of atmospheric concentration data changes the flux estimates and how this alters the interpretation of the flux responses to temperature and precipitation. Inversion moves wetland emissions of both models towards co-limitation by temperature and precipitation. Between 2000 and 2018, periods of high temperature and/or high precipitation often resulted in increased emissions. However, the dry summer of 2018 did not result in increased emissions despite the high temperatures. The process models show strong temperature and strong precipitation responses for the region (51 %–91 % of the variance explained by both). The month with the highest emissions varies from May to September among the models. However, multi-model means, inversions, and upscaled eddy covariance flux observations agree on the month of maximum emissions and are co-limited by temperature and precipitation. The setup of different emission components (peatland emissions, mineral land fluxes) has an important role in building up the response patterns. Considering the significant differences among the models, it is essential to pay more attention to the regional representation of wet and dry mineral soils and periodic flooding which contribute to the seasonality and magnitude of methane fluxes. The realistic representation of temperature dependence of the peat soil fluxes is also important. Furthermore, it is important to use process-based descriptions for both mineral and peat soil fluxes to simulate the flux responses to climate drivers.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

NPFTURBULENCE: Best Estimate Aerosol Size Distribution by airborne measurements

The original data were collected during the field campaign of “Turbulent layers promoting New Particle Formation” experiment (NPFTURBULENCE; https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/aaf2024npfturbulence) over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) Atmospheric Observatory (https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/sgp ) in north-central Oklahoma. The ARM Aerial Facility ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system (UAS) was based at Blackwell–Tonkawa Municipal Airport (IATA: BWL, ICAO: KBKN, FAA LID: BKN, 36.74475° N, 97.34918° W, 313.9 m MSL), for the field campaign from May 5 through May 29, 2024. The ArcticShark UAS performed 11 flights, including 10 research flights over the Central Facility of the ARM SGP to measure atmospheric state, turbulence, surface IT temperature and imagery, aerosol number concentration and size distribution. The current data set presents Best Estimate Aerosol Size Distribution: a merged aerosol size distribution composed of the data from 2 sensors: miniaturized Scanning Electrical Mobility Sizer (mSEMS) and Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS). The mSEMS data were interpolated to 1 second from “native” time resolution of about 15 second to match the other probe. The POPS data were converted from equivalent optical size into geometric size using value of aerosol refractive index of 1.477 from the HISCALE field campaign (same geographical area, altitudes, and time of year; http://www.arm.gov/campaigns/aaf2016hiscale ).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

NPFTURBULENCE: Turbulent Parameters by airborne measurements

The original data were collected during the field campaign of “Turbulent layers promoting New Particle Formation” experiment (NPFTURBULENCE; https://www.arm.gov/research/campaigns/aaf2024npfturbulence) over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility's Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory (https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/sgp ) in north-central Oklahoma. The ARM Aerial Facility ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system (UAS, https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/observatories/aaf/uas) was based at Blackwell–Tonkawa Municipal Airport (IATA: BWL, ICAO: KBKN, FAA LID: BKN, 36.74475° N, 97.34918° W, 313.9 m MSL), for the field campaign from May 5 through May 29, 2024. The ArcticShark UAS performed 11 flights, including 10 research flights over the Central Facility of the ARM SGP to measure atmospheric state, turbulence, surface IR temperature and imagery, and aerosol number concentration and size distribution. The current data set presents a comprehensive collection of turbulent parameters in the atmospheric boundary layer or lower free troposphere based on airborne measurement throughout the field campaign. The primary instruments used to create the current data set were the Aircraft Integrated Meteorological Measurement System (AIMMS-30) and the fine-wire thermocouple probe. For user convenience, the current data set includes several parameters commonly used in turbulent research for normalization and/or scaling: atmospheric boundary-layer height, surface conditions, convective scales for temperature, and velocity, etc.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Advanced Characterization of Thin Film Solar Cells

Polycrystalline thin-film solar cells have reached a levelized cost of energy that is competitive with all other sources of electricity. The technology has significantly improved in recent years, with laboratory cell efficiencies for cadmium telluride (CdTe), perovskites, and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) each exceeding 22 percent. Both CdTe and CIGS solar panels are now produced at the gigawatt scale. However, there are ongoing challenges, including the continued need to improve performance and stability while reducing cost. Advancing polycrystalline solar cell technology demands an in-depth understanding of efficiency, scaling, and degradation mechanisms, which requires sophisticated characterization methods. These methods will enable reseachers and manufacturers to improve future solar modules and systems. This work provides researchers with a concise overview of the status of thin-film solar cell technology and characterization. Chapters describe material systems and their properties and then provide an in-depth look at relevant characterization methods and the learning facilitated by each of these. Following an introductory chapter, the book provides systematic and thorough coverage of the following topics: trends to improve CdTe solar cell performance; Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and related materials; perovskite solar cells; photovoltaic device modelling; luminescence and thermal imaging of thin-film photovoltaic materials, devices, and modules; application of spatially resolved spectroscopy characterization techniques on Cu2ZnSnSe4 solar cells; time-resolved photoluminescence characterization of polycrystalline thin-film solar cells; fundamentals of electrical material and device spectroscopies applied to thin-film polycrystalline chalcogenide solar cells; nanometer-scale characterization of thin-film solar cells by atomic force microscopy-based electrical probes; scanning transmission electron microscopy characterization of solar cells; photoelectron spectroscopy methods in solar cell research; time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry and atom probe tomography; and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance characterization for photovoltaic applications. The final chapter provides an overview and describes future prospects.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2022

The ultrafast pixel array camera system and its applications in high energy density physics

Diagnostics in high energy density physics, shock physics, and related fields are primarily driven by a need to record rapidly time-evolving signals in single-shot events. These measurements are often limited by channel count and signal degradation issues on cable links between the detector and digitizer. Here we present the Ultrafast Pixel Array Camera (UPAC), a compact and flexible detector readout system with 32 waveform-recording channels at up to 10 Gsample/s and 1.8 GHz analog bandwidth. The compact footprint allows the UPAC to be directly embedded in the detector environment. A key enabling technology is the PSEC4A chip, an eight-channel switch-capacitor array sampling device with up to 1056 samples/channel. The UPAC system includes a high-density input connector that can plug directly into an application-specific detector board, programmable control, and serial readout, with less than 5 W of power consumption in full operation. We present the UPAC design and characterization, including a measured timing resolution of ~20 ps or better on acquisitions of sub-nanosecond pulses with minimal system calibrations. Example applications of the UPAC are also shown to demonstrate operation of a solid-state streak camera, an ultrafast imaging array, and a neutron time-of-flight spectrometer.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Analysis of Shallow Orographic Cumulus Clouds Observed During the CACTI Field Campaign: A SULI Internship Final Report

In 2018, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Aerial Facility (AAF) deployed its G-1 research aircraft to the Sierras de Córdoba mountain range in north-central Argentina to support the research of environmental factors on deep convective cycles as part of the Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign. The aircraft was fitted with a suite of instruments to holistically measure in situ the current state of the atmosphere. In this study, we organize the campaign’s 22 flights by environmental conditions. Data from each flight was transected by the aircraft’s position relative to cloud, allowing for in depth analysis of cloud processing on aerosol populations. My project was a case study of selected flights where warm, shallow orographic cumulus clouds were observed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗