Observation of simultaneity in parametric production of optical photon pairs
Simultaneity in optical photon pairs parametric production, verifying quantum mechanical description of fluorescence
Burnham, D. C.↗
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Results for “pairing mechanisms”
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CAM controlled retractable door latch
A latching mechanism in which there is linear movement and rotational movement is described. The umbilical doors of the space shuttle orbiter are required to be open during vehicle launch. After the external tank is released, the doors are closed. Presently, the device for maintaining the doors in an open position is mounted on the external tank and therefore has a single mission life. The latching mechanism of the invention is mounted in the orbiter and therefore is returned and has multimission capability. The latching mechanism is comprised of a pair of concentric nested, cylindrical cams and motors to actuate the cams, and latch pin all contained within a cover mounted on a support bracket carried by the substructure. A shaft having a latch pin is mounted inside the inner cylindrical cam.
Carsley, R. B.↗
Use of IPsec by Manned Space Missions
NASA's Constellation Program is developing its next generation manned space systems for missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and the Moon. The Program is embarking on a path towards standards based Internet Protocol (IP) networking for space systems communication. The IP based communications will be paired with industry standard security mechanisms such as Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) to ensure the integrity of information exchanges and prevent unauthorized release of sensitive information in-transit. IPsec has been tested in simulations on the ground and on at least one Earth orbiting satellite, but the technology is still unproven in manned space mission situations and significant obstacles remain.
Pajevski, Michael J.↗
Molecular dynamics simulation of effects of solutes on dislocation propagation in Ni-based superalloys
Ni-based superalloys are used in the hot sections of jet turbine engines because of their high strength, stability and resistance to oxidation. The properties of these alloys can be further optimized by adding alloying elements. Therefore, a fundamental knowledge on the effect of different elements on properties of Ni-based superalloys is required. Molecular dynamics simulation could shed light here but its application is hindered by the absence of reliable and computationally cheap semi-empirical potential of the interatomic interaction for 4 and more element alloys. We will present a new Ni-Al-Cr-Nb Finnis-Sinclair (FS) potential specially designed to simulate the dislocation propagation from to phase. In order to construct this potential, we designed a special algorithm to incorporate the data on element partitioning in the potential development procedure. For example, it is known from experiment, that Cr is mostly present in the gamma phase. Figure 1 shows a snapshot obtained after equilibration of the model of the Ni68Al17Cr15 alloy at T=1000 K using the hybrid Monte-Carlo (MC)/molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with the developed semi-empirical potential. One can clearly see that the Cr partitioning is in agreement with the experimental data. We will discuss the developed algorithm to incorporate the solute partition data in details. Using the developed semi-empirical potential, we first investigated the effect of anti-site defects in the phase on the single dislocation propagation. It was found that the dislocation velocity increases with the increasing of the anti-site defect concentration. This effect was attributed to smaller number of Al-Al pairs forming during the dislocation migration in the presence of the anti-site defects. Next, we investigated the effect of Nb on the dislocation pair propagation in the Kolbe mechanism. It was found that the addition of Nb leads to considerable decrease in the dislocation propagation rate. This is in agreement with the experimental data on the effect of Nb on the creep resistance of the Ni-based superalloys. We will discuss the origin of this effect.
Mikhail I. Mendelev↗
Real-time pair-feeding of animals
Automatic pair-feeding system was developed which immediately dispenses same amount of food to control animal as has been consumed by experimental animal that has free access to food. System consists of: master feeding system; slave feeding station; and control mechanism. Technique performs real time pair-feeding without attendant time lag.
Leon, H. A.↗
Bulk Metallic Glasses and Composites for Optical and Compliant Mechanisms
Mechanisms are used widely in engineering applications due to their ability to translate force and movement. They are found in kinematic pairs, gears, cams, linkages, and in flexure mechanisms (also known as compliant mechanisms). Mechanisms and flexures are used widely in spacecraft design, especially in the area of optics, where precise positioning of telescope mirrors requires elastic flexing of elements. A compliant mechanism is generally defined as a flexible mechanism that uses an elastic body deformation to cause a displacement (such as positing a mirror). The mechanisms are usually constructed as a single monolithic piece of material, and contain thin struts to allow for large elastic bending with low input force. This creates the largest problem with developing precise mechanisms; they must be fabricated from a single piece of metal, but are required to have strict accuracy on their dimensions. They are generally required to have high strength, elasticity, and low coefficient of thermal expansion.
Hofmann, Douglas C.↗
All-metal, compact heat exchanger for space cryocoolers
This report describes the development of a high performance, all metal compact heat exchanger. The device is designed for use in a reverse Brayton cryogenic cooler which provides five watts of refrigeration at 70 K. The heat exchanger consists of a stainless steel tube concentrically assembled within a second stainless steel tube. Approximately 300 pairs of slotted copper disks and matching annular slotted copper plates are positioned along the centerline axis of the concentric tubes. Each of the disks and plates has approximately 1200 precise slots machined by means of a special electric discharge process. Positioning of the disk and plate pairs is accomplished by means of dimples in the surface of the tubes. Mechanical and thermal connections between the tubes and plate/disk pairs are made by solder joints. The heat exchanger assembly is 9 cm in diameter by 50 cm in length and has a mass of 10 kg. The predicted thermal effectiveness is greater than 0.985 at design conditions. Pressure loss at design conditions is less than 5 kPa in both fluid passages. Tests were performed on a subassembly of plates integrally soldered to two end headers. The measured thermal effectiveness of the test article exceeded predicted levels. Pressure losses were negligibly higher than predictions.
Swift, Walter L.↗
Hybrid s -wave superconductivity in CrB 2
In a metal with multiple Fermi pockets, the formation of s-wave superconductivity can be conventional due to electron-phonon coupling or unconventional due to spin fluctuations. Here, we analyze the hexagonal diboride CrB 2 , which is an itinerant antiferromagnet at ambient conditions and turns superconducting upon increasing pressure. While the high-pressure behavior of T c suggests conventional s-wave pairing, we find that spin fluctuations promoting unconventional s-wave pairing become important in the vicinity of the antiferromagnetic dome. As the symmetry class of the s-wave state is independent of its underlying mechanism, we argue that CrB 2 is a realization of a hybrid s-wave superconductor where unconventional and conventional s-wave mechanisms team up to form a joint superconducting dome.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Recurrent acquisition of nuclease-protease pairs in antiviral immunity
Antiviral immune systems diversify by integrating new genes into existing pathways, creating new mechanisms of viral resistance. We identified genes encoding a predicted nuclease paired with a trypsin-like protease repeatedly acquired by multiple, otherwise unrelated antiviral immune systems in bacteria. Cell-based and biochemical assays revealed that the nuclease is a proenzyme that cleaves DNA only after activation by its partner protease. Two distinct immune systems, Hachiman and AVAST (antiviral adenosine triphosphatase/nucleoside triphosphatase of the STAND superfamily, Avs), use the same mechanism of proteolytic activation despite their independent evolutionary origins. Examination of nuclease-protease inheritance patterns identified caspase-nuclease (canu) genomic loci that confer antiviral defense in a pathway reminiscent of eukaryotic caspase activation. These results uncover the coordinated activities of pronucleases and their activating proteases within different immune systems and show how coevolution enables defense system innovation.
Tuck, Owen T↗
Defect Structure in Quantum-Cutting Yb3+-Doped CsPbCl3 Perovskites Probed by X-Ray Absorption and Atomic Pair Distribution Function Analysis
Ytterbium-doping in all-inorganic lead-halide perovskites (CsPb(Cl1-xBrx)3) generates novel properties including quantum cutting and narrow line emission, making these materials attractive spectral down-converters for solar photovoltaics. The relationship between this optical efficiency and the defect structure(s) associated with Yb3+ dopants within perovskites is not well understood. Various charge-neutral doping motifs have previously been proposed and studied computationally, including clusters involving two substitutional Yb3+ ions charge-compensated by a single local Pb2+ vacancy. Near-band-edge defect states associated with such motifs are believed to play an important mechanistic role in quantum cutting itself. Here, we report the results of X-ray absorption and X-ray total-scattering measurements on ytterbium-doped CsPbCl3. XANES shows that the dopant oxidation state is exclusively Yb3+, and a combination of Yb L3 and Pb L3 EXAFS shows that this Yb3+ substitutes exclusively at Pb2+ sites, where it adopts a pseudo-octahedral [YbCl6]3- coordination environment. Shell-by-shell fits to the data show a short Yb-Cl bond distance of 2.58 Å compared to the Pb-Cl bond distance of 2.83 Å. We confirm this finding by X-ray pair distribution function analysis, which also shows evidence of additional Pb2+ vacancy formation induced by Yb3+ doping. We evaluate whether this is the primary mechanism of charge compensation using simulated EXAFS and pair distribution function data for several computed defect structures. Together, these results resolve the local dopant structures and charge-compensation mechanisms in lanthanide-doped all-inorganic lead-halide perovskites, and, as such, significantly advance the understanding of structure-function relationships in this important class of materials.
Kluherz, Kyle (ORCID:0000000279865167)↗
Self-replication of chemical systems based on recognition within a double or a triple helix - A realistic hypothesis
A scenario is proposed for the non-enzymatic self-replication of short RNA molecules. The self-replication of an oligopyrimidine strand is considered and the process of template-directed synthesis based on recognition within a double helix is discussed. Replication mechanisms are suggested for selected oligonucleotides. The mechanisms are based on Watson-Crick base pairing between complementary nucleotides as well as Hoogsteen base pairing between a duplex and the complementary third strand. It is suggested that self-replication based on these mechanisms may be accomplished but may result in a substantial amount of misinformation transfer when mixed oligonucleotides are used.
Kanavarioti, Anastassia↗
First-Principles Modeling of Sodium Ion and Water Intercalation into Titanium Disulfide Interlayers for Water Desalination
Recent experiments revealed the possibility of using titanium disulfide (TiS 2 ) as the cathode material in capacitive deionization (CDI) devices for water desalination. Although it performed stably up to 70 cycles with a salt removal capacity of 14 mg/g (corresponding to a sodium ion removal capacity of 35.8 mg/g) at high molar concentration (600 mM NaCl), the maximum capacity of TiS 2 as a CDI electrode was much lower (~70 mAh/g) than as a supercapacitor (239 mAh/g). Understanding why the ion capacities of these two configurations of the same material differ will entail elucidating detailed charge/discharge mechanisms at the atomic scale. Here, we present density functional theory simulations of sodium intercalation into TiS 2 interlayers in order to gain such understanding. We systematically investigated TiS 2 stacking patterns and ion intercalation sites, energetics of the intercalated compounds, and phase transformation during sodium intercalation. The calculated structural evolution and capacitance–voltage curve agree quite well with previous measurements. We conclude that the different maximum capacities of TiS 2 measured in aqueous and dry environments originate from weaker interlayer interactions with respect to shear strain after ~33% intercalation of Na + –H 2 O pairs, which is detrimental to the mechanical stability of TiS 2 . In conclusion, this study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of ion intercalation into layered materials and contributes to understanding requirements for future design and optimization of CDI electrode materials for water desalination.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Pair production as a probe for the dynamics of nuclear fission and α decay
Electron-positron pairs can be produced via the Schwinger mechanism in the presence of strong electric fields. In particular, the fields involved in α decay and nuclear fission are strong enough to produce them. The energy of the e⁺e⁻ pair is related to the relative distance and velocity of the daughter nuclei. Thus, the energy distribution of the produced pairs can give information about the dynamics of the fission and α-decay processes. A neck model of nuclear fission is used to illustrate how the pairs can be used as a probe of the dynamics.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Efficiently Measuring 𝑑-Wave Pairing and Beyond in Quantum Gas Microscopes
Understanding the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity is among the most important problems in physics, one for which quantum simulation can provide new insights. However, it remains challenging to characterize superconductivity in existing cold-atom quantum simulation platforms. Here, in this work, we introduce a protocol for measuring a broad class of observables in fermionic quantum gas microscopes, including long-range superconducting pairing correlations (after a repulsive-to-attractive mapping). The protocol only requires global controls followed by site-resolved particle number measurements—capabilities that have been already demonstrated in multiple experiments—and is designed by analyzing the Hilbert space of fermions on two sites. The protocol is sample-efficient and we further optimize our pulses for robustness to experimental imperfections such as lattice inhomogeneity. Our Letter introduces a general tool for manipulating quantum states on optical lattices, enhancing their ability to tackle problems such as high-temperature superconductivity.
Hubbard model↗
Autonomous Mechanical Assembly on the Space Shuttle: An Overview
The space shuttle will be equipped with a pair of 50 ft. manipulators used to handle payloads and to perform mechanical assembly operations. Although current plans call for these manipulators to be operated by a human teleoperator. The possibility of using results from robotics and machine intelligence to automate this shuttle assembly system was investigated. The major components of an autonomous mechanical assembly system are examined, along with the technology base upon which they depend. The state of the art in advanced automation is also assessed.
Raibert, M. H.↗
Fully Kinetic Shearing-box Simulations of Magnetorotational Turbulence in 2D and 3D. I. Pair Plasmas
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is a fundamental mechanism determining the macroscopic dynamics of astrophysical accretion disks. In collisionless accretion flows around supermassive black holes, MRI-driven plasma turbulence cascading to microscopic (i.e., kinetic) scales can result in enhanced angular-momentum transport and redistribution, nonthermal particle acceleration, and a two-temperature state where electrons and ions are heated unequally. However, this microscopic physics cannot be captured with standard magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approaches typically employed to study the MRI. In this work, we explore the nonlinear development of MRI turbulence in a pair plasma, employing fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in two and three dimensions. First, we thoroughly study the axisymmetric MRI with 2D simulations, explaining how and why the 2D geometry produces results that differ substantially from 3D MHD expectations. We then perform the largest (to date) 3D simulations, for which we employ a novel shearing-box approach, demonstrating that 3D PIC models can reproduce the mesoscale (i.e., MHD) MRI dynamics in sufficiently large runs. With our fully kinetic simulations, we are able to describe the nonthermal particle acceleration and angular-momentum transport driven by the collisionless MRI. Since these microscopic processes ultimately lead to the emission of potentially measurable radiation in accreting plasmas, our work is of prime importance to understand current and future observations from first principles, beyond the limitations imposed by fluid (MHD) models. While in this first study we focus on pair plasmas for simplicity, our results represent an essential step toward designing more realistic electron–ion simulations, on which we will focus in future work.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Evaluation of a Pair-Wise Conflict Detection and Resolution Algorithm in a Multiple Aircraft Scenario
The KB3D algorithm is a pairwise conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) algorithm. It detects and generates trajectory vectoring for an aircraft which has been predicted to be in an airspace minima violation within a given look-ahead time. It has been proven, using mechanized theorem proving techniques, that for a pair of aircraft, KB3D produces at least one vectoring solution and that all solutions produced are correct. Although solutions produced by the algorithm are mathematically correct, they might not be physically executable by an aircraft or might not solve multiple aircraft conflicts. This paper describes a simple solution selection method which assesses all solutions generated by KB3D and determines the solution to be executed. The solution selection method and KB3D are evaluated using a simulation in which N aircraft fly in a free-flight environment and each aircraft in the simulation uses KB3D to maintain separation. Specifically, the solution selection method filters KB3D solutions which are procedurally undesirable or physically not executable and uses a predetermined criteria for selection.
Carreno, Victor A.↗
Interpreting experimental measurements of helium bubbles using stochastic cluster dynamics models of heterogeneous nucleation and growth in irradiated ferritic alloys
Among a number of other advantageous features, ferritic/martensitic steels are being considered as fusion reactor structural materials due to their low intrinsic swelling under irradiation. However, under high-energy neutron irradiation, He produced through (n, α) reactions stabilizes vacancy clusters, which then act as seeds for bubble formation and growth, negating the intrinsic swelling resistance of these alloys. Standard models of irradiation damage accumulation and microstructural evolution consider homogeneous nucleation as the basis for bubble formation and growth. However, this generally does not explain the large bubble densities and sizes observed experimentally under a number of different conditions. Here, we propose a more realistic physical model of bubble nucleation, formation, and growth designed to capture recent experimental measurements of He-bubble formation and evolution during co-implantation of He and Fe ions in model ferritic alloys. We find that experimental results are explained only when the following three features are considered simultaneously: (i) heterogeneous nucleation of He-vacancy bubbles at defect sinks (e.g., dislocations, grain boundaries, and second-phase precipitates), (ii) nucleation and growth of bubbles via the ‘trap mutation’ mechanism (i.e., spontaneous production of Frenkel pairs due to absorption of He atoms), and (iii) transition from a growth-limited, He-stabilized bubble regime to a ‘runaway’ void-type growth scenario. The model is implemented into a stochastic cluster dynamics framework that takes advantage of cluster size grouping methods to accelerate the simulations, allowing us to reach 10 dpa of simulated irradiated dose, and to capture cluster sizes in excess of 20 nm. Further, a careful extrapolation exercise conducted assuming classical nucleation theory leads to excellent agreement with the experimental measurements at 50 dpa of irradiation.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗