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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 OSTI2023

Multimessenger signals of heavy axionlike particles in core-collapse supernovae: Two-dimensional simulations

Core-collapse supernovae are a useful laboratory to probe the nature of exotic particles. If axionlike particles (ALPs) are produced in supernovae, they can affect the transfer of energy and leave traces in observational signatures. In this work, we present results from two-dimensional supernova models including the effects of the production and the absorption of ALPs that couple with photons. It is found that the additional heating induced by ALPs can enhance the diagnostic energy of explosion, E diag . For example, for moderate ALP-photon coupling, we find explosion energies ~0.6×10 51 erg compared to our reference model without ALPs of ~0.4×10 51 erg in the first ~0.5 s postbounce explored in this work. Further, our findings indicate that when the coupling constant is sufficiently high, the neutrino luminosities and mean energies are decreased because of the additional cooling of the proto-neutron star via ALPs. The gravitational wave amplitude is also reduced because the mass accretion on the proto-neutron star is suppressed. Although the ALP-photon coupling can foster explodability, including enhancing the explosion energy closer to recent observations, more long-term simulations in three spatial dimensions are needed to draw robust conclusions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

The Contribution of Environmental Siting and Permitting Requirements to the Cost of Energy for Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Devices

Responsible deployment of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) devices in estuaries, coastal areas, and major rivers requires that biological resources and ecosystems be protected through siting and permitting (consenting) processes. Scoping appropriate deployment locations, collecting pre-installation (baseline) and post-installation data all add to the cost of developing MHK projects, and hence to the cost of energy. Under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists have developed logic models that describe studies and processes for environmental siting and permitting. Each study and environmental permitting process has been assigned a cost derived from existing and proposed tidal, wave, and riverine MHK projects, as well as expert opinion of marine environmental research professionals. Cost estimates have been developed at the pilot and commercial scale. The reference model described in this document is an oscillating water column device deployed in Northern California at approximately 50 meters water depth.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION OF DEBRIS DISKS

We explore the collisional decay of disk mass and infrared emission in debris disks. With models, we show that the rate of the decay varies throughout the evolution of the disks, increasing its rate up to a certain point, which is followed by a leveling off to a slower value. The total disk mass falls off {proportional_to}t {sup -0.35} at its fastest point (where t is time) for our reference model, while the dust mass and its proxy-the infrared excess emission-fades significantly faster ({proportional_to}t {sup -0.8}). These later level off to a decay rate of M{sub tot}(t){proportional_to}t {sup -0.08} and M{sub dust}(t) or L{sub ir}(t){proportional_to}t {sup -0.6}. This is slower than the {proportional_to}t {sup -1} decay given for all three system parameters by traditional analytic models. We also compile an extensive catalog of Spitzer and Herschel 24, 70, and 100 {mu}m observations. Assuming a log-normal distribution of initial disk masses, we generate model population decay curves for the fraction of stars harboring debris disks detected at 24 {mu}m. We also model the distribution of measured excesses at the far-IR wavelengths (70-100 {mu}m) at certain age regimes. We show general agreement at 24 {mu}m between the decay of our numerical collisional population synthesis model and observations up to a Gyr. We associate offsets above a Gyr to stochastic events in a few select systems. We cannot fit the decay in the far-infrared convincingly with grain strength properties appropriate for silicates, but those of water ice give fits more consistent with the observations (other relatively weak grain materials would presumably also be successful). The oldest disks have a higher incidence of large excesses than predicted by the model; again, a plausible explanation is very late phases of high dynamical activity around a small number of stars. Finally, we constrain the variables of our numerical model by comparing the evolutionary trends generated from the exploration of the full parameter space to observations. Amongst other results, we show that erosive collisions are dominant in setting the timescale of the evolution and that planetesimals on the order of 100 km in diameter are necessary in the cascades for our population synthesis models to reproduce the observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Towards Optimal and Executable Distribution Grid Restoration Planning With a Fine-Grained Power-Communication Interdependency Model

Distribution service restoration (DSR) under natural disasters is always a critical and challenging problem for utility companies. An effective solution must not ignore the power-communication interdependency as various systems are getting increasingly connected in the Smart Grid era. In this paper, we propose a two-layer distribution system model with both power and communication components. Based on this model, we formulate the restoration process as a routing problem that schedules the path and action sequence of utility crews that involves repairing damaged components, closing power switches, and enabling communication paths between the control center and remote field devices. Further, we develop a simulation-based method to quantitatively evaluate the restoration process with public reference models of large-scale power systems. The experimental results show that our method improves the total restored energy up to 57.6% and reduces the recovery time up to 63% by considering the power-communication interdependency.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

When do short-range atomistic machine-learning models fall short?

In this work, we explore the role of long-range interactions in atomistic machine-learning models by analyzing the effects on fitting accuracy, isolated cluster properties, and bulk thermodynamic properties. Such models have become increasingly popular in molecular simulations given their ability to learn highly complex and multi-dimensional interactions within a local environment; however, many of them fundamentally lack a description of explicit long-range interactions. In order to provide a well-defined benchmark system with precisely known pairwise interactions, we chose as the reference model a flexible version of the Extended Simple Point Charge (SPC/E) water model. Our analysis shows that while local representations are sufficient for predictions of the condensed liquid phase, the short-range nature of machine-learning models falls short in representing cluster and vapor phase properties. These findings provide an improved understanding of the role of long-range interactions in machine learning models and the regimes where they are necessary.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reference interaction site model with hydrophobicity induced density inhomogeneity: An analytical theory to compute solvation properties of large hydrophobic solutes in the mixture of polyatomic solvent molecules

Reference interaction site model (RISM) has recently become a popular approach in the study of thermodynamical and structural properties of the solvent around macromolecules. On the other hand, it was widely suggested that there exists water density depletion around large hydrophobic solutes (>1 nm), and this may pose a great challenge to the RISM theory. In this paper, we develop a new analytical theory, the Reference Interaction Site Model with Hydrophobicity induced density Inhomogeneity (RISM-HI), to compute solvent radial distribution function (RDF) around large hydrophobic solute in water as well as its mixture with other polyatomic organic solvents. To achieve this, we have explicitly considered the density inhomogeneity at the solute-solvent interface using the framework of the Yvon-Born-Green hierarchy, and the RISM theory is used to obtain the solute-solvent pair correlation. In order to efficiently solve the relevant equations while maintaining reasonable accuracy, we have also developed a new closure called the D2 closure. With this new theory, the solvent RDFs around a large hydrophobic particle in water and different water-acetonitrile mixtures could be computed, which agree well with the results of the molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, we show that our RISM-HI theory can also efficiently compute the solvation free energy of solute with a wide range of hydrophobicity in various water-acetonitrile solvent mixtures with a reasonable accuracy. We anticipate that our theory could be widely applied to compute the thermodynamic and structural properties for the solvation of hydrophobic solute.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Integrating terrestrial and aquatic processes toward watershed scale modeling of dissolved organic carbon fluxes

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is not only a critical component of global and regional carbon budgets, but also an important precursor for carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBP) generated during drinking water disinfection process. The lack of process based watershed scale model for carbon cycling has been a limiting factor impeding effective watershed management to control DOC fluxes to source waters. Here, we integrated terrestrial and aquatic carbon processes into the widely tested Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed model to enable watershed-scale DOC modeling (referred to as SWAT-DOC hereafter). The modifications to SWAT mainly fall into two groups: (1) DOC production in soils and its transport to aquatic environment by different hydrologic processes, and (2) riverine transformation of DOC and their interactions with particular organic carbon (POC), inorganic carbon and algae (floating and bottom). We tested the new SWAT-DOC model in the Cannonsville watershed, which is part of the New York City (NYC) water supply system, using long-term DOC load data (from 1998 to 2012) derived from 1399 DOC samplings. The calibration and verification results indicate that SWAT-DOC achieved satisfactory performance for both streamflow and DOC at daily and monthly temporal scales. The parameter sensitivity analysis indicates that DOC loads in the Cannonsville watershed are controlled by the DOC production in soils and its transport in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Further model uncertainty analysis indicates high uncertainties associated with peak DOC loads, which are attributed to underestimation of high streamflows. Therefore, future efforts to enhance SWAT-DOC to better represent runoff generation processes hold promise to further improve DOC load simulation. Overall, the wide use of SWAT and the satisfactory performance of SWAT-DOC make it a useful tool for DOC modeling and mitigation at the watershed scale.

Dissolved Organic Carbon, non-point source polluti↗
DOE OSTI2022

Setup and verification of a SCALE/KENO platform for generic FHR benchmark calculations

The work presented in this article is preliminary to downstream analysis of a generic fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (gFHR) core performed by the University of Tennessee in collaboration with Kairos Power (KP). A Monte Carlo transport model of the publicly available gFHR equilibrium core is developed in SCALE/KENO with multigroup energy treatment. Several output quantities of interest are used to verify the simulations against a benchmark model developed by KP using the continuous energy Monte Carlo code Serpent 2. Good agreement is seen in flux and fission rate profiles with a maximum relative difference of 1.4% and 2.8% respectively. Furthermore, an effective multiplication factor bias of 44 pcm was observed between the two simulations. The fuel temperature reactivity coefficient calculated with SCALE is within uncertainty to the reference model. This verification acts as a publicly reproducible benchmark for the gFHR in SCALE/KENO. A simplified depletion model is also presented where a single fuel pebble is depleted to discharge burnup through the equilibrium core while the equilibrium core is assumed to be invariant. This method produces results that intercept the equilibrium core concentrations in every case, however, an interesting artifact of this particular depletion model is uncovered. The phenomenon is shown to be a fundamental feature of the differential rate equations and inspires questions about how this system behaves when the time evolution of the equilibrium core is considered. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) User Reference Guide: Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model

This guide -- the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model User Reference Guide -- was developed to assist users in operating and understanding the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model. The guide provides information on the model's underlying methodology, as well as the parameters and data sources used to develop the cost data utilized in the model. This guide also provides basic instruction on model add-in features and a discussion of how the results should be interpreted. Based on project-specific inputs from the user, the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model estimates local (e.g., county- or state-level) job creation, earnings, and output from total economic activity for a given fast pyrolysis biorefinery. These estimates include the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts to the local economy associated with the construction and operation phases of biorefinery projects.Local revenue and supply chain impacts as well as induced impacts are estimated using economic multipliers derived from the IMPLAN software program. By determining the local economic impacts and job creation for a proposed biorefinery, the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model can be used to field questions about the added value biorefineries might bring to a local community.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Heat deposition analysis for the High Flux Isotope Reactor’s HEU and LEU core models

The High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is an 85 MW th pressurized light-water-cooled and -moderated flux-trap type research reactor. The reactor is used to conduct numerous experiments, advancing various scientific and engineering disciplines. As part of an ongoing program sponsored by the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Material Management and Minimization, studies are being performed to assess the feasibility of converting the reactor’s highly enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched uranium fuel. To support this conversion project, reference models with representative experiment target loading and explicit fuel plate representation were developed and benchmarked for both fuels to (1) allow for consistent comparison between designs for both fuel types and (2) assess the potential impact of low-enriched uranium conversion. These high-fidelity models were used to conduct heat deposition analyses at the beginning and end of the reactor cycle and are presented herein. This article (1) discusses the High Flux Isotope Reactor models developed to facilitate detailed heat deposition analyses of the reactor’s highly enriched and low-enriched uranium cores, (2) examines the computational approach for performing heat deposition analysis, which includes a discussion on the methodology for calculating the amount of energy released per fission, heating rates, power and volumetric heating rates, and (3) provides results calculated throughout various regions of the highly enriched and low-enriched uranium core at the beginning and end of the reactor cycle. These are the first detailed high-fidelity heat deposition analyses for the High Flux Isotope Reactor’s highly enriched and low-enriched core models with explicit fuel plate representation. Lastly, these analyses are used to compare heat distributions obtained for both fuel designs at the beginning and end of the reactor cycle, and they are essential for enabling comprehensive thermal hydraulics and safety analyses that require detailed estimates of the heat source within all of the reactor’s fuel element regions.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reduced-Order CFD Modeling to Support Waste Loading Optimization in Hanford WTP Vitrification

The U.S. DOE Hanford Site stores over 56 million gallons of radioactive liquid tank waste that must be treated and immobilized for long-term disposal The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) will vitrify this waste by feeding it into Joule-heated melters, where it is incorporated into a stable borosilicate glass Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of glass melters can provide insight into the maximum achievable waste loading under varying melter operating conditions Fully resolved VOF multiphase simulations were used as the reference model to capture bubble-driven convection in the melter, including bubble formation, rise behavior, and induced glass melt circulation Effective bubble column diameter and rise velocity were extracted from the resolved simulations, compared with empirical correlations, and refit across relevant viscosity and gas flow rate conditions Explicit gas–liquid interface tracking was replaced with a single-phase momentum source term model, enabling faster steady-state CFD simulations while preserving the dominant hydrodynamic effects of bubbling New empirical correlations were developed for effective bubble column diameter and bubble rise velocity by fitting resolved simulation data across expected melter viscosity and gas flow rate ranges, providing improved inputs for the momentum source term model compared with existing literature correlations The momentum source term model reduced fluid-domain mesh size by 89% and achieved an 8.4× computational speedup relative to resolved bubbling simulations The validated momentum source term approach enables prediction of process-relevant heat transfer behavior in the integrated melter model, including heat transfer from the molten glass to the cold cap, plenum, refractory walls, and surrounding structural regions under varying melter operating conditions

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Added-mass effects on a horizontal-axis tidal turbine using FAST v8

Added mass on tidal turbine blades has the potential to alter the blade dynamic response, such as natural frequencies and vibration amplitudes, as a response to blade acceleration. Currently, most aeroelastic design tools do not consider such effects as they are complex and expensive to model, and they are not an intrinsic part of most blade-element momentum theory codes, which are commonly used in the tidal energy industry. This article outlines the addition of added-mass effects to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's design tool FAST v8. A verification is presented for a spring-mass system with an initial displacement, and a case study is performed for the Reference Model 1 20-m-diameter tidal turbine. For the 20-m-diameter turbine, it was shown that the natural frequency of vibration is reduced by 65% when added mass is considered. Further, the thrust loads are increased by 2.5% when the blades are excited by a 5% step increase in inflow velocity when added mass is considered. This decrease can have a significant impact on the overall turbine design, as it is important to design the blades with a natural frequency so that they are not excited by the rotor speed and its harmonics, wherein aerodynamic excitation can lead to fatigue damage. However, it was shown that when turbulent inflow with an intensity of 20% was modeled, there was almost no impact on the loads and blade displacement with added-mass effects except for a small difference in the fatigue response of the blade to turbulent load fluctuations.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Convective Biases in the US DOE Global Storm‐Resolving Model: Insights From Regionally Refined Simulations During the CACTI Campaign

Accurately simulating convective processes in complex terrain remains a critical challenge for global storm-resolving models (GSRMs). This study systematically evaluates moist convective biases in the Regionally Refined Mesh configuration of the U.S. Department of Energy Simple Cloud-Resolving E3SM Atmosphere Model (RRM-SCREAM) using comprehensive observations and large-eddy simulations from the Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) campaign in the mountainous area of central Argentina. Comparisons of simulations with high-resolution observations and reanalysis data indicate that RRM-SCREAM effectively captures large-scale meteorological patterns, including regional atmospheric gradients and diurnal variability. However, RRM-SCREAM disproportionately produces smaller precipitation clusters referred to as “popcorn convection,” and exaggerated rainfall intensities compared to observations and reference models. Detailed examination of a representative orographic shallow-to-deep convective transition case shows that RRM-SCREAM delays initial shallow convection growth due to lower-tropospheric dryness and sustained convective inhibition, but once triggered, deep convection becomes overly vigorous with excessively strong vertical velocities and elevated cloud ice content, linked to a thermodynamic structure characterized by suppressed low-level moistening and excessive upper-level moisture retention. Our results highlight specific deficiencies in the model representation of convective vertical velocity, cloud microphysical processes, and convective precipitation organization within RRM-SCREAM. Addressing these biases is essential for improving the predictions of convective clouds and precipitation in the global high-resolution atmospheric models.

Su, Tianning [Lawrence Livermore National Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2017

Integration of the ITER Tokamak C-model with the Building Model

The pellet injector system is designed to accommodate the requirement of continuous plasma refueling during ITER Tokamak operations. Through pellet flight tubes/injection lines, the pellets can directly reach the interior of the tokamak vacuum vessel. The pellet injector system is located at a port cell outside of the Tokamak bio-shield. The plasma radiation source in the tokamak vacuum vessel, together with the highly activated surrounding water in port cells, present major radiation challenges for the pellet injector system during ITER operation and after shutdown. These sources produce a radiation field encompassing the entire Tokamak complex. The ITER neutronics reference model C-model is an ITER radiation transport model. It represents a 40 deg. regular torus sector out to the bio-shield, which consists of 38 individual systems. The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) input of the C-model consists of more than a hundred thousand cell definitions and surface definitions, and over three hundred material compositions. The latest tokamak complex MCNP model is significantly more detailed than any previous releases. It consists of 36,863 cell definitions, 57,105 surface definitions, and a total of 21 different types of materials. The C-model and tokamak building model share the bio-shield as the boundary between them. In general, the radiation fields in the building due to the plasma source during tokamak operation are determined by generating the radiation source in the inner faces of the bio-shield. An inherent limitation of this approach is that it can only approximate the directions in which streaming paths are produced through the bio-shield plugs. To better estimate the shutdown dose rate for the pellet injector system due to the plasma source, we have decided to integrate the tokamak model (C-model) with the complex building model. Both MCNP models are provided by the ITER International Organization (IO) to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Radiation Transport (RT) group.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Mechanical Design Studies of the MQXF Long Model Quadrupole for the HiLumi LHC

The Large Hadron Collider Luminosity upgrade (HiLumi) program requires new low-β triplet quadrupole magnets, called MQXF, in the Interaction Region (IR) to increase the LHC peak and integrated luminosity. The MQXF magnets, designed and fabricated in collaboration between CERN and the U.S. LARP, will all have the same cross section. The MQXF long model, referred as MQXFA, is a quadrupole using the Nb3Sn superconducting technology with 150 mm aperture and a 4.2 m magnetic length and is the first long prototype of the final MQXF design. The MQXFA magnet is based on the previous LARP HQ and MQXFS designs. In this paper we present the baseline design of the MQXFA structure with detailed 3D numerical analysis. A detailed tolerance analysis of the baseline case has been performed by using a 3D finite element model, which allows fast computation of structures modelled with actual tolerances. Tolerance sensitivity of each component is discussed to verify the actual tolerances to be achieved by vendors. In conclusion, tolerance stack-up analysis is presented in the end of this paper.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Secondary antiprotons as a Galactic Dark Matter probe

We present a novel determination of the astrophysical uncertainties associated to the secondary antiproton flux originating from cosmic-ray spallation on the interstellar gas. We select a set of propagation models compatible with the recent B/C data from PAMELA, and find those providing minimal and maximal antiproton fluxes in different energy ranges. We use this result to determine the most conservative bounds on relevant Dark Matter (DM) annihilation channels: we find that the recent claim of a DM interpretation of a gamma-ray excess in the Galactic Center region cannot be ruled out by current antiproton data. Finally, we discuss the impact of the recently released preliminary data from AMS-02. In particular, we provide a reference model compatible with proton, helium and B/C spectra from this experiment. Remarkably, the main propagation parameters of this model are in agreement with the best fit presented in our earlier statistical analyses. We also show that the antiproton-to-proton ratio does not exhibit any significant anomaly at high energy with respect to our predictions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Zero Trust Strategies for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Detection Systems: D.1 Cyber Scenarios

The evolving landscape of cybersecurity necessitates a paradigm shift to a Zero Trust (ZT) model, which assumes breaches and continuously verifies trust. This approach reshapes how trust boundaries are established, focusing on identities, devices, networks, applications, and data, rather than solely relying on perimeter defenses such as firewalls. Central to this transformation is the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Special Publication 800-207, outlining the Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), along with Executive Order 14028, which mandates federal agencies to adopt ZT principles. Complementary to these efforts, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) developed the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM), providing a framework with five pillars and three cross-cutting capabilities to guide agencies toward enhanced cybersecurity maturity. In support of these initiatives, the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) is applying ZT principles to secure Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) detection systems. Recognizing the diverse deployment models and network connectivity of these systems—from stationary, non-networked units to mobile, cloud-connected devices—the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing cybersecurity scenarios specifically for CBRN environments. These scenarios examine various configurations and technological capabilities, offering insights into the application of ZTMM pillars in enhancing the security postures of CBRN devices. The cybersecurity scenarios presented by PNNL are hypothetical, crafted to explore theoretical situations and stimulate discussion on the potential use or compromise of CBRN detection systems in varied contexts. These narratives are illustrative and do not reference any real events or actual networks. Instead, they employ generalized reference models to highlight concepts and potential issues within CBRN security, focusing on how Zero Trust strategies can be adapted to address these challenges effectively.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the need for the light elements primary process (LEPP)

Extant chemical evolution models underestimate the galactic production of Sr, Y, and Zr as well as the solar system abundances of s-only isotopes with 90 < A < 130. To solve this problem, an additional (unknown) process has been invoked, the so-called light element primary process (LEPP). In this paper we investigate possible alternative solutions. Based on Full Network Stellar evolutionary calculations, we investigate the effects on the solar system s-only distribution induced by the inclusion of some commonly ignored physical processes (e.g., rotation) or by the variation of the treatment of convective overshoot, mass loss, and the efficiency of nuclear processes. Our main findings are (1) at the epoch of the formation of the solar system, our reference model produces supersolar abundances for the whole s-only distribution, even in the range 90 < A < 130, (2) within errors, the s-only distribution relative to {sup 150}Sm is flat, (3) the s-process contribution of the less massive AGB stars (M < 1.5 M {sub ⊙}) as well as of the more massive ones (M > 4.0 M {sub ⊙}) are negligible, (4) the inclusion of rotation implies a downward shift of the whole distribution with a higher efficiency for the heavy s-only isotopes, leading to a flatter s-only distribution, (5) different prescriptions on convection or mass loss produce nearly rigid shifts of the whole distribution. In summary, a variation of the standard paradigm of AGB nucleosynthesis would allow reconciliation of model predictions with solar system s-only abundances. Nonetheless, the LEPP cannot be definitely ruled out because of the uncertainties still affecting stellar and galactic chemical evolution models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗