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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Experimental investigation on focusing characteristics of a He-Ne laser using circular Fresnel zone plate for high-precision alignment of linear accelerators

We experimentally investigate the focusing characteristics of a He-Ne laser at the focal region for the high-precision alignment of long-distance linear accelerators using a circular Fresnel zone plate. The laser wave passing through the Fresnel zone plate having a focal length of 66.7 m propagates for a 268-m-long distance at atmospheric pressure. A new laser-based alignment system using Fresnel zone plates as the alignment targets is discussed. The transverse displacement of the focused spot of the laser is measured as a function of the displacement of the target by a detector installed at the focal point. Systematic studies on the focusing characteristics and alignment precision have been successfully conducted in this experiment. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical calculations, and the alignment precision of the target is determined to be less than {+-}30 {mu}m. In this study, we perform a detailed experimental investigation on the laser propagation and focusing characteristics using the circular Fresnel zone plate at the focal region along with theoretical calculations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Superallowed nuclear beta decay: Precision measurements for basic physics

For 60 years, superallowed 0{sup +}{yields}0{sup +} nuclear beta decay has been used to probe the weak interaction, currently verifying the conservation of the vector current (CVC) to high precision ({+-}0.01%) and anchoring the most demanding available test of the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix ({+-}0.06%), a fundamental pillar of the electroweak standard model. Each superallowed transition is characterized by its ft-value, a result obtained from three measured quantities: the total decay energy of the transition, its branching ratio, and the half-life of the parent state. Today's data set is composed of some 150 independent measurements of 13 separate superallowed transitions covering a wide range of parent nuclei from {sup 10}C to {sup 74}Rb. Excellent consistency among the average results for all 13 transitions - a prediction of CVC - also confirms the validity of the small transition-dependent theoretical corrections that have been applied to account for isospin symmetry breaking. With CVC consistency established, the value of the vector coupling constant, G{sub V}, has been extracted from the data and used to determine the top left element of the CKM matrix, V{sub ud}. With this result the top-row unitarity test of the CKM matrix yields the value 0.99995(61), a result that sets a tight limit on possible new physics beyond the standard model. To have any impact on these fundamental weak-interaction tests, any measurement must be made with a precision of 0.1% or better - a substantial experimental challenge well beyond the requirements of most nuclear physics measurements. I overview the current state of the field and outline some of the requirements that need to be met by experimentalists if they aim to make measurements with this high level of precision.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Improved strain precision with high spatial resolution using nanobeam precession electron diffraction

NanoBeam Electron Diffraction is a simple and efficient technique to measure strain in nanostructures. Here, we show that improved results can be obtained by precessing the electron beam while maintaining a few nanometer probe size, i.e., by doing Nanobeam Precession Electron Diffraction (N-PED). The precession of the beam makes the diffraction spots more uniform and numerous, making N-PED more robust and precise. In N-PED, smaller probe size and better precision are achieved by having diffraction disks instead of diffraction dots. Precision in the strain measurement better than 2 × 10{sup −4} is obtained with a probe size approaching 1 nm in diameter.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Light leptonic new physics at the precision frontier

Precision probes of new physics are often interpreted through their indirect sensitivity to short-distance scales. In this proceedings contribution, we focus on the question of which precision observables, at current sensitivity levels, allow for an interpretation via either short-distance new physics or consistent models of long-distance new physics, weakly coupled to the Standard Model. The electroweak scale is chosen to set the dividing line between these scenarios. In particular, we find that inverse see-saw models of neutrino mass allow for light new physics interpretations of most precision leptonic observables, such as lepton universality, lepton flavor violation, but not for the electron EDM.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A high-precision instrument for analyzing nonlinear dynamic behavior of bearing cage

The high-precision ball bearing is fundamental to the performance of complex mechanical systems. As the speed increases, the cage behavior becomes a key factor in influencing the bearing performance, especially life and reliability. This paper develops a high-precision instrument for analyzing nonlinear dynamic behavior of the bearing cage. The trajectory of the rotational center and non-repetitive run-out (NRRO) of the cage are used to evaluate the instability of cage motion. This instrument applied an aerostatic spindle to support and spin test the bearing to decrease the influence of system error. Then, a high-speed camera is used to capture images when the bearing works at high speeds. A 3D trajectory tracking software TEMA Motion is used to track the spot which marked the cage surface. Finally, by developing the MATLAB program, a Lissajous’ figure was used to evaluate the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the cage with different speeds. The trajectory of rotational center and NRRO of the cage with various speeds are analyzed. The results can be used to predict the initial failure and optimize cage structural parameters. In addition, the repeatability precision of instrument is also validated. In the future, the motorized spindle will be applied to increase testing speed and image processing algorithms will be developed to analyze the trajectory of the cage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-precision measurement of magnetic penetration depth in superconducting films

We report that the magnetic penetration depth (λ) in thin superconducting films is usually measured by the mutual inductance technique. The accuracy of this method has been limited by uncertainties in the geometry of the solenoids and in the film position and thickness, by parasitic coupling between the coils, etc. Here, we present several improvements in the apparatus and the method. To ensure the precise thickness of the superconducting layer, we engineer the films at atomic level using atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy. In this way, we also eliminate secondary-phase precipitates, grain boundaries, and pinholes that are common with other deposition methods and that artificially increase the field transmission and thus the apparent λ. For better reproducibility, the thermal stability of our closed-cycle cryocooler used to control the temperature of the mutual inductance measurement has been significantly improved by inserting a custom-built thermal conductivity damper. Next, to minimize the uncertainties in the geometry, we fused a pair of small yet precisely wound coils into a single sapphire block machined to a high precision. Lastly, the sample is spring-loaded to exactly the same position with respect to the solenoids. Altogether, we can measure the absolute value of λ with the accuracy better than ±1%.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

A fused silica Cherenkov radiator for high precision time-of-flight measurement of DT γ and neutron spectra (invited)

A fused silica Cherenkov radiator has been utilized at the National Ignition Facility to provide a new high precision measurement of the time-of-flight spectrum of 14.1 MeV DT fusion neutrons. This detector allows a high precision (<30 ps) co-registered measurement of both a thresholded γ-ray and a neutron spectrum on a single record. Other approaches typically require γ and neutron signals to be co-registered via other diagnostics and/or dedicated timing experiments. Analysis of the co-registered γ and neutron signals allows precise extraction of the mean neutron energy and bulk hot-spot velocity, both of which were not possible with prior scintillator technologies. Initial measurements demonstrate the feasibility of this measurement and indicate that combined detection of neutrons and γ-rays on multiple lines-of-sight should enable the bulk vector velocity of the implosion hot-spot to be determined to ≈5 km/s and reduced uncertainty in the spectral width ≈0.1 keV.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

SPOTTED STAR LIGHT CURVES WITH ENHANCED PRECISION

The nearly continuous timewise coverage of recent photometric surveys is free of the large gaps that compromise attempts to follow starspot growth and decay as well as motions, thereby giving incentive to improve computational precision for modeled spots. Due to the wide variety of star systems in the surveys, such improvement should apply to light/velocity curve models that accurately include all the main phenomena of close binaries and rotating single stars. The vector fractional area (VFA) algorithm that is introduced here represents surface elements by small sets of position vectors so as to allow accurate computation of circle-triangle overlap by spherical geometry. When computed by VFA, spots introduce essentially no noticeable scatter in light curves at the level of one part in 10,000. VFA has been put into the Wilson-Devinney light/velocity curve program and all logic and mathematics are given so as to facilitate entry into other such programs. Advantages of precise spot computation include improved statistics of spot motions and aging, reduced computation time (intrinsic precision relaxes needs for grid fineness), noise-free illustration of spot effects in figures, and help in guarding against false positives in exoplanet searches, where spots could approximately mimic transiting planets in unusual circumstances. A simple spot growth and decay template quantifies time profiles, and specifics of its utilization in differential corrections solutions are given. Computational strategies are discussed, the overall process is tested in simulations via solutions of synthetic light curve data, and essential simulation results are described. An efficient time smearing facility by Gaussian quadrature can deal with Kepler mission data that are in 30 minute time bins.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Improving the precision of astrometry for space debris

The data reduction method for optical space debris observations has many similarities with the one adopted for surveying near-Earth objects; however, due to several specific issues, the image degradation is particularly critical, which makes it difficult to obtain precise astrometry. An automatic image reconstruction method was developed to improve the astrometry precision for space debris, based on the mathematical morphology operator. Variable structural elements along multiple directions are adopted for image transformation, and then all the resultant images are stacked to obtain a final result. To investigate its efficiency, trial observations are made with Global Positioning System satellites and the astrometry accuracy improvement is obtained by comparison with the reference positions. The results of our experiments indicate that the influence of degradation in astrometric CCD images is reduced, and the position accuracy of both objects and stellar stars is improved distinctly. Our technique will contribute significantly to optical data reduction and high-order precision astrometry for space debris.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PRECISE INFRARED RADIAL VELOCITIES FROM KECK/NIRSPEC AND THE SEARCH FOR YOUNG PLANETS

We present a high-precision infrared radial velocity (RV) study of late-type stars using spectra obtained with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory. RV precisions of 50 m s{sup -1} are achieved for old field mid-M dwarfs using telluric features for wavelength calibration. Using this technique, 20 young stars in the {beta} Pic (age {approx} 12 Myr) and TW Hya (age {approx} 8 Myr) Associations were monitored over several years to search for low-mass companions; we also included the chromospherically active field star GJ 873 (EV Lac) in this survey. Based on comparisons with previous optical observations of these young active stars, RV measurements at infrared wavelengths mitigate the RV noise caused by star spots by a factor of {approx}3. Nevertheless, star spot noise is still the dominant source of measurement error for young stars at 2.3 {mu}m, and limits the precision to {approx}77 m s{sup -1} for the slowest rotating stars (v sin i < 6 km s{sup -1}), increasing to {approx}168 m s{sup -1} for rapidly rotating stars (v sin i > 12 km s{sup -1}). The observations reveal both GJ 3305 and TWA 23 to be single-lined spectroscopic binaries; in the case of GJ 3305, the motion is likely caused by its 0.''09 companion, identified after this survey began. The large amplitude, short-timescale variations of TWA 13A are indicative of a hot Jupiter-like companion, but the available data are insufficient to confirm this. We label it as a candidate RV variable. For the remainder of the sample, these observations exclude the presence of any 'hot' (P < 3 days) companions more massive than 8 M{sub Jup} and any 'warm' (P < 30 days) companions more massive than 17 M{sub Jup}, on average. Assuming an edge-on orbit for the edge-on disk system AU Mic, these observations exclude the presence of any hot Jupiters more massive than 1.8 M{sub Jup} or warm Jupiters more massive than 3.9 M{sub Jup}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

IMPROVING THE PRECISION OF TIME-DELAY COSMOGRAPHY WITH OBSERVATIONS OF GALAXIES ALONG THE LINE OF SIGHT

In order to use strong gravitational lens time delays to measure precise and accurate cosmological parameters the effects of mass along the line of sight must be taken into account. We present a method to achieve this by constraining the probability distribution function of the effective line-of-sight convergence {kappa}{sub ext}. The method is based on matching the observed overdensity in the weighted number of galaxies to that found in mock catalogs with {kappa}{sub ext} obtained by ray-tracing through structure formation simulations. We explore weighting schemes based on projected distance, mass, luminosity, and redshift. This additional information reduces the uncertainty of {kappa}{sub ext} from {sigma}{sub {kappa}} {approx} 0.06 to {approx}0.04 for very overdense LOSs like that of the system B1608+656. For more common LOSs, {sigma}{sub {kappa}} is reduced to {approx}<0.03, corresponding to an uncertainty of {approx}< 3% on distance. This uncertainty has comparable effects on cosmological parameters to that arising from the mass model of the deflector and its immediate environment. Photometric redshifts based on g, r, i and K photometries are sufficient to constrain {kappa}{sub ext} almost as well as with spectroscopic redshifts. As an illustration, we apply our method to the system B1608+656. Our most reliable {kappa}{sub ext} estimator gives {sigma}{sub {kappa}} = 0.047 down from 0.065 using only galaxy counts. Although deeper multiband observations of the field of B1608+656 are necessary to obtain a more precise estimate, we conclude that griK photometry, in addition to spectroscopy to characterize the immediate environment, is an effective way to increase the precision of time-delay cosmography.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Precision ephemerides for gravitational-wave searches. I. Sco X-1

Rapidly rotating neutron stars are the only candidates for persistent high-frequency gravitational wave emission, for which a targeted search can be performed based on the spin period measured from electromagnetic (e.g., radio and X-ray) observations. The principal factor determining the sensitivity of such searches is the measurement precision of the physical parameters of the system. Neutron stars in X-ray binaries present additional computational demands for searches due to the uncertainty in the binary parameters. We present the results of a pilot study with the goal of improving the measurement precision of binary orbital parameters for candidate gravitational wave sources. We observed the optical counterpart of Sco X-1 in 2011 June with the William Herschel Telescope and also made use of Very Large Telescope observations in 2011 to provide an additional epoch of radial-velocity measurements to earlier measurements in 1999. From a circular orbit fit to the combined data set, we obtained an improvement of a factor of 2 in the orbital period precision and a factor of 2.5 in the epoch of inferior conjunction T {sub 0}. While the new orbital period is consistent with the previous value of Gottlieb et al., the new T {sub 0} (and the amplitude of variation of the Bowen line velocities) exhibited a significant shift, which we attribute to variations in the emission geometry with epoch. We propagate the uncertainties on these parameters through to the expected Advanced LIGO-Virgo detector network observation epochs and quantify the improvement obtained with additional optical observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Precision measures of the primordial abundance of deuterium

We report the discovery of deuterium absorption in the very metal-poor ([Fe/H] = –2.88) damped Lyα system at z {sub abs} = 3.06726 toward the QSO SDSS J1358+6522. On the basis of 13 resolved D I absorption lines and the damping wings of the H I Lyα transition, we have obtained a new, precise measure of the primordial abundance of deuterium. Furthermore, to bolster the present statistics of precision D/H measures, we have reanalyzed all of the known deuterium absorption-line systems that satisfy a set of strict criteria. We have adopted a blind analysis strategy (to remove human bias) and developed a software package that is specifically designed for precision D/H abundance measurements. For this reanalyzed sample of systems, we obtain a weighted mean of (D/H){sub p} = (2.53 ± 0.04) × 10{sup –5}, corresponding to a universal baryon density 100 Ω{sub b,} {sub 0} h {sup 2} = 2.202 ± 0.046 for the standard model of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). By combining our measure of (D/H){sub p} with observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), we derive the effective number of light fermion species, N {sub eff} = 3.28 ± 0.28. We therefore rule out the existence of an additional (sterile) neutrino (i.e., N {sub eff} = 4.046) at 99.3% confidence (2.7σ), provided that the values of N {sub eff} and of the baryon-to-photon ratio (η{sub 10}) did not change between BBN and recombination. We also place a strong bound on the neutrino degeneracy parameter, independent of the {sup 4}He primordial mass fraction, Y {sub P}: ξ{sub D} = +0.05 ± 0.13 based only on the CMB+(D/H){sub p} observations. Combining this value of ξ{sub D} with the current best literature measure of Y {sub P}, we find a 2σ upper bound on the neutrino degeneracy parameter, |ξ| ≤ +0.062.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Inferring the gravitational potential of the Milky Way with a few precisely measured stars

The dark matter halo of the Milky Way is expected to be triaxial and filled with substructure. It is hoped that streams or shells of stars produced by tidal disruption of stellar systems will provide precise measures of the gravitational potential to test these predictions. We develop a method for inferring the Galactic potential with tidal streams based on the idea that the stream stars were once close in phase space. Our method can flexibly adapt to any form for the Galactic potential: it works in phase-space rather than action-space and hence relies neither on our ability to derive actions nor on the integrability of the potential. Our model is probabilistic, with a likelihood function and priors on the parameters. The method can properly account for finite observational uncertainties and missing data dimensions. We test our method on synthetic data sets generated from N-body simulations of satellite disruption in a static, multi-component Milky Way, including a triaxial dark matter halo with observational uncertainties chosen to mimic current and near-future surveys of various stars. We find that with just eight well-measured stream stars, we can infer properties of a triaxial potential with precisions of the order of 5%-7%. Without proper motions, we obtain 10% constraints on most potential parameters and precisions around 5%-10% for recovering missing phase-space coordinates. These results are encouraging for the goal of using flexible, time-dependent potential models combined with larger data sets to unravel the detailed shape of the dark matter distribution around the Milky Way.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Stellar chemical abundances: in pursuit of the highest achievable precision

The achievable level of precision on photospheric abundances of stars is a major limiting factor on investigations of exoplanet host star characteristics, the chemical histories of star clusters, and the evolution of the Milky Way and other galaxies. While model-induced errors can be minimized through the differential analysis of spectrally similar stars, the maximum achievable precision of this technique has been debated. As a test, we derive differential abundances of 19 elements from high-quality asteroid-reflected solar spectra taken using a variety of instruments and conditions. We treat the solar spectra as being from unknown stars and use the resulting differential abundances, which are expected to be zero, as a diagnostic of the error in our measurements. Our results indicate that the relative resolution of the target and reference spectra is a major consideration, with use of different instruments to obtain the two spectra leading to errors up to 0.04 dex. Use of the same instrument at different epochs for the two spectra has a much smaller effect (∼0.007 dex). The asteroid used to obtain the solar standard also has a negligible effect (∼0.006 dex). Assuming that systematic errors from the stellar model atmospheres have been minimized, as in the case of solar twins, we confirm that differential chemical abundances can be obtained at sub-0.01 dex precision with due care in the observations, data reduction, and abundance analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Precision comparison of the power spectrum in the EFTofLSS with simulations

We study the prediction of the dark matter power spectrum at two-loop order in the Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures (EFTofLSS) using high precision numerical simulations. In our universe, short distance non-linear fluctuations, not under perturbative control, affect long distance fluctuations through an effective stress tensor that needs to be parametrized in terms of counterterms that are functions of the long distance fluctuating fields. We find that at two-loop order it is necessary to include three counterterms: a linear term in the overdensity, δ, a quadratic term, δ{sup 2}, and a higher derivative term, ∂{sup 2}δ. After the inclusion of these three terms, the EFTofLSS at two-loop order matches simulation data up to k ≅ 0.34 h Mpc{sup −1} at redshift z = 0, up to k ≅ 0.55 h Mpc{sup −1} at z = 1, and up to k ≅ 1.1 h Mpc{sup −1} at z = 2. At these wavenumbers, the cosmic variance of the simulation is at least as small as 10{sup −3}, providing for the first time a high precision comparison between theory and data. The actual reach of the theory is affected by theoretical uncertainties associated to not having included higher order terms in perturbation theory, for which we provide an estimate, and by potentially overfitting the data, which we also try to address. Since in the EFTofLSS the coupling constants associated with the counterterms are unknown functions of time, we show how a simple parametrization gives a sensible description of their time-dependence. Overall, the k -reach of the EFTofLSS is much larger than previous analytical techniques, showing that the amount of cosmological information amenable to high-precision analytical control might be much larger than previously believed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reanalysis of the top-quark pair hadroproduction and a precise determination of the top-quark pole mass at the LHC *

In this study, we calculate the $t\bar{t}$ pQCD production cross-section at the NNLO and determine the top-quark pole mass from recent measurements at the LHC at the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{S}=13$ TeV to a high precision by applying the principle of maximum conformality (PMC). The PMC provides a systematic method that rigorously eliminates QCD renormalization scale ambiguities by summing the nonconformal $\beta$ contributions into the QCD coupling constant. The PMC predictions satisfy the requirements of renormalization group invariance, including renormalization scheme independence, and the PMC scales accurately reflect the virtuality of the underlying production subprocesses. By using the PMC, an improved prediction for the $t\bar{t}$ production cross-section is obtained without scale ambiguities, which in turn provides a precise value for the top-quark pole mass. Moreover, the prediction of PMC calculations that the magnitudes of higher-order PMC predictions are well within the error bars predicted from the known lower-order has been demonstrated for the top-quark pair production. The resulting determination of the top-quark pole mass, $m_t^{\rm{pole}}=172.5\pm1.4$ GeV, from the LHC measurement at $\sqrt{S}=13$ TeV agrees with the current world average cited by the Particle Data Group (PDG). The PMC prediction provides an important high-precision test of the consistency of pQCD and the SM at $\sqrt{S}=13$ TeV with previous LHC measurements at lower CM energies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

LYSO based precision timing calorimeters

In this report we outline the study of the development of calorimeter detectors using bright scintillating crystals. We discuss how timing information with a precision of a few tens of pico seconds and below can significantly improve the reconstruction of the physics events under challenging high pileup conditions to be faced at the High-Luminosity LHC or a future hadron collider. The particular challenge in measuring the time of arrival of a high energy photon lies in the stochastic component of the distance of initial conversion and the size of the electromagnetic shower. We present studies and measurements from test beams for calorimeter based timing measurements to explore the ultimate timing precision achievable for high energy photons of 10 GeV and above. We focus on techniques to measure the timing with a high precision in association with the energy of the photon. We present test-beam studies and results on the timing performance and characterization of the time resolution of LYSO-based calorimeters. We demonstrate time resolution of 30 ps is achievable for a particular design.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗