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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Challenges and Gaps in the Development of Pulsed Power for Fusion Applications: A Preroadmapping Perspective From Industry, Academia, and National Laboratory Experts

Fusion energy meets the twenty-first century World Grand Challenge of sustainable, ubiquitous, and safer energy sources. However, harnessing the promise of fusion energy has proven elusive. The competing approaches to fusion power plant design include inertial confinement fusion, National Ignition Facility (ICF-NIF, Z machine, etc.,) magnetic confinement fusion (MCF-Tokamak, stellarators, etc.), and other approaches that show promise in small- (flow stabilized Z pinches) or large-scale applications. These approaches are being accelerated with private and public funding and seek to demonstrate the feasibility of different approaches to fusion-based power plants. Yet, how can the necessary pulsed power technologies for these disruptive technology bases be accelerated with no clear “Dominant Design?” Roadmapping holds the promise to identify and develop common critical pulsed power components for laboratory, prototype, and commercial fusion, and can accelerate the commercialization of fusion reactor designs. A preroadmapping Workshop on Pulsed Power for Fusion was held at the IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference in San Antonio, TX, USA, in June 2023. The workshop had 177 attendees. Here, the common elements for many of the ICF technologies vying for dominant design were identified. The advancement of these technologies through roadmapping will enhance commercial expectations that require their rapid and innovative development in the next five years, as well as the next five to ten years. The key technologies identified that underpin and limit the advancement of fusion power include pulsed power technologies such as energy storage, high-voltage switching, additive manufacturing, and modular pulsed power circuit topologies. In conclusion, they are the focus of our effort in the following roadmap scenario, which will delineate potential paths to technology development.

Curry, Randy D. [I-Pulse Group, Albuquerque, NM (U↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laboratory tests of laser control of electron beams for future colliders

Laser-driven Compton backscattering (CBS) has been proposed as method for controlling the intensity of colliding bunches in the FCC-ee so as to avoid the flip-flop instability caused by intensity asymmetry in colliding bunches. Laser-based collimation has also been proposed as an indestructible collimator for high-intensity electron beams. We have initiated a laboratory-based test program of these concepts with the E344 experiment at FACET-II. In this paper, we describe simulations of laser–beam interactions at FACET-II and the relevant scaling for FCC-ee. We also describe the experimental setup and diagnostics that will be used to make the measurements at FACET-II.

accelerator physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Argonne National Laboratory Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2024

This report discusses the status and accomplishments of the environmental protection program at Argonne National Laboratory for calendar year 2024. The status of Argonne environmental protection activities with respect to compliance with the various laws and regulations is discussed, along with environmental management, efficiency efforts, environmental corrective actions, and habitat restoration. To evaluate the effects of Argonne operations on the environment, samples of environmental media collected on the site, at the site boundary, and off the Argonne site were analyzed and compared with applicable guidelines and standards. A variety of radionuclides were measured in air, surface water, groundwater, and bottom sediment samples. In addition, chemical constituents in surface water, groundwater, and wastewater were analyzed. External penetrating radiation doses were measured, and the potential for radiation exposure to off-site population groups and on-site members of the public was estimated. Results are interpreted with respect to the origin of radioactive and chemical substances (i.e., natural, Argonne, and other) and are compared with applicable standards intended to protect human health and the environment. A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) dose calculation methodology, based on International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) CAP 88 computer code, was used in preparing this report.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laboratory Testing of Portable Air Cleaner Products for Energy Efficiency and Clean Air Performance at Various Fan Settings [Slides]

This document contains the results of a product review and laboratory testing experiment of portable air cleaning devices (PACs). Thirty-four commercially available PACs were reviewed, and from those, 7 products were purchased and underwent AHAM AC-7 clean air delivery rate (CADR) testing. The following research questions were explored: 1) What is the relationship between clean air delivery rate (CADR) and energy across a range of products and what is the general decrement in CADR as a result of operating at lower fan speeds? 2) How might the multiple units at lower power compare to fewer, larger units at full power in terms of energy efficiency and total cost? 3) How do the measured CADR, power, and efficiency compare to the manufacturer specs? 4) Are there product attributes that can be identified that might contribute to better CADR/W performance?

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laboratory Evaluation of Federated, Hierarchical Controls for Distribution Power System Management: Preprint

The connection of more loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) to the distribution power system brings both challenges and opportunities to system operators. There are opportunities to aggregate flexible loads and DERs to provide transmission grid services, but the coordinated actions of DERs being managed by independent, third-party DER aggregators to support transmission system operations can present challenges. We developed a federated DER management architecture and control framework that aims to manage heterogeneous DERs to deliver reliable transmission grid services while respecting distribution system constraints. The controls include stochastic day-ahead optimization, model predictive control, and a simple real-time management scheme. We present simulation results obtained from a realistic laboratory test bed of federated controls managing DERs within a substation service area to make the substation net power follow the optimal net power determined by the day-ahead optimization based on cost and limiting reverse power flow.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Building a Simplistic Automatic Extruder: Instrument Development Opportunities for the Laboratory

This work presents an automatic extruder as a research experience for undergraduate students. The system offers a user-friendly approach to preparing vesicles, such as liposomes or polymersomes, with a defined size and polydispersity properties crucial for research in biology and macromolecules. It comprises two syringe pumps connected by a membrane filter. The setup is controlled by software. Compared to manual extrusion, this automated system provides advantages, such as precisely controlled variables. The project describes a tool to enhance undergraduate learning in science and engineering laboratories. Building an automatic extruder serves as a simplified model of a complex industrial process. It offers a clear advantage: automating a well-understood manual extrusion process. To make this project accessible, it is broken down into three manageable tasks: software development, hardware assembly, and testing procedures. This breakdown describes the software created, the hardware components used, and the testing procedures conducted for this project. All project data, including software code, testing data, and procedures, are freely available online. This allows undergraduate students to not only begin their own projects but also contribute to this educational instrument’s ongoing development.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Establishing Pb-203 production from electrodeposited Tl targets at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Background: Promising developments in Pb-212 radiopharmaceutical therapies have increased demand for Pb-203 diagnostic agents. Building on previous work from various isotope production facilities, this study optimized Pb-203 production from electrodeposited Tl targets at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The additional supply of Pb-203 may help meet growing preclinical and clinical demands. Results: Two Tl targets were irradiated at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer facility with 30 ± 1 MeV protons, measured using previously published cross section data. Distribution coefficients for Pb Resin in acetate media were investigated for both Na + and K + cations, where potassium acetate was ~ 4 times more effective at stripping Pb from the Pb Resin. The Tl electrodeposition was optimized to deposit 350 mg of Tl (~ 60 mg/cm 2 ) on Au backing in under 6 h. The proposed separation process was completed in < 1.5 h and achieved > 98% and 92 ± 3% recovery of Tl and Pb, respectively, with an overall Tl-Pb separation factor of 6 × 10 5 . The experimentally measured half-life of Pb-203 was 52.4 ± 0.7 h, agreeing with 51.93 ± 0.02 h reported by the National Nuclear Data Center. The radioisotopic purity of the Pb fraction at 24 h post end of bombardment (EOB) from a 24 h irradiation was 66% Pb-203, 28% Pb-201, and 6% Pb-200. Following chemical separation, the Pb-203 produced in this work (21 MBq Pb-203 EOB) achieved apparent molar activities of 10 ± 5 and 0.9 ± 0.5 GBq/µmol for [ 203 Pb]Pb-DOTAM and [ 203 Pb]Pb-DO3A, respectively, decay corrected to EOB. Data derived from this work suggests BNL can produce > 10’s GBq Pb-203 with > 99% radiochemical and radioisotopic purity from Tl-205 for worldwide distribution. Conclusions: The production and separation of Pb-203 from natural Tl target material was successfully demonstrated at BNL. Existing methods were adapted and optimized for the facilities at BNL. Results from this work will guide future large-scale Pb-203 production opportunities at BNL for clinical applications.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2026

Stream discharge and temperature data collected within the East and Taylor Watershed, Colorado for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Watershed Function Science Focus Area (water years 2019 to 2025)

This dataset contains stream discharge and temperature data for water years 2019 to 2025 from the East and Taylor Watersheds in Colorado, United States. This data was collected to understand hydrological processes occurring in the East River and Taylor River Watersheds, Colorado, which is part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area. Data includes instantaneous observed discharge using salt dilution and acoustic doppler velocimeter techniques, raw pressure transducer downloaded data, sub-hourly temperature as well as corrected water level and associated stream discharge and mean daily values. Notes on water level corrections, rating curve development and metadata provided. A rating curve is the translation of depth to streamflow. The rating curve can be used as a quantitative measure of the “quality of the data.” Data within this dataset is formatted using ESS-DIVE’s Hydrological Monitoring Reporting Format. This data package contains (1) a zip file (Stream_Discharge_Data_WY19-WY25.zip) containing stream discharge and temperature data organized by location; (2) an InstallationMethods file (InstallationMethods.csv) describing metadata about the installation; (3) a file-level metadata (flmd.csv) file that lists each file contained in the dataset with associated metadata; (4) a data dictionary (dd.csv) file that contains terms/column_headers used throughout the files along with a definition, units, and data type; (5) a locations metadata file (locations.csv); (6) and a sensor metadata file (sensors.csv). All data files are in non-proprietary formats (csv, png, or pdf formats). Please contact Rosemary Carroll, Curtis Beutler, or Austin Shirley for any support in accessing the files. Update on 2023-05-12: Additional data from WYs 2021 and 2022 were added. Additionally, the dataset was converted using ESS-DIVE’s Hydrological Monitoring Reporting Format. Data files were reformatted to match reporting format guidance, new metadata files were added, and files were converted from excel to CSV. Update on 2025-05-16: Additional data from WYs 2022 (for locations not previously included), 2023, and 2024 were added. An additional descriptive PDF (WFSFA_Streamflow_Hydrograph_Disclaimer.pdf) was added. Metadata files were updated to reflect the addition of new data and locations. Update on 2026-05-18: Additional data from WY 2025 were added, including a new location Upper Trail Creek (TR-TCG2). Metadata files were updated to reflect the addition of new data.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

CROCUS Low Cost All-in-One Weather Station AMB-002 Data Argonne National Laboratory Prairie Site

The Ambient Weather WS-2902D (AMB) is a low cost weather station that has become very useful for filling data gaps in harder to deploy locations. These low cost weather stations collect 13 second data, which is averaged to a five minute data output available to users through an API key. The data files contain measurements for precipitation, temperature, wind chill/heat index, relative humidity, dew point, UV index, solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, wind gust, and with an external particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) sensor. Having all of these measurements in one condense system allows for fast deploying and dense network capabilities. Three of the AMB weather stations were deployed at the Argonne Testbed for Multiscale Observational Science (ATMOS), a 20-acre prairie site at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. The instruments are denoted by their three digit identifier (CMS-AMB-xxx) format. The data is presented as daily NetCDF (.nc) files, each containing approximately 24 hours of observations. Files follow the naming convention of: the project (CROCUS), location (atmos), instrument name (CMS-AMB-002), data level (raw, a1), and date (year, month, day). The NetCDF format can be accessed using common scientific software such as Python using xarray, netCDF4 or ACT-DOE.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

CROCUS Low Cost All-in-One Weather Station AMB-004 Data Argonne National Laboratory Prairie Site

The Ambient Weather WS-2902D (AMB) is a low cost weather station that has become very useful for filling data gaps in harder to deploy locations. These low cost weather stations collect 13 second data, which is averaged to a five minute data output available to users through an Application Programming Interface (API) key. The data files contain measurements for precipitation, temperature, wind chill/heat index, relative humidity, dew point, UV index, solar radiation, wind speed, wind direction, wind gust, and with an external particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) sensor. Having all of these measurements in one condense system allows for fast deploying and dense network capabilities. Three of the AMB weather stations were deployed at the Argonne Testbed for Multiscale Observational Science (ATMOS), a 20-acre prairie site at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. The instruments are denoted by their three digit identifier (CMS-AMB-xxx) format. The data is presented as daily NetCDF (.nc) files, each containing approximately 24 hours of observations. Files follow the naming convention of: the project (CROCUS), location (atmos), instrument name (CMS-AMB-004), data level (raw, a1), and date (year, month, day). The NetCDF format can be accessed using common scientific software such as Python using xarray, netCDF4 or ACT-DOE.

EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > AEROSOLS > PARTICULAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

2024 Results for Avian Monitoring at the Technical Area 36 Minie Site, Technical Area 39 Point 6, Technical Area 16 Burn Ground, and DARHT at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) biological subject matter experts in the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division initiated a multi-year program in 2013 to monitor avifauna (birds) at two open detonation sites and one open burn site on LANL property. Additional monitoring began in 2017 at a third firing site, the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility. In this annual report, we compare monitoring results from these efforts among years to identify and evaluate firing and open burn site impacts on the local bird community. The objectives of this study are • to determine whether LANL operations impact bird abundance, species richness, or diversity; • to examine occupancy and nest success of secondary-cavity nesting birds that use nest boxes; and • to examine chemical concentrations (such as radionuclides, inorganic elements, and/or organic compounds) in nonviable eggs and deceased nestlings that are collected opportunistically with the upper-level bounds of background concentrations, when available. During May through July 2024, LANL biologists completed multiple avian point count surveys at each of the following treatment sites: • Technical Area (TA) 36 Minie Site, • TA-39 Point 6, • TA-16 Burn Ground, and • DARHT. We recorded a total of 1,088 birds that represented 65 species at the four treatment sites and compared these results with data from their associated control sites. In 2024, abundance and species richness at treatment and control sites continued to trend similarly from year to year, with minor random deviations expected from bird communities. Species richness at firing sites differed little from the previous year’s values. Two new bird species were observed at the firing sites—cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) and pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). Shannon diversity values at TA-36 Minie Site, TA-39, and DARHT were statistically higher than one or more of their associated controls. Annual species diversity at treatment sites was high in 2024 across all firing sites relative to similar habitat control sites. We also monitored avian nest boxes to compare occupancy and nest success data from nest boxes at treatment sites with the overall avian nest box monitoring network and against a subset of relevant control sites. Nest box success has decreased at both treatment and control sites since monitoring began, suggesting that overlapping climatic factors are responsible for patterns of declining nest success. In 2024, nonviable avian eggs and one nestling were opportunistically collected at Bandelier National Monument, TA-16 Burn Ground, TA-36 Minie, TA-39 Point 6, and DARHT. All egg samples and the one nestling sample were evaluated for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which were detected from all locations, including the control site at Bandelier National Monument. Overall results from 2024 continue to suggest that operations at the four treatment sites are not negatively impacting bird populations. This long-term project will continue to monitor for any changes over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement and Modeling of Electron Temperature in Laboratory Photoionized Plasmas Relevant to Astrophysics

The electron temperature of photoionized plasmas characterizes the thermalization of photoelectrons, impacts the charge-state distribution, emissivity, and opacity through atomic recombination processes, and is needed to perform detailed comparisons with theory predictions. We discuss temperature measurements in laboratory photoionized plasmas and a comparison with model calculations done with several theory approximations and codes. These include a radiation-hydrodynamics simulation and two nonequilibrium heating and ionization models that tracked the evolution of the internal energy of the electrons. Furthermore, for the same physics model and X-ray flux time history, calculations were performed assuming steady-state or time-dependent conditions. The time history of steady-state results correlates with that of the X-ray flux, while that of the time-dependent cases does not, and it is qualitatively and quantitatively different from the steady-state case. Steady-state results significantly overestimated temperature measurements, while time-dependent results produced better approximations, which suggests the importance of transient effects in the experiment and also the need for time-resolved measurements.

Laboratory astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

The INTERSECT Open Federated Architecture for the Laboratory of the Future

A federated instrument-to-edge-to-center architecture is needed to autonomously collect, transfer, store, process, curate, and archive scientific data and reduce human-in-the-loop needs with (a) common interfaces to leverage community and custom software, (b) pluggability to permit adaptable solutions, reuse, and digital twins, and (c) an open standard to enable adoption by science facilities world-wide. The Selfdriven Experiments for Science/Interconnected Science Ecosystem (INTERSECT) Open Architecture enables science breakthroughs using intelligent networked systems, instruments and facilities with autonomous experiments, “self-driving” laboratories, smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) driven design, discovery and evaluation. It creates an open federated architecture for the laboratory of the future using a novel approach, consisting of (1) science use case design patterns, (2) a system of systems architecture, and (3) a microservice architecture.

Engelmann, Christian↗
DOE OSTI2020

Particle Response of Antenna-Coupled TES Arrays: Results from SPIDER and the Laboratory

Future mm-wave and sub-mm space missions will employ large arrays of multiplexed transition-edge-sensor (TES) bolometers. Such instruments must contend with the high flux of cosmic rays beyond our atmosphere that induce ‘glitches’ in bolometer data, which posed a challenge to data analysis from the Planck bolometers. Future instruments will face the additional challenges of shared substrate wafers and multiplexed readout wiring. Here, we explore the susceptibility of modern TES arrays to the cosmic ray environment of space using two data sets: the 2015 long-duration balloon flight of the SPIDER cosmic microwave background polarimeter, and a laboratory exposure of SPIDER flight hardware to radioactive sources. We find manageable glitch rates and short glitch durations, leading to minimal effect on SPIDER analysis. We constrain energy propagation within the substrate through a study of multi-detector coincidences and give a preliminary look at pulse shapes in laboratory data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

On the importance of phase saturation heterogeneity in the analysis of laboratory studies of hydrate dissociation

Methane hydrates (MHs) have been considered as the future source of energy because of its vast resource volume and high energy density. Energy recovery from MH-bearing sediments has attracted intensifying research activities. Fundamentally, heat transfer, fluid flow through porous media, and the kinetics of hydrate reaction are the three key processes controlling the behavior of MH dissociation and the associated fluid production. Earlier studies have suggested that heterogeneous spatial distribution of SH is inevitable in MH-bearing samples synthesized in laboratory. In this paper, we extend our study to analyze numerically the simulation results from the two realizations of the samples (homogeneous and heterogeneous) to identify differences in the fluid production and to determine if they are sufficiently different. Additionally, we conduct a sensitivity analysis and a statistical analysis on the key transport and kinetic rate parameters that could affect hydrate dissociation and fluid production in the context of a heterogeneous hydrate-bearing sample, in an effort to provide insights that could lead to improved designs for laboratory experiments and (possibly) field applications. Our results suggest that the approximation of an artificial hydrate-bearing core with heterogeneous phase saturations by an assumption of uniform phase saturation distributions results in practically similar fluid production profile except for the very early stage with maximum 20.0% deviation in the water production. From the sensitivity and statistical analysis, we determine that gas production depends strongly on the kinetic rate constant, K d 0 and the composite thermal conductivity of the hydrate-bearing sediments, λ θ ; while, water production is very sensitive to K d 0 and the absolute permeability of the sandy medium, k. Understanding the effect of phase heterogeneity and the relative importance of key parameters on the production behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments could provide basis for novel production technologies that lead to enhanced gas production and energy efficiency in the energy recovery process.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coal-derived electrically conductive asphalt pavements for snow/ice melting: From laboratory to field

Timely removal of ice and snow from roads is critical to safe, fast, and uninterrupted transportation networks in cold regions. Constructing electrically conductive asphalt pavements to melt the ice and snow on the roads through resistive eating is an emerging alternative technology to traditional snow/ice removal approaches such as utilizing snowplow machines and deicing chemicals. Carbon-based fibers and fillers including carbon fiber and graphite have been widely reported to make electrically conductive hot mix asphalt mixtures for pavement snow/ice-melting applications. This study aimed to develop and demonstrate a novel type of electrically conductive asphalt pavements for snow/ice-melting, which utilizes electrically conductive cold mix asphalt (CMA) mixtures incorporating coal-derived carbon-based coke aggregate as resistive heating elements. Both laboratory experiments and field tests were conducted to investigate the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of such electrically conductive asphalt mixtures and pavements. The laboratory experiment results indicated that the electrically conductive CMA mixtures incorporating coke aggregate had sufficiently high electrical conductivity and satisfactory mechanical performance and the pavement prototype slab utilizing a thin layer of such CMA mixtures could successfully raise the pavement surface temperatures to 8.3–11.7 °C rom a low temperature of –5 °C with an input power density of 473 W/m 2 . The field test results showed that the full-scale coal-derived electrically conductive asphalt pavements were able to increase the pavement surface temperatures when electricity was applied, but the magnitude of temperature increase was highly dependent on the power density. Furthermore, it is promising to use coke aggregate to construct coal-derived electrically conductive asphalt pavements for snow/ice melting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Synergy between cosmological and laboratory searches in neutrino physics

The intersection of the cosmic and neutrino frontiers is a rich field where much discovery space still remains. Neutrinos play a pivotal role in the hot big bang cosmology, influencing the dynamics of the universe over numerous decades in cosmological history. Recent studies have made tremendous progress in understanding some properties of cosmological neutrinos, primarily their energy density. Upcoming cosmological probes will measure the energy density of relativistic particles with higher precision, but could also start probing other properties of the neutrino spectra. When convolved with results from terrestrial experiments, cosmology can become even more acute at probing new physics related to neutrinos or even Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Any discordance between laboratory and cosmological data sets may reveal new BSM physics and/or suggest alternative models of cosmology. Here we give examples of the intersection between terrestrial and cosmological probes in the neutrino sector, and briefly discuss the possibilities of what different laboratory experiments may see in conjunction with cosmological observatories.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗