Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Berkeley Lab”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The SHMS 11 GeV/c spectrometer in Hall C at Jefferson Lab

The Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) has been built for Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). With a momentum capability reaching 11 GeV/ c , the SHMS provides measurements of charged particles produced in electron-scattering experiments using the maximum available beam energy from the upgraded Jefferson Lab accelerator. The SHMS is an ion-optics magnetic spectrometer comprised of a series of new superconducting magnets which transport charged particles through an array of triggering, tracking, and particle-identification detectors that measure momentum, energy, angle and position in order to allow kinematic reconstruction of the events back to their origin at the scattering target. The detector system is protected from background radiation by a sophisticated shielding enclosure. The entire spectrometer is mounted on a rotating support structure which permits measurements to be taken with a large acceptance over laboratory scattering angles from 5.5° to 40°, thus allowing a wide range of low cross-section experiments to be conducted. Finally, these experiments complement and extend the previous Hall C research program to higher energies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nonmonotonic-potential description of polarization effects, fusion, and nuclear rainbows in elastic scattering of 6 Li + 12 C at 4.5–600 MeV

The experimental differential cross-section (CS) and analyzing power (AP) data of the 6 Li + 12 C elastic scattering over a wide laboratory energy scale (4.5MeV≤𝐸 lab ≤600MeV) are analyzed within the framework of the optical model (OPM) using nonmonotonic (NM) nucleus–nucleus potentials. The real part of the NM potentials is derived from the Pauli-embodied energy density-functional (EDF) formalism with the sudden approximation. The real part of the noncentral spin-orbit and tensor terms, as well as the imaginary parts, are treated phenomenologically. The effect of the radius of sensitivity on the CS and AP data is found to be more important at lower energies. The diffractive and refractive scattering with Airy structures in the whole angular region of the elastic scattering across the studied energy range is successfully described within the OPM using the NM 6 Li + 12 C potential. The near- and far-side (N and F) decomposition of the total elastic-scattering amplitudes has also been studied using our NM potentials. The evolution of the Airy minima in the angular distributions, coupled with the fitting of the AP data, provides an accurate description of Airy minima of different orders. The OPM calculations with the NM potentials describe exceptionally well the CS, vector analyzing power (VAP), and tensor analyzing power data at 𝐸 lab =9.0,19.24,20,30, and 50MeV. In agreement with our past successful descriptions of CS and the opposite signs of the VAP data for the 6 Li and 7 Li elastic scattering using NM potentials in OPM, the present results appear to provide a better fit, so far, than those obtained from the coupled-channels method. The fusion cross sections of 6 Li + 12 C have been predicted in the energy range (4.5MeV≤𝐸 lab ≤20MeV), fitting the experimental data well in the range 𝐸 lab =2.97–11.77MeV. The EDF potential without any energy dependence and renormalization is also found to describe satisfactorily the experimental CS and AP data at energies up to several hundreds of MeV.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗
DOE OSTI2026

Trivalent titanium in high-titanium lunar ilmenite

Lunar mare basalts are often rich in titanium, hosted predominantly within the mineral ilmenite (Fe 2+ Ti 4+ O 3 ). Here, we examine ilmenite in a ~3.8 billion-year-old mare basalt (Apollo rock 75035) using high-resolution electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. A key finding is that 75035 ilmenite is itself enriched in Ti, beyond the end member of the conventional solid solution series. Using energy loss near-edge spectroscopy, we determine that the excess Ti is trivalent, with Ti 3+ accounting for 13% of the total Ti content. This discovery confirms the presence of trivalent Ti in lunar ilmenite, long hypothesized based on the Moon’s reducing environment. Accounting for the change in implied stoichiometry, a review of literature data suggests that Ti 3+ may be present in ilmenite across a wide range of lunar samples. We extrapolate known relationships from the literature to connect Ti 3+ to redox conditions, estimating the oxygen fugacity during crystallization of 75035 to be below the iron-wüstite buffer, ΔIW≤ − 1.6. Further quantifying the relationship between Ti valence state and oxygen fugacity would allow Ti 3+ -bearing ilmenite to serve as an oxybarometer able to access the reducing conditions found on many planetary bodies.

mineralogy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fully gauge-fixed SU(2) Hamiltonian for quantum simulations

Here, we demonstrate how to construct a fully gauge-fixed lattice Hamiltonian for a pure SU(2) gauge theory. Our work extends upon previous work, where a formulation of an SU(2) lattice gauge theory was developed that is efficient to simulate at all values of the gauge coupling. That formulation utilized maximal-tree gauge, where all local gauge symmetries are fixed and a residual global gauge symmetry remains. By using the geometric picture of an SU(2) lattice gauge theory as a system of rotating rods, we demonstrate how to fix the remaining global gauge symmetry. In particular, the quantum numbers associated with total charge can be isolated by rotating between the lab and body frames using the three Euler angles. The Hilbert space in this new “sequestered” basis partitions cleanly into sectors with differing total angular momentum, which makes gauge-fixing to a particular total charge sector trivial, particularly for the charge-zero sector. In addition to this sequestered basis inheriting the property of being efficient at all values of the coupling, we show that, despite the global nature of the final gauge-fixing procedure, this Hamiltonian can be simulated using quantum resources scaling only polynomially with the lattice volume.

Lattice gauge theory↗
DOE OSTI2025

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

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

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Shaping the FutureWorkforce: Challenges and Lessons Learned in HPC Education from National Labs and Computing Centers

Workforce training at national laboratories and computing centers is essential and typically falls into two categories: foundational training for newcomers and advanced training for experienced users. Foundational topics—such as version control, build systems, and basic HPC usage—are largely transferable across institutions, while cluster-specific training varies due to differences in hardware, job schedulers, and local workflows. Training on emerging technologies is split between hardware-specific content and broadly applicable programming paradigms. Here, to reduce redundancy and increase impact, national labs, computing centers, and vendors are collaborating through initiatives like the HPC Training Working Group to share best practices, co-develop materials, and broaden outreach. These coordinated efforts aim to make HPC training more accessible, scalable, and consistent across the community.

HPC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development and implementation of high-throughput proteomic and metabolomics assays by using advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometric systems (CRADA Final Report)

The mission of this CRADA with Agilent was to couple powerful MS platforms (QQQ, IM-QTOFMS) with Agilent’s novel Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) fast metabolomic workflows and perform ABF Machine Learning (ML) to generated datasets. Agilent transferred UHPLC methods to PNNL and LBNL and methods were implemented and demonstrated in both labs, achieving total acquisition times of < 10 min. Metabolites analyzed using Agilent’s shared methods included metabolites from central carbon metabolism, common across hosts, and metabolites unique to engineered strains. Standards were acquired in an UHPLC-Drift Tube Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometer (DTIMS) system for the first time within the context of ABF and methods were optimized based on Agilent’s protocols. Samples from ABF hosts Pseudomonas putida, Aspergillus pseudoterreus, Aspergillus niger and Rhodosporidium toruloides were analyzed using the UHPLC-DTIMS platform for a total of 276 runs. A data analysis workflow compatible with the Experimental Data Depot (EDD) and completely shareable was developed for the acquired UHPLC-DTIMS data. Samples were analyzed using a Data Independent Acquisition Approach (DIA), which for most of the standards provided more transitions therefore increasing detection confidence. Using the data acquired by PNNL, LBNL, and Agilent’s specifications from previous ML projects, SNL applied an ensemble ML strategy to pick the best performing model for automated LC-method selection. Finally, with the contribution of the participant labs and Agilent, SNL developed an Automated Method Selection (AMS) software tool to predict the best liquid chromatography method for analysis of any new molecules of interest. Samples with novel pathways and new metabolite targets of interest are generated at a high pace in the ABF. Overall, the project advanced rapid metabolomics by combining liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, and data-independent mass spectrometry with machine learning. This multidimensional approach uses retention time, collision cross-section, precursor mass, and fragment-ion information to distinguish chemically similar metabolites that can be difficult to resolve using conventional liquid- or gas-chromatography methods. The resulting workflow also provided automated metabolite-identification error estimates, addressing a recognized need for statistical confidence measures in metabolomics.

Petzold, Christopher [Lawrence Berkeley National L↗
DOE OSTI2026

How should reproducibility be approached in plastic recycling?

With the growing importance of developing new and improved methodologies for plastic recycling, conducting reproducible research and ensuring that results are transferable across labs are increasingly important. This Voices article reflects on how academia and industry view the path forward for strengthening reproducibility to advance science and enable a circular plastics economy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

All Systems Go: Regional Collaborations for Scaling AEC Innovation: Preprint

The high and rising cost of preserving and delivering housing in the U.S. requires changes to existing practices of finance, design, and construction. Innovative methods such as industrialized construction could offer the means to address housing undersupply while reducing delivery costs, operational costs and material waste in the building industry, but they face challenges to success and to scale. Simultaneously, construction and cleantech innovators themselves face skepticism from the traditional entrepreneurial ecosystem such as incubators and accelerators while attempting to navigate systems level challenges. To respond to this need, various public and private sector stakeholders have launched initiatives to support innovative companies. These include nonprofits such as Terner Labs and Ivory Innovations offering curated programming to architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) startups; housing developers in Minnesota and California "bundling" multiple projects together to reach economies of scale with a consistent project team; public and private sector entities developing "catalogues" of pre-approved home designs in the U.S. and Canada. This exploratory paper documents several of these emerging ecosystem-development efforts to support innovative housing approaches, characterizing them by leading stakeholder and intervention strategy based on publicly available information. The paper finds that these initiatives share similar high level goals but vary in implementation, reflecting different stakeholder priorities, regional market and policy dynamics, and housing typologies. The early stage of these efforts offer limited data for comparing actual outcomes, but the paper highlights common qualitative themes and identifies opportunities for further research and potential coordination among these efforts.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Jupiter Laser Facility Annual Report, FY 2025

Dear JLF community, I cannot believe I am now entering my third year as JLF director — time definitely flies when you are having fun! FY25 was another pivotal year for the Jupiter Laser Facility, marked by both scientific achievement and growing visibility for our community. Building on the successful reopening and refurbishment of the facility, we continued to demonstrate how JLF drives innovation in high energy density and fusion energy science, laser technology, and workforce development. Across Janus, Titan, and COMET, users executed a diverse portfolio of experiments, from dynamic compression and opacity measurements to laser plasma interactions, laboratory astrophysics, and advanced diagnostics. These efforts are highlighted in this report, including the development of new probes that capture the time evolution of plasmas on a single shot, and diagnostics and platforms that are already impacting experiments at NIF and other large facilities. JLF continues to serve as both a testbed for new ideas and a bridge to larger scale campaigns. FY25 also showcased the broader role of JLF within the Laboratory and the national HED science ecosystem. The NIF JLF User Groups Meeting in February brought nearly 180 participants to Livermore and highlighted the scientific progress made during JLF’s first full year of renewed operations. JLF research and users were recognized with Director’s Institutional Awards and Early and Mid Career awards, underscoring the quality and impact of the work performed here. Our team also contributed prominently to national conversations about laser safety, plasma physics, and inertial fusion energy through invited talks, conferences, and professional society leadership. JLF’s integration with LaserNetUS deepened this year as well. We launched a new technical exchange program across LaserNetUS facilities and kicked it off with a JLF team visit to the BELLA Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. These exchanges are strengthening operations, sharing best practices, and improving the user experience across the network. Filming for the LaserNetUS “Behind the Scenes” series and participation in the annual LaserNetUS meeting further increased the visibility of our facility and our users. At the same time, JLF continues to play a central role in ambitious new programs, such as the Big Aperture Thulium laser effort funded through one of the DOE Office of Science Microelectronics Science Research Centers, which will use JLF infrastructure to explore next generation high rep rate lasers for EUV and x-ray source development. A core part of our mission remains training the next generation of scientists. In FY25, we welcomed another cohort of summer students, who joined experimental teams on Titan and presented their research at LLNL’s student poster symposium and national inertial fusion energy meetings. JLF users and early career scientists showcased their work at conferences across the country, highlighting experiments performed at the facility. These hands on experiences, and the mentoring provided by our staff and user teams, are central to JLF’s identity as a true user facility. Finally, FY25 reinforced JLF’s role as a focal point for partnerships and outreach. We hosted visits from international collaborators, science leaders, and we shared the story of the facility through venues such as the Big Ideas Lab podcast. These interactions help connect our work to a broader scientific and policy audience and open new pathways for collaboration. As we look ahead, the combination of refurbished hardware, new capabilities like STILETTO and enhanced short pulse performance on Titan, strong partnerships across LLNL and LaserNetUS, and a growing user community positions JLF for an even more ambitious program in the coming years. I am deeply grateful to our technical and operations staff for their dedication, to our LLNL partners for their continued support, and to our users for bringing bold, creative ideas to the facility. I look forward to more experiments, capabilities, partnerships, and groundbreaking science in the years to come! With brightest regards, Félicie Albert, JLF Director.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Navigating the Noise: Bringing Clarity to ML Parameterization Design With O $\boldsymbol{\mathcal{O}}$(100) Ensembles

Abstract Machine‐learning (ML) parameterizations of subgrid processes (here of turbulence, convection, and radiation) may one day replace conventional parameterizations by emulating high‐resolution physics without the cost of explicit simulation. However, uncertainty about the relationship between offline and online performance (i.e., when integrated with a large‐scale general circulation model) hinders their development. Much of this uncertainty stems from limited sampling of the noisy, emergent effects of upstream ML design decisions on downstream online hybrid simulation. Our work rectifies the sampling issue via the construction of a semi‐automated, end‐to‐end pipeline for size ensembles of hybrid simulations, revealing important nuances in how systematic reductions in offline error manifest in changes to online error and online stability. For example, removing dropout and switching from a Mean Squared Error to a Mean Absolute Error loss both reduce offline error, but they have opposite effects on online error and online stability. Other design decisions, like incorporating memory, converting moisture input from specific humidity to relative humidity, using batch normalization, and training on multiple climates do not come with any such compromises. Finally, we show that ensemble sizes of may be necessary to reliably detect causally relevant differences online. By enabling rapid online experimentation at scale, we can empirically settle debates regarding subgrid ML parameterization design that would have otherwise remained unresolved in the noise.

Lin, Jerry [Department of Earth System Sciences Un↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evidence of Completion of Milestone 3: Experimental Testbed

Construction and deployment of the experimental testbed encountered scheduling delays, and completion was subsequently further delayed by curtailment of LANL operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March and October, LANL was in a state of “Limited Operations” such that only certain “mission-critical” work was performed with approximately 25% on-site staffing. In spite of this, much of the lab space preparation was executed and the five initial model house” units were constructed and installed during this period. Still, the pace of construction was impacted by difficulty in coordinating personnel and minimizing contact between workers. Currently, LANL is in the mode of “Normal Operations with Maximum Telework,” which continues to limit the availability of on-site personnel. Nevertheless, Milestone 3 is now complete. This document describes the experiment as it is deployed and provides status for each task for this milestone.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Aerogel with Unparalleled Performance and Cost-Effectiveness for All Insulation Needs (CRADA Final Report)

Westwood Aerogel investigated the reproducible production of an ambiently or electromagnetic spectrum assisted drying of extremely porous aerogel materials. Traditional aerogel processing is limited by low throughput and scalability due to supercritical drying. Westwood Aerogel’s advanced manufacturing process enables commercialization and deployment at scale, making aerogel materials more accessible to a range of industries and applications. We focused on shifting from the lab scale environment to manufacturing prototypes. The initial manufacturing model is based on the float glass process, which is the industry standard for glass window production, and the paper drying process. By incorporating an ambient drying process a continuous line model can be used from start to finish. The project team worked to develop a continuous manufacturing system to scale-up and reduce costs while maintaining the lightweight and insulative properties of aerospace-grade aerogel. While aerogels are extremely insulative, lightweight, and thin materials (making them ideal insulators across application spaces), high costs and stagnant innovation have hampered their wider adoption. Traditional manufacturing of aerogel requires supercritical extraction of pore fluid to obtain highly insulating materials, which is an energy intensive batch process and limits aerogel production output. Westwood Aerogel’s proprietary ambient drying process enables the continuous production of highly insulative aerogel materials without the use of supercritical extraction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tribute to Kenneth Sauer (1931–2022): a mentor, a role-model, and an inspiration to all in the field of photosynthesis

Abstract Kenneth (Ken) Sauer was a mainstay of research in photosynthesis at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for more than 50 years. Ken will be remembered by his colleagues, and other workers in the field of photosynthesis as well, for his pioneering work that introduced the physical techniques whose application have enriched our understanding of the basic reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis. His laboratory was a training ground for many students and postdocs who went on to success in the field of photosynthesis and many others. Trained as a physical chemist, he always brought that quantitative approach to research questions and used several spectroscopic methods in his research. His broad scientific interests concerned the role of manganese in oxygen evolution, electronic properties of chlorophylls, energy transport in antenna complexes, and electron transport reactions. He was also an enthusiastic teacher, an enormously successful mentor who leaves behind a legion of scientists as his abiding legacy, a lover of music and the outdoors with many interests beyond science, and a dedicated family man with a great sense of humility. In this tribute, we summarize some aspects of Ken Sauer’s life and career, illustrated with selected research achievements, and describe his approach to research and life as we perceived it, which is complemented by reminiscences of several current researchers in photosynthesis and other fields. The supporting material includes Ken Sauers’s CV and publication list, as well as a list of the graduate students and postdocs he trained and of researchers that spent a sabbatical in his lab.

Plant Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Implications of Advanced Manufacturing in a Connected Economy Moving Towards a Smart, Sustainable, and Productive Economy

This report intends to provide a comprehensive overview of information and communications technologies (ICT), which play increasingly vital roles in the United States (U.S.) and global economies and continue to evolve rapidly as both technological capabilities and needs grow in tandem. To underscore the importance of the sector, the U.S. Congress recently passed a $\$$20–$\$$50 billion federal program Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors Act (CHIPS Act) to spur the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry and encourage U.S. investment, often complemented by state-level incentives (Kessler 2022).

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Producing cultivated meat cuts that match traditional meat in quality and affordability (CRADA Final Report)

Novel Farms, Inc., as a participant of the Cyclotron Road Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, investigated the performance of various animal cell lines and animal cell media formulations using its proprietary scaffolds as a growth substratum towards the development of economically-feasible cultivated meat production. As an alternative to conventionally farmed animal meat, cultivated meat production has the potential to yield a marginal carbon footprint while providing sustainable and cruelty-free animal protein. The prohibitively high cost of the growth factors necessary in animal cell culture media constitutes the primary barrier that hinders the economically viable production of cultivated meat products. Furthermore, scaffolding is required to create structured meat products, but current options are unsuitable for cost-effective large-scale production of cultivated meat. Novel Farms has developed a proprietary technology to produce scaffolding that has the potential to reduce production costs while providing an ideal 3D surface for cell growth. Developing cost-efficient methods for cultivated meat production will be vital in satisfying the growing demand for animal protein while avoiding the deforestation, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss and other negative outcomes of industrial animal farming.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Feature review of photovoltaic modeling software utilizing blind performance assessment

While confidence in photovoltaic (PV) modeling software has always been essential, the rapid pace of new PV plant developments makes accuracy and credibility more critical than ever. Independent assessments, particularly through blind modeling comparisons, are therefore necessary to ensure unbiased benchmarking across PV modeling software. Previous studies have been limited by a narrow range of models compared, anonymized results, or system size. This study presents results from the first-ever onymous blind modeling comparison, evaluated using both lab- and utility-scale fixed-tilt, monofacial, south-facing systems at sub-hourly time intervals. Seven commercially used PV software tools were compared: 3E SynaptiQ, PlantPredict, PVsyst, RatedPower, SAM, SolarFarmer, and Solargis Evaluate. Predictions were submitted directly by software representatives, providing unique insights into each software’s implementation and resulting prediction behavior. Notable features, including plane-of-array (POA) transposition model, module temperature model, shading model, and performance model were analyzed and compared. Four summary tables compile these features of the software, serving as a resource to help users understand the methodological differences and select the most suitable software for their applications. The software tools show deviations from mean error in annual yield up to 2.5 % in the lab-scale system, increasing to 6.0 % for the utility-scale system. These differences arise from a combination of user decisions and the inherent behavior of the software, indicating the need for continuous and rigorous validation of modeling methods using these software tools against complex, real-world systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

A review of NEST models for liquid xenon and an exhaustive comparison with other approaches

This paper discusses the microphysical simulation of interactions in liquid xenon, the active detector medium in many leading rare-event searches for new physics, and describes experimental observables useful for understanding detector performance. The scintillation and ionization yield distributions for signal and background are presented using the Noble Element Simulation Technique (NEST), a toolkit based on experimental data and simple empirical formulas, which mimic previous microphysics modeling but are guided by data. The NEST models for light and charge production as a function of the particle type, energy, and electric field are reviewed, along with models for energy resolution and final pulse areas. NEST is compared with other models or sets of models and validated against real data, with several specific examples drawn from XENON, ZEPLIN, LUX, LZ, PandaX, and table-top experiments used for calibrations.

WIMPs↗