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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

X-ray continuum as a measure of pressure and fuel–shell mix in compressed isobaric hydrogen implosion cores

Pressure, by definition, characterizes the conditions within an isobaric implosion core at peak compression [Gus'kov et al., Nucl. Fusion 16, 957 (1976); Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 5257 (2001)] and is a key parameter in quantifying its near-ignition performance [Lawson, Proc. Phys. Soc. London, B 70, 6 (1957); Betti et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 058102 (2010); Goncharov et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056315 (2014); and Glenzer et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 056318 (2012)]. At high spectral energy, where the x-ray emission from an imploded hydrogen core is optically thin, the emissivity profile can be inferred from the spatially resolved core emission. This emissivity, which can be modeled accurately under hot-core conditions, is dependent almost entirely on the pressure when measured within a restricted spectral range matched to the temperature range anticipated for the emitting volume. In this way, the hot core pressure at the time of peak emission can be inferred from the measured free-free emissivity profile. The pressure and temperature dependences of the x-ray emissivity and the neutron-production rate explain a simple scaling of the total filtered x-ray emission as a constant power of the total neutron yield for implosions of targets of similar design over a broad range of shell implosion isentropes. This scaling behavior has been seen in implosion simulations and is confirmed by measurements of high-isentrope implosions [Sangster et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 056317 (2013)] on the OMEGA laser system [Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. Attributing the excess emission from less-stable, low-isentrope implosions, above the level expected from this neutron-yield scaling, to the higher emissivity of shell carbon mixed into the implosion's central hot spot, the hot-spot “fuel–shell” mix mass can be inferred.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Differential heating: A versatile method for thermal conductivity measurements in high-energy-density matter

We propose a method for thermal conductivity measurements of high energy density matter based on differential heating. A temperature gradient is created either by surface heating of one material or at an interface between two materials by different energy deposition. The subsequent heat conduction across the temperature gradient is observed by various time-resolved probing techniques. Conceptual designs of such measurements using laser heating, proton heating, and x-ray heating are presented. The sensitivity of the measurements to thermal conductivity is confirmed by simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Sub-Kelvin magnetic and electrical measurements in a diamond anvil cell with in-situ tunability

We discuss techniques for performing continuous measurements across a wide range of pressure-field-temperature phase space, combining the milli-Kelvin temperatures of a helium dilution refrigerator with that of the giga-Pascal pressures of a diamond anvil cell and the Tesla magnetic fields of a superconducting magnet. With a view towards minimizing remnant magnetic fields and background magnetic susceptibility, we then characterize high-strength superalloy materials for the pressure cell assembly, which allows high fidelity measurements of low-field phenomena such as superconductivity below 100 mK at pressures above 10 GPa. In situ tunability and measurement of the pressure permit experiments over a wide range of pressure, while at the same time making possible precise steps across abrupt phase transitions such as that from insulator to metal.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal and thermoelectric transport measurements of an individual boron arsenide microstructure

Recent first principles calculations have predicted that boron arsenide (BAs) can possess an unexpectedly high thermal conductivity that depends sensitively on the crystal size and defect concentration. However, few experimental results have been obtained to verify these predictions. In the present work, we report four-probe thermal and thermoelectric transport measurements of an individual BAs microstructure that was synthesized via a vapor transport method. The measured thermal conductivity was found to decrease slightly with temperature in the range between 250K and 350 K. The temperature dependence suggests that the extrinsic phonon scattering processes play an important role in addition to intrinsic phonon-phonon scattering. The room temperature value of (186646) Wm -1 K -1 is higher than that of bulk silicon but still a factor of four lower than the calculated result for a defect-free, non-degenerate BAs rod with a similar diameter of 1.15 μm. The measured p-type Seebeck coefficient and thermoelectric power factor are comparable to those of bismuth telluride, which is a commonly used thermoelectric material. In conclusion, the foregoing results also suggest that it is necessary to not only reduce defect and boundary scatterings but also to better understand and control the electron scattering of phonons in order to achieve the predicted ultrahigh intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity of BAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Aerodynamic levitator for in situ x-ray structure measurements on high temperature and molten nuclear fuel materials

An aerodynamic levitator with carbon dioxide laser beam heating was integrated with a hermetically sealed controlled atmosphere chamber and sample handling mechanism. The system enabled containment of radioactive samples and control of the process atmosphere chemistry. The chamber was typically operated at a pressure of approximately 0.9 bars to ensure containment of the materials being processed. Samples 2.5-3 mm in diameter were levitated in flowing gas to achieve containerless conditions. Levitated samples were heated to temperatures of up to 3500 °C with a partially focused carbon dioxide laser beam. Sample temperature was measured using an optical pyrometer. The sample environment was integrated with a high energy (100 keV) x-ray synchrotron beamline to enable in situ structure measurements to be made on levitated samples as they were heated, melted, and supercooled. The system was controlled from outside the x-ray beamline hutch by using a LabVIEW program. Measurements have been made on hot solid and molten uranium dioxide and binary uranium dioxide-zirconium dioxide compositions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contactless measurement of equilibrium electron concentrations in n -type InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattices

Measurements of the equilibrium majority carrier electron concentration (n0) in narrow-bandgap n-type InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattices are made using contactless time-resolved microwave reflectance (TMR). By calibrating TMR decays to the number of optically injected electron-hole pairs, direct conversion to carrier lifetimes as a function of excited carrier density is made and allowing for accurate measurement of n0. The temperature dependence of both n0 and the intrinsic carrier density (ni) are measured using this method, where n0 = 1 × 1015 cm−3 and ni = 1.74 × 1011 cm−3 at 100 K. These results provide non-destructive insight into critical parameters that directly determine infrared photodetector dark diffusion current.

Olson, B. V. (ORCID:0000000314212541)↗
DOE OSTI2016

High resolution x-ray Thomson scattering measurements from cryogenic hydrogen jets using the linac coherent light source

We present the first spectrally resolved measurements of x-rays scattered from cryogenic hydrogen jets in the single photon counting limit. The 120 Hz capabilities of the LCLS, together with a novel hydrogen jet design [J. B. Kim et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. (these proceedings)], allow for the ability to record a near background free spectrum. Such high-dynamic-range x-ray scattering measurements enable a platform to study ultra-fast, laser-driven, heating dynamics of hydrogen plasmas. This measurement has been achieved using two highly annealed pyrolytic graphite crystal spectrometers to spectrally resolve 5.5 keV x-rays elastically and inelastically scattered from cryogenic hydrogen and focused on Cornell-SLAC pixel array detectors [S. Herrmann et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 718, 550 (2013)].

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hotspot electron temperature from x-ray continuum measurements on the NIF

We report on measurements of the electron temperature in the hotspot of inertially confined, layered, spherical implosions on the National Ignition Facility using a differential filtering diagnostic. Measurements of the DT and DD ion temperatures using neutron time-of-flight detectors are complicated by the contribution of hot spot motion to the peak width, which produce an apparent temperature higher than the thermal temperature. The electron temperature is not sensitive to this non-thermal velocity and is thus a valuable input to interpreting the stagnated hot spot conditions. Here we show that the current differential filtering diagnostic provides insufficient temperature resolution for the hot spot temperatures of interest. We then propose a new differential filter configuration utilizing larger pinhole size to increase spectral fluence, as well as thicker filtration. This new configuration will improve measurement uncertainty by more than a factor of three, allowing for a more accurate hotspot temperature.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and implementation of a portable diagnostic system for Thomson scattering and optical emission spectroscopy measurements

A diagnostic system, which has a design goal of high-portability, has been designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This project aims at providing measurements of key plasma parameters (ne, Te, ni, Ti) for fusion-relevant devices, utilizing Thomson scattering (TS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The innovative design employs mostly commercial off-the-shelf instrumentation and a traveling team of researchers to conduct measurements at various magnetic-confinement plasma devices. The TS diagnostic uses a Quantel Q-smart 1500 Nd:YAG laser with a 2ω harmonic generator to produce up to 850 mJ of 532 nm laser pulses at 10 Hz. Collection optics placed at the detection port consists of an 11 × 3 optical fiber bundle, where the TS diagnostic uses an 11 × 1 subset array of the fibers, the OES diagnostic uses another 11 fibers, and the remaining fibers are available to the host institution. The detection system is comprised of two separate IsoPlane-320 spectrometers with triple-grating turrets of various line spacing and two PI-MAX 4 intensified CCD detectors, used simultaneously to measure a broad range of ion, impurity, and electron parameters. The self-contained diagnostic package also includes a data processing and storage system. The design and initial implementation of the TS-OES diagnostic system are described. The experiments from the proof-of-principle operation of the portable package on a high density (∼2.5 × 1022 m−3) and low-temperature (∼5 eV) electrothermal arc source at ORNL are also discussed.

Kafle, N. (ORCID:000000028144787X)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Implementation of a portable diagnostic system for Thomson scattering measurements on an electrothermal arc source

To fulfill the increasing needs of diagnostic support for researchers in plasma technology, a portable diagnostic package (PDP) equipped for both laser Thomson scattering (TS) and optical emission spectroscopy has been designed and constructed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), aiming to measure the temperature and number density of electrons and temperatures of ions in plasma devices. The PDP has been initially implemented on a high density and low temperature electrothermal arc source (ET-arc) at ORNL to test its TS capability. TS from the plasmas in the ET-arc has been obtained using the PDP. The electron temperature and number density were determined from TS spectra. These results were then compared to measurements from previous studies on the ET-arc. The TS diagnostic measured 0.8 ± 0.1, 1.3 ± 0.2, and 0.7 ± 0.1 eV and (4.4 ± 0.5) × 1021, (5.9 ± 0.7) × 1021, and (4.3 ± 0.5) x 1021 m-3, respectively, from three lines of sight that transect the plasma column.

He, Z. (ORCID:0000000183159882)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laser absorption measurements of temperature, pressure, CO, and CO 2 at near-MHz rates in post-detonation fireballs with comparison to synthetic measurements

A laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) diagnostic was used to obtain measurements of temperature, pressure, CO, and CO 2 at 500 kHz or 1 MHz in post-detonation fireballs produced by hemispherical samples of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). A quantum-cascade laser was scanned over multiple CO absorption transitions near 2008.5 cm −1 at 1 MHz, while an interband-cascade laser was scanned over a CO 2 absorption transition near 2394.8 cm −1 at 500 kHz. Light from each laser was combined onto a single path and passed through a detonation chamber approximately 83 mm above the 12-mm diameter hemispherical PETN charge. The CO and CO 2 absorption signals were post-processed to obtain time histories of temperature, pressure, species column pressures (P CO L, P CO2 L), and species column mole fractions (X CO L, X CO2 L). Additionally, schlieren imaging was performed simultaneously at 500 kHz to aid interpretation of the LAS measurements. Experimental and synthetic (i.e., CFD based) LAS measurements were compared to evaluate the accuracy of the CFD model and its ability to model the turbulent afterburning of the detonation products in air. In general, the experimental measurements exhibit reasonable agreement with the synthetic measurements at early times; thereby supporting the accuracy of the CFD model. Periods of disagreement between experimental and synthetic measurements at later times are most likely due to a reflected shock and detonator cavity jetting, which are not accounted for in the CFD model.

Schwartz, Charles J. [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette↗
DOE OSTI2026

The impact of optical measurement techniques on measured aerosol particle size distributions

Ambient aerosol particle size distributions measured by the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) at various sites around the world exhibit modes at optical diameters near 600 nm and 850 nm. These modes are not present in concurrent measurements with the Grimm 11-D Optical Particle Counter (OPC). Here, in this study, we argue that these modes result from the optical measurement technique itself, and we explain why they appear in measurements by the UHSAS but not in those by the Grimm OPC. We construct computer models of the UHSAS and Grimm (“digital UHSAS” and “digital Grimm”) and use these to investigate the size distribution that would result from measurements of artificial aerosol particle size distributions that do not contain modes. The appearance of modes for the structureless incoming size distributions sampled by the digital UHSAS is explained by the nonlinear behavior of partial scattering cross sections of uniform spherical particles as a function of their diameter. The absence of modes in the digital Grimm is explained by the coarser size resolution of that instrument. Detailed analysis of the relationship between optical and geometric diameters for uniform spherical particles reveals two important results. First, these diameters generally have different numerical values for the same particle, and second, the relationship is nonlinear; thus, widths of size bins in terms of optical diameter differ from those in geometric diameter. These results explain the modes observed in the ambient size distributions and highlight concerns with attempts to create a merged size distribution by combining measurements from different instruments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

GALAXY BIAS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE BARYON ACOUSTIC OSCILLATION MEASUREMENTS

The baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature in the clustering of matter in the universe serves as a robust standard ruler and hence can be used to map the expansion history of the universe. We use high force resolution simulations to analyze the effects of galaxy bias on the measurements of the BAO signal. We apply a variety of Halo Occupation Distributions (HODs) and produce biased mass tracers to mimic different galaxy populations. We investigate whether galaxy bias changes the nonlinear shifts on the acoustic scale relative to the underlying dark matter distribution presented by Seo et al. For the less biased HOD models (b < 3), we do not detect any shift in the acoustic scale relative to the no-bias case, typically 0.10% {+-} 0.10%. However, the most biased HOD models (b > 3) show a shift at moderate significance (0.79% {+-} 0.31% for the most extreme case). We test the one-step reconstruction technique introduced by Eisenstein et al. in the case of realistic galaxy bias and shot noise. The reconstruction scheme increases the correlation between the initial and final (z = 1) density fields, achieving an equivalent level of correlation at nearly twice the wavenumber after reconstruction. Reconstruction reduces the shifts and errors on the shifts. We find that after reconstruction the shifts from the galaxy cases and the dark matter case are consistent with each other and with no shift. The 1{sigma} systematic errors on the distance measurements inferred from our BAO measurements with various HODs after reconstruction are about 0.07%-0.15%.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

MASS CALIBRATION AND COSMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SPT-SZ GALAXY CLUSTER SAMPLE USING VELOCITY DISPERSION σ {sub v} AND X-RAY Y {sub X} MEASUREMENTS

We present a velocity-dispersion-based mass calibration of the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect survey (SPT-SZ) galaxy cluster sample. Using a homogeneously selected sample of 100 cluster candidates from 720 deg{sup 2} of the survey along with 63 velocity dispersion (σ {sub v}) and 16 X-ray Y {sub X} measurements of sample clusters, we simultaneously calibrate the mass-observable relation and constrain cosmological parameters. Our method accounts for cluster selection, cosmological sensitivity, and uncertainties in the mass calibrators. The calibrations using σ {sub v} and Y {sub X} are consistent at the 0.6σ level, with the σ {sub v} calibration preferring ∼16% higher masses. We use the full SPT{sub CL} data set (SZ clusters+σ {sub v}+Y {sub X}) to measure σ{sub 8}(Ω{sub m}/0.27){sup 0.3} = 0.809 ± 0.036 within a flat ΛCDM model. The SPT cluster abundance is lower than preferred by either the WMAP9 or Planck+WMAP9 polarization (WP) data, but assuming that the sum of the neutrino masses is ∑m {sub ν} = 0.06 eV, we find the data sets to be consistent at the 1.0σ level for WMAP9 and 1.5σ for Planck+WP. Allowing for larger ∑m {sub ν} further reconciles the results. When we combine the SPT{sub CL} and Planck+WP data sets with information from baryon acoustic oscillations and Type Ia supernovae, the preferred cluster masses are 1.9σ higher than the Y {sub X} calibration and 0.8σ higher than the σ {sub v} calibration. Given the scale of these shifts (∼44% and ∼23% in mass, respectively), we execute a goodness-of-fit test; it reveals no tension, indicating that the best-fit model provides an adequate description of the data. Using the multi-probe data set, we measure Ω{sub m} = 0.299 ± 0.009 and σ{sub 8} = 0.829 ± 0.011. Within a νCDM model we find ∑m {sub ν} = 0.148 ± 0.081 eV. We present a consistency test of the cosmic growth rate using SPT clusters. Allowing both the growth index γ and the dark energy equation-of-state parameter w to vary, we find γ = 0.73 ± 0.28 and w = –1.007 ± 0.065, demonstrating that the expansion and the growth histories are consistent with a ΛCDM universe (γ = 0.55; w = –1)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Direct measurement of the magnetic penetration depth by magnetic force microscopy

We present an experimental approach using magnetic force microscopy for measurements of the absolute value of the magnetic penetration depth λ in superconductors. λ is obtained in a simple and robust way without introducing any tip modeling procedure via direct comparison of the Meissner response curves for a material of interest to those measured for a reference sample. Using a well-characterized Nb film as a reference, we determine the absolute value of λ in a Ba(Fe 0.92 Co 0.08 ) 2 As 2 single crystal and a MgB 2 thin film through a comparative experiment. Our apparatus features simultaneous loading of multiple samples, and allows straightforward measurement of the absolute value of λ in superconducting thin film or single-crystal samples.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Progress Toward A $2νββ$ Measurement For The M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR

The M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR is a 76 Ge-based neutrinoless double-beta decay (0 νββ ) experiment. Staged at the 4850 ft level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the D EMONSTRATOR operates an array of high-purity p-type point contact Ge detectors deployed within a graded passive shield and an active muon veto system. The present work concerns the two-neutrino double-beta decay mode (2 νββ ) of 76 Ge. For Ge detectors, having superior energy resolution (0.1%), this mode poses negligible background to the 0 νββ mode, even for a ton-scale experiment. However, the measurement of the 2 νββ mode allows for careful systematics checks of active detector mass, enrichment fraction, and pulse shape discrimination cuts related to both the 0 νββ and 2 νββ decay modes. A precision measurement of the 2 νββ shape also allows searches for spectral distortions, possibly indicative of new physics, including 0 νββχ . Work is underway to construct a full experimental background model enabling a Bayesian fit to the measured energy spectrum and extraction of a precise 2 νββ spectrum and half-life.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗