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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Analytical and numerical studies of dark current in radiofrequency structures for short-pulse high-gradient acceleration

High-gradient acceleration is a key research area that could enable compact linear accelerators for future colliders, light sources, and other applications. In the pursuit of high-gradient operation, rf breakdown limits the attainable accelerating gradient in normal-conducting rf structures. Recent experiments at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator suggest a promising approach: using short rf pulses with durations of a few nanoseconds. Experimental studies show that these 𝒪⁡(1⁢ ⁢ns) rf pulses can mitigate breakdown limitations, resulting in higher gradients. For example, an electric field of nearly 400 MV/m was achieved in an 𝑋-band photoemission gun driven by 6-ns-long rf pulses, with rapid rf conditioning and low dark current observed. Despite these promising results, the short-pulse regime remains an underexplored parameter space, and rf breakdown physics under nanosecond-long pulses requires further investigation. In this paper, we present analytical and numerical simulations of dark current dynamics in accelerating cavities operating in the short-pulse regime. We study breakdown-associated processes spanning different time scales, including field emission, multipacting, and plasma formation, using simulations of the 𝑋-band photogun cavities. The results reveal the advantages of using short rf pulses to reduce dark current and mitigate rf breakdown, offering a path toward a new class of compact accelerators with enhanced performance and reduced susceptibility to breakdown.

Linear accelerators↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the accuracy of limiters and convergence to steady state solutions

This paper addresses the practical problem of obtaining convergence to steady state solutions when limiters are used in conjunction with upwind schemes on unstructured grids. The base scheme forms a gradient and limits it by imposing monotonicity conditions in the reconstruction stage. It is shown by analysis in one dimension that such an approach leads to various schemes meeting TVD requirements in one dimension. It is further shown that these formally second order accurate schemes are less than second order accurate in practice because of the action of the limiter function in smooth regions of the solution. Modifications are proposed to the limiter that restore the second order accuracy. In multiple dimensions these schemes produce steady state solutions that are monotone and devoid of oscillations. However, convergence stalls after a few orders of reduction in the residual. With the modified limiter, on the other hand, it is shown that converged steady state solutions can be obtained.

Venkatakrishnan, V.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Turbulence suppression at extreme plasma densities on DIII-D and EAST

Recent high-poloidal-beta (high-βP) experiments on DIII-D and EAST have made coordinated breakthroughs for high confinement quality at high density near the Greenwald limit. Density gradient amplification of turbulence suppression at high βP can explain both of these achievements. Experiments on DIII-D have achieved Greenwald fraction (fGr = line-averaged density/Greenwald density) above 1 simultaneously with normalized energy confinement (H98y2) around 1.5, as required in fusion reactor designs but never before verified in tokamak experiments with the divertor configuration. A synergy between increased H98y2 and fGr is observed with strong gas puffing, due to the build-up of an internal transport barrier at large radius in the temperature and density channels. Transport simulations reveal that the favorable trend of reduced turbulent energy transport at higher density is only expected when increasing the density gradient at high local safety factor and high β, thus at high βP to ensure strong α-stabilization. These conditions are crucial to many conceptual designs for steady-state reactors. New experiments on EAST have nearly doubled the ion temperature at fGr ∼ 0.9, consistent with predict-first modeling results based on the same physics revealed from the DIII-D analysis. All previous EAST long-pulse H-modes have Ti ≪ Te near plasma axis. Transport modeling indicates that the profiles are limited by ion-temperature-gradient modes at mid-radius. The modeling also suggested potential solutions, including reducing magnetic shear, enhancing density gradients, and higher impurity concentration. Following this guidance, EAST experiments directly show a strong enhancement of Ti achieved with a combination of a second plasma current ramp-up, a density gradient increase, and a Zeff perturbation by a short pulse (100 ms) of impurity injection, as predicted by the earlier modeling.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2008

Spacecraft Design Thermal Control Subsystem

The Thermal Control Subsystem engineers task is to maintain the temperature of all spacecraft components, subsystems, and the total flight system within specified limits for all flight modes from launch to end-of-mission. In some cases, specific stability and gradient temperature limits will be imposed on flight system elements. The Thermal Control Subsystem of "normal" flight systems, the mass, power, control, and sensing systems mass and power requirements are below 10% of the total flight system resources. In general the thermal control subsystem engineer is involved in all other flight subsystem designs.

Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter (JIMO)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nutrient limitation shapes functional traits of mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus-cycling bacteria across an elevation gradient

In nutrient-limited high-elevation ecosystems, plants rely on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi to provide mineral phosphorus (P) in the form of phosphate (PO43-). AM fungi gather these nutrients from phosphorus-cycling bacteria (PCBs) that can mineralize PO43- from organic matter and solubilize mineral-bound P. How climate, soil factors, and nutrient limitation influence AM fungi and PCB assembly remains unclear. We collected soil from montane meadows across a 1,000-m elevation gradient on three replicate mountainsides and analyzed AM fungal marker genes, P-cycling genes from shotgun metagenomes, and edaphic measurements. High-elevation soils had nearly 50-fold less soil PO₄³⁻ and 60% more AM fungal hyphae than low-elevation soils. AM fungal turnover was linked to changes in pH, organic carbon, and PO₄³-. The composition of 198 P-cycling genes was influenced by the AM fungal community structure. Drivers of individual PCB functional genes, including pH and organic carbon, varied with gene phylogeny. We found a trade-off in P-cycling strategies across elevation: P-rich, low-elevation soils supported root-colonizing AM fungi and organic P-mineralizing bacteria. P-poor, high-elevation soils were dominated by stress-tolerant AM fungi and mineral P-solubilizing bacteria. Our results suggest that AM fungi and PCB community turnover across elevation are both shaped by pH, organic carbon, and P availability. With continued climate warming, the structure and function of mountaintop ecosystems might shift to resemble lower elevations, disrupting long-established and specialized microbial assemblages, with consequences for P-cycling dynamics and the total P available to plant communities.IMPORTANCEPhosphorus (P) limits plant productivity in high-elevation ecosystems, yet the microbial networks that mobilize P, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and phosphorus-cycling bacteria (PCBs), remain under-characterized in these nutrient-poor soils. We show that across a 10,00-m elevation gradient, AM fungi and P-cycling gene assemblages shift predictably with pH, organic carbon, and phosphate availability. Higher elevations, with less available P, select for stress-tolerant AM fungal taxa and PCB strategies geared toward mineral solubilization, while low-elevation sites favor root colonization by AM fungi and organic P mineralization. These results suggest that nutrient limitation can constrain microbial community assembly in consistent ways across landscapes. High mountain soils are low in P and rely on a network of underground AM fungi and PCB to deliver nutrients to plants. This study shows how those underground relationships reorganize with elevation and how climate change could collapse long-standing microbial strategies by pushing high-elevation ecosystems toward lowland conditions. As soils warm and dry, the microbial scaffolding that supports alpine plant life may become increasingly unstable.

arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of Detectability Limits for On-Orbit Inspection of Space Shuttle Wing Leading Edge

At the conclusion of the Columbia Accident Investigation, one of the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) was that NASA develop and implement an inspection plan for the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) system components of the Space Shuttle. To address these issues, a group of scientists and engineers at NASA Langley Research Center proposed the use of an IR camera to inspect the RCC. Any crack in an RCC panel changes the thermal resistance of the material in the direction perpendicular to the crack. The change in thermal resistance can be made visible by introducing a heat flow across the crack and using an IR camera to image the resulting surface temperature distribution. The temperature difference across the crack depends on the change in the thermal resistance, the length of the crack, the local thermal gradient, and the rate of radiation exchange with the environment. This paper describes how the authors derived the minimum thermal gradient detectability limits for a through crack in an RCC panel. This paper will also show, through the use of a transient, 3-dimensional, finite element model, that these minimum gradients naturally exist on-orbit. The results from the finite element model confirm that there are sufficient thermal gradient to detect a crack on 96% of the RCC leading edge.

Stephan, Ryan A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Scale setting of SU⁡(𝑁) Yang–Mills theory, topology and large-𝑁 volume independence

We set the scale of SU⁡(𝑁) Yang-Mills theories for 𝑁 =3, 5, 8 and in the large-𝑁 limit via gradient flow, as a first step towards the computation of the large-𝑁 Λ-parameter using step scaling. We adopt twisted boundary conditions to achieve large-𝑁 volume reduction and the Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions algorithm to tame topological freezing. This setup allows accurate determinations of the gradient-flow scales down to lattice spacings as fine as ∼0.025 fm for all the explored values of 𝑁, a regime that has never been reached with ergodic algorithms. Moreover, we are able to precisely estimate the finite-size systematics related to topological freezing, and to show the suppression of finite-volume effects expected by virtue of large-𝑁 twisted volume reduction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1986

Combustion theory for liquids with a free surface. 3: Special problems

Two special problems concerning the combustion of liquids with a free surface, i.e., flame quenching during the mixing of a burning liquid inside a container and liquid burnout from a porous layer, are analyzed using a quasi-one-dimensional model. The critical parameters corresponding to the quenching of a burning fluid with a free surface are determined. Determinations are also made of the limiting pressure gradients corresponding to the transition from the combustion mode where the liquid evaporates from the surface of a porous layer to the mode where the phase transition surface lies inside the porous layer.

Milkov, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Learning and optimization with cascaded VLSI neural network building-block chips

To demonstrate the versatility of the building-block approach, two neural network applications were implemented on cascaded analog VLSI chips. Weights were implemented using 7-b multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) synapse circuits, with 31 x 32 and 32 x 32 synapses per chip. A novel learning algorithm compatible with analog VLSI was applied to the two-input parity problem. The algorithm combines dynamically evolving architecture with limited gradient-descent backpropagation for efficient and versatile supervised learning. To implement the learning algorithm in hardware, synapse circuits were paralleled for additional quantization levels. The hardware-in-the-loop learning system allocated 2-5 hidden neurons for parity problems. Also, a 7 x 7 assignment problem was mapped onto a cascaded 64-neuron fully connected feedback network. In 100 randomly selected problems, the network found optimal or good solutions in most cases, with settling times in the range of 7-100 microseconds.

Duong, T.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Propulsion From a Rotating EM Tether at Jupiter

The Jovian system with its rapid planetary rotation and strong magnetic field presents exciting opportunities for the use of electrodynamic (EM) tethers. Previous analysis for a radial, 10 km length tether demonstrated the possibility of propulsive forces as large as 50 Newtons near the planet. For orbital positions beyond about 2.5 Jovian radii, an EM tether can simultaneously be used for power and increases in the orbital altitude. Although the previous study demonstrated the physical feasibility of EM tether use at Jupiter, it did not address the issues of limited gravity gradient force for tether orientation and the practical use of this technology in an engineered system. This presentation will discuss these issues and current progress in an ongoing science/engineering transitional study.

Gallagher, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Initial Results from the Jovian Electrodynamic Tether Systems (JETS) Study

The Jovian system with its rapid planetary rotation and strong magnetic field presents exciting opportunities for the use of electrodynamic (EM) tethers in system applications on a Jovian spacecraft. Previous analysis for a radial, 10 km length tether demonstrated the possibility of propulsive forces as large as 50 N and power generation levels as high as 10(exp 6) W for low perijov passing trajectories. For orbital positions beyond approximately 2.5 Jovian radii, JETS can be used simultaneously for power and increases in the orbital altitude. Previous study demonstrated the physical feasibility of EM tether use at Jupiter, but did not address the issues of limited gravity gradient force for tether extension and power regulation needed before JETS can be implemented as a practical spacecraft system. This presentation will discuss these issues and current progress in an ongoing systems feasibility study.

Gallagher, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Initial Results From The Jovian Electrodynamic Tether Systems (JETS) Study

The Jovian system with its rapid planetary rotation and strong magnetic field presents exciting opportunities for the use of electrodynamic (EM) tethers in system applications on a Jovian spacecraft. Previous analysis for a radial, 10-km length tether demonstrated the possibility of propulsive forces as large as 50 N and power generation levels as high as 10^6 W for low perijov passing trajectories. For orbital positions beyond approximately 15 Jovian radii, JETS can be used simultaneously for power and increases in the orbital altitude. Previous study demonstrated the physical feasibility of EM tether use at Jupiter, but did not address the issues of limited gravity gradient force for tether extension and power regulation needed before JETS can be implemented as a practical spacecraft system. This presentation will discuss these issues and current progress in an ongoing systems feasibility study.

Gallagher, D. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Updates to Implicit Edge-Based Gradient Methods

In this paper, we report updates to the implicit edge-based gradient methods originally introduced in [H. Nishikawa, AIAA Paper 2020-3048, 2020]. First, we clarify the relationship between gradient accuracy and truncation error and show that the quadratic method involves a free parameter. Then, we provide a complete description and a simplified matrix form of the implicit gradient systems including a consistent boundary treatment, and derive a set of parameters for achieving fourth-order gradient accuracy on regular tetrahedral grids. A stability analysis is performed for a relaxation scheme used to solve the implicit gradient systems, and the result serves as a guide for choosing parameters. Numerical results are shown for accuracy verification and also for realistic inviscid flow problems in three dimensions, including flows with shock waves.

Weighted Least-Squares↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improved high-gradient performance for medium-velocity superconducting half-wave resonators: Surface preparation and trapped flux mitigation

A development effort to improve the performance of superconducting radio-frequency half-wave resonators (SRF HWRs) is underway at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), where 220 such resonators are in operation. Our goal was to achieve an intrinsic quality factor (𝑄 0 ) of ≥ 2 × 10 10 at an accelerating gradient (𝐸 acc ) of 12 MV/m. FRIB production resonators were prepared with buffered chemical polishing. First trials of electropolishing (EP) and post-EP low-temperature baking of FRIB HWRs allowed us to reach higher gradient (15 MV/m, limited by quench) with a higher quality factor at high gradient, but 𝑄 0 was still below our goal. Trapped magnetic flux during the Dewar test was found to be a source of 𝑄 0 reduction. Three strategies were used to reduce the trapped flux: (i) adding a local magnetic shield (LMGS) to supplement the “global” magnetic shield around the Dewar for reduction of the ambient magnetic field; (ii) performing a “uniform cooldown” (UC) to reduce the thermoelectric currents; and (iii) using a compensation coil to further reduce the ambient field with active field cancellation (AFC). The LMGS improved the 𝑄 0 , but not enough to reach our goal. With UC and AFC, we exceeded our goal, reaching 𝑄 0 = 2.8 ×10 10 at 𝐸 acc = 12 MV/m.

Cryogenics & vacuum technology↗
NASA NTRS1976

Sound scattering by rigid oblate spheroids, with implication to pressure gradient microphones

The frequency limit below which sound scattering by a microphone body is sufficiently small to permit accurate pressure gradient measurements was determined. The sound pressure was measured at various points on the surface of a rigid oblate spheroid illuminated by spherical waves generated by a point source at a large distance from the spheroid, insuring an essentially plane sound field. The measurements were made with small pressure microphones flush mounted from the inside of the spheroid model. Numerical solutions were obtained for a variety of spheroid shapes, including that of the experimental model. Very good agreement was achieved between the experimental and theoretical results. It was found that scattering effects are insignificant if the ratio of the major circumference of the spheroid to the wavelength of the incident sound is less than about 0.7, this number being dependent upon the shape of the spheroid. This finding can be utilized in the design of pressure gradient microphones.

Maciulaitis, A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

FedCSpc: A Cross-Silo Federated Learning System With Error-Bounded Lossy Parameter Compression

Cross-Silo federated learning is widely used for scaling deep neural network (DNN) training over data silos from different locations worldwide while guaranteeing data privacy. Communication has been identified as the main bottleneck when training large-scale models due to large-volume model parameters and gradient transmission across public networks with limited bandwidth. Most previous works focus on gradient compression, while limited work tries to compress parameters that can not be ignored and extremely affect communication performance during the training. Here, to bridge this gap, we propose FedCSpc: an efficient cross-silo federated learning system with an XAI-driven adaptive parameter compression strategy for large-scale model training. Our work substantially differs from existing gradient compression techniques due to the distinct data features of gradient and parameter. The key contributions of this paper are fourfold. (1) Our designed FedCSpc proposes to compress the parameter during the training using the state-of-the-art error-bounded lossy compressor – SZ3. (2) We develop an adaptive compression error bound adjustment algorithm to guarantee the model accuracy effectively. (3) We exploit an efficient approach to utilize the idle CPU resources of clients to compress the parameters. (4) We perform a comprehensive evaluation with a wide range of models and benchmarks on a GPU cluster with 65 GPUs. Results show that FedCSpc can achieve the same model accuracy as FedAvg while reducing the data volume of parameters and gradients in communication by up to 7.39× and 288×, respectively. With 32 clients on a 4 Gb size model, FedCSpc significantly outperforms FedAvg in wall-clock time in the emulated WAN environment (at the bandwidth of 1 Gbps or lower without loss of generality).

SZ3↗
NASA NTRS1994

Local performance optimization for a class of redundant eight-degree-of-freedom manipulators

Local performance optimization for joint limit avoidance and manipulability maximization (singularity avoidance) is obtained by using the Jacobian matrix pseudoinverse and by projecting the gradient of an objective function into the Jacobian null space. Real-time redundancy optimization control is achieved for an eight-joint redundant manipulator having a three-axis spherical shoulder, a single elbow joint, and a four-axis spherical wrist. Symbolic solutions are used for both full-Jacobian and wrist-partitioned pseudoinverses, partitioned null-space projection matrices, and all objective function gradients. A kinematic limitation of this class of manipulators and the limitation's effect on redundancy resolution are discussed. Results obtained with graphical simulation are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of local redundant manipulator performance optimization. Actual hardware experiments performed to verify the simulated results are also discussed. A major result is that the partitioned solution is desirable because of low computation requirements. The partitioned solution is suboptimal compared with the full solution because translational and rotational terms are optimized separately; however, the results show that the difference is not significant. Singularity analysis reveals that no algorithmic singularities exist for the partitioned solution. The partitioned and full solutions share the same physical manipulator singular conditions. When compared with the full solution, the partitioned solution is shown to be ill-conditioned in smaller neighborhoods of the shared singularities.

Williams, Robert L., II↗