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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 OSTI2018

Iso-nuclear tungsten dielectronic recombination rates for use in magnetically-confined fusion plasmas

Under the auspices of the IAEA Atomic and Molecular Data Center and the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, our assembled group of authors has reviewed the current state of dielectronic recombination (DR) rate coefficients for various ion stages of tungsten (W). Subsequent recommendations were based upon available experimental data, first-principle calculations carried out in support of this paper and from available recombination data within existing atomic databases. If a recommendation was possible, data were compiled, evaluated and fitted to a functional form with associated uncertainty information retained, where available. This paper also considers the variation of the W fractional abundance due to the underlying atomic data when employing different data sets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reduced meiotic recombination in rhesus macaques and the origin of the human recombination landscape

Characterizing meiotic recombination rates across the genomes of nonhuman primates is important for understanding the genetics of primate populations, performing genetic analyses of phenotypic variation and reconstructing the evolution of human recombination. Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are the most widely used nonhuman primates in biomedical research. We constructed a high-resolution genetic map of the rhesus genome based on whole genome sequence data from Indian-origin rhesus macaques. The genetic markers used were approximately 18 million SNPs, with marker density 6.93 per kb across the autosomes. We report that the genome-wide recombination rate in rhesus macaques is significantly lower than rates observed in apes or humans, while the distribution of recombination across the macaque genome is more uniform. These observations provide new comparative information regarding the evolution of recombination in primates.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Enhanced charge recombination due to surfaces and twin defects in GaAs nanostructures

Power conversion efficiency of gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanowire (NW) solar cells is severely limited by enhanced charge recombination (CR) at sidewall surfaces, but its atomistic mechanisms are not well understood. In addition, GaAs NWs usually contain a high density of twin defects that form a twin superlattice, but its effects on CR dynamics are largely unknown. Here, quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations reveal the existence of an intrinsic type-II heterostructure at the (110) GaAs surface. Nonadiabatic quantum molecular dynamics (NAQMD) simulations show that the resulting staggered band alignment causes a photoexcited electron in the bulk to rapidly transfer to the surface. We have found orders-of-magnitude enhancement of the CR rate at the surface compared with the bulk value. Furthermore, QMD and NAQMD simulations show unique surface electronic states at alternating (111)A and (111)B sidewall surfaces of a twinned [111]-oriented GaAs NW, which act as effective CR centers. The calculated large surface recombination velocity quantitatively explains recent experimental observations and provides microscopic understanding of the underlying CR processes.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Auger recombination in sodium-iodide scintillators from first principles

Scintillator radiation detectors suffer from low energy resolution that has been attributed to non-linear light yield response to the energy of the incident gamma rays. Auger recombination is a key non-radiative recombination channel that scales with the third power of the excitation density and may play a role in the non-proportionality problem of scintillators. In this work, we study direct and phonon-assisted Auger recombination in NaI using first-principles calculations. Our results show that phonon-assisted Auger recombination, mediated primarily by short-range phonon scattering, dominates at room temperature. We discuss our findings in light of the much larger values obtained by numerical fits to z-scan experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spatially indirect radiative recombination in InAlAsSb grown lattice-matched to InP by molecular beam epitaxy

A photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy study of the bulk quaternary alloy InAlAsSb is presented. Samples were grown lattice-matched to InP by molecular beam epitaxy and two different growth temperatures of 450 °C and 325 °C were compared. Interpolated bandgap energies suggest that the development of this alloy would extend the range of available direct bandgaps attainable in materials lattice-matched to InP to energies as high as 1.81 eV. However, the peak energy of the observed PL emission is anomalously low for samples grown at both temperatures, with the 450 °C sample showing larger deviation from the expected bandgap. A fit of the integrated PL intensity (I) to an I∝P{sup k} dependence, where P is the incident power density, yields characteristic coefficients k = 1.05 and 1.18 for the 450 °C and 325 °C samples, respectively. This indicates that the PL from both samples is dominated by excitonic recombination. A blue-shift in the peak emission energy as a function of P, along with an S-shaped temperature dependence, is observed. These trends are characteristic of spatially-indirect recombination associated with compositional variations. The energy depth of the confining potential, as derived from the thermal quenching of the photoluminescence, is 0.14 eV for the 325 °C sample, which is consistent with the red-shift of the PL emission peak relative to the expected bandgap energy. This suggests that compositional variation is the primary cause of the anomalously low PL emission peak energy. The higher energy PL emission of the 325 °C sample, relative to the 450 °C sample, is consistent with a reduction of the compositional fluctuations. The lower growth temperature is therefore considered more favorable for further growth optimization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Steady-state photoluminescent excitation characterization of semiconductor carrier recombination

Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy is a contactless characterization technique that can provide valuable information about the surface and bulk recombination parameters of a semiconductor device, distinct from other sorts of photoluminescent measurements. For this technique, a temperature-tuned light emitting diode (LED) has several advantages over other light sources. The large radiation density offered by LEDs from near-infrared to ultraviolet region at a low cost enables efficient and fast photoluminescence measurements. A simple and inexpensive LED-based setup facilitates measurement of surface recombination velocity and bulk Shockley-Read-Hall lifetime, which are key parameters to assess device performance. Under the right conditions, this technique can also provide a contactless way to measure the external quantum efficiency of a solar cell.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ultrafast and band-selective Auger recombination in InGaN quantum wells

In InGaN quantum well based light-emitting diodes, Auger recombination is believed to limit the quantum efficiency at high injection currents. Here in this paper, we report the direct observation of carrier loss from Auger recombination on a sub-picosecond timescale in a single InGaN quantum well using time-resolved photoemission. Selective excitations of different valence sub-bands reveal that the Auger rate constant decreases by two orders of magnitude as the effective hole mass decreases, confirming the critical role of momentum conservation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Recovery of active recombinant EGFP from the excrement of transgenic mice: A possible source of recombinant protein

Transgenic animals provide attractive systems for the production of valuable recombinant proteins. Previous studies indicate that milk is a suitable source of secreted recombinant proteins. In the current study, we examine whether excrement can be another source of recombinant proteins by using transgenic mice ubiquitously-expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a model. We found that the surface of excrement from GFP-transgenic mice was fluorescent, and the supernatant after centrifugation of an excrement suspension was rich in undegraded, actively fluorescing GFP. GFP was successfully purified from stool as a fluorescent 27 kDa protein by using a common procedure. Finally, we observed that the fluorescence of digested materials began in the ileum and persisted throughout the remainder of the digestive tract. Our results demonstrate that excrement, which is produced daily regardless of the sex or age of the animal, may be another feasible source of recombinant proteins. The preparation method is simple, economical, and noninvasive.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Study of carrier recombination transient characteristics in MOCVD grown GaN dependent on layer thickness

The MOCVD grown GaN epi-layers of different thickness have been examined in order to clarify a role of surface recombination, to separate an impact of radiative and non-radiative recombination and disorder factors. The microwave probed –photoconductivity (MW-PC) and spectrally resolved photo-luminescence (PL) transients were simultaneously recorded under ultraviolet (UV) light 354 nm pulsed 500 ps excitation. The MW-PC transients exhibited the carrier decay components associated with carrier decay within micro-crystals and the disordered structure on the periphery areas surrounding crystalline columns. Three PL bands were resolved within PL spectrum, namely, the exciton ascribed UV-PL band edge for hν>3.3 eV, blue B-PL band for 2.5 < hν < 3.0 eV and yellow Y-PL band with hν < 2.4 eV. It has been obtained that intensity of UV-PL band increases with excitation density, while intensity of B-PL band is nearly invariant. However, intensity of the Y-PL increases with reduction of the excitation density. The Y-PL can be associated with trapping centers. A reduction of UV excitation density leads to a decrease of the relative amplitude of the asymptotic component within the MW-PC transients and to an increase of the amplitude as well as duration of the yellow spectral band (Y-PL) asymptotic component. Fractional index α with values 0.5 < α < 0.8 was evaluated for the stretched-exponent component which fits the experimental transients determined by the disordered structure ascribed to the periphery areas surrounding the crystalline columns.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Band tail recombination in polymer:fullerene organic solar cells

Recombination through band tail localized states is studied analytically and by measurement of the forward-bias dark current as a function of temperature in three different organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells. The Shockley-Read-Hall mechanism is analyzed for the specific case of recombination between mobile carriers and an exponential distribution of localized band tail states. The analysis gives a simple relation between the dark current ideality factor and the band tail slope. Assumptions of the model are verified by numerical drift-diffusion modeling. Diode current-voltage measurements give good agreement with the analytical model, confirming that the band tail recombination mechanism applies to at least some organic solar cells. Deep traps provide a secondary recombination channel in some devices.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Visualization of Iron‐Binding Micelles in Acidic Recombinant Biomineralization Protein, MamC

Biological macromolecules are utilized in low‐temperature synthetic methods to exert precise control over nanoparticle nucleation and placement. They enable low‐temperature formation of a variety of functional nanostructured materials with properties often not achieved via conventional synthetic techniques. Here we report on the in situ visualization of a novel acidic bacterial recombinant protein, MamC, commonly present in the magnetosome membrane of several magnetotactic bacteria, including Magnetococcus marinus , strain MC‐1. Our findings provide an insight into the self‐assembly of MamC and point to formation of the extended protein surface, which is assumed to play an important role in the formation of biotemplated inorganic nanoparticles. The self‐organization of MamC is compared to the behavior of another acidic recombinant iron‐binding protein, Mms6.

Kashyap, Sanjay↗
DOE OSTI2014

Recombination dynamics in In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N quantum wells—Contribution of excited subband recombination to carrier leakage

The recombination dynamics of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N single quantum wells are investigated. By comparing the photoluminescence (PL) decay spectra with simulated emission spectra obtained by a Schrödinger-Poisson approach, we give evidence that recombination from higher subbands contributes the emission of the quantum well at high excitation densities. This recombination path appears as a shoulder on the high energy side of the spectrum at high charge carrier densities and exhibits decay in the range of ps. Due to the lower confinement of the excited subband states, a distinct proportion of the probability density function lies outside the quantum well, thus contributing to charge carrier loss. By estimating the current density in our time resolved PL experiments, we show that the onset of this loss mechanism occurs in the droop relevant regime above 20 A/cm{sup 2}.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Characterization of novel recombinant mycobacteriophages derived from homologous recombination between two temperate phages

Comparative analyses of mycobacteriophage genomes reveals extensive genetic diversity in genome organization and gene content, contributing to widespread mosaicism. We previously reported that the prophage of mycobacteriophage Butters (cluster N) provides defense against infection by Island3 (subcluster I1). To explore the anti-Island3 defense mechanism, we attempted to isolate Island3 defense escape mutants on a Butters lysogen, but only uncovered phages with recombinant genomes comprised of regions of Butters and Island3 arranged from left arm to right arm as Butters-Island3-Butters (BIBs). Recombination occurs within two distinct homologous regions that encompass lysin A, lysin B, and holin genes in one segment, and RecE and RecT genes in the other. Structural genes of mosaic BIB genomes are contributed by Butters while the immunity cassette is derived from Island3. Consequently, BIBs are morphologically identical to Butters (as shown by transmission electron microscopy) but are homoimmune with Island3. Recombinant phages overcome antiphage defense and silencing of the lytic cycle. We leverage this observation to propose a stratagem to generate novel phages for potential therapeutic use.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

The importance of band tail recombination on current collection and open-circuit voltage in CZTSSe solar cells

Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4} (CZTSSe) solar cells typically exhibit high short-circuit current density (J{sub sc}), but have reduced cell efficiencies relative to other thin film technologies due to a deficit in the open-circuit voltage (V{sub oc}), which prevent these devices from becoming commercially competitive. Recent research has attributed the low V{sub oc} in CZTSSe devices to small scale disorder that creates band tail states within the absorber band gap, but the physical processes responsible for this V{sub oc} reduction have not been elucidated. In this paper, we show that carrier recombination through non-mobile band tail states has a strong voltage dependence and is a significant performance-limiting factor, and including these effects in simulation allows us to simultaneously explain the V{sub oc} deficit, reduced fill factor, and voltage-dependent quantum efficiency with a self-consistent set of material parameters. Comparisons of numerical simulations to measured data show that reasonable values for the band tail parameters (characteristic energy, capture rate) can account for the observed low V{sub oc}, high J{sub sc}, and voltage dependent collection efficiency. These results provide additional evidence that the presence of band tail states accounts for the low efficiencies of CZTSSe solar cells and further demonstrates that recombination through non-mobile band tail states is the dominant efficiency limiting mechanism.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fully coupled simulation of cosmic reionization. II. Recombinations, clumping factors, and the photon budget for reionization

We use a fully coupled cosmological simulation including dark matter dynamics, multispecies hydrodynamics, nonequilibrium chemical ionization, flux-limited diffusion radiation transport, and a parameterized model of star formation and feedback (thermal and radiative) to investigate the epoch of hydrogen reionization in detail. In this paper, the first of several application papers, we investigate the mechanics of reionization from stellar sources forming in high-z galaxies, the utility of various formulations for the gas clumping factor on accurately estimating the effective recombination time in the intergalactic medium (IGM), and the photon budget required to achieve reionization. We also test the accuracy of the static and time-dependent models of Madau et al. as predictors of reionization completion/maintenance. We simulate a WMAP7 ΛCDM cosmological model in a 20 comoving Mpc cube, resolved with 800{sup 3} uniform fluid cells and dark matter particles. By tuning our star formation recipe to approximately match the observed high-redshift star formation rate density and galaxy luminosity function, we have created a fully coupled radiation hydrodynamical realization of hydrogen reionization, which begins to ionize at z ≈ 10 and is completed at z ≈ 5.8 without further tuning. We find that roughly two ionizing photons per H atom are required to convert the neutral IGM to a highly ionized state. After reionization concludes, we find that the quantity n-dot{sub ion}×(1 Gyr)/n{sub H} is ∼9 at z = 5, in rough agreement with measurements of the ionizing emissivity by Becker and Bolton. The complicated events during reionization that lead to this number can be generally described as inside-out, but in reality, the narrative depends on the level of ionization of the gas one attributes as being ionized. We find that the formula for the ionizing photon production rate needed to maintain the IGM in an ionized state derived by Madau et al. should not be used to predict the epoch of reionization completion because it ignores history-dependent terms in the global ionization balance which are not ignorable. We find that the time-dependent model for the ionized volume fraction Q{sub HII} is more predictive, but overestimates the redshift of reionization completion z{sub reion} by Δz ≈ 1. We propose a revised formulation of the time-dependent model that agrees with our simulation to a few percent accuracy. Finally, we use our simulation data to measure the absorption of ionizing radiation due to circumgalactic gas resolved on our mesh and find f-bar{sub esc}(CGM)≈0.7.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

CdSexTe1-x/CdTe Devices with Reduced Interface Recombination Through Novel Back Contacts and Group-V Doping

Since excellent carrier lifetimes and front interface electronic quality are now achieved, rear interface recombination can limit V OC in CdSexTe1-x/CdTe solar cells. Several back-contact structures for devices were fabricated using combinations of tellurium, aluminum oxide, amorphous silicon, and indium tin oxide (ITO). Time-resolved photoluminescence was used to characterize such structures. We show increasingly improved interface passivation through the subsequent use of aluminum oxide, amorphous silicon, and ITO. Additionally, we show that arsenic-doped absorbers form a more passive interface with numerous back contact structures.

aluminum oxide↗