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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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29 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

End-to-End Workflow for Machine-Learning-Based Qubit Readout With QICK and hls4ml

In this article, we present an end-to-end workflow for superconducting qubit readout that embeds codesigned neural networks into the quantum instrumentation control kit (QICK). Capitalizing on the custom firmware and software of the QICK platform, which is built on Xilinx radiofrequency system-on-chip field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), we aim to leverage machine learning (ML) to address critical challenges in qubit readout accuracy and scalability. The workflow utilizes the hls4ml package and employs quantization-aware training to translate ML models into hardware-efficient FPGA implementations via user-friendly Python application programming interfaces. We experimentally demonstrate the design, optimization, and integration of an ML algorithm for single transmon qubit readout, achieving 96% single-shot fidelity with a latency of 32.25 ns and less than 16% FPGA lookup table resource utilization. Our results offer the community an accessible workflow to advance ML-driven readout and adaptive control in quantum information processing applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

IOTA Pre-Bake Test Development

The IOTA (Integrable Optics Test Accelerator) Bakeout project is intended to improve the quality of the vacuum within the IOTA ring. Impurities consisting of hydrogen and oxygen that build within the beampipe are reduced through applying heat to the beampipe’s exterior. Two versions of the Bakeout project exist, one as a smaller scale test setup, and one five times larger located within the IOTA ring. During my internship, I worked together with a team to bring this project from an effectively dormant state to ready for testing, working together to create full documentation of the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programs, making multiple new hardware configurations of this test possible, as well as an additional safety system.

Seagrave, Kayla [DuPage Coll.; Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design and Characterization of the 162.5 MHz RF Component Layout for Fermilab's PIP-II Reference Line

The Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) Reference Line at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory distributes phase-stable radio-frequency (RF) signals throughout the accelerator. PIP-II requires stable timing and phase reference signals so its accelerating cavities transfer energy to the particle beam at the correct point in each RF cycle. The full system includes 162.5, 325, and 650 MHz sections corresponding to the frequency sections of the PIP-II Linac, with this project focusing on the 162.5 MHz section. The Reference Line must provide a phase stable source signal while responding to phase changes caused by environmental conditions or system drift. Its RF components will be mounted on aluminum heat plates inside a temperature controlled enclosure to further limit temperature-driven phase changes. To prepare the system for manufacture, the project reviewed component functions and dimensions, developed a computer-aided design (CAD) model, and arranged the hardware to support short cable paths, grounding, fastener access, and maintenance. Several full scale, three dimensional printed prototypes allowed the available components to be mounted and inspected. These fit checks revealed mechanical conflicts and guided revisions to component placement, countersink geometry, labeling, and plate thickness. Electrical characterization was also performed on selected RF hardware to compare its measured behavior with the performance metrics that were set for our design. Overall, the project produced a manufacturable 162.5 MHz layout, physical fit-check prototypes, and documented electrical measurements that support review before metal fabrication. The 325 and 650 MHz layouts remain future work because they require additional minor mechanical changes.

Subedi, Harsheet [Unlisted, US, CA] (ORCID:0009000↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design of Controller Hardware-In-the-Loop Model of Microgrid with Modular Building Blocks and Automated Design Script

The scalability of controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) simulation is critical for validating control coordination and energy management in microgrids with distributed energy resources, especially as these modern systems become more complex and decentralized. This paper presents a CHIL modeling methodology that combines modular building blocks with an automated design script to streamline the development of high-fidelity microgrid models. Standardized subsystem templates for resources, converters, and buses are integrated with a Python-based script that compiles structured JSON configuration files into simulation-ready initialization code. The proposed approach reduces development time, improves model consistency, and enhances simulation fidelity. The methodology is validated on a Typhoon HIL604 platform and is broadly applicable to real-time simulation of complex, networked microgrid systems. This framework establishes a foundation for automated, scalable CHIL validation and accelerates the design of next-generation distributed energy systems.

Kim, Namwon [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000200438489)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydropower Black Start: A Guidebook for Retrofitting Grid Dependent Hydropower

Not all United States (US) hydropower plants were designed to provide black start, but they are increasingly needed to uphold resilience in the evolving electric grid. This guidance is designed to help understand the minimal retrofits required for grid dependent hydropower (GDH) plants behind the point of interconnection (POI). For distribution connected hydropower plants or those with dedicated cranking paths, such upgrades can be sufficient for the plant to provide black start. For others, more coordination with the transmission system operator will be needed. This guidebook answers a number of questions relevant to retrofitting hydropower plants with black start capabilities. For example, the guidebook answers: • How flexible do the wicket gate controls need to be? • Who needs to do hydro governor model validation, why, and how? • How robust and flexible do the excitation and AVR controls need to be? • What protection settings need to be adjusted? • What relay(s) will need to be bypassed or overridden and at what risk? • What is the electrical energy demand of the station load or auxiliary power systems? • What should the strategy to energize transformer(s) along cranking path to address inrush currents be? • How should the critical load restoration be sequenced? In addition to outlining the specifications that hydropower plants need to meet for each component to be able to perform black start, this guidebook provides a set of case studies for specific upgrades needed at actual plants. Between the case studies of plants that have already performed black start retrofits and the examples of how this guidebook can be applied to scope future retrofits, five key themes have been identified for retrofit needs. 1. Protection needs “black start” mode: hydropower plants that are not designed with black start capabilities will have protections that prevent them from interconnecting to a “dead bus.” These protections will need to be overridden in every retrofit case and a separate black start mode should be established so that operators can safely switch between black start and grid connected modes, minimizing the risk to the plant. 2. Wicket gates need modern controls: digital governors accelerate the parameter tuning process and gate position sensors improve controllability, so plants with mechanical governors should be upgraded. Furthermore, a black start and islanding mode should be established for controls to maximize plant performance. 3. Robust excitation support: the DC system or excitation generator needs to be reliable enough to form and sustain the rotor electromagnetic field. These systems are typically undersized in plants that were not designed for black start, so they will need to be upgraded. 4. Turbine-governor model validation and operator training: validation of a standard hydro governor model is needed to characterize the dynamic response (i.e., inertial and primary frequency response) of the GDH. This is required for control development and old hydropower plants often have outdated or incorrect models. Operator training is also typically required to ensure the hardware retrofits are utilized correctly during the black start process. 5. Transformer and cranking path energization: any upgradation and control adjustment in front of the POI will depend upon the existing interconnection. Coordination with the transmission or distribution operator may be required.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

MIND-MAC: Multi-Level In-memory Quasi Non-Destructive MAC Operation in Compact 2T-nC FeRAM for Efficient DNN Accelerator

We present MIND-MAC, a compact 2T-nC FeRAM architecture that performs multi-level, quasi-non-destructive in-memory multiply–accumulate (MAC) for deep neural networks. By exploiting voltage-controlled partial domain switching in MFM capacitors and read-transistor amplification, the cell stores multi-bit weights and gates bit-serial inputs to produce an accumulated current on shared lines. We combine TCAD-extracted parasitics with experimentally calibrated ferroelectric models in SPICE to validate device-/circuit-level behavior, and validate multi-level sensing and QNRO with measurements on a fabricated 2T-3C test vehicle. An analytical system model maps MIND-MAC to a 6-GB main-memory in-memory compute (IMC) architecture and benchmarks VGG13 inference in 61.08 ms at 964.99 mJ. Results indicate high density, reduced rewrite overhead, and energy efficiency, positioning 2T-nC FeRAM as a promising IMC candidate for next-generation AI hardware.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-power test of a C-band linear accelerating structure with an RFSoC-based LLRF system

Normal conducting linear particle accelerators consist of multiple rf stations with accelerating structure cavities. Low-level rf (LLRF) systems are employed to set the phase and amplitude of the field in the accelerating structure and to compensate for the pulse-to-pulse fluctuation of the rf field in the accelerating structures with a feedback loop. The LLRF systems are typically implemented with analog rf mixers, heterodyne-based architectures, and discrete data converters. There are multiple rf signals from each of the rf stations, so the number of rf channels required increases rapidly with multiple rf stations. With a large number of rf channels, the footprint, component cost, and system complexity of the LLRF hardware will increase significantly. To meet the design goals of being compact and affordable for future accelerators, we have designed the next-generation LLRF (NG-LLRF) with a higher integration level based on RFSoC technology. The NG-LLRF system samples rf signals directly and performs rf mixing digitally. Further, the NG-LLRF has been characterized in loopback mode to evaluate the performance of the system and has also been tested with a standing-wave accelerating structure, a prototype for the Cool Copper Collider (C 3 ) with a peak rf power level up to 16.45 MW. The loopback test demonstrated amplitude fluctuation below 0.15% and phase fluctuation below 0.15°, which are considerably better than the requirements of C 3 . The rf signals from the different stages of the accelerating structure at different power levels are measured by the NG-LLRF, which will be critical references for the control algorithm designs. The NG-LLRF also offers flexibility in waveform modulation, so we have used rf pulses with various modulation schemes, which could be useful for controlling some of the rf stations in accelerators. In this paper, the high-power test results at different stages of the test setup will be summarized, analyzed, and discussed.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Field testing and validation of a low-cost MPC for demand flexibility for grid-interactive K-12 schools

K-12 school buildings account for the highest energy consumption within the public sector. Implementing advanced HVAC controls in grid-interactive K-12 schools could bring substantial economic advantages and grid flexibility. Our previous study demonstrated that a low-cost model predictive control (MPC) solution, which coordinates multiple packaged units, can enable demand flexibility without major hardware upgrades. However, a significant gap remains between academic pilots and market-ready scalable solutions. This paper extends the previous single-site pilot to a multi-site demonstration involving three school campuses (95 total units) through a commercial technology transfer process. Addressing the challenge of verifying performance with sparse field data, we present a new statistical approach using Bayesian methods to estimate the MPC’s effect on peak demand. Unlike traditional methods, this approach robustly quantifies uncertainty in non-normal, limited datasets. The results confirm the solution’s replicability, achieving a 21.6–38.9% reduction in HVAC peak demand (10.8–22.1% at the site-level) with > 98% probability across diverse locations. Finally, we document critical barriers to scaling software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions–such as API instability and diverse legacy systems–and offer practical strategies to accelerate the commercial adoption of grid-interactive efficient buildings.

Ham, Sang Woo↗
DOE OSTI2026

From Cell to System: Accelerated hpc Simulations of BESS Aging under Frequency Regulation and Arbitrage use cases

Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) packs have emerged as a leading solution for grid-scale energy storage, enhancing resiliency and balancing load fluctuations. Yet, experimental characterization of large-format LIB packs-particularly to assess performance and degradation over hundreds of cycles - demands substantial hardware investment and multi-year testing campaigns. In this work, we couple a hierarchical, physics-based modeling framework agnostic to electrode chemistries with high-performance computing to accelerate systems level evaluation by upto two orders of magnitude. Building on the open-source liionpack platform, we implement cell, module, and pack-scale electrochemical models enriched with mechanistic aging mechanisms and deploy them on an HPC cluster to simulate 150−200kWh systems over 500 - 1,000 cycles with in days. We subject these virtual B ESS to both constant-current cycling and realistic grid service profiles spanning frequency regulation, ramp-rate support, and energy arbitrage-and quantify the resulting degradation patterns. Our results reveal that localized cell aging can induce substantial nonuniformity at module and pack levels, with service-specific cycling protocols driving distinct aging modes. This rapid, multiscale modeling approach provides a powerful design-space exploration tool for optimizing electrical architecture, control strategies, and operational schedules to prolong pack lifetime and lower total cost of ownership.

Ayalasomayajula, Surya [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000860788↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating parameter trainability in the SNAP-displacement protocol of a qudit system

Here, in this study, we explore the universality of Selective Number-dependent Arbitrary Phase (SNAP) and Displacement gates for quantum control in qudit-based systems. However, optimizing the parameters of these gates poses a challenging task. Our main focus is to investigate the sensitivity of training any of the SNAP parameters in the SNAP-Displacement protocol. We analyze conditions that could potentially lead to the Barren Plateau problem in a qudit system and draw comparisons with multi-qubit systems. The parameterized ansatz we consider consists of blocks, where each block is composed of hardware operations, namely SNAP and Displacement gates [Fösel et al 2020 Efficient cavity control with snap gates arXiv:2004.14256]. Applying Variational Quantum algorithm (VQA) with observable and gate cost functions, we utilize techniques similar to those in [McClean et al 2018 Barren plateaus in quantum neural network training landscapes Nat. Commun.9 1–6] and [Cerezo et al 2021 Cost function dependent barren plateaus in shallow parametrized quantum circuits. Nat. Commun.12 1–12] along with the concept of t − design. Through this analysis, we make the following key observations: (a) The trainability of a SNAP-parameter does not exhibit a preference for any particular direction within our cost function landscape, (b) By leveraging the first and second moments properties of Haar measures, we establish new lemmas concerning the expectation of certain polynomial functions, and (c) utilizing these new lemmas, we identify a general condition that indicates an expected trainability advantage in a qudit system when compared to multi-qubit systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Constellation: The autonomous control and data acquisition system for dynamic experimental setups

The operation of instruments and detectors in laboratory or beamline environments presents a complex challenge, requiring stable operation of multiple concurrent devices, often controlled by separate hardware and software solutions. These environments frequently undergo modifications, such as the inclusion of different auxiliary devices depending on the experiment or facility, adding further complexity. The successful management of such dynamic configurations demands a flexible and robust system capable of controlling data acquisition, monitoring experimental setups, enabling seamless reconfiguration, and integrating new devices with limited effort. This paper presents Constellation, a flexible and network-distributed control and data acquisition software framework tailored to laboratory and beamline environments, that addresses the limitations of existing solutions. The framework is designed with a focus on extensibility, providing a streamlined interface for instrument integration. It supports efficient system setup via network discovery mechanisms, promotes stability through autonomous operational features, and provides comprehensive documentation and supporting tools for operators and application developers such as controllers and logging interfaces. At the core of the architectural design is the autonomy of the individual components, called satellites, which can make independent decisions about their operation and communicate these decisions to other components. This paper introduces the design principles and framework architecture of Constellation, presents the available graphical user interfaces, shares insights from initial successful deployments, and provides an outlook on future developments and applications.

Autonomy↗