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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of Nonzero-frequency Fluctuations on Turbulence Spectral Observations

In situ observations of turbulence spectra in space plasmas are usually interpreted as wavenumber spectra, assuming that the fluctuation frequency is negligible in the plasma flow frame. We explore the effects of nonzero frequency in the plasma flow frame on turbulence spectral observations. The finite frequency can be caused by either propagating waves or nonlinear broadening of nonpropagating structures. We show that the observed frequency spectrum can be modified by the nonzero frequency of turbulent fluctuations in several ways. Specifically, (i) frequency broadening results in a minor modification to the observed spectrum, primarily acting as a smoothing kernel of the spectrum near the spectral break, while the asymptotic spectral index remains unchanged; (ii) wave propagation can affect the observed spectral index for anisotropic turbulence. The effect is significant at low frequencies and weaker at high frequencies, leading to a "concave" shape of the observed perpendicular spectrum; (iii) the Doppler shift for forward- and backward-propagating Elsasser modes can result in a nonzero cross helicity for critical-balanced turbulence since the effect of the Doppler shift favors outward-propagating waves systematically, resulting in an observed imbalance. These results may have important implications for the interpretation of solar wind flows observed by Parker Solar Probe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Role of non-gaussian quantum fluctuations in neutrino entanglement

The flavor evolution of neutrinos in environments with large neutrino number densities is an open problem at the nexus of astrophysics and neutrino flavor physics. Among the many unanswered questions pertaining to this problem, it remains to be determined whether neutrino-neutrino coherent scattering can give rise to nontrivial quantum entanglement among neutrinos, and whether this can affect the flavor evolution in a meaningful way. To gain further insight into this question, here we study a simple system of two interacting neutrino beams, and obtain the exact phase-space explored by this system using the Husimi quasi-probability distribution. We observe that the entanglement induced by the coupling leads to strong delocalization in phase-space with largely non-Gaussian quantum fluctuations. The link between the neutrino entanglement and quantum fluctuations is illustrated using the one- and two-neutrino entropy. In addition, we propose an approximate phase-space method to describe the interacting neutrinos problem, where the exact evolution is replaced by a set of independent mean-field evolutions with a statistical sampling of the initial conditions. The phase-space approach provides a simple and accurate method to describe the gross features of the neutrino entanglement problem. Applications are shown using time-independent and time-dependent Hamiltonians in the non-adiabatic regime.

Patwardhan, Amol↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detection of supernova magnitude fluctuations induced by large-scale structure

The peculiar velocities of supernovae and their host galaxies are correlated with the large-scale structure of the Universe, and can be used to constrain the growth rate of structure and test the cosmological model. In this work, we measure the correlation statistics of the large-scale structure traced by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Bright Galaxy Survey Data Release 1 sample, and magnitude fluctuations of type Ia supernova from the Pantheon+ compilation across redshifts z < 0.1. We find a detection of the cross-correlation signal between galaxies and type Ia supernova magnitudes. Fitting the normalised growth rate of structure f sigma_8 to the auto- and cross-correlation function measurements we find f sigma_8 = 0.384 +0.094 -0.157, which is consistent with the Planck LambdaCDM model prediction, and indicates that the supernova magnitude fluctuations are induced by peculiar velocities. Using a large ensemble of N-body simulations, we validate our methodology, calibrate the covariance of the measurements, and demonstrate that our results are insensitive to supernova selection effects. We highlight the potential of this methodology for measuring the growth rate of structure, and forecast that the next generation of type Ia supernova surveys will improve f sigma_8 constraints by a further order of magnitude.

Nguyen, A. [Swinburne U., Ctr. Astrophys. Supercom↗
DOE OSTI2021

Inter-ELM pedestal evolution and the role of edge fluctuations in the C-Mod and DIII-D tokamaks

Edge localized modes (ELMs) lead to a cyclical behaviour of the H-mode pedestal density, temperature and pressure. Substantial evidence exists associating the ELM crash with violation of ideal MHD stability, via current driven kink/peeling modes and/or pressure gradient driven ballooning modes. Recovery from ELM crashes and buildup to the next ELM crash is an active and critical area of edge physics research for ITER projections. In one set of theories, the pedestal pressure profile in H-mode discharges is predicted to be limited by micro-instabilities. One such micro-instability is the kinetic ballooning mode (KBM), which is hypothesized to provide a ‘soft’ limit that regulates the edge transport, thereby restricting the local pressure gradient. In this picture, e.g. in the EPED model, the pedestal width expands slowly until the ideal MHD stability limit is reached. Experiments were recently performed on the C-Mod and DIII-D devices to search for instabilities correlated with the pedestal evolution between ELMs. The results show correlations between the onset of quasi-coherent fluctuations between type I ELMs and a critical temperature gradient. Linear gyrokinetic calculations have shown that these fluctuations have characteristics similar to those expected for KBMs. These results provide additional data toward validation of the EPED model, increasing confidence in ITER projections.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Magnetic Fluctuations in Niobium Pentoxide

Using a spin-polarized muon beam we were able to capture magnetic dynamics in an amorphous niobium pentoxide thin film. Muons are used to probe internal magnetic fields produced by defects. Magnetic fluctuations could be described by the dynamical Kubo-Toyabe model considering a time-dependent local magnetic field. We state that observed fluctuations result from the correlated motion of electron spins. We expect that oxygen vacancies play a significant role in these films and lead to a complex magnetic field distribution which is non-stationary. The characteristic average rate of magnetic field change is on the order of 100~MHz. The observed dynamics may provide insight into potential noise sources in Nb-based superconducting devices, while also highlighting the limitations imposed by amorphous oxides.

Krasnikova, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Sensitivity of Chemical Kinetic Models on Flame Transfer Functions in Acoustic Fluctuation Environments with Varying Equivalence Ratios

Various factors affect the heat release response of flames – thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, acoustics, etc. The coupling of heat release rate and acoustics, in particular, is essential to the design of combustion devices so as to avoid adverse effects during their operation. Modeling flames in acoustic environments requires an accurate understanding of the fundamental physics that occurs when flames interact with a fluctuating pressure field. Over the past couple of decades, researchers have been quantifying the impact of this fluctuating pressure field on the unsteady heat release rate. The flame transfer functions computed have also been shown to depend on the level of detail in the chemical kinetic model. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between these studies to understand how sensitive the flame transfer function is to various kinetic models. The problem is studied by performing multiple one-dimensional simulations using the low-Mach solver NGA. The detailed GRI-Mech 3.0 will be used for comparison. Also, the pressure amplitude and reactant equivalence ratio are varied to understand how the environment affects this sensitivity.

Girdhar, Anant↗
DOE OSTI2026

To bin or not to bin: Does binning in multiplicity reliably suppress unwanted volume fluctuations?

Here, in this study, we examine the effect of the so-called Centrality Bin Width Correction (CBWC) on the measurement of (net-)proton number cumulants in nucleus-nucleus collisions. We present an analytically tractable model, which includes correlations between multiplicity and proton number similar to those generated by the decay of baryon resonances. Within this model, we analyze the circumstances under which the CBWC method correctly removes the undesired effects of volume or impact parameter fluctuations. Additionally, we explore situations where the method fails and produces misleading results.

Critical point↗
DOE OSTI2021

Heat capacity, entropy, formation energy and spin-fluctuation behavior of U 3 Si 5 from 2.4 to 397.4 K

U-Si intermetallic compounds are of considerable interest for their applications as accident-tolerant nuclear fuels. Here we present low-temperature heat capacity (LTHC) measurements of one of the U-Si phases, U 3 Si 5 , using a Quantum Design Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) from 2.4 to 397.4 K. We observed an upturn in C p /T (T) below 10 K and have attributed this behavior to potential spin-fluctuations (SF) with an SF temperature (T sf ) of 27 K. An enhancement of LTHC was also observed, as manifested by a large electronic heat capacity coefficient (γ el ) of 342.9 mJ/mol•K 2 . From the heat capacity data, the following thermodynamic parameters were determined: the characteristic Debye temperature (θ D ) over the temperature range 30 – 397 K is 177 ± 2 K, and the standard entropy ($Δ^{298.15}_0$$S^o$) is 283.3 ± 5.7 J•mol -1 •K -1 (equivalent to 35.4 ± 0.7 J•mol -1 •atom -1 •K -1 ). Combined with our previously measured formation enthalpy ($Δ_fH^°_{el}$) of U 3 Si 5 , the Gibbs free energy of formation of U 3 Si 5 from the elements ($Δ_fG^°_{el}$) was determined to be –45.2 ± 9.0 kJ•mol -1 •atom -1 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Relativistic Dynamics of Fluctuations and QCD Critical Point

Herein, we review the recent development on a systematic deterministic formalism describing dynamics of both bulk and fluctuations in an arbitrary relativistic hydrodynamic flow carrying conserved charges. In particular, we discuss the implementation of such general formalism near the QCD critical point.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

On the spectral behaviour of the turbulence-driven power fluctuations of horizontal-axis turbines

In this article we consider the spectral behaviour of turbulence-driven power fluctuations for a single horizontal-axis turbine. To this end, a small-scale instrumented axial-flow hydrokinetic turbine model ( diameter=0.724 m ) is deployed in the long water flume situated in the laboratory facilities of IFREMER in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, and synchronous measurements of the upstream velocity and the rotor are collected for different tip-speed ratios. The study confirms previous findings suggesting that the power spectra follow the velocity spectra behaviour in the large scales region and a steeper power law slope behaviour ( -11/3 ) over the inertial frequency sub-range. However, we show that both the amplitude of the power spectra and low-pass filtering effect over the inertial sub-range also depend on the rotor aero/hydrodynamics (e.g. dC L /dα) and the approaching flow deceleration and not solely on the rotational effects. In addition, we present a novel semi-analytical model to predict the dominant blade-passing frequency harmonics in the high-frequency regime using the rotationally sampled spectra technique. For all calculations, the distortion of incoming turbulence is taken into account.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Layer-Dependent Magnetism and Spin Fluctuations in Atomically Thin van der Waals Magnet CrPS 4

van der Waals (vdW) magnets, an emerging family of two-dimensional (2D) materials, have received tremendous attention due to their rich fundamental physics and significant potential for cutting-edge technological applications. In contrast to the conventional bulk counterparts, vdW magnets exhibit significant tunability of local material properties, such as stacking engineered interlayer coupling and layer-number dependent magnetic and electronic interactions, which promise to deliver previously unavailable merits to develop multifunctional microelectronic devices. As a further ingredient of this emerging topic, here we report nanoscale quantum sensing and imaging of atomically thin vdW magnet chromium thiophosphate CrPS 4 , revealing its characteristic layer-dependent 2D static magnetism and dynamic spin fluctuations. We also show a large tunneling magnetoresistance in CrPS 4 -based spin filter vdW heterostructures. Here, the excellent material stability, robust strategy against environmental degradation, in combination with tailored magnetic properties highlight the potential of CrPS 4 in developing state-of-the-art 2D spintronic devices for next-generation information technologies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Visualization of Mesoscopic Conductivity Fluctuations in Amorphous Semiconductor Thin-Film Transistors

Charge transport in amorphous semiconductors is considerably more complicated than the process in crystalline materials due to abundant localized states. In addition to device-scale characterization, spatially resolved measurements are important to unveiling electronic properties. Here, we report gigahertz conductivity mapping in amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors by microwave impedance microscopy (MIM), which probes conductivity without Schottky barrier’s influence. The difference between the dc and microwave conductivities reflects the efficacy of the injection barrier in an accumulation-mode transistor. The conductivity exhibits significant nanoscale inhomogeneity in the subthreshold regime, presumably due to trapping and release from localized states. The characteristic length scale of local fluctuations, as determined by the autocorrelation analysis, is about 200 nm. Using a random-barrier model, we can simulate the spatial variation of the potential landscape, which underlies the mesoscopic conductivity distribution. Furthermore, our work provides an intuitive way to understand the charge transport mechanism in amorphous semiconductors at the microscopic level.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

AC Power Flow Based DLMP Calculation and Decomposition Method to Smooth Power Fluctuation of Distributed Renewable Energy Sources

As the penetration of renewable energy sources increases, the growing renewable power variability brings ramping issues to power systems. Meanwhile, the development of distributed energy resources (DERs) makes the distribution systems to provide both energy and ancillary services. To incentivise individual resources and customers to alleviate ramping issues on the demand side, a two-stage distribution locational marginal price (DLMP) calculation and decomposition method is developed to formulate the marginal power ramping price for DERs. In the first stage of the proposed method, a distribution system operator market scheduling model based on AC optimal power flow is designed to estimate the optimal operating point of the distribution system. Subsequently, the voltage and power flow constraints are linearised in stage two to calculate DLMP. Finally, based on the Lagrange function and sensitivity factors, DLMP is decomposed to the marginal costs for active/reactive power, voltage management, power loss and power variability. Case studies demonstrate that the proposed model can effectively smooth the power fluctuation and reduce the ramping flexibility requirements of distribution systems.

AC optimal power flow↗
DOE OSTI2020

Normal modes, rotational inertia, and thermal fluctuations of trapped ion crystals

The normal modes of a trapped ion crystal are derived using an approach based on the Hermitian properties of the system’s dynamical matrix. This method is equivalent to the standard Bogoliubov method, but for classical systems it is arguably simpler and more general in that canonical coordinates are not necessary. The theory is developed for stable, unstable, and neutrally-stable systems. The method is then applied to ion crystals in a Penning trap. Reduced eigenvalue problems for the case of large applied magnetic field are developed, for which the spectrum breaks into E x B drift modes, axial modes, and cyclotron modes. Thermal fluctuation levels in these modes are analyzed and shown to be consistent with the Bohr-van-Leeuwen theorem, provided that neutrally-stable modes associated with crystal rotations are included in the analysis. An expression for the rotational inertia of the crystal is derived, and a magnetic contribution to this inertia, which dominates in large magnetic fields, is described. An unusual limit is discovered for the special case of spherically-symmetric confinement, in which the rotational inertia does not exist and changes in angular momentum leave the rotation frequency unaffected.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermodynamically consistent incorporation of the Langmuir adsorption model into compressible fluctuating hydrodynamics

For a gas–solid interfacial system where chemical species undergo reversible adsorption, we develop a mesoscopic stochastic modeling method that simulates both gas-phase hydrodynamics and surface coverage dynamics by coupling the Langmuir adsorption model with compressible fluctuating hydrodynamics. To this end, we derive a thermodynamically consistent mass–energy update scheme that accounts for how the mass and energy variables in the gas and surface subsystems should be updated according to the changes in the number of molecules of each species in each subsystem due to adsorption and desorption events. By performing a stochastic analysis for the ideal Langmuir model and the full hydrodynamic system, we analytically confirm that our mass–energy update scheme captures thermodynamic equilibrium predicted by equilibrium statistical mechanics. We find that an internal energy correction term is needed, which is attributed to the difference in the mean kinetic energy of gas molecules colliding with the surface from that computed from the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. By performing an equilibrium simulation study for an ideal gas mixture of CO and Ar, with CO undergoing reversible adsorption, we validate our overall simulation method and implementation.

Adsorption↗
DOE OSTI2020

Decreasing the amplitude of macroscopic quantum fluctuations in the case of transient SRS

It is shown experimentally that, under the conditions of transient stimulated Raman scattering, pumping by two successive orthogonally polarised laser pulses makes it possible to reduce the amplitude of macroscopic quantum energy fluctuations of a Stokes pulse by a factor of 4 in comparison with single-shot pumping. An energy dispersion of 0.9 % for the first Stokes component is obtained in hydrogen at a relative energy dispersion of ytterbium laser pulses of 0.4 %. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sensitivity of transverse momentum correlations to early-stage and thermal fluctuations

Transverse momentum correlations were recently measured by the ALICE collaboration at the LHC [Acharya et al (2020 Phys. Lett. B 804 135375)]. A long-range structure in terms of relative pseudorapidity of particle pairs is observed. This may imply some signal of the initial state owing to the sheer spread of the correlation. However, the fluctuations inside a thermally equilibrated medium have to be taken into account, serving as motivation for this paper. Using lattice Quantum Chromodynamics constraints, we predicted the development and spread of balancing correlations caused by energy-momentum conservation. At the same time, we propagated the Gaussian-shaped initial correlation using hydrodynamics to estimate its effects. Our findings suggest that the resulting correlation, known as ‘the ridge,’ is sensitive both to flucutations seeded in the pre-equilibrium stage and to those seeded in the equilibrated medium. This can provide important insight into the early stages of the collision.

ALICE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Edge fluctuation measurements in EDA H-mode and QCE plasmas in ASDEX Upgrade using the correlation electron cyclotron emission diagnostic

The requirement of a plasma solution without large edge-localized modes (ELMs) for future fusion devices motivates the study of plasmas without Type I ELMs. The enhanced D–α (EDA) and quasi-continuous exhaust (QCE) scenarios are two such Type I ELM free plasmas, but their underlying physics principles are not fully understood. A database of EDA and QCE plasmas from ASDEX Upgrade was compiled and analyzed using the correlation electron cyclotron emission diagnostic in order to study differences between properties of the quasi-coherent mode (QCM) between these two regimes. Investigations into measured spectral properties of the QCM, radiated temperature fluctuations δT rad /T rad , and radial correlation lengths L c showed no differences between the two regimes. Spectral properties using the cross-power spectral density, G xy were similar between regimes, with the values measured to be a central frequency, $f$ $QCM$ ≈ 20 - 50 kHz; spectral width, Δ $f$ ≈ 5 - 40 kHz; δT rad /T rad ≈ 4-6%; and L c ≈ 1-2 cm. Investigations into a quantity representing the relative bandwidth Δ$f$/$f$ $QCM$ revealed differences between EDA and QCE plasmas when plotted radially, suggesting some type of interaction between the QCM in QCE plasmas with the surrounding broadband turbulence that is not present in EDA phases. Additionally, investigations into various drive terms for hypothesized instability drivers for the QCM are performed showing no difference in the parameter spaces of collisionality and the ion temperature, electron temperature, or electron pressure scale lengths between each regime indicating that there is no observable difference between the drive behind the QCM in each regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗