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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Entanglement and correlations in fast collective neutrino flavor oscillations

Collective neutrino oscillations play a crucial role in transporting lepton flavor in astrophysical settings like supernovae and neutron star binary merger remnants, which are characterized by large neutrino densities. In these settings, simulations in the mean-field approximation show that neutrino-neutrino interactions can overtake vacuum oscillations and give rise to fast collective flavor evolution on time-scales t ∝ μ –1 , with μ proportional to the local neutrino density. In this work, we study the full out-of-equilibrium flavor dynamics in simple multi-angle geometries displaying fast oscillations in the mean field linear stability analysis. Focusing on simple initial conditions, we analyze the production of pair correlations and entanglement in the complete many-body-dynamics as a function of the number N of neutrinos in the system, for up to thousands of neutrinos. Similarly to simpler geometries with only two neutrino beams, we identify three regimes: stable configurations with vanishing flavor oscillations, marginally unstable configurations with evolution occurring on long time scales τ ≈ µ –1 $\sqrt{N}$, and unstable configurations showing flavor evolution on short time scales τ ≈ μ –1 log(N). Here, we present evidence that these fast collective modes are generated by the same dynamical phase transition which leads to the slow bipolar oscillations, establishing a connection between these two phenomena and explaining the difference in their time scales. We conclude by discussing a semi-classical approximation which reproduces the entanglement entropy at short to medium time scales and can be potentially useful in situations with more complicated geometries where classical simulation methods starts to become inefficient.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fast meta-solvers for 3D complex-shape scatterers using neural operators trained on a non-scattering problem

Three-dimensional target identification using scattering techniques requires high accuracy solutions and very fast computations for real-time predictions in some critical applications. We first train a deep neural operator (DeepONet) to solve wave propagation problems described by the Helmholtz equation in a domain without scatterers but at different wavenumbers and with a complex absorbing boundary condition. We then design two classes of fast meta-solvers by combining DeepONet with either relaxation methods, such as Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel, or with Krylov methods, such as GMRES and BiCGStab, using the trunk basis of DeepONet as a coarse-scale preconditioner. We leverage the spectral bias of neural networks to account for the lower part of the spectrum in the error distribution while the upper part is handled inexpensively using relaxation methods or fine-scale preconditioners. The meta-solvers are then applied to solve scattering problems with different shape of scatterers, at no extra training cost. We first demonstrate that the resulting meta-solvers are shape-agnostic, fast, and robust, whereas the standard standalone solvers may even fail to converge without the DeepONet. We then apply both classes of meta-solvers to scattering from a submarine, a complex three-dimensional problem. We achieve very fast solutions, especially with the DeepONet-Krylov methods, which require orders of magnitude fewer iterations than any of the standalone solvers.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optically induced changes in the band structure of the Weyl charge-density-wave compound (TaSe 4 ) 2 I

Collective modes are responsible for the emergence of novel quantum phases in topological materials. In the quasi-one dimensional (1D) Weyl semimetal (TaSe 4 ) 2 I , a charge density wave (CDW) opens band gaps at the Weyl points, thus turning the system into an axionic insulator. Melting the CDW would restore the Weyl phase, but 1D fluctuations extend the gapped regime far above the 3D transition temperature (T CDW = 263 K), thus preventing the investigation of this topological phase transition with conventional spectroscopic methods. Here we use a non-equilibrium approach: we perturb the CDW phase by photoexcitation, and we monitor the dynamical evolution of the band structure by time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. We find that, upon optical excitation, electrons populate the linearly dispersing states at the Fermi level (E F ), and fill the CDW gap. The dynamics of both the charge carrier population and the band gap renormalization (BGR) show a fast component with a characteristic time scale of a few hundreds femtoseconds. However, the BGR also exhibits a second slow component on the µs time scale. The combination of an ultrafast response and of persistent changes in the spectral weight at E$_\mathrm{F}$, and the resulting sensitivity of the linearly dispersing states to optical excitations, may explain the high performances of (TaSe 4 ) 2 I as a material for broadband infrared photodetectors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Parallel-in-Time Simulation of Lindblad's Equation

Constructing fast quantum logic gates is critical to building a scalable quantum computer. We consider a qudit, a quantum version of a bit that can take an arbitrary number of states, coupled with a cavity. In this project, we wish to force the qudit to reach the 0-state, for any possible initial state. The coupled system changes in time according to Lindblad’s equation, an ordinary differential equation on the density matrix of the quantum system. Lindblad’s equation contains some parameters that we can control, so-called control functions. We seek control functions which force the qudit to the 0-state within 2 microseconds, which is much faster than what is currently done in practice. The search method is gradient descent, a numerical optimization method that uses gradient information to iteratively improve the control parameters. My contribution to this project is an attempt to speed up the computation of the gradient. It currently takes about 40 seconds to compute the gradient which involves solving a set of ODEs sequentially. Current supercomputers have thousands of cores, but sequential computations can only make use of 1 core at a time. We wish to divide up the work better, so that we can use many more cores at once. To this end, we have implemented the Multigrid Reduction in Time (MGRIT) algorithm. We perform a systematic parameter search on how to best apply this algorithm. Results indicate a 25 percent speed up for solving Lindblad’s equation and determining how close the final state is the 0-state.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Recovering the phase and amplitude of X-ray FEL pulses using neural networks and differentiable models

Dynamics experiments are an important use-case for X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), but time-domain measurements of the X-ray pulses themselves remain a challenge. Shot-by-shot X-ray diagnostics could enable a new class of simpler and potentially higher-resolution pump-probe experiments. Here, we report training neural networks to combine low-resolution measurements in both the time and frequency domains to recover X-ray pulses at high-resolution. Critically, we also recover the phase, opening the door to coherent-control experiments with XFELs. The model-based generative neural-network architecture can be trained directly on unlabeled experimental data and is fast enough for real-time analysis on the new generation of MHz XFELs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fast ion studies in the extended high-performance high β P plasma on EAST

Comprehending and optimizing fast ion behaviors is critical for the enhancement of performance in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). This study explores the potential benefits of several factors that can improve the fast ion confinement. First, experiments show the change in the direction of the NBI2 from counter-I p to co-I p leads to a significant reduction in fast ion losses. TRANSP/NUBEAM simulation and tomography results based on fast-ion D-alpha measurements reveal that after the neutral beam injection (NBI) upgrade, the beam ion prompt loss is reduced by approximately 50%. Second, the upgraded ion cyclotron resonant frequency (ICRF) antenna at the N-port features twice the coupling resistance of the original antennas at EAST. This improved ICRF power coupling has enhanced the synergistic heating effect of NBI + ICRF, where the ICRF wave field accelerates beam ions at the harmonics. Experiments demonstrate that NBI + ICRF synergistic not only enhances plasma neutron yield and β P , but also accelerates beam ions to hundreds of keV. Further, the electron density and the neutral beam voltage have been optimized to reduce the fast ion slowing-down time and beam ion losses. Experimental and simulation results indicate that increasing the electron density reduces beam ion losses and enhances the bootstrap current fraction. While higher beam voltage results in a slight decrease in beam power absorption, it can increase the fraction of bootstrap current. With the understanding of these optimization of fast ion confinement, experiments have demonstrated fully non-inductive operation at high density (n e /n G ∼ 0.67, β P ∼ 3.1, β N ∼ 2.1, H 98,y2 ∼ 1.2) even without the support of co-I p beam NBI2. This investigation presents a potential regime to enhance fast ion confinement and extend performance in the high β P plasma for future experiments.

EAST tokamak↗
DOE OSTI2023

A novel integrated time-resolved array avalanche photodiode detection system for nuclear resonant scattering measurements

Here, the nuclear resonant scattering (NRS) experiment requires photon-counting detectors with high time resolution, short dead time, large dynamic range, low noise, and large detection area. An 8-channel avalanche photodiode (APD) array detector system with high integrity, flexibility, and reliability has been developed to adapt to the demands of NRS experiments. The detector system mainly consists of four key parts: (i) an array-APD sensor, (ii) 8-channel integrated fast preamplifiers, (iii) the time-to-digital converter readout electronics, and (iv) a data acquisition system and EPICS support software. Remarkably, the system exhibits a time resolution of better than 500 ps and has a sufficiently low noise level, allowing for the lowest detection energy threshold of 4 keV. The performance of the new array-APD system as well as its real application in nuclear forward scattering (NFS) and nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NRIXS) experiments was tested in two synchrotron facilities. With the new system, the NFS signal very close to the prompt electronic scattering signal can be extracted. Thanks to the customized EPICS-areaDetector-based control software, NRIXS spectra can be readily measured with time and energy information of the NRIXS signal stored in the raw data, which is promising for developing NRIXS data analysis in the time domain. The array-APD detector can be deployed for nuclear resonant scattering experiments at various synchrotron radiation facilities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Fuzzball Paradigm

We describe the puzzles that arise in the quantum theory of black holes, and explain how they are resolved in string theory. We review how the Bekenstein entropy is obtained through the count of brane bound states. We describe the fuzzball construction of black hole microstates. These states have no horizon and radiate from their surface like a normal body, so there is no information puzzle. We explain how the semiclassical approximation is violated in gravitational collapse even though curvatures are low at the classical horizon. This violation happens because the collapse leads to a stretching of space that is {\it fast}: light does not have time to travel across the collapsing region to establish the `vecro' correlations needed in the quantum gravitational vacuum. These vecro correlations arise from the existence of virtual fuzzball fluctuations in the gravitational vacuum, and are significant because of the large degeneracy of fuzzball states implied by the Bekenstein entropy. It is plausible that similar effects of fast expansion may be responsible for effects like dark energy and the Early Dark Energy postulated to explain the Hubble tension.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2021

Active control of electron cyclotron emission radiometer channel frequencies for improved electron temperature measurements

As advanced scenarios are developed for tokamak operations, the demand for flexibility of the electron cyclotron emission (ECE) channels’ locations has increased. The tunable feature of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) filters provides this spatial flexibility. Here, we present a method of performing ECE measurements on fixed flux surfaces instead of fixed frequencies. This is achieved by adjusting YIG filters utilized in the intermediate frequency section to frequencies associated with flux surfaces in regions of interest during the discharge. Here, the key components are the application of tunable YIG filters and a control program that calculates the filter settings using flux information from real-time reconstruction equilibria (EFIT). This fast procedure facilitates T e measurements in regions of interest to investigate plasma dynamic behaviors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Three-Dimensional Heat Flux and Thermal Analysis of Angled Tungsten Samples on DIII-D

ITER-grade tungsten and dispersoid-strengthened tungsten samples with the top surface angled at ~15° towards the incident plasma flux were exposed to 9 H-mode discharges with edge-localized modes (ELMs) in the lower divertor of DIII-D tokamak using the Divertor Material Evaluation System (DiMES). Surface damage included cracking and flaking of material on the two samples farthest away from the plasma strike point, and significant melting of the two samples closest to the strike point. Heat flux and thermal analysis tools new to DIII-D have been applied to better understand this material response and to help optimize the exposure conditions for future experiments. SMITER field-line tracing simulations based on IRTV data and EFIT equilibria estimate an average inter-ELM perpendicular heat flux, 𝑞⊥,𝑖nter−𝐸LM , on the angled surfaces of 10.1 – 19.6 MW/m² for a majority of the 9 discharges, increasing to 15.6 – 24.5 MW/m² for the single, higher-power shot where samples melted. Fast camera data showed shallow intra-ELM melting and re-solidification, which transitioned to bulk inter-ELM melting with melt motion in the 𝐽⃗ 𝑥 𝐵⃗ direction. About 50% of the protruding volume of the most affected sample was displaced via melt-motion. SIERRA thermal modeling software was able to reproduce an onset time of melting consistent with fast camera data and final sample conditions, within < 200 ms. Maximum surface temperatures of 3122 K and 2787 K are estimated for the samples farthest away from the strike point, while the closest samples achieve melting at 4067 ms and 4750 ms into the ~5000 ms plasma exposure. A +10% increase in both the SMITER 𝑞⊥,𝑖nter−𝐸LM calculations and the estimated ELM heat loads 𝑞⊥, 𝐸LM was required to achieve this result, which is within the uncertainty of the diagnostic data but likely accounts for non-ideal geometry effects plus other physics uncertainties not included in this first iteration of modeling. This work provided valuable estimates of the 3D temperature evolution to help better understand the observed surface morphology and internal recrystallization of samples, which are discussed in detail in a complementary manuscript [1]. Benchmarking efforts with more diagnosed DIII-D experiments are underway to further refine the SMITER and SIERRA models for DiMES. Future use of these tools will enable researchers to precisely target heat flux exposure conditions in DIII-D to test, but not exceed, the thermomechanical limitations of novel plasma-facing materials.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A physics-based model for frost buildup under turbulent flow using direct numerical simulations

We present a new model for frost buildup under turbulent (and laminar) flow using direct numerical simulations. The physical model consists of two layers, the air and the frost. The air layer is fully resolved and consists of solving for the velocity, temperature, and vapor mass fraction fields. The frost layer thickness is resolved using conservation of mass and energy. Both phases are dynamically coupled using the immersed boundary method. Three-dimensional simulations are conducted in an open-channel configuration. A number of challenges need to be overcome to make these simulations feasible. First, to enforce far-field conditions of zero gradient and prescribed mean temperature and humidity, a source term is added to the energy and transport equations in the flow solver. Second, the mean frost thickness is subtracted after each time step to ensure a constant mean flow thickness and level of turbulence in the numerical domain. Third, a slow-time acceleration approach, which accelerates the frost buildup by a predetermined factor, is employed to bridge the gap between the fast turbulent and slow frost buildup time scales. Finally, a frost densification scheme is used to overcome the difficulties of vertically varying frost properties. The model is validated by comparing the frost thickness and frost thickness buildup rate over a period of one hour from a cooled flat plate experiment. As a result, both quantities compare favorably with experiments.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Numerically Relevant Timescales in the MG2 Microphysics Model

Climate models rely on parameterizations of a variety of processes in the atmospheric physics, but a common concern is that the temporal resolution is too coarse to consistently resolve the behavior that individual parameterizations are designed to capture. This study examines timescales numerically derived from the Morrison-Gettelman (MG2) microphysics as implemented within the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, version 1 (E3SMv1). Numerically relevant timescales in MG2 are derived by computing the eigenspectrum of its Jacobian. These timescales are found to often be smaller than the default 5 min time step used for MG2. The fast timescales are then heuristically connected to individual microphysics processes. By substepping a few particular rain processes within MG2, the time discretization error for those processes was considerably reduced with minimal additional expense to the overall microphysics. While this improvement has a substantial effect on the target processes and on the vertical distribution of stratiform-derived rain within E3SMv1, the overall model climate is found to not be sensitive to MG2 time step. Here, we hypothesize that this is because the surface climate does not depend strongly on certain process rates, especially MG2's rain evaporation rate.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

System and method for fissionable material detection with a short pulse neutron source

A system and method is disclosed for detecting fissionable materials. In one embodiment the system may incorporate a neutron pulse generator configured to generate multiple short pulses of neutrons, or a single pulse of sufficient intensity, in a vicinity of an object of interest. The source pulse of neutrons includes neutrons which each have a full width half maximum time duration of less than about 100 ns and a peak energy level no greater than about 20 MeV. A fast response detector is used which is able to detect single neutron events indicative of fission neutrons having been produced by the source pulse of neutrons interacting with fissionable material associated with the object of interest, and which arrive at the fast response detector within a predetermined time window immediately before arrival of the source neutron pulses.

Podpaly, Yuri↗
DOE OSTI2020

Grid Impact Analysis of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

This paper presents a grid impact analysis of heavy-duty electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. In this work, heavy-duty EVs have battery capacities high enough to provide a range of 250-500 miles on a single charge, such as long-haul trucks. Heavy-duty EVs will require extremely fast charging rates to reduce charging time and will induce very high charging loads (at the multiple-megawatt scale) if several vehicles charge at the same time. Therefore, analysis is needed to understand the impact of charging station loads on the electric power grid and set the baseline for developing mitigation plans and necessary system upgrades. We develop a systematic procedure to analyze the potential impact of the placement of charging stations on the grid. Charging load is modeled using a DC fast-charging station model. A voltage load sensitivity matrix approach is leveraged to investigate the challenges of placing charging stations on the feeder. Given the charging load profiles and suggested charging station locations, time-series simulations are performed on various connection points on the feeder to understand the impact. The analysis is performed on both the IEEE 34-bus system and a realistic feeder from California. Initial mitigation solutions are developed based on insights from this analysis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Detecting and tracking drift in quantum information processors

Abstract If quantum information processors are to fulfill their potential, the diverse errors that affect them must be understood and suppressed. But errors typically fluctuate over time, and the most widely used tools for characterizing them assume static error modes and rates. This mismatch can cause unheralded failures, misidentified error modes, and wasted experimental effort. Here, we demonstrate a spectral analysis technique for resolving time dependence in quantum processors. Our method is fast, simple, and statistically sound. It can be applied to time-series data from any quantum processor experiment. We use data from simulations and trapped-ion qubit experiments to show how our method can resolve time dependence when applied to popular characterization protocols, including randomized benchmarking, gate set tomography, and Ramsey spectroscopy. In the experiments, we detect instability and localize its source, implement drift control techniques to compensate for this instability, and then demonstrate that the instability has been suppressed.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cinematic reflectometry using QIKR, the quite intense kinetics reflectometer

The Quite Intense Kinetics Reflectometer (QIKR) will be a general-purpose, horizontal-sample-surface neutron reflectometer. Reflectometers measure the proportion of an incident probe beam reflected from a surface as a function of wavevector (momentum) transfer to infer the distribution and composition of matter near an interface. The unique scattering properties of neutrons make this technique especially useful in the study of soft matter, biomaterials, and materials used in energy storage. Exploiting the increased brilliance of the Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station, QIKR will collect specular and off-specular reflectivity data faster than the best existing such machines. It will often be possible to collect complete specular reflectivity curves using a single instrument setting, enabling “cinematic” operation, wherein the user turns on the instrument and “films” the sample. Samples in time-dependent environments (e.g., temperature, electrochemical, or undergoing chemical alteration) will be observed in real time, in favorable cases with frame rates as fast as 1 Hz. Cinematic data acquisition promises to make time-dependent measurements routine, with time resolution specified during post-experiment data analysis. This capability will be deployed to observe such processes as in situ polymer diffusion, battery electrode charge–discharge cycles, hysteresis loops, and membrane protein insertion into lipid layers.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterizing the impact of finite matrix block size on conservative particle transport through three-dimensional fracture networks

Mass transfer of solutes between fractures and the surrounding rock matrix exerts a noticeable signature on the tail of travel time distributions. When the width of the matrix is assumed to be infinite and advective transport through the fracture is sufficiently fast, the tails of the travel time distributions exhibit a classically expected slope of ψ(t) ∝ t -3/2 . However, studies have yet to characterize how solute transfer between fractures via diffusion through finite matrix blocks influences the tail’s slope in three-dimensional fractured media. Here, in this study, we assess the impact of finite matrix block size on breakthrough curve shape at different spatio-temporal scales by con ducting particle tracking simulations in three-dimensional discrete fracture networks. We consider a variety of hydrodynamic and geostructural proper ties to determine their relative impact on the resulting travel time distributions. We observe that the impact of matrix diffusion through a finite block on travel time distributions is similar to that of an infinite matrix block when the fracture spacing is sufficiently large, matrix diffusion is relatively weak, or transport is considered at an early control plane distance. We observe that the converse of these conditions, results in deviations from the classical ψ(t) ∝ t -3/2 scaling. These results provide a first step toward developing a metric to assess when finite block size effects are expected to significantly influence transport.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Grid generation, coupling strategies, and spatially-dependent time stepping for ocean-tidal/estuary systems and other ESM components (Final Report)

There are many multiple scale issues in the ocean modeling, including different mesh resolutions (local) and different physical processes (global). In order to gain efficiency and fidelity in modern ESMs, it is vital to develop high quality, highly nonuniform meshes and spatially-dependent time stepping strategies for coupling various climate system components. The USC/FSU team has worked on the design, analysis, and implementation of fast CVT grid generation and novel time- stepping schemes that could address all the requirements for global and regional ocean models on highly nonuniform meshes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗