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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Numerical estimation of phase transformations in solid state during Yb:YAG laser heating of steel sheets

This work concerns the numerical modeling of heat transfer and phase transformations in solid state occurring during the Yb:YAG laser beam heating process. The temperature field is obtained by the numerical solution into transient heat transfer equation with convective term. The laser beam heat source model is developed using the Kriging interpolation method with experimental measurements of Yb:YAG laser beam profile taken into account. Phase transformations are calculated on the basis of Johnson - Mehl - Avrami (JMA) and Koistinen - Marburger (KM) kinetics models as well as continuous heating transformation (CHT) and continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams for S355 steel. On the basis of developed numerical algorithms 3D computer simulations are performed in order to predict temperature history and phase transformations in Yb:YAG laser heating process.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optimizing the emission, propagation, and focusing of an intense electron beam

Intense electron beams can be used to study the dynamical response of materials under shocks in order to adjust the models developed for hydrodynamics simulations. We present in this paper a characterization of beams produced in a field emission diode coupled to the generator RKA at CEA/CESTA. Cherenkov emission, produced by the beam interacting in a fused silica disk, was observed by fast optical cameras to estimate beam homogeneity. GEANT4 simulations were performed to estimate the transfer function of the silica target and to optimize the anode foil. First, we chose the best cathode material available among the most common materials used in field emission systems. In addition, we found that by optimization of the anode thickness, we could improve the spatial homogeneity of the beam which is of prime importance for computing the interaction of the beam with materials. Next, we changed the beam fluence by increasing the beam current and by reducing the beam radius. Finally, we studied the propagation and focusing of the electron beam in low pressure gases and observed that we could use self-magnetic field focusing in order to increase beam fluence at the target location. The experimental results are in good agreement with PIC simulations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Strong terahertz radiation generation by beating of two spatial-triangular beams in collisional magnetized plasma

A scheme of terahertz (THz) radiation generation is proposed by beating of two spatial-triangular laser beams in plasma with a spatially periodic density when electron–neutral collisions have taken into account. In this process, the laser beams exert a ponderomotive force on the electrons of the plasma and impart the oscillatory velocity at the difference frequency in the presence of a static magnetic field which is applied parallel to the direction of the lasers. We show that higher efficiency and stronger THz radiation are achieved when the parallel magnetic field is used to compare the perpendicular magnetic field. The effects of beam width of lasers, collision frequency, periodicity of density ripples, and magnetic field strength are analyzed for strong THz radiation generation. The THz field of the emitted radiations is found to be highly sensitive to collision frequency and magnetic field strength. In this scheme with the optimization of plasma parameters, the efficiency of order 21% is achieved.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Size modulated transition in the fluid–structure interaction losses in nano mechanical beam resonators

An understanding of the dominant dissipative mechanisms is crucial for the design of a high-Q doubly clamped nanobeam resonator to be operated in air. We focus on quantifying analytically the viscous losses—the squeeze film damping and drag force damping—that limit the net quality factor of a beam resonator, vibrating in its flexural fundamental mode with the surrounding fluid as air at atmospheric pressure. Specifically, drag force damping dominates at smaller beam widths and squeeze film losses dominate at larger beam widths, with no significant contribution from structural losses and acoustic radiation losses. The combined viscous losses agree well with the experimentally measured Q of the resonator over a large range of beam widths, within the limits of thin beam theory. We propose an empirical relation between the maximum quality factor and the ratio of maximum beam width to the squeeze film air gap thickness.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

1D silicon refractive lenses for surface scattering with high energy x-rays

At the high energy X-ray beamline P07 at PETRA III, 1D focusing down to 4 micrometer vertical beam height while preserving a horizontal beam width of 0.5 mm was established by refractive lenses etched into a silicon wafer. A single wafer with 8 different lens structures can cover the full energy range between 50 and 120 keV. For surface diffraction on ultrathin films a factor of 4 in intensity can be achieved compared to the already established Al-compound refractive 2D-lenses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

An X-band parabolic antenna based on gradient metasurface

We present a novel parabolic antenna by employing reflection gradient metasurface which is composed of a series of circle patches on a grounded dielectric substrate. Similar to the traditional parabolic antenna, the proposed antenna take the metasurface as a “parabolic reflector” and a patch antenna was placed at the focal point of the metasurface as a feed source, then the quasi-spherical wave emitted by the source is reflected and transformed to plane wave with high efficiency. Due to the focus effect of reflection, the beam width of the antenna has been decreased from 85.9° to 13° and the gain has been increased from 6.5 dB to 20.8 dB. Simulation and measurement results of both near and far-field plots demonstrate good focusing properties of the proposed parabolic antenna.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evolution of a Gaussian laser beam in warm collisional magnetoplasma

In this paper, the spatial evolution of an intense circularly polarized Gaussian laser beam propagated through a warm plasma is investigated, taking into account the ponderomotive force, Ohmic heating, external magnetic field, and collisional effects. Using the momentum transfer and energy equations, both modified electron temperature and electron density in plasma are obtained. By introducing the complex dielectric permittivity of warm magnetized plasma and using the complex eikonal function, coupled differential equations for beam width parameter are established and solved numerically. The effects of polarization state of laser and magnetic field on the laser spot size evolution are studied. It is observed that in case of the right-handed polarization, an increase in the value of external magnetic field causes an increase in the strength of the self-focusing, especially in the higher values, and consequently, the self-focusing occurs in shorter distance of propagation. Moreover, the results demonstrate the existence of laser intensity and electron temperature ranges where self-focusing can occur, while the beam diverges outside of these regions; meanwhile, in these intervals, there exists a turning point for each of intensity and temperature in which the self-focusing process has its strongest strength. Finally, it is found that the self-focusing effect can be enhanced by increasing the plasma frequency (plasma density).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

A synthetic diagnostic for beam emission spectroscopy in the helically symmetric experiment stellarator

The Helically Symmetric Experiment (HSX) has a number of active spectroscopy diagnostics. Due to the relatively large beam width compared to the plasma minor radius, it is difficult to achieve good spatial resolution at the core of the HSX plasma. This is due to the fact that the optical sightline cuts through many flux surfaces with varying field vectors within the beam. In order to compare the experimental results with theoretical models it is important to accurately model the beam width effects. A synthetic diagnostic has been developed for this purpose. This synthetic diagnostic calculates the effect of spot size and beam width on the measurements of quantities of interest, including radial electric field, flow velocity, and Stark polarization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Spatiotemporal dynamics of Gaussian laser pulse in a multi ions plasma

Spatiotemporal evolutions of Gaussian laser pulse propagating through a plasma with multiple charged ions are studied, taking into account the ponderomotive nonlinearity. Coupled differential equations for beam width and pulse length parameters are established and numerically solved using paraxial ray approximation. In one-dimensional geometry, effects of laser and plasma parameters such as laser intensity, plasma density, and temperature on the longitudinal pulse compression and the laser intensity distribution are analyzed for plasmas with singly and doubly charged ions. The results demonstrate that self-compression occurs in a laser intensity range with a turning point intensity in which the self-compression process has its strongest extent. The results also show that the multiply ionized ions have different effect on the pulse compression above and below turning point intensity. Finally, three-dimensional geometry is used to analyze the simultaneous evolution of both self-focusing and self-compression of Gaussian laser pulse in such plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigation of UV filaments and their applications

UV laser pulses at 266 nm with 170 ps duration and up to 300 mJ energy create UV filaments. The effects of different beam preparation scenarios on UV filamentation are discussed. Beam preparation by focusing in vacuum and launching into the atmosphere through an aerodynamic window establishes the existence of filaments as self-guided non-diffracting entities. In addition, focusing through the aerodynamic window converts the initial super-Gaussian into a parabolic beam profile at the edge of the nonlinear medium (air). The shock-wave generated by the UV filament is investigated via shadowgraphy techniques. The shock-wave is cylindrically symmetric, leaving a low density channel behind, which is well-sustained for 1 ms, as it propagates outward. This low density channel is a waveguide that can be used for guiding purposes. Applications of UV filaments including guiding, remote sensing, and drag reduction for supersonic aircrafts are discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multi-pass cell spectral broadening at high pulse energies

We simulate experimental conditions for nonlinear spectral broadening and compression of multi-joule, sub-picosecond, and femtosecond laser systems focusing on 1 μm center wavelength. The spatial, spectral, and temporal properties of two distinct cases are investigated in detail. The first system is a short multi-pass cell with 0.1–0.5 J pulse energy operated at higher helium pressures, used to illustrate the transition between Kerr-effect induced spectral broadening and spectral broadening in plasma. The second case is a long ten-joule multi-pass cell operated at few Pascal pressure range. These examples cover the operational extent of plasma spectral broadening in a multi-pass cell. Here effects pertaining to plasma spectral broadening, including imperfect spatial beam profiles and initial non-zero nonlinear phase, are investigated, as well as scalability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

A flexible proton beam imaging energy spectrometer (PROBIES) for high repetition rate or single-shot high energy density (HED) experiments (invited)

The PROBIES diagnostic is a new, highly flexible, imaging and energy spectrometer designed for laser-accelerated protons. The diagnostic can detect low-mode spatial variations in the proton beam profile while resolving multiple energies on a single detector or more. When a radiochromic film stack is employed for “single-shot mode,” the energy resolution of the stack can be greatly increased while reducing the need for large numbers of films; for example, a recently deployed version allowed for 180 unique energy measurements spanning ~3 to 75 MeV with <0.4 MeV resolution using just 20 films vs 180 for a comparable traditional film and filter stack. When utilized with a scintillator, the diagnostic can be run in high-rep-rate (>Hz rate) mode to recover nine proton energy bins. Here, we also demonstrate a deep learning-based method to analyze data from synthetic PROBIES images with greater than 95% accuracy on sub-millisecond timescales and retrained with experimental data to analyze real-world images on sub-millisecond time-scales with comparable accuracy.

3D printing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexocaloric effect in superelastic materials

We present a combined theoretical–experimental study of flexocaloric effects in superelastic materials exhibiting structural transitions. We study a Ginzburg–Landau model combined with a vibrational model for a beam near a ferroelastic transition loaded with a three-point bending setup. We also perform experiments on a Cu–Al–Ni single crystal undergoing a martensitic transition. We measure bent beam profiles, vertical force vs vertical deflection during a slow isothermal process, time evolution of the bending and unbending amplitudes, and the evolution of temperature profiles. We also compute the evolution of heat source and heat sink profiles. Finally, we study the location of acoustic emission events during the bending/unbending experiment. Our observations are consistent with the model predictions and allow us to identify the main physical parameters relevant for flexocaloric applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

General guide concepts for compact, high-brilliance neutron moderators

The trend in neutron sciences is toward integrating compact, high-brightness moderators into new or upgraded facilities. Transporting neutrons from the source to the sample position with a phase-space distribution tailored to specific requirements is crucial to leverage high source brilliance. Here we have investigated four guide concepts using Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations: Montel beamline with nested Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors, curved-tapered beamline with a bender and straight sections, straight-elliptical beamline, and curved-elliptical beamline. The straight-elliptical (curved-elliptical) beamline features two half-ellipse guides connected by a straight (non-straight) guide section. The neutron transport efficiency and phase space homogeneity have been quantitatively compared. Our results show that the straight-elliptical beamline performs best because of few neutron bounces on the guide surface with small reflection angles, minimizing flux loss. The Montel beamline provides the best spatial confinement of neutrons within the desired region; however, there is a high thermal-neutron loss due to large reflection angles. The curved-tapered beamline suffers from significant flux loss due to high bounces, and it shows a non-uniform angular distribution related to broad ranges of bounces and reflection angles. The non-straight guide section of the curved-elliptical beamline increases the phase space inhomogeneity, leading to a spatially non-uniform beam profile. The results apply to general neutron instruments that require transporting thermal and cold neutrons from a compact, high-brilliance moderator to the sample location with a moderate phase-space volume.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Q-band frequency tunable Doppler backscattering (DBS) system for pedestal and scrape-off layer density fluctuation and flow measurements in the DIII-D tokamak

We present the design and laboratory tests for a new Q-band frequency tunable Doppler backscattering (DBS) system suitable for probing poloidal wavenumber kñ = 6–8 cm−1 density fluctuations and their flow velocities in the pedestal and scape-off layer (SOL) of the DIII-D tokamak. This system will provide new measurements in the increasingly important and under-diagnosed far pedestal and SOL plasma regions. These results are important for experimental transport studies and necessary for the validation of transport models, both of which are important to fusion energy research. The use of a single tunable frequency reduces the complexity and potential failure points as compared to a multichannel system. This new system utilizes a 33–50 GHz tunable source and will be integrated into the current V-band DBS in DIII-D using a broadband Q- and V-band multiplexer. A full-scale mockup of the quasi-optical system was used to test and optimize the performance. These tests include beam profile measurements at different distances (and angles) from a paraboloidal focusing and steering mirror. The measurements cover the full frequency range 33–75 GHz of the integrated/combined Q–V band DBS system and target a large radial coverage of the low-field side of the plasma from ρ = 1.1 to ρ = 0.5, where ρ is the normalized flux surface radial coordinate.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2014

Measuring the angular dependence of betatron x-ray spectra in a laser-wakefield accelerator

This paper presents a new technique to measure the angular dependence of betatron x-ray spectra in a laser-wakefield accelerator. Measurements are performed with a stacked image plates spectrometer, capable of detecting broadband x-ray radiation up to 1 MeV. It can provide measurements of the betatron x-ray spectrum at any angle of observation (within a 40 mrad cone) and of the beam profile. A detailed description of our data analysis is given, along with comparison for several shots. As a result, these measurements provide useful information on the dynamics of the electrons are they are accelerated and wiggled by the wakefield.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Next steps in high-repetition-rate laser development for Thomson scattering

Design of a next generation high-rep-rate laser system is underway, aiming for a maximum rep rate of 100 kHz for 1 ms. This will be a "pulse-burst" laser, which is a type of heat-capacity laser. Heat-capacity laser operation is characterized by a burst of pulses of limited duration, with burst length ≤100 ms and pulse rep rate ≥1 kHz. Waste heat accumulates in the laser rod during the burst. This heat is deposited evenly throughout the rod volume, with very little heat removed during the burst, such that temperature rises evenly across the rod radius. Thus beam distortion due to thermal gradients is small. Heat is removed from the rod after the burst, with typically tens of seconds between bursts. Pulse-burst operation of flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG lasers is a cost-effective route to high-rep-rate capability. Pulse-burst laser systems with "fast burst" rep rates in the range of 10–20 kHz have been built for the Thomson scattering diagnostics on MST, NSTX-U, and LHD. For Thomson scattering diagnostic application, the typical requirements are 1064 nm, 1–2 J/pulse, ≤30 ns FWHM pulse, with a top-hat beam profile. A major requirement for this next generation laser system is flexibility in burst sequence programs, ranging from 1 kHz for 100 ms to 100 kHz for 1 ms, and a variety of scenarios in between so that operation can be tailored to plasma experiment requirements. Flashlamp pumping will be used for this next generation laser because it is inexpensive and flexible. A new switch-regulated flashlamp driver will provide improved flashlamp control at lower cost. Additional design issues such as the optimum flashlamp pumping spectrum and optimum Nd doping will be addressed. The use of commercial off-the-shelf components will be maximized in this laser system so that pulse-burst systems can be developed and built by others for new applications.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Direct spectral measurements of midinfrared radiation from a laser wakefield accelerator

The formation of plasma waves during laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) produces time-dependent frequency shifts in the driving laser pulse, extending its spectral content to the infrared. We present direct spectral measurements of multi-mJ infrared pulses from an LWFA. Experimental beam profile measurements and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations suggest high focusability of these pulses. Further, particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate that the measurement of side-scattered infrared radiation may serve as a diagnostic of plasma waves and the efficiency of spectral broadening during LWFA.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗