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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of the $\Upsilon$(1S) pair production cross section and search for resonances decaying to $\Upsilon$(1S)$\mu^+\mu^-$ in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV

The fiducial cross section for Y(1S) pair production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in the region where both Y(1S) mesons have an absolute rapidity below 2.0 is measured to be 79±11(stat)±6(syst)±3(B) pb assuming the mesons are produced unpolarized. The last uncertainty corresponds to the uncertainty in the Y(1S) meson dimuon branching fraction. The measurement is performed in the final state with four muons using proton-proton collision data collected in 2016 by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1 . This process serves as a standard model reference in a search for narrow resonances decaying to Y(1S)μ+μ− in the same final state. Such a resonance could indicate the existence of a tetraquark that is a bound state of two b quarks and two b¯ antiquarks. The tetraquark search is performed for masses in the vicinity of four times the bottom quark mass, between 17.5 and 19.5 GeV, while a generic search for other resonances is performed for masses between 16.5 and 27 GeV. No significant excess of events compatible with a narrow resonance is observed in the data. Limits on the production cross section times branching fraction to four muons via an intermediate Y(1S) resonance are set as a function of the resonance mass.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for flavour-changing neutral-current couplings between the top quark and the Higgs boson in multi-lepton final states in 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for flavour-changing neutral-current interactions involving the top quark, the Higgs boson and an up-type quark (q = u, c ) with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis considers leptonic decays of the top quark along with Higgs boson decays into two W bosons, two Z bosons or a τ + τ - pair. It focuses on final states containing either two leptons (electrons or muons) of the same charge or three leptons. The considered processes are $t\bar{t}$ and Ht production. For the $t\bar{t}$ production, one top quark decays via $t\rightarrow Hq$. The proton–proton collision data set analysed amounts to (140 fb -1 ) at $(\sqrt{s}={13}\,\hbox {TeV})$. No significant excess beyond Standard Model expectations is observed and upper limits are set on the $t\rightarrow Hq$ branching ratios at 95 % confidence level, amounting to observed (expected) limits of $\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Hu)<2.8\,(3.0) \times 10^{-4}$ and $\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Hc)<3.3\,(3.8) \times 10^{-4}$. Combining this search with other searches for tHq flavour-changing neutral-current interactions previously conducted by ATLAS, considering $H\rightarrow b\bar{b}$ and $H\rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ decays, as well as $H\rightarrow \tau ^{+}\tau ^{-}$ decays with one or two hadronically decaying τ-leptons, yields observed (expected) upper limits on the branching ratios of $\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Hu)<2.6\,(1.8) \times 10^{-4}$ and $\mathcal {B}(t\rightarrow Hc)<3.4\,(2.3) \times 10^{-4}$.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-temperature 205 Tl decay clarifies 205 Pb dating in early Solar System

Radioactive nuclei with lifetimes on the order of millions of years can reveal the formation history of the Sun and active nucleosynthesis occurring at the time and place of its birth. Among such nuclei whose decay signatures are found in the oldest meteorites, 205 Pb is a powerful example, as it is produced exclusively by slow neutron captures (the s process), with most being synthesized in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, making accurate abundance predictions for 205 Pb has so far been impossible because the weak decay rates of 205 Pb and 205 Tl are very uncertain at stellar temperatures. To constrain these decay rates, we measured for the first time the bound-state β - decay of fully ionized 205 Tl 81+ , an exotic decay mode that only occurs in highly charged ions. The measured half-life is 4.7 times longer than the previous theoretical estimate and our 10% experimental uncertainty has eliminated the main nuclear-physics limitation. With new, experimentally backed decay rates, we used AGB stellar models to calculate 205 Pb yields. Propagating those yields with basic galactic chemical evolution (GCE) and comparing with the 205 Pb/ 204 Pb ratio from meteorites, we determined the isolation time of solar material inside its parent molecular cloud. We find positive isolation times that are consistent with the other s-process short-lived radioactive nuclei found in the early Solar System. Our results reaffirm the site of the Sun’s birth as a long-lived, giant molecular cloud and support the use of the 205 Pb– 205 Tl decay system as a chronometer in the early Solar System.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Climate-focused Life Cycle Assessments of Biochar Production by an ARTi Pyrolysis Reactor and an Air Burners CharBoss® Air Curtain Incinerator

This report presents a limited, dynamic, consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the climate impacts of two biochar production methods using wood as a feedstock. The two methods are a pyrolysis reactor supplied by ARTi (Des Moines, IA, https://www.arti.com/) and a T26 CharBoss® air curtain incinerator supplied by Air Burners, Inc. (Palm City, FL, https://airburners.com/). The underlying LCA methodology is described in a chapter by Singh et al. (2024) and implemented in the form of a workbook freely available as online Supplementary Material for the chapter. For the convenience of the reader, a pre-print version of the relevant portions of Singh et al. (2024) is attached as Appendix A to this report. Specific assumptions and calculations to obtain the input parameters used in this LCA for each production method are described in the Methodology section below. This implementation of the LCA considers emissions associated with biomass loading, comminution and conversion, biochar decay in soil, and the production and use of bioenergy generated during the conversion process. The LCA is “limited” in that upstream emissions associated with biomass production, harvest, transportation, and land-use change, as well as embodied emissions in equipment and facilities are not considered. Similarly, downstream emissions from biochar transport and incorporation into soil (i.e., tillage), and the impact of biochar soil amendments on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (other than CO 2 from biochar decay in soil), soil organic carbon stocks, crop response, and surface albedo are not considered. As the intent is to compare different biochar production methods in a simple unbiased manner, the primary alternative biomass pathway for the LCA is immaculate combustion, which is the hypothetical instantaneous and complete conversion of carbon in the biomass to CO 2 at time zero without generation of any other greenhouse gases or aerosols (GHGAs) or any useful bioenergy. Use of this pathway provides relative values for the production methods and, when the embodied emissions are similar and the same feedstock is used, these relative values are reasonable approximations for those attained with a full LCA.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for lepton-flavor-violating τ – → μ – μ + μ – decays at Belle II

We present the result of a search for the charged-lepton-flavor violating decay τ – → μ – μ + μ – using a 424 fb –1 sample of data recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB e + e – collider. The selection of e + e – → τ + τ – events is based on an inclusive reconstruction of the non-signal tau decay, and on a boosted decision tree to suppress background. We observe one signal candidate, which is compatible with the expectation from background processes. We set a 90% confidence level upper limit of 1.9 × 10 –8 on the branching fraction of the τ – → μ – μ + μ – decay, which is the most stringent bound to date.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observation of the $γγ → ττ$ Process in $\mathrm{Pb + Pb}$ Collisions and Constraints on the $\tau$-Lepton Anomalous Magnetic Moment with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of τ-lepton pair production in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions, Pb+Pb→Pb(γγ→ττ)Pb, and constraints on the τ-lepton anomalous magnetic moment, a τ . The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.44 nb -1 of LHC Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =5.02 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment in 2018. Selected events contain one muon from a τ-lepton decay, an electron or charged-particle track(s) from the other τ-lepton decay, little additional central-detector activity, and no forward neutrons. The γγ→ττ process is observed in Pb+Pb collisions with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations, and a signal strength of μ ττ =1.03$^{+0.06}_{-0.05}$ assuming the Standard Model value for a τ . To measure a τ , a template fit to the muon transverse-momentum distribution from τ-lepton candidates is performed, using a dimuon (γγ→μμ) control sample to constrain systematic uncertainties. The observed 95% confidence-level interval for aτ is -0.057 < a τ < 0.024.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Final state rescattering effects in axio-hadronic η and η′ decays

It has been long-understood that final state rescattering effects provide (1) corrections to hadronic meson decays rates, such as η → πππ and η' → ηππ. Hence, one would expect that such effects would be just as important in axio-hadronic η and η' decays, such as η(') → ππa, where a is an axion or axion-like particle (ALP). And indeed they are, as we show in this paper by using the treatment of dispersion relations to include the effects of strong final state interactions in several axio-hadronic processes, namely, η(') → π 0 π 0 a, η(') → π+π-a, and η' → ηπ 0 a. We also compute the perturbative, leading order decay rates for multiple ALP emission, such as in η(') → π 0 aa, η' → ηaa and η(') → aaa, and briefly discuss the expected corrections from strong interactions and the processes that must be considered for an accurate rate estimation of these multi-ALP decay channels.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Superradiant Neutrino Lasers from Radioactive Condensates

Superradiance emerges from collective spontaneous emission in optically pumped gases, and is characterized by photon emission enhancements of up to $\frac{1}{4}$⁢𝑁 2 in an 𝑁 atom system. The gain mechanism derives from correlations developed within the decay medium rather than from stimulated emission as in lasing, so an analog of this process should be possible for fermionic final states. We introduce here the concept of superradiant neutrino emission from a radioactive Bose Einstein condensate, which can form the basis for a superradiant neutrino laser. A plausible experimental realization based on a condensate of electron-capture isotope 83 Rb could exhibit effective radioactive decay rates accelerated from 86.2 days to minutes in viably sized rubidium condensates of 10 6 atoms.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tunability and Long-Range Enhancement of Resonance Energy Transfer Facilitated by Plasmonic Nanorods

Resonance energy transfer (RET) between molecules or quantum dots is an important process in many energy-related applications. Different environmental structures have been studied and demonstrated to be able to enhance the RET rates between a nearby donor–acceptor pair. In particular, cylindrical silver nanorods and nanowires have shown an extraordinary ability to transfer energy along their longitudinal axes over large distances. However, the detailed mechanism of such transfer and the effects on the molecular RET process are as yet elusive. In this study, we use the recently developed computational tool based on the plasmon-coupled RET method to systematically study the effects of nanorods with different dimensions on the RET rates. We find that highly frequency-dependent coupling factor (CF) spectra, whose amplitudes determine RET rates, can be obtained due to the localized surface plasmon polariton modes of the rods with nanoscale dimensions. Simple phenomenological models can be derived for the wavelengths of CF peaks in relation to the length and width of the nanorods, providing easy tunability for enhancing the RET rate in specific wavelength ranges. When coupled to longer rods with mesoscale lengths, exponential decay of the CF over long donor–acceptor distances with a small decay constant is observed, leading to the possibility of long-range RET processes. Furthermore, drumhead resonance modes emerge on the flat ends of the rod when the rod’s diameter reaches 300 nm, resulting in extra enhancement to RET rate compared to certain thinner rods. Furthermore, these findings shed new light on the mechanism of plasmonic enhancement with silver nanorods and establish design principles for how to optimally utilize these structures to manipulate RET processes for various applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Helicity amplitude analysis of χcJ → ϕϕ

Using (447.9 ± 2.3) million ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, the decays of χcJ → ΦΦ (J = 0, 1, 2) have been studied via the decay ψ(3686) → γχcJ. The branching fractions of the decays χcJ → ΦΦ (J = 0, 1, 2) are determined to be (8.59 ± 0.27 ± 0.20) × 10-4, (4.26 ± 0.13 ± 0.15) × 10-4, and (12.67 ± 0.28 ± 0.33) × 10-4, respectively, which are the most precise measurements to date. From a helicity amplitude analysis of the process ψ(3686) → γχcJ , χcJ → ΦΦ, Φ → K+K-, the polarization parameters of the χcJ → ΦΦ decays are determined for the first time.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

β-decay feeding intensity distributions of 71,73 Ni

This paper presents the β-decay feeding intensity distribution and Gamow-Teller transition strength distribution of 71,73 Ni. These quantities were measured using the technique of total absorption spectroscopy at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory with the Summing NaI(Tl) detector. These measurements provide sensitive constraints to theoretical models used to predict β-decay properties far from stability for astrophysical applications. Specifically, for the astrophysical r process, the majority of the involved nuclei are not accessible by current facilities, and the nuclear input is mainly provided by theory. Furthermore, the present work reports on two neutron-rich nickel isotopes in the region where the weak r process is expected to be relevant in stellar nucleosynthesis. The experimental results are compared to two theoretical models, namely the shell model and the quasiparticle random-phase approximation, to help further refine theoretical calculations and aid in future r-process studies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evolution of highly multimodal Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities

Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instabilities are important fluid instabilities that arise in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosions, and many other contexts. Multi-mode coupling is observed in experiments and plays a substantial role in material mix from RT instabilities. In this work, we study the evolution of highly multimodal perturbations (power law distribution) that approximate those found at manufactured material interfaces. We use simulations of over 2000 different perturbations in the LANL code xRAGE to identify distinct phases in the processes of bubble growth and bubble merger which can be visualized in a 2D phase portrait with clear regimes of mode growth and decay. Our results show that the dynamic evolution of the instability strongly depends on the mode of the perturbations and mode interactions. The merger process accelerates bubble growth. A non-Markovian region and a transition of the instability from: (1) initial exponential growth to (2) linear growth and to (3) quadratic growth and asymptotic behavior, are clearly captured in the phase space. We have developed a quantitative model of bubble growth that reproduces the dynamic behavior of ensembles of perturbations. Implications for ICF capsules designed for robustness against instabilities are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Higgs troika for baryon asymmetry

To explain the baryon asymmetry of the Universe, we extend the Standard Model (SM) with two additional Higgs doublets with small vacuum expectation values. The additional Higgs fields interact with SM fermions through complex Yukawa couplings, leading to new sources of $CP$ violation. We propose a simple flavor model with $\mathcal{O}$(1) or less Yukawa couplings for quarks and charged leptons, consistent with current flavor constraints. To generate neutrino masses and the baryon asymmetry, right-handed neutrinos in the ~ 0.1 - 10 TeV range couple to the "Higgs Troika." The new Higgs doublet masses are at or above the TeV scale, allowing for asymmetric decays into SM lepton doublets and right-handed neutrinos. The asymmetry in lepton doublets is then processed into a baryon asymmetry, similar to leptogenesis. Since the masses of the new fields could be near the TeV scale, there is potentially a rich high energy collider phenomenology, including observable deviations in the 125 GeV Higgs decay into muons and taus, as well as detectable low energy signals such as the electron EDM or $µ → eγ$. Hence, this is in principle a testable model for generation of baryon asymmetry.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sub-single exciton optical gain threshold in colloidal semiconductor quantum wells with gradient alloy shelling

Colloidal semiconductor quantum wells have emerged as a promising material platform for use in solution-processable lasers. However, applications relying on their optical gain suffer from nonradiative Auger decay due to multi-excitonic nature of light amplification in II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals. Here, we show sub-single exciton level of optical gain threshold in specially engineered CdSe/CdS@CdZnS core/crown@gradient-alloyed shell quantum wells. This sub-single exciton ensemble-averaged gain threshold of (Ng)≈ 0.84 (per particle) resulting from impeded Auger recombination, along with a large absorption cross-section of quantum wells, enables us to observe the amplified spontaneous emission starting at an ultralow pump fluence of ~ 800 nJ cm –2 , at least three-folds better than previously reported values among all colloidal nanocrystals. Finally, using these gradient shelled quantum wells, we demonstrate a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser operating at a low lasing threshold of 7.5 μJ cm –2 . These results represent a significant step towards the realization of solution-processable electrically-driven colloidal lasers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

$β$-delayed-neutron studies of 135,136 Sb and 140 I performed with trapped ions

In this work, Beta-delayed-neutron $(βn)$ spectroscopy was performed using the Beta-decay Paul Trap and an array of radiation detectors. The $βn$ branching ratios and energy spectra for 135,136 Sb and 140 I were obtained by measuring the time of flight of recoil ions emerging from the trapped ion cloud. These nuclei are located at the edge of an isotopic region identified as having $βn$ branching ratios that impact the $r$-process abundance pattern around the A ≈ 130 peak. For 135,136 Sb and 140 I, $βn$ branching ratios of 14.6(13)%, 17.6(29)%, and 7.6(28)% were determined, respectively. The $βn$ energy spectra obtained for 135 Sb and 140 I are compared with results from direct neutron measurements, and the $βn$ energy spectrum for 136 Sb has been measured for the first time.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Phosphor thermometry device for synchronized acquisition of luminescence lifetime decay and intensity on thermal barrier coatings

A phosphor thermometry device includes a laser that generates a laser pulse onto a thermal barrier coating (TBC) applied onto a substrate. A metallic bond coat layer is on the substrate. A ceramic top coat layer is on the bond coat layer and includes an undoped layer and a doped sensing layer having co-doped first and second rare-earth luminescent dopants that emit respective first and second different emission wavelengths upon excitation by the laser pulse. A detector receives reflected, convoluted luminescence signals from the TBC. First and second photomultiplier devices detect respective first and second different emission wavelengths of the convoluted luminescence signals. A controller receives and processes signals generated from respective first and second photomultiplier devices and determines luminescence lifetime decay and intensity variations for each of the respective first and second rare-earth luminescent dopants for temperature monitoring of the TBC.

Fouliard, Quentin↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fiducial $q_T$ resummation of color-singlet processes at N$^3$LL+NNLO

We present a framework for $q_T$ resummation at N 3 LL+NNLO accuracy for arbitrary color-singlet processes based on a factorization theorem in SCET. Our implementation CuTe-MCFM is fully differential in the Born kinematics and matches to large-$q_T$ fixed-order predictions at relative order $α^2_s$. It provides an efficient way to estimate uncertainties from fixed-order truncation, resummation, and parton distribution functions. In addition to W ± , Z and H production, also the diboson processes $\gamma\gamma$, Z$\gamma$, ZH and W ± H are available, including decays. We discuss and exemplify the framework with several direct comparisons to experimental measurements as well as inclusive benchmark results. In particular, we present novel results for $\gamma\gamma$ and Z$\gamma\gamma$ at N 3 LL+NNLO and discuss in detail the power corrections induced by photon isolation requirements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the $K^{+} → π^{+} γγ$ decay

A sample of 3984 candidates of the $K^{+} → π^{+} γγ$ decay, with an estimated background of 291 ± 14 events, was collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN during 2017–2018. In order to describe the observed di-photon mass spectrum, the next-to-leading order contribution in chiral perturbation theory was found to be necessary. The decay branching ratio in the full kinematic range is measured to be (9.61 ± 0.17) x 10 -7 . The first search for production and prompt decay of an axion-like particle with gluon coupling in the process $K^{+} → π^{+} a$, $a → γγ$ is also reported.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗