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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

dCache – Efficient Message Encoding For Inter-Service Communication in dCache: Evaluation of Existing Serialization Protocols as a Replacement for Java Object Serialization

As a well established, large-scale distributed storage system, dCache is used to manage and serve huge amounts of data collected by high energy physics, astrophysics and photon science experiments. Based on a microservices-like architecture, dCache is built as a modular distributed system, where each component provides a different core functionality. These services communicate by passing serialized messages to each other, a core behavior whose performance properties can consequently affect the entire system.This paper compares and evaluates different data serialization protocols in computer science with the objective of replacing and improving upon Java Object Serialization (JOS), which has increasingly presented itself as no longer being sufficiently performant for encoding messages. The criteria for choosing a new framework are collected, analyzed and formalized. The primary motivation for replacing Java serialization for encoding dCache messages is increasing the general speed of message-passing and thereby reducing the round-trip time for user requests. Emphasis is also placed on schema evolution capabilities and framework usability. Approaches for generalizing (de)serialization speed and size measurements based on data structure complexity are introduced, criteria for measuring documentation, learning curve, maintainability and introduction effort are defined. Finally, several selected serialization protocols are evaluated and compared accordingly, concluding with a recommendation for a suitable JOS replacement.

Morschel, Lea↗
DOE OSTI2013

Standoff detection of hidden objects using backscattered ultra-intense laser-produced x-rays

Ultra-intense laser-produced sub-ps X-ray pulses can detect backscattered signals from objects hidden in aluminium containers. Coincident measurements using primary X-rays enable differentiation among acrylic, copper, and lead blocks inside the container. Backscattering reveals the shapes of the objects, while their material composition can be identified from the modification methods of the energy spectra of backscattered X-ray beams. This achievement is an important step toward more effective homeland security.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Remote imaging of concealed objects

Optical detection of objects hidden behind opaque screening layers is a challenging problem. We demonstrate an optically detected echographic-like method that combines collimated acoustic and laser beams. The acoustic waves cross the screening layers and their back-reflection from the hidden objects is detected through the analysis of a dynamic laser speckle pattern created at the outer surface of the screening layer. Real-time remote detection of moving targets 15 meters away, with a few mm resolutions is demonstrated using a very sensitive camera detection scheme.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Neutron tomography of axially symmetric objects using 14 MeV neutrons from a portable neutron generator

In nuclear boiling water reactor cores, the distribution of water and steam (void) is essential for both safety and efficiency reasons. In order to enhance predictive capabilities, void distribution assessment is performed in two-phase test-loops under reactor-relevant conditions. This article proposes the novel technique of fast-neutron tomography using a portable deuterium-tritium neutron generator to determine the time-averaged void distribution in these loops. Fast neutrons have the advantage of high transmission through the metallic structures and pipes typically concealing a thermal-hydraulic test loop, while still being fairly sensitive to the water/void content. However, commercially available fast-neutron generators also have the disadvantage of a relatively low yield and fast-neutron detection also suffers from relatively low detection efficiency. Fortunately, some loops are axially symmetric, a property which can be exploited to reduce the amount of data needed for tomographic measurement, thus limiting the interrogation time needed. In this article, three axially symmetric test objects depicting a thermal-hydraulic test loop have been examined; steel pipes with outer diameter 24 mm, thickness 1.5 mm, and with three different distributions of the plastic material POM inside the pipes. Data recorded with the FANTOM fast-neutron tomography instrument have been used to perform tomographic reconstructions to assess their radial material distribution. Here, a dedicated tomographic algorithm that exploits the symmetry of these objects has been applied, which is described in the paper. Results are demonstrated in 20 rixel (radial pixel) reconstructions of the interior constitution and 2D visualization of the pipe interior is demonstrated. The local POM attenuation coefficients in the rixels were measured with errors (RMS) of 0.025, 0.020, and 0.022 cm{sup −1}, solid POM attenuation coefficient. The accuracy and precision is high enough to provide a useful indication on the flow mode, and a visualization of the radial material distribution can be obtained. A benefit of this system is its potential to be mounted at any axial height of a two-phase test section without requirements for pre-fabricated entrances or windows. This could mean a significant increase in flexibility of the void distribution assessment capability at many existing two-phase test loops.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The role of material flexibility on the drying transition of water between hydrophobic objects: A thermodynamic analysis

Liquid water confined between hydrophobic objects of sufficient size becomes metastable with respect to its vapor at separations smaller than a critical drying distance. Macroscopic thermodynamic arguments predicting this distance have been restricted to the limit of perfectly rigid confining materials. However, no material is perfectly rigid and it is of interest to account for this fact in the thermodynamic analysis. We present a theory that combines the current macroscopic theory with the thermodynamics of elasticity to derive an expression for the critical drying distance for liquids confined between flexible materials. The resulting expression is the sum of the well-known drying distance for perfectly rigid confining materials and a new term that accounts for flexibility. Thermodynamic arguments show that this new term is necessarily positive, meaning that flexibility increases the critical drying distance. To study the expected magnitude and scaling behavior of the flexible term, we consider the specific case of water and present an example of drying between thin square elastic plates that are simply supported along two opposite edges and free at the remaining two. We find that the flexible term can be the same order of magnitude or greater than the rigid solution for materials of biological interest at ambient conditions. In addition, we find that when the rigid solution scales with the characteristic size of the immersed objects, the flexible term is independent of size and vice versa. Thus, the scaling behavior of the overall drying distance will depend on the relative weights of the rigid and flexible contributions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Periodically distributed objects with quasicrystalline diffraction pattern

It is possible to construct fully periodically distributed objects with a diffraction pattern identical to the one obtained for quasicrystals. These objects are probability distributions of distances obtained in the statistical approach to aperiodic structures distributed periodically. The diffraction patterns have been derived by using a two-mode Fourier transform—a very powerful method not used in classical crystallography. It is shown that if scaling is present in the structure, this two-mode Fourier transform can be reduced to a regular Fourier transform with appropriately rescaled scattering vectors and added phases. Detailed case studies for model sets 1D Fibonacci chain and 2D Penrose tiling are discussed. Finally, it is shown that crystalline, quasicrystalline, and approximant structures can be treated in the same way.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

LiNbO{sub 3}: A photovoltaic substrate for massive parallel manipulation and patterning of nano-objects

The application of evanescent photovoltaic (PV) fields, generated by visible illumination of Fe:LiNbO{sub 3} substrates, for parallel massive trapping and manipulation of micro- and nano-objects is critically reviewed. The technique has been often referred to as photovoltaic or photorefractive tweezers. The main advantage of the new method is that the involved electrophoretic and/or dielectrophoretic forces do not require any electrodes and large scale manipulation of nano-objects can be easily achieved using the patterning capabilities of light. The paper describes the experimental techniques for particle trapping and the main reported experimental results obtained with a variety of micro- and nano-particles (dielectric and conductive) and different illumination configurations (single beam, holographic geometry, and spatial light modulator projection). The report also pays attention to the physical basis of the method, namely, the coupling of the evanescent photorefractive fields to the dielectric response of the nano-particles. The role of a number of physical parameters such as the contrast and spatial periodicities of the illumination pattern or the particle deposition method is discussed. Moreover, the main properties of the obtained particle patterns in relation to potential applications are summarized, and first demonstrations reviewed. Finally, the PV method is discussed in comparison to other patterning strategies, such as those based on the pyroelectric response and the electric fields associated to domain poling of ferroelectric materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Size analysis of sub-resolution objects by Kerr microscopy

Here, a Kerr microscopy method for the quantitative measurement of the size of magnetic objects that are smaller than the resolution limit is proposed. It can be applied to domain walls, bubble domains and magnetic skyrmion-bubble hybrid microstructures. The method is based on the integral contrast, determined by proper line scans across the object, which turns out to be independent from the resolution of the microscope after normalization to the maximum domain contrast.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multi-objective Bayesian optimization of ferroelectric materials with interfacial control for memory and energy storage applications

Optimization of materials’ performance for specific applications often requires balancing multiple aspects of materials’ functionality. Even for the cases where a generative physical model of material behavior is known and reliable, this often requires search over multidimensional function space to identify low-dimensional manifold corresponding to the required Pareto front. In this work, we introduce the multi-objective Bayesian optimization (MOBO) workflow for the ferroelectric/antiferroelectric performance optimization for memory and energy storage applications based on the numerical solution of the Ginzburg–Landau equation with electrochemical or semiconducting boundary conditions. MOBO is a low computational cost optimization tool for expensive multi-objective functions, where we update posterior surrogate Gaussian process models from prior evaluations and then select future evaluations from maximizing an acquisition function. Using the parameters for a prototype bulk antiferroelectric (PbZrO 3 ), we first develop a physics-driven decision tree of target functions from the loop structures. We further develop a physics-driven MOBO architecture to explore multidimensional parameter space and build Pareto-frontiers by maximizing two target functions jointly—energy storage and loss. This approach allows for rapid initial materials and device parameter selection for a given application and can be further expanded toward the active experiment setting. The associated notebooks provide both the tutorial on MOBO and allow us to reproduce the reported analyses and apply them to other systems (https://github.com/arpanbiswas52/MOBO_AFI_Supplements).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fused x-ray and fast neutron CT reconstruction for imaging large and dense objects

Megavolt x-ray computed tomography (CT) is a powerful tool for three-dimensional characterization. However, its utility is limited for large objects composed of high-atomic number (Z) materials, where x rays fail to penetrate. Information from fast neutron CT (FNCT) can complement x-ray CT reconstructions since fast neutrons can more readily penetrate high-Z objects. In this work, we demonstrate a method for combining FNCT and x-ray CT data to create a single reconstruction, more accurate than could be achieved with either x rays or fast neutrons alone. The algorithm was tested on an exemplar comprising multiple concentric, nested cylinders of different materials. Simulated and empirical x-ray CT data were acquired for the exemplar using a 9 MV bremsstrahlung spectrum. Additional simulated and empirical FNCT data were acquired using an accelerator based fast neutron source. The FNCT data were used to synthesize x-ray CT data and augment the x-ray CT data missing due to lack of penetration. This approach mitigates artifacts that would otherwise negatively affect the accuracy and resolution of a single-modality reconstructed volume.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2013

Laser refractive tomography of phase objects

The principles are outlined of laser refractive tomography - a method for reconstructing the values of the refractive index in the cross sections of phase objects, which involves the use of three-dimensional refractive images (3D refractograms) of structured laser radiation. A simulation algorithm is realised and examples are provided of characteristic 3D refractograms obtained by solving the direct problem of refraction of structured radiation. A method was developed for reconstructing the values of refractive index under conditions of strong refraction, which is based on the visualisation of ray trajectories inside an optically inhomogeneous medium. A classification is made of possible approaches to the solution of the inverse problem of refraction based on the visualisation of ray trajectories. Examples are given of cross section reconstruction and quantitative diagnostics of phase objects. (laser imaging)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Elimination of space debris and objects of natural origin by laser radiation

We discuss the application of ground-based repetitively pulsed, high-frequency DF-laser systems and space-based Nd : YAG-laser systems for elimination of space debris and objects of natural origin. We have estimated the average power level of such systems ensuring destruction of space debris and similar objects. (laser applications)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

A method for measuring the nonlinear refractive index from the contrast of an amplitude object image in the optical scheme with phase Zernike filters based on electronic Kerr nonlinearity

We propose a method for determining the nonlinear refractive index from the image contrast of amplitude objects in the phase-contrast scheme with a sample acting as a phase Zernike filter based on the electronic Kerr nonlinearity. This method implies the measurement of the calibration dependence of the contrast of an amplitude object image on the laser pulse energy for a test sample with a known nonlinearity and makes it possible to find the nonlinear refractive index of samples under study using a single laser pulse. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Reflective mode X-ray microscopy of inclined objects

We propose an optical configuration of a reflective mode X-ray microscope which operates by the reflection of radiation incident on an object at grazing incidence. Primary emphasis is placed on the image recording with minimal aberrations. Numerical simulations are used to estimate the spatial resolution and the field of view, and a comparison is made with the results of investigation of surface-modified objects with a reflective mode X-ray laser microscope operating at a wavelength of 14.9 nm. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGES OF KEPLER OBJECTS OF INTEREST

All transiting planets are at risk of contamination by blends with nearby, unresolved stars. Blends dilute the transit signal, causing the planet to appear smaller than it really is, or produce a false-positive detection when the target star is blended with eclipsing binary stars. This paper reports on high spatial-resolution adaptive optics images of 90 Kepler planetary candidates. Companion stars are detected as close as 0.''1 from the target star. Images were taken in the near-infrared (J and Ks bands) with ARIES on the MMT and PHARO on the Palomar Hale 200 inch telescope. Most objects (60%) have at least one star within 6'' separation and a magnitude difference of 9. Eighteen objects (20%) have at least one companion within 2'' of the target star; six companions (7%) are closer than 0.''5. Most of these companions were previously unknown, and the associated planetary candidates should receive additional scrutiny. Limits are placed on the presence of additional companions for every system observed, which can be used to validate planets statistically using the BLENDER method. Validation is particularly critical for low-mass, potentially Earth-like worlds, which are not detectable with current-generation radial velocity techniques. High-resolution images are thus a crucial component of any transit follow-up program.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS TOWARD CANDIDATE LOW-LUMINOSITY PROTOSTARS AND VERY LOW LUMINOSITY OBJECTS

We present a systematic single-dish search for molecular outflows toward a sample of nine candidate low-luminosity protostars and 30 candidate very low luminosity objects (VeLLOs; L{sub int} {<=} 0.1 L{sub Sun }). The sources are identified using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope cataloged by Dunham et al. toward nearby (D < 400 pc) star-forming regions. Each object was observed in {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO J = 2 {yields} 1 simultaneously using the sideband separating ALMA Band-6 prototype receiver on the Heinrich Hertz Telescope at 30'' resolution. Using five-point grid maps, we identify five new potential outflow candidates and make on-the-fly maps of the regions surrounding sources in the dense cores B59, L1148, L1228, and L1165. Of these new outflow candidates, only the map of B59 shows a candidate blue outflow lobe associated with a source in our survey. We also present larger and more sensitive maps of the previously detected L673-7 and the L1251-A-IRS4 outflows and analyze their properties in comparison to other outflows from VeLLOs. The accretion luminosities derived from the outflow properties of the VeLLOs with detected CO outflows are higher than the observed internal luminosity of the protostars, indicating that these sources likely had higher accretion rates in the past. The known L1251-A-IRS3 outflow is detected but not re-mapped. We do not detect clear, unconfused signatures of red and blue molecular wings toward the other 31 sources in the survey indicating that large-scale, distinct outflows are rare toward this sample of candidate protostars. Several potential outflows are confused with the kinematic structure in the surrounding core and cloud. Interferometric imaging is needed to disentangle large-scale molecular cloud kinematics from these potentially weak protostellar outflows.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE BRIGHTEST OBJECTS IN THE GALACTIC STAR-FORMING REGION W40

We present high signal-to-noise, moderate resolution (R Almost-Equal-To 2000) near-infrared spectra, as well as 10 {mu}m imaging, for the brightest members of the central stellar cluster in the W40 H II region, obtained using the SpeX and MIRSI instruments at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility. Using these observations combined with archival Spitzer Space Telescope data, we have determined the spectral classifications, extinction, distances, and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the brightest members of the cluster. Of the eight objects observed, we identify four main-sequence (MS) OB stars (one late-O, three early-B), two Herbig Ae/Be stars, and two low-mass young stellar objects (Class II). Strong He I absorption at 1.083 {mu}m in the MS star spectra strongly suggests that at least some of these sources are in fact close binaries. Two out of the four MS stars also show significant infrared excesses typical of circumstellar disks. Extinctions and distances were determined for each MS star by fitting model stellar atmospheres to the SEDs. We estimate a distance to the cluster of between 455 and 535 pc, which agrees well with earlier (but far less precise) distance estimates. We conclude that the late-O star we identify is the dominant source of Lyman continuum luminosity needed to power the W40 H II region and is the likely source of the stellar wind that has blown a large ( Almost-Equal-To 4 pc) pinched-waist bubble observed in wide-field mid-IR images. We also suggest that 3.6 cm radio emission observed from some of the sources in the cluster is likely not due to emission from ultracompact H II regions, as suggested in other work, due to size constraints based on our derived distance to the cluster. Finally, we also present a discussion of the curious source IRS 3A, which has a very strong mid-IR excess (despite its B3 MS classification) and appears to be embedded in a dusty envelope roughly 2700 AU in size.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗