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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 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Applications of the BIOPHYS Algorithm for Physically-Based Retrieval of Biophysical, Structural and Forest Disturbance Information

Canopy reflectance model inversion using look-up table approaches provides powerful and flexible options for deriving improved forest biophysical structural information (BSI) compared with traditional statistical empirical methods. The BIOPHYS algorithm is an improved, physically-based inversion approach for deriving BSI for independent use and validation and for monitoring, inventory and quantifying forest disturbance as well as input to ecosystem, climate and carbon models. Based on the multiple-forward mode (MFM) inversion approach, BIOPHYS results were summarized from different studies (Minnesota/NASA COVER; Virginia/LEDAPS; Saskatchewan/BOREAS), sensors (airborne MMR; Landsat; MODIS) and models (GeoSail; GOMS). Applications output included forest density, height, crown dimension, branch and green leaf area, canopy cover, disturbance estimates based on multi-temporal chronosequences, and structural change following recovery from forest fires over the last century. Good correspondences with validation field data were obtained. Integrated analyses of multiple solar and view angle imagery further improved retrievals compared with single pass data. Quantifying ecosystem dynamics such as the area and percent of forest disturbance, early regrowth and succession provide essential inputs to process-driven models of carbon flux. BIOPHYS is well suited for large-area, multi-temporal applications involving multiple image sets and mosaics for assessing vegetation disturbance and quantifying biophysical structural dynamics and change. It is also suitable for integration with forest inventory, monitoring, updating, and other programs.

Peddle, Derek R.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering Super–Poissonian Photon Statistics of Spatial Light Modes

The nature of light sources is defined by the statistical fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. As such, the photon statistics of light sources are typically associated with distinct emitters. Here, the possibility of producing light beams with various photon statistics through the spatial modulation of coherent light is demonstrated. This is achieved by the sequential encoding of controllable Kolmogorov phase screens in a digital micromirror device. Interestingly, the flexibility of this scheme allows for the shaping of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics at different spatial positions. The performance of this scheme is assessed through the photon-number-resolving characterization of different families of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics. Furthermore, it is believed that the possibility of controlling the photon fluctuations of the light field at arbitrary spatial locations has important implications for quantum spectroscopy, sensing, and imaging.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Parameters Impacting Columnated Granular Soil Pneumatic Seal Performance

The ability of a column of loose granular soil to form a pneumatic seal was investigated by varying the diameter of the soil column, the effective column height, and the level of compaction in the soil. The soil column diameter was tested at three levels using pipes with inner diameters measuring 5.08, 10.16, and 15.24 centimeters (2, 4, and 6 inches). Soil was filled in each pipe to form 15, 30, and 45 centimeter (6, 12, and 18 inch) tall soil columns. Each diameter/height configuration was also tested at three levels of soil compaction, compared by calculating the bulk density of the soil with mass and volume measurements. GRC-1a simulant was used, with approximate low/medium/high bulk densities of 1.6, 1.75, and 1.9 g/cc achieved with a combination of vibration and tamping. The order of tests for a given column diameter was randomized and repeated three times. With the top of the soil open to atmosphere at room temperature, compressed air was injected through a small diffuser at the column base with several small downward-facing holes. The number and size of these holes was scaled such that a constant total inlet orifice area to column cross sectional area ratio was maintained for each column diameter. Inlet air pressure was slowly increased via a precision regulator to preserve quasi-static equilibrium in the soil column to minimize the impact of dynamics. Air pressure was increased all the way through the static and bubbling regimes until slugging or turbulent behavior was observed in the soil to ensure that the entire static regime had been captured during data collection. A three-factor, three-level analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical analysis was performed on the resulting data to determine the extent to which each physical parameter impacted the soil column seal performance. It was concluded that there is statistically significant evidence that column height, and the interaction between column height and diameter impact soil seal performance. In all other cases there was insufficient data to identify a statistically significant causal relationship. Additionally, plots were generated comparing experimental data to the predictive formula developed by Ogino et al. for fluidized beds in 1993. Because this model was developed for industrial spouted fluidized beds, the accuracy of its output prior to fluidization in the static seal ‘edge case’ is unknown, especially considering in this application the working gas was diffused across the column base rather than being injected through a spout. Further, the fidelity of the model had not yet been tested with lunar soil simulants. Plotting the Ogino et al. model alongside test data allows for a more intuitive sense of the impact of test parameters on soil seal performance, as well as providing a quick means to further tune this predictive model for more accurate use with static seals across granular lunar soil simulants. The model provided by Ogino et al. was further tuned using test data to determine the degree to which a spouted bed model could be applied to a slightly modified set of testing conditions: lunar soil simulants and a more diffuse, homogeneous application of pneumatic pressure. A Matlab script was created to test different values for the leading coefficient and exponents in Ogino’s formula. The script swept preset ranges, then iterated with higher resolutions across narrower ranges to converge on the optimal value for each parameter. The resulting adjusted model was compared to the original, as well as test data with noticeable improvements across the entire test domain.

Jack Stewart↗
NASA NTRS1987

Is solar neutrino capture rate correlated with sunspot number?

The statistical significance of the apparent correlation between sunspots and the observed neutrino rate is quantified. It is shown that the correlation depends almost entirely upon four low neutrino capture rates near the beginning of 1980. A calculation based on standard electroweak theory and neutrino production processes demonstrates that a correlation, if real, would be extremely puzzling on energetic grounds alone. It is concluded that measurements with the Cl-37 detector during the next sunspot cycle will be needed to show that there is a physical correlation, since the existing data are not statistically significant at a definitive level.

Bahcall, J. N.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling single-molecule stretching experiments using statistical thermodynamics

Single-molecule stretching experiments are widely utilized within the fields of physics and chemistry to characterize the mechanics of individual bonds or molecules, as well as chemical reactions. Analytic relations describing these experiments are valuable, and these relations can be obtained through the statistical thermodynamics of idealized model systems representing the experiments. Since the specific thermodynamic ensembles manifested by the experiments affect the outcome, primarily for small molecules, the stretching device must be included in the idealized model system. Though the model for the stretched molecule might be exactly solvable, including the device in the model often prevents analytic solutions. In the limit of large or small device stiffness, the isometric or isotensional ensembles can provide effective approximations, but the device effects are missing. Here a dual set of asymptotically correct statistical thermodynamic theories are applied to develop accurate approximations for the full model system that includes both the molecule and the device. In conclusion, the asymptotic theories are first demonstrated to be accurate using the freely jointed chain model and then using molecular dynamics calculations of a single polyethylene chain.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

To have value, comparisons of high-throughput phenotyping methods need statistical tests of bias and variance

The gap between genomics and phenomics is narrowing. The rate at which it is narrowing, however, is being slowed by improper statistical comparison of methods. Quantification using Pearson’s correlation coefficient ( r ) is commonly used to assess method quality, but it is an often misleading statistic for this purpose as it is unable to provide information about the relative quality of two methods. Using r can both erroneously discount methods that are inherently more precise and validate methods that are less accurate. These errors occur because of logical flaws inherent in the use of r when comparing methods, not as a problem of limited sample size or the unavoidable possibility of a type I error. A popular alternative to using r is to measure the limits of agreement (LOA). However both r and LOA fail to identify which instrument is more or less variable than the other and can lead to incorrect conclusions about method quality. An alternative approach, comparing variances of methods, requires repeated measurements of the same subject, but avoids incorrect conclusions. Variance comparison is arguably the most important component of method validation and, thus, when repeated measurements are possible, variance comparison provides considerable value to these studies. Statistical tests to compare variances presented here are well established, easy to interpret and ubiquitously available. The widespread use of r has potentially led to numerous incorrect conclusions about method quality, hampering development, and the approach described here would be useful to advance high throughput phenotyping methods but can also extend into any branch of science. The adoption of the statistical techniques outlined in this paper will help speed the adoption of new high throughput phenotyping techniques by indicating when one should reject a new method, outright replace an old method or conditionally use a new method.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A variance deconvolution estimator for efficient uncertainty quantification in Monte Carlo radiation transport applications

Monte Carlo simulations are at the heart of many high-fidelity simulations and analyses for radiation transport systems. As is the case with any complex computational model, it is important to propagate sources of input uncertainty and characterize how they affect model output. Unfortunately, uncertainty quantification (UQ) is made difficult by the stochastic variability that Monte Carlo transport solvers introduce. The standard method to avoid corrupting the UQ statistics with the transport solver noise is to increase the number of particle histories, resulting in very high computational costs. In this contribution, we propose and analyze a sampling estimator based on the law of total variance to compute UQ variance even in the presence of residual noise from Monte Carlo transport calculations. Here, we rigorously derive the statistical properties of the new variance estimator, compare its performance to that of the standard method, and demonstrate its use on neutral particle transport model problems involving both attenuation and scattering physics. We illustrate, both analytically and numerically, the estimator’s statistical performance as a function of available computational budget and the distribution of that budget between UQ samples and particle histories. We show analytically and corroborate numerically that the new estimator is unbiased, unlike the standard approach, and is more accurate and precise than the standard estimator for the same computational budget.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Qualitative Strategy for Fusion of Physics into Empirical Models for Process Anomaly Detection

To facilitate the automated online monitoring of power plants, a systematic and qualitative strategy for anomaly detection is presented. This strategy is essential to provide credible reasoning on why and when an empirical versus hybrid (i.e., physics-supported) approach should be used and to determine the ideal mix of these two approaches for a defined anomaly detection scope. Empirical methods are usually based on pattern, statistical, and causal inference. Hybrid methods include the use of physics models to train and test data methods, reduce data dimensionality, reduce data-model complexity, augment data, and reduce empirical uncertainty; hybrid methods also include the use of data to tune physics models. The presented strategy is driven by key decision points related to data relevance, simple modeling feasibility, data inference, physics-modeling value, data dimensionality, physics knowledge, method of validation, performance, data availability, and suitability for training and testing, cause-effect, entropy inference, and model fitting. The strategy is demonstrated through a pilot use case for the application of anomaly detection to capture a valve packing leak at the high-pressure coolant injection system of a nuclear power plant.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for dijet resonances with data scouting in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

A search is presented for narrow resonances, with a mass between 0.6 and 1.8 TeV, decaying to pairs of jets, in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The search is performed using dijets that are reconstructed, selected, and recorded in a compact form by the high-level trigger in a technique referred to as “data scouting”, from data collected in 2016–2018 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 117 fb −1 . The dijet mass spectra are well described by a smooth parameterization, and no significant evidence for the production of new particles is observed. Model-independent upper limits are presented on the product of the cross section, branching fraction, and acceptance for the individual cases of narrow quark-quark, quark-gluon, and gluon-gluon resonances, and are compared to the predictions from a variety of models of narrow dijet resonance production. The upper limit on the coupling of a dark matter mediator to quarks is presented as a function of the mediator mass. The sensitivity of this search goes beyond what is expected from statistical scaling with the integrated luminosity alone, as a consequence of the use of fewer parameters in the background function within a more robust statistical procedure.

beyond Standard Model↗
DOE OSTI2023

Full Counting Statistics of Charge in Chaotic Many-Body Quantum Systems

We investigate the full counting statistics of charge transport in U(1)-symmetric random unitary circuits. We consider an initial mixed state prepared with a chemical potential imbalance between the left and right halves of the system and study the fluctuations of the charge transferred across the central bond in typical circuits. Using an effective replica statistical mechanics model and a mapping onto an emergent classical stochastic process valid at large on-site Hilbert space dimension, we show that charge transfer fluctuations approach those of the symmetric exclusion process at long times, with subleading t –1/2 quantum corrections. Here, we discuss our results in the context of fluctuating hydrodynamics and macroscopic fluctuation theory of classical nonequilibrium systems and check our predictions against direct matrix-product state calculations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging graph clustering techniques for cyber‐physical system analysis to enhance disturbance characterisation

Abstract Cyber‐physical systems have behaviour that crosses domain boundaries during events such as planned operational changes and malicious disturbances. Traditionally, the cyber and physical systems are monitored separately and use very different toolsets and analysis paradigms. The security and privacy of these cyber‐physical systems requires improved understanding of the combined cyber‐physical system behaviour and methods for holistic analysis. Therefore, the authors propose leveraging clustering techniques on cyber‐physical data from smart grid systems to analyse differences and similarities in behaviour during cyber‐, physical‐, and cyber‐physical disturbances. Since clustering methods are commonly used in data science to examine statistical similarities in order to sort large datasets, these algorithms can assist in identifying useful relationships in cyber‐physical systems. Through this analysis, deeper insights can be shared with decision‐makers on what cyber and physical components are strongly or weakly linked, what cyber‐physical pathways are most traversed, and the criticality of certain cyber‐physical nodes or edges. This paper presents several types of clustering methods for cyber‐physical graphs of smart grid systems and their application in assessing different types of disturbances for informing cyber‐physical situational awareness. The collection of these clustering techniques provide a foundational basis for cyber‐physical graph interdependency analysis.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

New high statistics results from the MINERvA experiment Medium Energy run

The MINERvA experiment has completed its physics run using the 6 GeV, on-axis NuMI ME beam at Fermilab. The experiment received a total of 12 x 10^20 protons on target in both neutrino and antineutrino mode running. This allows MINERvA a new level of statistics in neutrino interaction measurements with the ability to measure multi-dimensional differential cross sections. In addition, in order to make the most of this jump in statistics, a new level of precision in fluxprediction has been achieved. We present results from MINERvA's Medium Energy (ME) physics program, including the new kinematic regimes that are now accessible.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Does a Free Electron Laser Exhibit Non-Standard Statistics? [Slides and Report]

The originally proposed work under this award sought to develop a theoretical basis for previous experimental observations in free-electron laser (FEL) physics involving certain non-classical effects in the light produced by these devices. A sound and valid theoretical interpretation of these experiments would represent a transformational understanding of free-electron lasers, and of electron-photon interactions in general. The specific objective of the completed work, as described in the attached progress report by Jeongwan Park, was to perform a detailed analysis of an experiment by Chen and Madey (Physical Review Letters; volume 86 number 26, 2001) concerning the purported sub-Poissonian photon statistics in an FEL. Since that published work contradicted FEL theory as presently understood, the purpose of the work under the present subcontract was to obtain a better understanding of the quantum nature of the FEL, to investigate the possibility of theoretical and experimental evidence for the non-standard photon statistics of the FEL, and to critically examine the experimental evidence through a re-evaluation of the data analysis of Chen and Madey. The results of this study showed that there were numerous experimental conditions under which the observed photon statistics could be explained by combining both the photon clustering property and the dead-time effect, and consequently, that the observed photon statistics in the Chen-Madey experiment did not require sub-Poissonian photon statistics for their explanation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Landau discriminants

Scattering amplitudes in quantum field theories have intricate analytic properties as functions of the energies and momenta of the scattered particles. In perturbation theory, their singularities are governed by a set of nonlinear polynomial equations, known as Landau equations, for each individual Feynman diagram. The singularity locus of the associated Feynman integral is made precise with the notion of the Landau discriminant, which characterizes when the Landau equations admit a solution. In order to compute this discriminant, we present approaches from classical elimination theory, as well as a numerical algorithm based on homotopy continuation. These methods allow us to compute Landau discriminants of various Feynman diagrams up to 3 loops, which were previously out of reach. For instance, the Landau discriminant of the envelope diagram is a reducible surface of degree 45 in the three-dimensional space of kinematic invariants. We investigate geometric properties of the Landau discriminant, such as irreducibility, dimension and degree. In particular, we find simple examples in which the Landau discriminant has codimension greater than one. Furthermore, we describe a numerical procedure for determining which parts of the Landau discriminant lie in the physical regions. In order to study degenerate limits of Landau equations and bounds on the degree of the Landau discriminant, we introduce Landau polytopes and study their facet structure. Finally, we provide an efficient numerical algorithm for the computation of the number of master integrals based on the connection to algebraic statistics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Bayesian model averaging for analysis of lattice field theory results

Statistical modeling is a key component in the extraction of physical results from lattice field theory calculations. Although the general models used are often strongly motivated by physics, many model variations can frequently be considered for the same lattice data. Model averaging, which amounts to a probability-weighted average over all model variations, can incorporate systematic errors associated with model choice without being overly conservative. We discuss the framework of model averaging from the perspective of Bayesian statistics, and give useful formulae and approximations for the particular case of least-squares fitting, commonly used in modeling lattice results. In addition, we frame the common problem of data subset selection (e.g. choice of minimum and maximum time separation for fitting a two-point correlation function) as a model selection problem and study model averaging as a straightforward alternative to manual selection of fit ranges. Numerical examples involving both mock and real lattice data are given.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1996

Molecular Dynamics Calculations

The development of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics is very important in the history of physics, and it underlines the difficulty in dealing with systems involving many bodies, even if those bodies are identical. Macroscopic systems of atoms typically contain so many particles that it would be virtually impossible to follow the behavior of all of the particles involved. Therefore, the behavior of a complete system can only be described or predicted in statistical ways. Under a grant to the NASA Lewis Research Center, scientists at the Case Western Reserve University have been examining the use of modern computing techniques that may be able to investigate and find the behavior of complete systems that have a large number of particles by tracking each particle individually. This is the study of molecular dynamics. In contrast to Monte Carlo techniques, which incorporate uncertainty from the outset, molecular dynamics calculations are fully deterministic. Although it is still impossible to track, even on high-speed computers, each particle in a system of a trillion trillion particles, it has been found that such systems can be well simulated by calculating the trajectories of a few thousand particles. Modern computers and efficient computing strategies have been used to calculate the behavior of a few physical systems and are now being employed to study important problems such as supersonic flows in the laboratory and in space. In particular, an animated video (available in mpeg format--4.4 MB) was produced by Dr. M.J. Woo, now a National Research Council fellow at Lewis, and the G-VIS laboratory at Lewis. This video shows the behavior of supersonic shocks produced by pistons in enclosed cylinders by following exactly the behavior of thousands of particles. The major assumptions made were that the particles involved were hard spheres and that all collisions with the walls and with other particles were fully elastic. The animated video was voted one of two winning videos in a competition held at the meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics, held in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 1994. Of great interest was the result that in every shock there were a few high-speed precursor particles racing ahead of the shock, carrying information about its impending arrival. Most recently, Dr. Woo has been applying molecular dynamics techniques to the problem of determining the drag produced by the space station truss structure as it flies through the thin residual atmosphere of low-Earth orbit. This problem is made difficult by the complex structure of the truss and by the extreme supersonic nature of the flow. A fully filled section of the truss has already been examined, and drag predictions have been made. Molecular dynamics techniques promise to make realistic drag calculations possible even for very complex partially filled truss segments flying at arbitrary angles.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

Information and Statistics in Nuclear Experiment and Theory (ISNET)

As with all empirical sciences, nuclear physics operates in the virtuous cycle of the scientific method: observations inspire theoretical models; models lead to new predictions; predictions are tested in experiments; experiments lead to new observations; and so on. Evaluating what we are inferring, and how certain we are of it, is key to this process. These requirements, and a general interest in applying novel statistical, mathematical, and computational techniques, led to the formation of a dedicated research community entitled “Information and Statistics in Nuclear Experiment and Theory (ISNET)” (https://isnet-series.github.io/), which now includes more than 300 members. While the community’s interests lean toward nuclear theory, the unifying theme for this group is the inference of knowledge from data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗