Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Internet Communication”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-Agent Control Planes for Quantum Networks: A Scalable Architecture for Autonomous Quantum Internet Management

Quantum networks are expected to enable distributed quantum computing, secure communication, and global entanglement distribution. However, operating such networks presents significant challenges, including stochastic quantum processes, fragile entanglement resources, dynamic topology, and cross-layer control requirements. Current quantum network control architectures largely rely on centralized or hierarchical controllers inspired by classical software-defined networking (SDN). While effective for small testbeds, these approaches face scalability, latency, and reliability limitations as quantum networks grow. This paper proposes a multi-agent control plane architecture for quantum networks. In this design, intelligent software agents operate at quantum nodes, repeaters, and orchestration layers, collectively managing entanglement generation, routing, purification, and scheduling. The distributed intelligence of the agent system allows the network to adapt dynamically to quantum hardware variability and environmental noise. We argue that multi-agent systems provide significant advantages over centralized control approaches, including scalability, resilience, local autonomy, and real-time adaptation. The paper discusses architectural design principles, agent coordination mechanisms, and research challenges in deploying multi-agent control planes for the emerging quantum Internet.

Alnajjar, Anees [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000237101601)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analyzing Insider Risk Threat to the Internet of Things (IoT)

Recent technological advancement has created a growing convergence of innovation. From machine learning to ubiquitous computing to wireless networks and automation, the world is seeing new technology increasingly capable of connecting with each other. Devices and systems use open communications networks to interact, process information, and react. This is called the Internet of Things (IoT) and is comprised of physical devices that exchange data over networks, creating revolutionary possibilities. The most common way most people interact with an IoT is through ‘smart home’ products like Amazon’s Alexa, which use microphones, speakers, and phones to control a variety of devices, from lights and thermostats, to cameras, to appliances and vacuum cleaners. But the open nature of IoT networks—necessary for their ability to communicate and operate—also introduces privacy and security concerns. At a personal level, this might mean a hack into a home to steal private information, but when applied in broader industries like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or the military, this vulnerability can have serious consequences. As IoT usage and interconnectivity increases, so too does the susceptibility to malicious actors. And the entire system is only as secure as its least secure member. This creates particular risk and vulnerability to radiological material industries, as a competent insider adversary could utilize the IoT to potentially steal or access classified or sensitive information about employees, sites, or systems; or simply sabotage security or maintenance from a more remote—and less secure—device. The IoT relies on a secure network across the entire system, especially in transport which may lack the security of more permanent locations; if one device fails, it can create a ripple effect and an insider threat may seek to exploit that connectivity. While IoT benefits drive increased innovation and usage, there are also vulnerabilities an insider threat could exploit; this risk of an IoT to radiological material must be addressed in any mitigation effort.

Kinney, Justin↗
DOE OSTI2022

Radio frequency sensing and its innovative applications in diverse sectors: A comprehensive study

Recent advancements in radio frequency (RF) sensing technology can be attributed to the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare, RF-identification, and communication applications. RF sensing is a multidisciplinary research field that requires expertise in computing, electronics, and electromagnetics to cover all system features, including protocol development, antenna design, sensor integration, algorithm formulation, interconnection, data, and analytics. The overarching aim of this work is to present detailed information about RF technologies and their innovations and application diversity from the novel work carried out at CSI Lab1, together in one platform with an extensive survey. This study presents state-of-the art applications and RF sensing that include W-Fi, radar, and SDR and RFID-based sensing. A comprehensive survey and study of the advantages and limitations of each non-contact technology is discussed. Additionally, open research gaps have been identified as well. Decades of knowledge and experience have been put to use to meet new challenges and demands. The development and study of RF systems, IoT, RFID sensing, and research and deployment activities, are briefly discussed. The emerging research projects with industry, institutional research centers, and academic studies are also addressed. Finally, an outline of identified potential future research areas is provided, emphasizing opportunities and challenges.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

User Access to Scientific Facilities via 5G: A Cyber Security Thought Experiment

5G is more than an over-the-air radio technology upgrade. It is a strategy to extend Mobile Network Operator service offerings beyond traditional voice, instant messaging and Internet access. 5G Mobile Network Operators will offer new telecommunication services that include enhanced guarantees of confidentiality, integrity and availability. How could such services change the way Science collaborations connect scientists to supercomputers and other scientific facilities? Current scientific collaborations implicitly trust cloud service providers to securely store and process data. The perceived risks of outsourcing Science data security are counterbalanced by assurances that cloud providers operate at a scale that allows them to implement security measures impractical for Science collaborations (e.g. continuous system administrator behavioral monitoring and strict individual separation of duties). If that is true for a cloud service provider like Amazon Web Services (2018 revenue: $25.7 billion), could it also be true for Mobile Network Operators like Verizon Wireless (2018 revenue: $91.7 billion) or AT&T Mobility (2018 revenue: $71.3 billion)? DOE Leadership Class supercomputer facility users currently access them from the public Internet via Secure Shell. The sponsors and operators of the supercomputer facilities have determined that the public Internet path between the Scientist’s Device and the Login Node does not natively provide enough confidentiality or integrity to protect those communications. Therefore, the facilities achieve additional confidentiality and integrity by requiring Secure Shell encryption across those untrusted network paths. Using 5G Network Slice technology, a Mobile Network Operator may offer communication services between supercomputer users and facilities that natively provide confidentiality and integrity guarantees. Sponsors and operators of supercomputer facilities may determine that these guarantees provide enough confidentiality and integrity to protect those communications. If so, a 5G Network Slice could replace an SSH session running over the public Internet. Finally, this use case could be extended to other Office of Science user facility access requirements. Consider microscopy instruments at (e.g.) the Center for Nanoscale Materials or the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. The embedded systems controlling such instruments may not always support encrypted network access technologies like SSH. 5G Network Slices may offer an alternative to current VPN or SSH tunneling techniques, with additional benefits like guaranteed minimum bandwidth.

5G↗
DOE OSTI2024

Efficient Anomaly Detection Driven By Different Machine Learning Architectures And Models

The rapid growth and ubiquitous adoption of the internet and cyber-physical systems (CPS) have fundamentally transformed modern communication, work, and human-system interactions. While networks now form the backbone of critical digital ecosystems, enabling seamless data transmission across diverse, interconnected systems, this increased connectivity also expands the attack surface, making real-time detection of network intrusions and anomalies a pressing challenge. Detecting unusual activities within network infrastructure requires advanced data traffic analysis to differentiate between legitimate and malicious interactions. Traditional approaches to network anomaly detectionâ??such as rule-based and signature-based systemsâ??often depend on predefined patterns to identify known anomalies, limiting their effectiveness against emerging, stealthy, or previously unseen threats. These conventional methods suffer from high false alarm rates and fail to adapt to the ever-evolving nature of network traffic, particularly in large-scale, decentralized environments where data volume, velocity, and variety are constantly increasing. This dissertation presents artificial intelligence (AI)-driven approaches to anomaly detection that leverage graphics processing unit (GPU)-enabled high-performance computing (HPC) platforms for processing massive network traffic data and monitoring the components of cyber-physical systems (CPS) for potentially hazardous conditions. The research advances several key contributions: (1) Designing efficient machine learning techniques for CPS condition monitoring and anomaly detection; (2) enabling federated learning (FL) frameworks that enable distributed detection while preserving data privacy and system resilience; (3) exploring graph-based methodologies combining graph neural networks (GNN) and graph machine learning (ML) approaches for the Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive network security, and (4) performing distributed edge computing optimizations that integrate FL with scalable technologies for reduced communication overhead. Through extensive experiments, these methodologies demonstrate that complex anomaly detection and condition monitoring tasks can be achieved while balancing computational efficiency and detection accuracy through fine-grained network information processing. The frameworks developed in this research establish a robust foundation for network anomaly detection, providing scalable, adaptive, and privacy-preserving solutions for safeguarding CPS and IoT networks in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. The practical implications of these research findings are significant, as they can inform the development of next-generation network security systems and contribute to the protection of critical infrastructure against sophisticated cyber attacks.

Marfo, William↗
DOE OSTI2020

From Long-distance Entanglement to Building a Nationwide Quantum Internet: Report of the DOE Quantum Internet Blueprint Workshop

A Quantum Path Forward. Today, many scientific experts recognize that building and scaling quantum-protected and enhanced communication networks are among the most important technological frontiers of the 21st century. The international research community perceives the construction of a first prototype global quantum network-the Quantum Internet-to be within reach over the next decade. In February 2020, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research hosted the Quantum Internet Blueprint workshop to define a potential roadmap toward building the first nationwide quantum Internet. The workshop participants included representatives from DOE national laboratories, universities, industry, and other U.S. agencies with serious interests in quantum networking. The goal was to provide an outline of the essential research needed, detail any engineering and design barriers, and suggest a path forward to move from today's limited local network experiments to a viable, secure quantum Internet.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

From Long-distance Entanglement to Building a Nationwide Quantum Internet: Report of the DOE Quantum Internet Blueprint Workshop

A Quantum Path Forward. Today, many scientific experts recognize that building and scaling quantum-protected and enhanced communication networks are among the most important technological frontiers of the 21st century. The international research community perceives the construction of a first prototype global quantum network-the Quantum Internet-to be within reach over the next decade. In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research hosted the Quantum Internet Blueprint workshop to define a potential roadmap toward building the first nationwide quantum Internet. The workshop participants included representatives from DOE national laboratories, universities, industry, and other U.S. agencies with serious interests in quantum networking. The goal was to provide an outline of the essential research needed, detail any engineering and design barriers, and suggest a path forward to move from today's limited local network experiments to a viable, secure quantum Internet.

Peters, Nicholas↗
DOE OSTI2020

CP-DSSS: A Novel Waveform for Multiple Access in IoT

Cyclic prefix direct sequence spread spectrum (CPDSSS) is a novel waveform with versatile characteristics that positions itself well as a secondary network to relieve the congested wireless spectrum. The underlying structure of CPDSSS allows for efficient and effective multi-access capabilites through frequency and time division schemes in a given system. The sum-rate capacity of the system is maximized when the spectrum is divided and allocated to users with the best signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for the given channel slice. We propose an algorithm for dividing and allocating portions of the spectrum to multiple users with the final goal of maximizing the sumrate capacity of the network. We also propose and develop a precoding/equalization technique that reduces the length of the channel impulse response. This, when used along with a matched filter detector, leads to some improvement in the sum-rate capacity of the network

5G and Beyond Communications↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multi-User Capacity for Cyclic Prefix Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum with Linear Detection and Precoding

Cyclic Prefix Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (CP-DSSS) is a promising solution for futuristic 6G ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine type communication (mMTC) applications, where the CP-DSSS waveform would operate as a secondary network at the same frequencies as the primary network but at much lower SNR. In this paper, we show per-user capacity for multi-user scenarios, where simple matched filtering (MF) is performed on the uplink (UL) and time-reversal (TR) precoding is used on the downlink (DL). When operating in the low SNR regime, CP-DSSS achieves per-user capacity near the optimum single-user capacity by using a MF detector at the receiver for the UL. TR precoding converges to the optimal capacity as the number of antennas at the hub/gateway increases. Given the near-optimal performance of MF detection and TR precoding for each of the users, CP-DSSS can be implemented with simple device transceiver structures, reducing per-unit cost for massively deployed 6G networks.

5G and Beyond Communications↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modbus RTU for Embedded Cyber Secure Inverter Controller

The Modbus communication protocol is a widely adopted communication standard in industrial control systems. This communication protocol is known for being reliable and straightforward to implement while being versatile in terms of its operating parameters while supporting multiple formats over various hardware infrastructures and architectures. Many intelligent devices such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), Internet-of-Things (IoT), and various Operational Technologies (OT) utilize Modbus for their communication systems. These types of systems must communicate with each other through a standardized and central communication process. To support the integration of these modular systems, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) can act as an embedded central routing fabric for this communication to take place. Embedded systems are versatile enough to interface with various devices and systems to accomplish various goals. Additionally, embedded systems require relatively small physical designs to minimize the required resources to facilitate the intended application by providing low-level system access. This minimization of system resources goes hand in hand with reducing the financial cost of a proposed solution or system. As remotely collaborating researchers often use FPGAs to prototype designs that are required to have a method for data transmission among systems, it is imperative to provide a baseline standard for communications among devices and systems. A typical method of implementing the Modbus RTU communication protocol in an embedded environment is using integrated logic architectures within the FPGA called “Intellectual Property (IP) cores.” IP cores can be designed using integrated logic or circuit designs to function as an embedded processor. These IP cores can then perform the required computational actions to support the Modbus RTU communication protocol by utilizing high-level programming languages such as the C programming language. The hardware description language of Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) allows for the control of real hardware at the logic gate and signal level. These logic gates and signals can be designed and controlled to perform desired actions based on the system design. Programming an FPGA using VHDL allows an individual to access the lowest abstraction level of the system during FPGA development. This level of abstraction is referred to as the register-transfer level (RTL), which gives access to manipulating values and variables at the register level. This register-level manipulation provides precision over creating the logical circuit within the FPGA, thus minimizing the required code to perform desired operations. The Modbus RTU communication protocol can be implemented within an FPGA using VHDL programming to establish a standardized and embedded serial communication pathway. This implementation provides a standardized communication protocol to streamline research efforts among researchers, thus increasing the efficiency of research efforts. Additionally, this Modbus RTU implementation requires fewer resources when compared to typical communication protocol implementations that utilize an IP core, reducing the hardware requirement for effective research efforts.

communication↗
DOE OSTI2022

Distributed Real-time Plume Monitoring for Deep Sea Mineral Extraction​

In the emerging industry of deep-sea mining for minerals and deposits (e.g. polymetallic nodules for nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese), more data is required to understand the effects of sediment plume generation and predict the distribution of disturbed sediment. There are two main sources of plume generation, the first being at the active mining site where the “collector” directly removes the top layer of the sea floor. The other is the “midwater plume” consisting of unwanted sediment that was collected during extraction that is pumped back into the aphotic zone. The vast majority of plume generation is caused by the collector, causing detrimental and long-lasting impacts on seafloor ecosystems due to the lack of wave activity or strong currents at the sea floor. Therefore, it is crucial to invest in the infrastructure to support the study and constant monitoring over a large area of the sea floor where plume generation is present. Due to the limited number of usable channels and power requirements, current subsea wireless communications technologies are not well suited to instrumenting the large areas of the sea floor needed to monitor plume migration. The scope of this effort is to transition experimental demonstrations of high-bandwidth, full-duplex scalable underwater laser communications to the seafloor in an open ocean environment. Specifically tackling challenges associated with the dynamic nature of the subsea world, including but not limited to, deployment logistics, sustainability, and range. The goal is to enable the internet of underwater things for deep sea industries by broadening the capabilities of subsea communications. By using high-precision laser transmitters, many of the challenges current subsea optical systems face can be circumvented, such as power consumption, interference, and bandwidth limitations. This approach lends itself to wireless interlinking multi-node networks, in series or parallel, facilitating the implementation of a wide array of sensor types. This interlinking allows all the data gathered from the network to be processed through a single hardline uplink to the surface, lowering the complexity required for near real-time data processing. Additionally, the laser control systems produce metadata that can be used to help characterize the water column between the nodes. Combining data from various sensors such as turbidity, temperature, current velocity with metadata such as beam attenuation and deflection can produce a high-resolution model of sea floor conditions around an active mining zone. The resulting near real-time model can be used to optimize location and flow rate of the mining operation to minimize and quantify the environmental impact.

Mons, Ishan↗
DOE OSTI2022

Module-OT: A Turnkey Solution for Securing Energy Systems

The Modular Security Apparatus for Managing Distributed Cryptography for Command-and-Control Messages on Operational Technology Networks (Module-OT) is a flexible and lightweight solution for grid-edge devices focusing on end-to-end security. It is a bump- in- the-wire solution acting as a secure conduit for data between devices or systems across a network. It improves the cybersecurity posture of DER systems by providing authentication, authorization, and data integrity to secure DER communications. Additionally, it performs key management, provides data security through whitelisting Internet Protocol addresses and ports, blocks unauthorized connections, controls user access, and allows serial or Ethernet connections for added flexibility. The core software is portable to various Linux-based operating systems and is developed to be customized by the developer and researcher communities. Module-OT has been validated in the lab, has been demonstrated at a 500-KW PV-plus-storage site, and has been proven ready to secure operational technology devices. Its core functionality meets current standards, including validation procedures of the NIST Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) and the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS 140-2). Because of its capability to provide an accessible and affordable option for stepping up security across modern energy systems, Module-OT can serve as an effective technological option to standardize cybersecurity moving forward.

cryptography↗
DOE OSTI2023

Visible Light Communications: A Survey on Recent High-Capacity Demonstrations and Digital Modulation Techniques

In order to deal with the increasing number of mobile devices and with their demand for Internet services, particularly social media platforms, streaming video, and online gaming, Radio-Frequency (RF) wireless networks have been pushed to their capacity limits. In addition to this, 80% of the total data traffic is carried out by users inside buildings. Therefore, new technologies have started to be considered for indoor wireless communications. Visible Light Communications (VLC) can provide both illumination and communications, appearing as an alternative or complement to RF wireless networks. VLC offers high bandwidth and immunity to interference from electromagnetic sources. This manuscript reviews recent high-capacity VLC demonstrations. The main focus of this work is to present digital-signal-processing techniques used in VLC systems. Different modulation formats are analyzed, which can be divided into two large groups, namely single-carrier and multi-carrier modulation schemes. Finally, some recently proposed capacity-achieving strategies are presented. We discuss how to implement these techniques and how they will be useful for the continued development of VLC systems.

Loureiro, Pedro A. (ORCID:0000000283546185)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Metagames and Hypergames for Deception-Robust Control

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) consist of computing and communication devices integrated with physical components such as sensors and actuators. Increasing connectivity to the Internet for remote monitoring and control has made CPSs more vulnerable to deliberate attacks, which are distinctly different from random perturbations in the system. This provides a way for purely cyber attacks to have physical consequences. Stuxnet is a prominent example of such an attack, one in which the malware acted over an extended period of time while deliberately remaining undetected. Such attacks can be described as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) -- long-term, stealthy attacks. Here, we extend our previous work on hypergames to develop defender strategies that are robust to deception and do not rely on attack detection. We prove that the defender can bound the attacker payoff with these strategies even when the attacker can choose between different attack modes, and we numerically demonstrate our approach on a realistic building control system. Finally, we discuss next steps in extending this approach towards an operational capability.

hypergames, cyber-physical systems, robust control↗
DOE OSTI2020

Broadband Communications Using High Voltage Transmission Lines - A Review

The possibilities afforded by using an existing transmission line infrastructure for the transport of broadband communications are many ranging from (conventional) A-to-B point-to-point links, to integration of Wi-Fi access points mounted at defined network (power and communications) locations, to operation as a fault-tolerant, rollover backup communications fabric (in conjunction with other transport media, such as optical fiber or terrestrial microwave). As stated by RCR Wireless reporter Jeff Kagan – regarding an ongoing in-field demonstration - “This is so much more cost effective for the company and so much easier for them to deliver an ultra-fast, gigabit speed, wireless internet connection anywhere there are power lines.” The same situation arises for a utility looking to augment or simply deploy a communications fabric in their region via treating the transmission line infrastructure as a communication fabric thereby reducing the cost and complexity of deployment. A circa 2020 review of broadband over powerlines (BPL) is presented here.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Open Chemistry, JupyterLab, REST, and quantum chemistry

Quantum chemistry must evolve if it wants to fully leverage the benefits of the internet age, where the worldwide web offers a vast tapestry of tools that enable users to communicate and interact with complex data at the speed and convenience of a button press. The Open Chemistry project has developed an open-source framework that offers an end-to-end solution for producing, sharing, and visualizing quantum chemical data interactively on the web using an array of modern tools and approaches. These tools build on some of the best open-source community projects such as Jupyter for interactive online notebooks, coupled with 3D accelerated visualization, state-of-the-art computational chemistry codes including NWChem and Psi4, and emerging machine learning and data mining tools such as ChemML and ANI. They offer flexible formats to import and export data, along with approaches to compare computational and experimental data.

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

A critical review of cyber-physical security for building automation systems

Modern Building Automation Systems (BASs), as the brain that enable the smartness of a smart building, often require increased connectivity both among system components as well as with outside entities, such as the cloud, to enable low-cost remote management, optimized automation via outsourced cloud analytics, and increased building-grid integrations. As smart buildings move towards open communication technologies, providing access to BASs through the building's intranet, or even remotely through the Internet, has become a common practice. However, increased connectivity and accessibility come with increased cyber security threats. BASs were historically developed as closed environments with limited cyber-security considerations. As a result, BASs in many buildings are vulnerable to cyber-attacks that may cause adverse consequences, such as occupant discomfort, excessive energy usage, and unexpected equipment downtime. Therefore, there is a strong need to advance the state-of-the-art in cyber-physical security for BASs and provide practical solutions for attack mitigation in buildings. However, an inclusive and systematic review of BAS vulnerabilities, potential cyber-attacks with impact assessment, detection & defense approaches, and cyber resilient control strategies is currently lacking in the literature. This review paper fills the gap by providing a comprehensive up-to-date review of cyber-physical security for BASs at three levels in commercial buildings: management level, automation level, and field level. The general BASs vulnerabilities and protocol-specific vulnerabilities for the four dominant BAS protocols (i.e., BACnet, KNX, LonWorks, and Modbus) are reviewed, followed by a discussion on four attack targets and seven potential attack scenarios. Furthermore, the impact of cyber-attacks on BASs is summarized as signal corruption, signal delaying, and signal blocking. The typical cyber-attack detection and defense approaches are identified at the three levels. Cyber resilient control strategies for BASs under attack are categorized into passive and active resilient control schemes. Open challenges and future opportunities are finally discussed.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗