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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Automatic Generation of Algorithms for High-Speed Reliable Lossy Data Compression (Final Report)

Fast reliable data compression is urgently needed for many leading-edge scientific instruments and for exascale high-performance computing applications because they produce vast amounts of data at extremely high rates. The goal of this project has been to develop a framework named LC that is able to automatically generate high-speed lossless and reliable lossy compression and decompression algorithms that can be customized for different kinds of data. The resulting LC framework is freely available on GitHub. To achieve high-speed operation, LC outputs optimized and parallelized CPU and GPU implementations of the generated algorithms. To ensure the quality of lossily compressed data, LC guarantees the user-provided error bound. To be able to customize the compression algorithm to various use cases, LC can synthesize millions of different algorithms and automatically search for the one that works best for the given data. We have already employed LC to create state-of-the-art lossless and lossy compressors for scientific data as well as leading lossless compressors for images. We hope that LC and the customized, fast, reliable, and CPU/GPU-compatible compression algorithms that it can generate will greatly benefit the many scientific applications that need not only high trustworthiness but also high performance.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1972

An adaptive observer for single-input single-output linear systems

It is shown that the full order adaptive observer for single input, single output, observable, continuous, stable, linear differential systems in the absence of a deterministic or random disturbance vector guarantees the vanishing of observation error, regardless of the size of the constant or slowly varying parameter ignorance. The observer parameters are directly changed in a Liapunov adaptive way so as to eventually yield the unknown full order Luenberger observer. The observer poles throughout may be placed freely in the stable region and no derivatives are required in the adaptive law.

Carroll, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

On the design of nonlinear controllers for flight control systems

A method of approximate input-output linearization by dynamic state feedback is presented, with the flight control of VTOL aircraft used as an example. It is shown that the closed loop system has a graceful degradation of performance as the moment-to-force coupling is increased. It is also demonstrated that the approach proposed here leads to an asymptotically stable closed loop system with guaranteed bounds on the tracking error caused by the nonminumum phase character of the system.

Hauser, John↗
NASA NTRS1993

Indirect decentralized repetitive control

Learning control refers to controllers that learn to improve their performance at executing a given task, based on experience performing this specific task. In a previous work, the authors presented a theory of indirect decentralized learning control based on use of indirect adaptive control concepts employing simultaneous identification and control. This paper extends these results to apply to the indirect repetitive control problem in which a periodic (i.e., repetitive) command is given to a control system. Decentralized indirect repetitive control algorithms are presented that have guaranteed convergence to zero tracking error under very general conditions. The original motivation of the repetitive control and learning control fields was learning in robots doing repetitive tasks such as on an assembly line. This paper starts with decentralized discrete time systems, and progresses to the robot application, modeling the robot as a time varying linear system in the neighborhood of the desired trajectory. Decentralized repetitive control is natural for this application because the feedback control for link rotations is normally implemented in a decentralized manner, treating each link as if it is independent of the other links.

Lee, Soo Cheol↗
NASA NTRS2004

Observers for Systems with Nonlinearities Satisfying an Incremental Quadratic Inequality

We consider the problem of state estimation for nonlinear time-varying systems whose nonlinearities satisfy an incremental quadratic inequality. These observer results unifies earlier results in the literature; and extend it to some additional classes of nonlinearities. Observers are presented which guarantee that the state estimation error exponentially converges to zero. Observer design involves solving linear matrix inequalities for the observer gain matrices. Results are illustrated by application to a simple model of an underwater.

observers↗
NASA NTRS2011

Accommodating Sensor Bias in MRAC for State Tracking

The problem of accommodating unknown sensor bias is considered in a direct model reference adaptive control (MRAC) setting for state tracking using state feedback. Sensor faults can occur during operation, and if the biased state measurements are directly used with a standard MRAC control law, neither closed-loop signal boundedness, nor asymptotic tracking can be guaranteed and the resulting tracking errors may be unbounded or unacceptably large. A modified MRAC law is proposed, which combines a bias estimator with control gain adaptation, and it is shown that signal boundedness can be accomplished, although the tracking error may not go to zero. Further, for the case wherein an asymptotically stable sensor bias estimator is available, an MRAC control law is proposed to accomplish asymptotic tracking and signal boundedness. Such a sensor bias estimator can be designed if additional sensor measurements are available, as illustrated for the case wherein bias is present in the rate gyro and airspeed measurements. Numerical example results are presented to illustrate each of the schemes.

Patre, Parag↗
NASA NTRS1973

Design implementation in model-reference adaptive systems

The derivation of an approximate error characteristic equation describing the transient system error response is given, along with a procedure for selecting adaptive gain parameters so as to relate to the transient error response. A detailed example of the application and implementation of these methods for a space shuttle type vehicle is included. An extension of the characteristic equation technique is used to provide an estimate of the magnitude of the maximum system error and an estimate of the time of occurrence of this maximum after a plant parameter disturbance. Techniques for relaxing certain stability requirements and the conditions under which this can be done and still guarantee asymptotic stability of the system error are discussed. Such conditions are possible because the Lyapunov methods used in the stability derivation allow for overconstraining a problem in the process of insuring stability.

Boland, J. S., III↗
NASA NTRS1982

Topex orbit sustenance maneuver design

A trade-off analysis between maneuver period, execution errors, and orbit determination uncertainties is carried out for the Ocean Topography Experiment spacecraft for a given nodal equatorial constraint. Semimajor axis and eccentricity are controlled with minimum impulse using the linear theory of optimal transfer between close coplanar near-circular orbits. Ellipses of equal minimum and average maneuver periods are presented in the (3 execution error, 3 orbit determination uncertainty) space for different nodal equatorial constraints enabling the determination of the appropriate combination of execution errors and orbit determination uncertainties that guarantees a mission required minimum maneuver period for a given nodal deadband.

Kechichian, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cyclic unequal error protection codes constructed from cyclic codes of composite length

The unequal error correction capabilities of binary cyclic codes of composite length are investigated. Under certain conditions, direct sums of concatenated codes have unequal error correction capabilities. By a modified Hartmann and Tzeng algorithm, it is shown that a binary cyclic code of composite length is equivalent to the direct sum of concatenated codes. With this, some binary cyclic unequal error protection (UEP) codes are constructed. Finally, two-level UEP cyclic direct-sum codes are presented which provide error correction capabilities higher than those guaranteed by the Blokh-Zyablov constructions.

Lin, Mao-Chao↗
NASA NTRS2010

MRAC Revisited: Guaranteed Performance with Reference Model Modification

This paper presents modification of the conventional model reference adaptive control (MRAC) architecture in order to achieve guaranteed transient performance both in the output and input signals of an uncertain system. The proposed modification is based on the tracking error feedback to the reference model. It is shown that approach guarantees tracking of a given command and the ideal control signal (one that would be designed if the system were known) not only asymptotically but also in transient by a proper selection of the error feedback gain. The method prevents generation of high frequency oscillations that are unavoidable in conventional MRAC systems for large adaptation rates. The provided design guideline makes it possible to track a reference command of any magnitude form any initial position without re-tuning. The benefits of the method are demonstrated in simulations.

Stepanyan, Vahram↗
NASA NTRS1973

A 'type one' servo explicit model following adaptive scheme.

This paper describes 'type 1' servo techniques applied to explicit model following systems. The advantages of using these are: (1) steady-state decoupling is provided for the controlled state variables as determined by a reference input (the pilot command for example), (2) overall stability of the decoupled adaptive scheme is guaranteed, (3) a zero steady-state error for those state variables incorporating integral feedback, to a constant input reference, and (4) improved transient performance. Example calculations have been performed using a mathematical model for a typical fighter aircraft and a desired performance reference model based on satisfactory aircraft flying qualities. Numerical results are given.

Tiroshi, I.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Singular Value Decomposition Framework for Retrievals with Vertical Distribution Information from Greenhouse Gas Column Absorption Spectroscopy Measurements

We describe a variation of the Optimal Estimation (OE) method for greenhouse gas remote sensing retrievals using a singular value decomposition (SVD) and an uninformative prior. The SVD method is capable of discerning vertical information in column integrated absorption measurements. While traditional Bayesian optimal estimation (OE) assumes a prior distribution in order to regularize the inversion problem, the SVD approach identifies principal components that can be retrieved from the measurement without explicitly specifying a prior mean and prior covariance matrix. We discuss the method, illustrate its use on an integrated path differential absorption CO2 lidar measurement model, and compare it to traditional optimal estimation using numerical simulations. In the absence of forward model error, the mathematics behind the SVD method guarantee it to be bias-free, which is confirmed by the numerical simulations. In contrast, traditional OE retrievals exhibit bias when the prior mean used in the retrieval differs from the true mean. While the SVD approach can be used for most trace gas retrievals, it is particularly useful for situations where prior knowledge of the trace gas profile is poor. The SVD analysis is also useful in illustrating how vertical information is treated by the traditional OE approach.

Ramanathan, Anand K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Proof that timing requirements of the FDDI token ring protocol are satisfied

The fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) is an ANSI draft proposed standard for a 100 Mbit/s fiber-optic token ring. The FDDI timed token access protocol provides dynamic adjustment of the load offered to the ring, with the goal of maintaining a specified token rotation time and of providing a guaranteed upper bound on time between successive arrivals of the token at a station. FDDI also provides automatic recovery when errors occur. The bound on time between successive token arrivals is guaranteed only if the token rotates quickly enough to satisfy timer requirements in each station when all ring resources are functioning properly. Otherwise, recovery would be initiated unnecessarily. The purpose of this paper is to prove that FDDI timing requirements are satisfied, i.e., the token rotates quickly enough to prevent initiation of recovery unless there is failure of a physical resource or unless the network management entity within a station initiates the recovery process.

Johnson, Marjory J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quantifying the impact of precision errors on quantum approximate optimization algorithms

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) is a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm that seeks to achieve approximate solutions to optimization problems by iteratively alternating between intervals of controlled quantum evolution. Here, we examine the effect of analog precision errors on QAOA performance from the perspective of both algorithmic training and performance guarantees. Leveraging cumulant expansions, we recast the faulty QAOA as a control problem in which precision errors are expressed as multiplicative control noise and derive bounds on the performance of QAOA. We show using both analytical techniques and numerical simulations that fixed precision implementations of QAOA circuits are subject to an exponential degradation in performance dependent upon the number of optimal QAOA layers and magnitude of the precision error. Despite this significant reduction, we show that it is possible to mitigate precision errors in QAOA via digitization of the variational parameters at the cost of increasing circuit depth.

quantum algorithms↗
DOE OSTI2025

MS25: Materials Science-Focused Benchmark Data Set for Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials

Here, we present MS25, a benchmark data set for evaluating machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) across diverse materials-relevant systems including MgO surfaces, liquid water, zeolites, a catalytic Pt surface reaction, high-entropy alloys (HEAs), and disordered Zr-oxides. Five MLIP architectures (MACE, NequIP, Allegro, MTP, and Torch-ANI) are trained and tested, focusing not only on traditional metrics (energies, forces, and stresses) but also explicitly validating derived physical observables such as lattice constants, volumes, and reaction barriers. We find that most models reach comparable accuracy on standard error metrics across the simple systems, although equivariant MLIPs offer 1.5–2× improvements over nonequivariant MLIPs in energy and force error for structurally complex or compositionally disordered environments such as HEAs and Zr–O systems. Our analysis highlights that low errors in energy and force predictions do not guarantee reliable observables, emphasizing the necessity of explicit validation. We demonstrate limitations in cross-framework transferability, as models trained on one zeolite framework (CHA) fail to reliably generalize to predictions of structurally distinct frameworks (e.g., MFI). Size-extensive tests show some dependence on system size for MgO, resulting from forced periodicity. The HEA and Zr–O data sets are identified as challenging tests for future benchmarks and MLIP model architecture developments as they show significant differentiation in error between MLIP architectures and are still relatively difficult at 1000 training images. Moving forward, we recommend that benchmarking efforts shift their focus from marginal accuracy improvements in energy and force errors toward identifying and understanding model failure modes, rigorously assessing transferability, and evaluating how their errors affect observable predictions. For researchers looking to choose an MLIP architecture, we suggest selecting equivariant MLIP architectures if the complexity of the system is a challenge. For simple materials problems, auxiliary features such as integration with molecular dynamics engines, trade-offs between computational data set generation cost vs MLIP inference speed, and framework integration may play a more important decision factor than small differences in error metrics that are unlikely to matter for production-level research.

chemical structure↗
NASA NTRS1993

Certification of ICI 1012 optical data storage tape

ICI has developed a unique and novel method of certifying a Terabyte optical tape. The tape quality is guaranteed as a statistical upper limit on the probability of uncorrectable errors. This is called the Corrected Byte Error Rate or CBER. We developed this probabilistic method because of two reasons why error rate cannot be measured directly. Firstly, written data is indelible, so one cannot employ write/read tests such as used for magnetic tape. Secondly, the anticipated error rates need impractically large samples to measure accurately. For example, a rate of 1E-12 implies only one byte in error per tape. The archivability of ICI 1012 Data Storage Tape in general is well characterized and understood. Nevertheless, customers expect performance guarantees to be supported by test results on individual tapes. In particular, they need assurance that data is retrievable after decades in archive. This paper describes the mathematical basis, measurement apparatus and applicability of the certification method.

Howell, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Robust Controller Synthesis for Vision-based Spacecraft Guidance and Control

This work develops a method for Robust Controller for Vision-based Spacecraft (RCVS) guidance and control, integral to the robust autonomy framework for multi-spacecraft for- mation control and reconfiguration applications. The method is built around the use of a photo-realistic simulator, where a camera is deployed on a tracking spacecraft (ego) in order to observe an uncontrolled spacecraft (target) in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In this direction, the proposed approach performs the relative state (attitude and position) estimation of the target spacecraft using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The state estimation error is then modeled and the corresponding error-bounds are obtained around a nominal trajectory of the ego and target spacecraft. Next, this work proposes a linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) based approach to controller synthesis, guaranteed to be robust against both model uncertainties and measurement errors, resulting from vision-based estimation. This controller is comprised of two distinct components, one synthesized based on the nominal trajectory, while the “robust” component corrects for deviations from the nominal trajectory. Finally, a tracking scenario that directly utilize the image data for spacecraft guidance and control, is presented to showcase the performance of the proposed robust autonomy framework.

Rahmani, Amir↗