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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 559 records · Page 31

Measurements of charmonium production in p+p, p+Au, and Au+Au collisions at s NN = 200 GeV with the STAR experiment

Here, we present the first results from the STAR MTD of mid-rapidity charmonium measurements via the di-muon decay channel in p+p, p+Au, and Au+Au collisions at √S NN = 200 GeV at RHIC. The inclusive J/Ψ production cross section in p+p collisions can be described by the Non-Relativistic QCD (NRQCD) formalism coupled with the color glass condensate e ective theory (CGC) at low transverse momentum (p T ) and next-to-leading order NRQCD at high p T . The nuclear modification factor in p+Au collisions for inclusive J/Ψ is below unity at low p T and consistent with unity at high p T , which can be described by calculations including both nuclear PDF and nuclear absorption e ects. The double ratio of inclusive J/Ψ and Ψ(2S) production rates for 0 < p T < 10 GeV/c at mid-rapidity between p+p and p+Au collisions is measured to be 1.37 0.42 0.19. The nuclear modification factor in Au+Au collisions for inclusive J/Ψ shows significant J/Ψ suppression at high p T in central collisions and can be qualitatively described by transport models including dissociation and regeneration contributions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Programmable Synthesis of Multimetallic Phosphide Nanorods Mediated by Core/Shell Structure Formation and Conversion

Generalized synthetic strategies for nanostructures with well-defined physical dimensions and broad-range chemical compositions are at the frontier of advanced nanomaterials design, functionalization, and application. In this paper, we report a composition-programmable synthesis of multimetallic phosphide CoMP x nanorods (NRs) wherein M can be controlled to be Fe, Ni, Mn, Cu, and their binary combinations. Forming Co 2 P/MP x core/shell NRs and subsequently converting them into CoMP x solid-solution NRs through thermal post-treatment are essential to overcome the obstacle of morphology/structure inconsistency faced in conventional synthesis of CoMP x with the different M compositions. The resultant CoMP x with uniform one-dimensional (1-D) structure provides us a platform to unambiguously screen the M synergistic effects in improving the electrocatalytic activity, as exemplified by the oxygen evolution reaction. This new approach mediated by core/shell nanostructure formation and conversion can be extended to other multicomponent nanocrystal systems (metal alloy, mixed oxide, and chalcogenide, etc.) for diverse applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A magnon band analysis of GdRu 2 Si 2 in the field-polarized state

Understanding the formation of skyrmions in centrosymmetric materials is a problem of fundamental and technological interest. GdRu 2 Si 2 is a candidate material that hosts a variety of multi-Q magnetic phases, including in zero-field. Here, inelastic neutron scattering is used to measure the spin excitations in the field-polarized phase of GdRu 2 Si 2 . Linear spin wave theory and a method of interaction invariant path analysis are used to derive a Hamiltonian accounting for the spectra. The Hamiltonian, dominated by bilinear (Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida) Heisenberg exchange, compares favorably to ab initio calculations. Dipolar interactions are a secondary energy scale to consider, with J D.D ~ 0.05 J RKKY . However, it is shown that in the field-polarized phase the dipolar interactions ‘self screen’ so that their effect is largely suppressed. No specific evidence for higher-order exchange is found. These aspects are discussed in the context of the lower field multi-Q states and the anisotropy of the system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Giant optical enhancement of strain gradient in ferroelectric BiFeO 3 thin films and its physical origin

Through mapping of the spatiotemporal strain profile in ferroelectric BiFeO 3 epitaxial thin films, we report an optically initiated dynamic enhancement of the strain gradient of 10 5 –10 6 m -1 that lasts up to a few ns depending on the film thickness. Correlating with transient optical absorption measurements, the enhancement of the strain gradient is attributed to a piezoelectric effect driven by a transient screening field mediated by excitons. In conclusion, these findings not only demonstrate a new possible way of controlling the flexoelectric effect, but also reveal the important role of exciton dynamics in photostriction and photovoltaic effects in ferroelectrics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Resonance strength measurement at astrophysical energies: The {sup 17}O(p,α){sup 14}N reaction studied via Trojan Horse Method

In recent years, the Trojan Horse Method (THM) has been used to investigate the low-energy cross sections of proton-induced reactions on {sup 17}O nuclei, overcoming extrapolation procedures and enhancement effects due to electron screening. We will report on the indirect study of the {sup 17}O(p,α){sup 14}N reaction via the THM by applying the approach developed for extracting the resonance strength of narrow resonance in the ultralow energy region. Two measurements will be described and the experimental THM cross sections will be shown for both experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Development of metal oxide impregnated stilbite thick film ethanol sensor

This paper presents the study of the sensing efficiency of Titanium oxide/ Stilbite and Copper oxide /Stilbite composites towards detection of hazardous pollutants like ethanol. Stilbite based composites are prepared by physically mixing zeolite with metal oxides namely TiO{sub 2} and CuO with weight ratios of 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25. The resulting sensor materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy techniques. Composite sensors are fabricated in the form of thick film by using screen printing technique. The effect of metal oxide concentration on various ethanol sensing parameters such as operating temperature, maximum uptake capacity and response/recovery time are investigated. The results indicate that metal oxide impregnated stilbite composites have great potential as low temperature ethanol sensor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Superconducting penetration depth through a Van Hove singularity: Sr 2 ⁢RuO 4 under uniaxial stress

A plethora of experiments in Sr 2 RuO 4 have reached conflicting conclusions about the symmetry of the superconducting gap. To probe the gap’s structure in k-space, we use strain to continuously tune the band structure through a Van Hove singularity (VHS) while imaging the superconductivity with scanning SQUID microscopy. We find that the superfluid density peaks at the VHS and that the temperature dependence of the penetration depth is T 2 -quadratic over the entire measured range of strain ε. These results are consistent with a gap structure that has vertical line nodes, experimentally confirming that non-local effects in the Meissner screening can lead to T 2 behavior and clarifying the nature of the low-energy excitations in Sr 2 RuO 4 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Cosmological evolution of light dark photon dark matter

Light dark photons are subject to various plasma effects, such as Debye screening and resonant oscillations, which can lead to a more complex cosmological evolution than is experienced by conventional cold dark matter candidates. Maintaining a consistent history of dark photon dark matter requires ensuring that the superthermal abundance present in the early Universe (i) does not deviate significantly after the formation of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and (ii) does not excessively leak into the Standard Model plasma after big band nucleosynthesis (BBN). We point out that the role of nonresonant absorption, which has previously been neglected in cosmological studies of this dark matter candidate, produces strong constraints on dark photon dark matter with mass as low as 10 - 22 eV . Furthermore, we show that resonant conversion of dark photons after recombination can produce excessive heating of the intergalactic medium (IGM) which is capable of prematurely reionizing hydrogen and helium, leaving a distinct imprint on both the Ly- α forest and the integrated optical depth of the CMB. Our constraints surpass existing cosmological bounds by more than 5 orders of magnitude across a wide range of dark photon masses.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Convolution Lagrangian perturbation theory for biased tracers beyond general relativity

We compare analytic predictions for real and Fourier space two-point statistics for biased tracers from a variety of Lagrangian perturbation theory approaches against those from state of the art N-body simulations in f(R) Hu-Sawicki and the nDGP braneworld modified gravity theories. We show that the novel physics of gravitational collapse in scalar tensor theories with the chameleon or the Vainshtein screening mechanism can be effectively factored in with bias parameters analytically predicted using the peak-background split formalism when updated to include the environmental sensitivity of modified gravity theories as well as changes to the halo mass function. Here, we demonstrate that convolution Lagrangian perturbation theory (CLPT) and standard perturbation theory (SPT) approaches provide accurate analytic methods to predict the correlation function and power spectra, respectively, for biased tracers in modified gravity models and are able to characterize both the baryon acoustic oscillation, power-law, and small scale regimes needed for upcoming galaxy surveys such as DESI, Euclid, LSST and WFIRST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multicomponent mutual diffusion in the warm, dense matter regime

In this work, we present the formulation, simulations, and results for multicomponent mutual diffusion coefficients in the warm, dense matter regime. While binary mixtures have received considerable attention for mass transport, far fewer studies have addressed ternary and more complex systems. We therefore explicitly examine ternary systems utilizing the Maxwell-Stefan formulation that relates diffusion to gradients in the chemical potential. Onsager coefficients then connect the macroscopic diffusion to microscopic particle motions, evinced in trajectories characterized by positions and velocities, through various autocorrelation functions (ACFs). These trajectories are generated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations either through the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which treats the ions classically and the electrons quantum-mechanically by an orbital-free density-functional theory, or through a classical MD approach with Yukawa pair-potentials, whose effective ionizations and electron screening length derive from quantal considerations. We employ the reference-mean form of the ACFs and determine the center-of-mass coefficients through a simple reference-frame-dependent similarity transformation. The Onsager terms in turn determine the mutual diffusion coefficients. We examine a representative sample of ternary mixtures as a function of density and temperature from those with only light elements (D-Li-C, D-Li-Al) to those with highly asymmetric mass components (D-Li-Cu, D-Li-Ag, H-C-Ag). We also follow trends in the diffusion as a function of number concentration and evaluated the efficacy of various approximations such as the Darken approximation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Temperature Dependence of Charge Distributions and Carrier Mobility in an Undoped Si/SiGe Heterostructure

Capacitance–voltage (C–V ) characteristics and carrier transport properties of 2-D electron gases (2DEGs) in an undoped Si/SiGe heterostructure at T = 4 – 35 K are presented here. In this work, two capacitance plateaus due to density saturation of the 2DEG in the buried Si quantum well (QW) are observed and explained by a model of surface tunneling. The peak mobility at 4 K is 4.1 × 10 5 cm 2 /V·s and enhanced by a factor of 1.97 at an even lower carrier density compared to the saturated carrier density, which is attributed to the effect of remote carrier screening. At T = 35 K, the mobility enhancement with a factor of 1.35 is still observed, which suggests the surface tunneling is still dominant.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Enhanced Attenuation of Uranium in the Subsurface

Over time, the focus for the Hanford Site has moved from production to decommissioning and site remediation. Several hundred metric tons of near-surface vadose zone sediment have been excavated from the 300 Area in an effort to remove the source of the uranium contamination (DOE/RL, 2011). Despite remediation efforts, uranium continues to be problematic with concentrations greater than the maximum contaminant level (MCL, which is 30 µg/L) for drinking water. Due to the close proximity of the Columbia River, the uranium continues to be a focus of investigation and remediation. After finding that the uranium concentrations were not decreasing as quickly as expected (based on the 1996 ROD) the Tri-Parties set new milestones, including an update of the conceptual model for the 300 Area uranium plume (Williams et al., 2007). In order to more accurately complete a feasibility study and identify how to remediate the uranium in the groundwater, the DOE authorized a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS). RI/FSs are designed to screen technologies to determine effectiveness, implementability, and cost (see Chapter 2b). These studies are designed to be conducted concurrently as part of the CERCLA process, so the data collected during site characterization (part of the RI) can inform the treatability studies and field tests conducted under the FS (EPA 1988). For the 300 Area, this study included laboratory, field, and modeling components as well as additional sediment and groundwater characterization to determine a suitable remediation strategy to reduce the uranium concentration in the groundwater plume within the expected time frame and cost.

300 area, uranium, polyphosphate, Hanford book pro↗

Setting Boundaries on Mass Loss: Attempts to Mitigate the Solar Abundance Problem [Slides]

The improvement of solar atmosphere models caused solar abundances to be significantly lowered from the Grevesse & Sauval (1998) values. This has lead to discussions of whether there is a solar abundance problem or a solar model problem. Both the solar abundance community and the solar modeling community have continued to evaluate their work. This presentation uses the abundance of lithium, conditions on early Mars, conditions on early Earth, and stellar observations to set realistic boundaries on an early solar mass loss evolution model to address the discussion caused by lower solar elemental abundances. The effects of dynamic electron screening is also investigated in the context of an early mass loss model in an attempt to improve agreement in the core of solar evolution and pulsation models. Two models presented bound the initial mass of the sun for an early mass loss model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Methods for Finding Legacy Wells in Large Areas

United States. When abandoned, many wells were not adequately sealed and now provide a potential conduit for the vertical movement of liquids and gases. Today, groundwater aquifers can be contaminated by surface pollutants flowing down wells or by deep, saline water diffusing upwards. Likewise, natural gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), or radon can travel upwards via these wells to endanger structures or human health on the surface. Recently, the need to find and plug wells has become critical with the advent of carbon dioxide injection into geologic formations for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or carbon storage. The potential for natural gas or brine leakage through existing wells has also been raised as a concern in regions where shale resources are hydraulically fractured for hydrocarbon recovery. In this study, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) updated existing, effective well finding techniques to be able to survey large areas quickly using helicopter or ground-vehicle-mounted magnetometers, combined with mobile methane detection. For this study, magnetic data were collected using airborne and ground vehicles equipped with two boom-mounted magnetometers, or on foot using a hand-held magnetometer with a single sensor. Data processing techniques were employed to accentuate well-casing-type magnetic signatures. To locate wells with no magnetic signature (wells where the steel well casing had been removed), the team monitored for anomalous concentrations of methane, which could indicate migration of volatile compounds from deeper sedimentary strata along a well or fracture pathway. Methane measurements were obtained using the ALPIS DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) sensor for helicopter surveys and the Apogee leak detection system (LDS) for ground surveys. These methods were evaluated at a 100-year-old oilfield in Wyoming, where a helicopter magnetic survey accurately located 93% of visible wells. In addition, 20% of the wells found by the survey were previously unknown or inaccurately located. This study found helicopter magnetic surveys to be an accurate, cost- and time-effective means to locate steel-cased wells in large areas, and is a first step in evaluating whether well detection techniques can be applied effectively for well location screening across broad geographic areas.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Methods for Finding Legacy Wells in Large Areas

More than 10 million wells have been drilled during 150 years of oil and gas production in the United States. When abandoned, many wells were not adequately sealed and now provide a potential conduit for the vertical movement of liquids and gases. Today, groundwater aquifers can be contaminated by surface pollutants flowing down wells or by deep, saline water diffusing upwards. Likewise, natural gas, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), or radon can travel upwards via these wells to endanger structures or human health on the surface. Recently, the need to find and plug wells has become critical with the advent of carbon dioxide injection into geologic formations for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or carbon storage. The potential for natural gas or brine leakage through existing wells has also been raised as a concern in regions where shale resources are hydraulically fractured for hydrocarbon recovery. In this study, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) updated existing, effective well finding techniques to be able to survey large areas quickly using helicopter or ground-vehicle-mounted magnetometers, combined with mobile methane detection. For this study, magnetic data were collected using airborne and ground vehicles equipped with two boom-mounted magnetometers, or on foot using a hand-held magnetometer with a single sensor. Data processing techniques were employed to accentuate well-casing-type magnetic signatures. To locate wells with no magnetic signature (wells where the steel well casing had been removed), the team monitored for anomalous concentrations of methane, which could indicate migration of volatile compounds from deeper sedimentary strata along a well or fracture pathway. Methane measurements were obtained using the ALPIS DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) sensor for helicopter surveys and the Apogee leak detection system (LDS) for ground surveys. These methods were evaluated at a 100-year-old oilfield in Wyoming, where a helicopter magnetic survey accurately located 93% of visible wells. In addition, 20% of the wells found by the survey were previously unknown or inaccurately located. This study found helicopter magnetic surveys to be an accurate, cost- and time-effective means to locate steel-cased wells in large areas, and is a first step in evaluating whether well detection techniques can be applied effectively for well location screening across broad geographic areas.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Methodology for Valuing Resilience to Severe Events for Department of Energy Sites

This study outlines an approach that operators of U.S. Department of Energy sites can use to value resilience. Qualitative screening and assessments often effectively identify vulnerabilities and measures that would enhance resilience. However, the implementation of these measures may be limited by a lack of a quantifiable cost-benefit analysis that compares action to inaction. The method presented here is intended to help overcome this barrier by detailing how DOE sites can quantify the costs and benefits of site resilience measures, and to compare that to the value of inaction. The approach mirrors common vulnerability assessment and resilience planning methods following five key steps (e.g., establish the baseline, assess vulnerability and risk, develop the resilience action plan), and provides detailed guidance on methods for quantification within each step. The five-step methodology was implemented in a case study of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, which demonstrated the value of two resilience measures aimed at helping the site to avoid lost work hours due to expected increases in the number of high heat days.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Machine Learning-Enabled Wearable Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensor for Real-Time Breast Abnormality Detection

In contemporary society, breast health has become a significant public health concern, particularly among women. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, both the incidence and mortality rates of breast tumors have steadily increased in recent years. Therefore, effective early-stage screening and postoperative monitoring are essential for maintaining breast health. However, conventional clinical diagnostic modalities are typically bulky, operationally complex, and unsuitable for continuous real-time monitoring, which limits their use in portable and everyday health management applications. To address these limitations, this study proposes a machine learning-integrated wearable piezoelectric sensing platform as an auxiliary tool for breast health assessment. The device consists of a PDMS matching layer embedded with flexible silver nanowires, a P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric layer, and a multi-channel low-noise signal acquisition circuit. It is capable of acquiring acoustic echo signals from tissue-mimicking environments and automatically evaluating signal validity using a convolutional neural network (CNN). By integrating piezoelectric sensing with deep learning-based signal analysis, the proposed system achieves a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 70 dB and a real-time classification accuracy above 96% under controlled conditions. These results demonstrate that the platform provides a compact, portable, and intelligent approach for wearable sensing of mechanical heterogeneity and highlight its potential for future development in continuous biomedical monitoring technologies.

He, Shuaitong↗

Selection standard for FEP films for solar energy

Purple fluorocarbon ethylene propylene (FEP) films are more efficient due to low absorptance. Designers seeking to improve coatings quantify this effect and devise simple screening test based on transmittance of films.

Reed, M. W.↗