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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Development of an ultra-fast BaF₂-based detector

BaF₂ is one of the fastest known scintillators, emitting at 220 nm with sub-nanosecond decay constant; Excellent for timing applications. 4.88 g/cm³ → High detection efficiency; At 15 cm thick, nearly 100% efficient for gammas up to 10 MeV. Problem: ~80% of the total light output consists of slower (600 ns decay constant) emission peaked at 310 nm; High count rate → pile up. Goal: develop a BaF₂-based detector that leverages the fast emission component for optimal timing characteristics; Suppression of slow component.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Multiscale architecture for fast optical addressing and control of large-scale qubit arrays

This paper presents a technique for rapid site-selective control of the quantum state of particles in a large array using the combination of a fast deflector (e.g., an acousto-optic deflector) and a relatively slow spatial light modulator (SLM). The use of SLMs for site-selective quantum state manipulation has been limited due to slow transition times that prevent rapid, consecutive quantum gates. By partitioning the SLM into multiple segments and using a fast deflector to transition between them, it is possible to substantially reduce the average time increment between scanner transitions by increasing the number of gates that can be performed for a single SLM full-frame setting. We analyzed the performance of this device in two different configurations: In configuration 1, each SLM segment addresses the full qubit array; in configuration 2, each SLM segment addresses a subarray and an additional fast deflector positions that subarray with respect to the full qubit array. With these hybrid scanners, we calculated qubit addressing rates that are tens to hundreds of times faster than using an SLM alone.

Graham, T. M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

A prototype scintillator real‐time beam monitor for ultra‐high dose rate radiotherapy

Background: FLASH Radiotherapy (RT) is an emergent cancer RT modality where an entire therapeutic dose is delivered at more than 1000 times higher dose rate than conventional RT. For clinical trials to be conducted safely, a precise and fast beam monitor that can generate out-of-tolerance beam interrupts is required. This paper describes the overall concept and provides results from a prototype ultra-fast, scintillator-based beam monitor for both proton and electron beam FLASH applications. Purpose: A FLASH Beam Scintillator Monitor (FBSM) is being developed that employs a novel proprietary scintillator material. The FBSM has capabilities that conventional RT detector technologies are unable to simultaneously provide: (1) large area coverage; (2) a low mass profile; (3) a linear response over a broad dynamic range; (4) radiation hardness; (5) real-time analysis to provide an IEC-compliant fast beam-interrupt signal based on true two-dimensional beam imaging, radiation dosimetry and excellent spatial resolution. Methods: The FBSM uses a proprietary low mass, less than 0.5 mm water equivalent, non-hygroscopic, radiation tolerant scintillator material (designated HM: hybrid material) that is viewed by high frame rate CMOS cameras. Folded optics using mirrors enable a thin monitor profile of ∼10 cm. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) data acquisition system generates real-time analysis on a time scale appropriate to the FLASH RT beam modality: 100–1000 Hz for pulsed electrons and 10–20 kHz for quasi-continuous scanning proton pencil beams. An ion beam monitor served as the initial development platform for this work and was tested in low energy heavy-ion beams ( 86 Kr +26 and protons). A prototype FBSM was fabricated and then tested in various radiation beams that included FLASH level dose per pulse electron beams, and a hospital RT clinic with electron beams. Results: Results presented in this report include image quality, response linearity, radiation hardness, spatial resolution, and real-time data processing. Furthermore, the HM scintillator was found to be highly radiation damage resistant. It exhibited a small 0.025%/kGy signal decrease from a 216 kGy cumulative dose resulting from continuous exposure for 15 min at a FLASH compatible dose rate of 237 Gy/s. Measurements of the signal amplitude versus beam fluence demonstrate linear response of the FBSM at FLASH compatible dose rates of >40 Gy/s. Comparison with commercial Gafchromic film indicates that the FBSM produces a high resolution 2D beam image and can reproduce a nearly identical beam profile, including primary beam tails. The spatial resolution was measured at 35–40 µm. Tests of the firmware beta version show successful operation at 20 000 Hz frame rate or 50 µs/frame, where the real-time analysis of the beam parameters is achieved in less than 1 µs. Conclusions: The FBSM is designed to provide real-time beam profile monitoring over a large active area without significantly degrading the beam quality. A prototype device has been staged in particle beams at currents of single particles up to FLASH level dose rates, using both continuous ion beams and pulsed electron beams. Using a novel scintillator, beam profiling has been demonstrated for currents extending from single particles to 10 nA currents. Radiation damage is minimal and even under FLASH conditions would require ≥50 kGy of accumulated exposure in a single spot to result in a 1% decrease in signal output. Beam imaging is comparable to radiochromic films, and provides immediate images without hours of processing. Real-time data processing, taking less than 50 µs (combined data transfer and analysis times), has been implemented in firmware for 20 kHz frame rates for continuous proton beams.

2D beam imaging↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accelerated Aging of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil Using Carbonyl Titration: Laboratory Analytical Procedure (LAP)

This laboratory analytical procedure covers the accelerated aging of fast pyrolysis bio-oils. Bio-oils undergo reactions that result in physical and chemical changes over time. These changes typically result in an increase in molecular weight, decrease in some functional groups such as carbonyls, and an increase in viscosity; additionally, the aging process often leads to phase separation. Studies have shown that accelerated aging of bio-oils using this method closely mimics room temperature aging for long periods of time (over 3 years). This procedure has been developed for the accelerated aging of fast pyrolysis bio-oils only. Fast pyrolysis bio-oils are more reactive than other bio-oils (e.g., catalytic fast pyrolysis) and undergo aging much more rapidly. Therefore, this procedure should only be used for fast pyrolysis bio-oil samples.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Long-time simulations for fixed input states on quantum hardware

Publicly accessible quantum computers open the exciting possibility of experimental dynamical quantum simulations. While rapidly improving, current devices have short coherence times, restricting the viable circuit depth. Despite these limitations, we demonstrate long-time, high fidelity simulations on current hardware. Specifically, we simulate an XY-model spin chain on Rigetti and IBM quantum computers, maintaining a fidelity over 0.9 for 150 times longer than is possible using the iterated Trotter method. Our simulations use an algorithm we call fixed state Variational Fast Forwarding (fsVFF). Recent work has shown an approximate diagonalization of a short time evolution unitary allows a fixed-depth simulation. fsVFF substantially reduces the required resources by only diagonalizing the energy subspace spanned by the initial state, rather than over the total Hilbert space. We further demonstrate the viability of fsVFF through large numerical simulations, and provide an analysis of the noise resilience and scaling of simulation errors.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Irradiation of ultrasonic sensors and adhesive couplants for application in light water reactor primary loop piping and components

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Nuclear Sector and US Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program are committed to engaging in research and development endeavors to address materials aging issues specific to long term operation of light water power reactors. To this effect, EPRI launched an industry initiative to develop nondestructive evaluation systems for online monitoring of existing cracks in light water reactor primary coolant loop piping and components. One of the goals of this initiative is to develop a sensor system (or systems) that can determine nondestructively if cracks are growing or arrested and, in the case of the former, to characterize their growth rates. A missing component of this initiative is an experimental assessment of how sensors and adhesive couplants will perform in service when exposed to chronic energetic neutron radiation, particularly at the primary coolant loop hot and cold leg dissimilar metal welds, which join the primary loop piping to the reactor pressure vessel and reside in the vicinity of the reactor core. The objective of this experimental study was to determine how ultrasonic transducers and adhesive couplants perform when exposed to irradiation in a test reactor to simulate and accelerate in-service exposure. Further, to achieve this objective, the signal stability of piezoelectric transducers and performance of adhesive couplants as a function of accumulated fast neutron fluence were characterized by collecting ultrasonic data in-situ during irradiation. Of particular interest were the ultrasonic signal quality and time decay of the amplitude of acoustic reflections as a function of fast neutron fluence. The results of the study showed that, of the 8 transducer/substrate sample assemblies tested, only 3 generated usable ultrasonic signals through the conclusion of the irradiation campaign. It was found that high temperature epoxy tends to ultrasonically couple the sensors to the substrates better than three types of refractory ceramic cements studied, as is supported by post irradiation examination. The results obtained through this experimental study will be utilized in the achievement of the overall goal of development of a sensor system to perform online monitoring of primary loop components.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Single channel PICOSEC Micromegas detector with improved time resolution

This paper presents design guidelines and the experimental verification of a single-channel PICOSEC Micromegas (MM) detector with an improved time resolution. The design encompasses the detector board, vessel, auxiliary mechanical parts, and electrical connectivity for high voltage (HV) and signals, focusing on improving the stability, reducing noise, and ensuring signal integrity to optimize timing performance. A notable feature is the simple and fast reassembly procedure, facilitating quick replacement of the detector internal components that allows for an efficient measurement strategy involving different detector components. The paper also examines the influence of parasitic capacitance and inductance on the output signal integrity. To validate the design, a prototype assembly and three interchangeable detector boards with varying readout pad diameters were manufactured. Detectors were initially tested in the laboratory. Finally, the timing performance of the detectors with different pad sizes was verified using 150 GeV muons. Notably, a record time resolution for a PICOSEC Micromegas detector technology with a CsI photocathode of 12.5 ± 0.8 ps was achieved for a detector with 10 mm diameter readout pad size.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fast ion confinement in quasi-axisymmetric stellarator equilibria

This report presents an initial analysis of the fast ion confinement and losses within quasi-axisymmetric stellarator equilibria in consideration by Thea Energy. The equilibria have not yet been explicitly optimized for fast particle confinement and require validation. Modeling with the ASCOT5 code is used to directly examine the fast ion transport. The particle tracking simulations are purely (neo)classical in nature and simply contain the supplied equilibrium and collisions (pitch-angle, energy slowing, and velocity diffusion) from supplied thermal profiles. Uniform marker deposition is used to probe the general confinement properties of the equilibria while a realistic beam-born population is provided from the BEAMS3D code and an alpha particle population is calculated from a fusion source integrator. A first wall is included and defines the loss boundary. Analysis for NBI ions within Thea Energy’s conceptual Eos neutron source are presented along with alpha particles in an enlarged DT-plasma. The fast ions are assessed in regards to their confinement time, pitch, energy, and spatial coordinates. For each population, the impact of collisions and orbit drifts are discussed. It is found that NBI born ions in Eos are strongly confined until slowing-down, owing largely to the tangential injection geometry, while 22% of DT-born alpha energy is lost in the scaled device, indicating that any fusion pilot plant design optimization should include metrics for fast ion confinement.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Layout and performance of HPK prototype LGAD sensors for the High-Granularity Timing Detector

The High-Granularity Timing Detector is a detector proposed for the ATLAS Phase II upgrade. The detector, based on the Low-Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) technology, will cover the pseudo-rapidity region of 2.4 < |n| < 4.0 with two end caps on each side and a total area of 6.4 m 2 . The timing performance can be improved by implanting an internal gain layer that can produce signals with a fast rising edge. It significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio. The required average timing resolution per track for a minimum ionizing particle is 30 ps at the start and 50 ps at the end of the HL-LHC operation. This is achieved with several layers of LGAD. The innermost region of the detector would accumulate a 1MeV neutron-equivalent fluence up to 2.5 10 15 n eq /cm 2 including a safety factor of 1.5 before being replaced during the scheduled shutdowns. The addition of this new detector is expected to play an important role in the mitigation of high pile-ups at the HL-LHC. The layout and performance of the various versions of LGAD prototypes produced by Hamamatsu (HPK) have been studied by the ATLAS Collaboration. The breakdown voltages, depletion voltages, inter-pad gaps, collected charge as well as the time resolution have been measured and the production yield of large size sensors has been evaluated.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Site Disorder Drives Cyanide Dynamics and Fast Ion Transport in Li 6 PS 5 CN

Halide argyrodite solid-state electrolytes of the general formula Li 6 PS 5 X exhibit complex static and dynamic disorder that plays a crucial role in ion transport processes. Here, we unravel the rich interplay between site disorder and dynamics in the plastic crystal argyrodite Li 6 PS 5 CN and the impact on ion diffusion processes through a suite of experimental and computational methodologies, including temperature-dependent synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, AC electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, 7 Li solid-state NMR, and machine learning-assisted molecular dynamics simulations. Sulfide and (pseudo)halide site disorder between the two anion sublattices unilaterally improves long-range lithium diffusion irrespective of the (pseudo)halide identity, which demonstrates the importance of site disorder in dictating bulk ionic conductivity in the argyrodite family. Furthermore, we find that anion site disorder modulates the presence and time scales of cyanide rotational dynamics. Ordered configurations of anions enable fast, quasi-free rotations of cyanides that occur on time scales of 10 11 Hz at T = 300 K. In contrast, we find that cyanide dynamics are slow or frozen in Li 6 PS 5 CN when site disorder between the cyanide and sulfide sublattices is present at T = 300 K. We rationalize the observed differences in cyanide dynamics in the context of elastic dipole interactions between neighboring cyanide anions and local strain induced by the configurations of site disorder that may impact the energetic landscape for cyanide rotational dynamics. Through this study, we find that anion disorder plays a decisive role in dictating the extent and time scales of both lithium ion and cyanide dynamics in Li 6 PS 5 CN.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Increased Voltage in CdSe Solar Cells by Mitigation of Charge Carrier Trapping Due to Se Vacancies

Cadmium selenide (CdSe), with a 1.7 eV bandgap, is a promising high-bandgap semiconductor for tandem solar cells, yet device efficiencies are hindered by rapid minority carrier recombination. Here, in this study, polycrystalline CdSe solar cells are investigated using radiative emission spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence, and density functional theory, revealing fast (sub-nanosecond) minority carrier trapping by selenium vacancy-related defect states with densities of (5–50) × 10 17 cm −3 , limiting carrier mobility and increasing recombination. By reducing absorber thickness to ≈0.5 µm, trapping effects are mitigated, achieving a record open-circuit voltage of 917 mV, a 165 mV improvement over prior reports. These findings clarify the role of Se vacancies in limiting CdSe solar cell performance and provide insights applicable to CdSe and CdSeTe thin-film photovoltaics. This work advances understanding of defect-mediated losses in II–VI semiconductors and suggests pathways for improving solar cell performance through defect control.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signatures of ultralight dark matter in neutrino oscillation experiments

We study how neutrino oscillations could probe the existence of ultralight bosonic dark matter. Three distinct signatures on neutrino oscillations are identified, depending on the mass of the dark matter and the specific experimental setup. These are time modulation signals, oscillation probability distortions due to fast modulations, and fast varying matter effects. We provide all the necessary information to perform a bottom-up, model-independent experimental analysis to probe such scenarios. Using the future DUNE experiment as an example, we estimate its sensitivity to ultralight scalar dark matter. Our results could be easily used by any other oscillation experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Toucan: A performance portable, scalable implementation of the DECA algorithm

In the field of additive manufacturing (AM), cellular automata (CA) is extensively used to simulate microstructural evolution during solidification. However, while traditional CA approaches are relatively fast, they still require a substantial number of time steps, are limited to moderate volumes, and are relatively difficult to improve through parallelism due to the highly localized nature of the solidification front. Here, to address these issues of time to solution and load balancing, we introduce Toucan, a parallel, performance-portable, and scalable code written in C++ with the Kokkos library that leverages the discrete event inspired cellular automata (DECA) algorithm to perform parallel-in-time (PinT) grain growth simulations. Toucan effectively mitigates load balancing issues by distributing the computational workload more evenly across processors, enhancing scalability and efficiency. We conduct both strong and weak scaling studies on up to 64 GPUs on the Frontier supercomputer, demonstrating that Toucan significantly outperforms the current state-of-the-art, time-stepped CA code, ExaCA, on both single and multi-GPU simulations. Even in AM-specific weak scaling scenarios, Toucan maintains near-ideal scaling, in contrast to the linear increase observed with ExaCA due to the moving laser raster pattern. This study highlights Toucan’s potential to transform microstructural simulations in AM by radically improving both efficiency and scalability over existing methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessing the vulnerability of solar inverters to EMPs: Port testing, PCI modeling, and protection strategies

Renewable energy sources are becoming an ever-larger contributor to the power grid. These renewable energy sources depend upon the power electronic devices, specifically inverters, being essential for connecting Photovoltaic (PV) generation to the grid. However, the Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) caused by the high-altitude nuclear explosions can generate fast broad-band pulses with nanosecond rise time, potentially causing damage or destruction to electronic components. To assess the vulnerability of PV inverters to high-altitude EMPs, the port testing and Pulsed Current Injection (PCI) modeling schemes are proposed based on the port impedance analysis. Wide-band frequency measurements are achieved by fusing impedance results from three vector network analyzers. Then, a PCI model is used to simulate the induced response to EMP, with two typical immunity levels of EC5 and EC8 tested. Here, the experiment successfully excites the induced voltage and current under EMP, where the voltage and current can reach 1500V/40A and 8000V/150Aunder EC5 andEC8, respectively. The port vulnerability analysis results demonstrate that only some ports can survive under EC5. To defend against the impact of EMP, three protection strategies are discussed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

High precision real-time insertion device and monochromator synchronization at NSLS-II

We report that insertion devices have become the dominant photon source at synchrotron and free electron laser light source facilities the world over. Undulators, characterized by their small deflection parameter, exhibit a high degree of constructive interference in photon production from high energy charged particle beams leading to very high photon rates at specific harmonics of the fundamental frequency with relatively narrow spectral widths. Spectroscopic measurements of interest typically span several of these harmonic widths, which requires precision adjustment of an undulator’s magnetic gap to maintain peak flux within the much narrower bandwidth of a beamline monochromator at the desired energy. High precision insertion device controls are developed at NSLS-II including real-time linked control of monochromator hardware allowing for fast, high precision, hardware triggered, spectroscopic measurements. Furthermore, this fast fly scan method is described, compared statistically for self consistency, and shown to be far superior in both efficiency and accuracy as compared to standard step scan measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Surmounting the interband threshold limit by the hot electron excitation of multi-metallic plasmonic AgAuCu NPs for UV photodetector application

We report multi-metallic alloy NPs composed of various elemental compositions can surmount the interband threshold limit of mono-metallic NPs and thus can offer a promising route to boost up the performance limit of conventional ultraviolet photodetectors (PDs). In this work, a hybrid UV-PD configuration has been demonstrated by combining the multi-metallic plasmonic alloy NPs of AgCu, AuCu, and AgAuCu on a GaN photoactive layer in order to exploit the improved photo carrier injection by the strong hot electrons and LSPR. Among various devices, the tri-metallic AgAuCu NP PD demonstrates the highest performance with a remarkably high photocurrent of 1.47 x 10 -2 A at 1 V with fast rise (T r ) and fall (T f ) times of 170 and 700 ms with a very stable current. This leads to the superior figure-of-merit parameters of the PD with a photoresponsivity of 4.3 x 10 6 mA W-1, detectivity of 3.52 x 10 12 Jones and EQE of 1.39 x 10 6 %, which is ~16 times higher than the bare GaN PD. This ranks the AgAuCu PD as one of the best GaN based UV photodetectors. The photocurrent enhancement and excellent figure-of-merit can be attributed to the significantly increased photo carrier injection by the efficient hot electron generation via the LSPR and improved interfacial barrier characteristics by the tri-metallic elemental synergy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

High-efficiency, high-fidelity charge initialization of shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

Nitrogen-vacancy (N-𝑉) centers in diamond exhibit long spin-coherence times, optical initialization, and optical-spin readout under ambient conditions, making them excellent quantum sensors. However, the conventional scheme for charge-state initialization based on off-resonant green excitation results in significant state-preparation errors, typically around 30%. One method for improving charge-state initialization fidelity is to use multicolor excitation, which has been demonstrated to achieve a near-unity preparation fidelity for bulk N-𝑉 centers by using a few milliseconds of near-infrared (NIR) (5-mW) and green (10-μ⁢W) excitation. The translation of such schemes to N-𝑉 centers near the diamond surface with higher-efficiency optical pumping would enable new applications in nanoscale sensing. Here, we demonstrate a protocol for efficient charge initialization of shallow N-𝑉 centers between 5 nm and 15 nm from the diamond surface. By carefully studying the charge dynamics of shallow N-𝑉 centers, we identify a region of parameter space that allows for near-unity (95%) charge initialization within 300 μ⁢s of NIR (905-nm, 1-mW) and green (520-nm, 10-μ⁢W) excitation. The time to 90% charge initialization can be as fast as 10 μ⁢s for 4 mW of NIR and 39 μ⁢W of green illumination. This fast, efficient charge initialization protocol will especially benefit nanoscale sensing applications in which state-preparation errors currently prohibit scaling, such as measuring higher-order multipoint correlators.

infrared techniques↗
DOE OSTI2024

Plasmoid Formation and Strong Radiative Cooling in a Driven Magnetic Reconnection Experiment

Herein we present the first experimental study of plasmoid formation in a magnetic reconnection layer undergoing rapid radiative cooling, a regime relevant to extreme astrophysical plasmas. Two exploding aluminum wire arrays, driven by the Z machine, generate a reconnection layer (S L ≈ 120) in which the cooling rate far exceeds the hydrodynamic transit rate (τ hydro =τ cool > 100). The reconnection layer generates a transient burst of >1 keV x-ray emission, consistent with the formation and subsequent rapid cooling of the layer. Time-gated x-ray images show fast-moving (up to 50 km s –1 ) hotspots in the layer, consistent with the presence of plasmoids in 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations. X-ray spectroscopy shows that these hotspots generate the majority of Al K-shell emission (around 1.6 keV) prior to the onset of cooling, and exhibit temperatures (170 eV) much greater than that of the plasma inflows and the rest of the reconnection layer, thus providing insight into the generation of high-energy radiation in radiatively cooled reconnection events.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗