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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 OSTI2014

Enhancement of electron mobility in asymmetric coupled quantum well structures

We study the low temperature multisubband electron mobility in a structurally asymmetric GaAs/Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As delta doped double quantum well. We calculate the subband energy levels and wave functions through selfconsistent solution of the coupled Schrodinger equation and Poisson's equation. We consider ionized impurity scattering, interface roughness scattering, and alloy disorder scattering to calculate the electron mobility. The screening of the scattering potentials is obtained by using static dielectric response function formalism within the random phase approximation. We analyze, for the first time, the effect of asymmetric structure parameters on the enhancement of multisubband electron mobility through intersubband interactions. We show that the asymmetric variation of well width, doping concentration, and spacer width considerably influences the interplay of scattering mechanisms on mobility. Our results of asymmetry induced enhancement of electron mobility can be utilized for low temperature device applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

The Coulomb, exchange, and correlation components of the electron-electron repulsion in harmonium atoms

Highly accurate Coulomb, exchange, and correlation components of the electron-electron repulsion energies of the three-electron harmonium atoms in the {sup 2}P{sub −} and {sup 4}P{sub +} states are obtained for 19 values of the confinement strength ω ranging from 10{sup −3} to 10{sup 3}. The computed data are consistent with their ω → 0 and ω → ∞ asymptotics that are given by closed-form algebraic expressions. Robust approximants that accurately reproduce the actual values of the energy components while strictly conforming to these limits are constructed, opening an avenue to stringent tests capable of predicting the performance of electronic structure methods for systems with varying extents of the dynamical and nondynamical electron correlation. The values of the correlation components, paired with the computed 1-matrices are expected to be particularly useful in the context of benchmarking of approximate density matrix functionals.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Efficient manifolds tracing for planar maps

Here, we present an exact calculation method and an approximation technique for tracing the invariant manifolds of unstable periodic orbits of planar maps. The exact approach relies on an adaptive refinement procedure that prevents redundant calculations occurring in other approaches, and the approximated method relies on a novel interpolation approach based on normal displacement functions. The resulting approximated manifold is precise when compared to the exact one, and its relative computational cost falls like the inverse of the manifold length. To present the tracing method, we obtain the invariant manifolds of the Chirikov-Taylor map, and as an application we illustrate the transition from homoclinic to heteroclinic chaos in the Duffing oscillator that leads from localized chaos to global chaotic motion.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Second-order wave excitation forces in WEC-Sim/MOST: Implementation, experimental validation, and code-to-code comparison

Accurate prediction of second-order hydrodynamic loads is essential for floating bodies, including floating offshore wind turbines, wave energy converters, and hybrid wind–wave platforms. These nonlinear effects, arising from both sum- and difference-frequency forcing, are critical for capturing key response characteristics but remain challenging to model efficiently. In this work, we extend the open-source Wave Energy Converter Simulator / MATLAB for Offshore Simulation Tool by implementing second-order wave excitation forces, supporting both the full Quadratic Transfer Function formulation and the Newman approximation. The full Quadratic Transfer Function method is used for all code-to-code comparisons and experimental validation, while the Newman approximation is provided as a computationally lighter alternative. To benchmark the new capability, we perform a code-to-code comparison with OpenFAST and OrcaFlex. We then validate the enhanced model using wave-tank measurements of a 1:96 scale DeepCwind semi-submersible, showing that second-order effects are required to reproduce platform motions. The implementation employs a computationally efficient pre-computation strategy for second-order wave excitation forces, reducing simulation cost while maintaining engineering accuracy. Overall, this work advances the tool as an open-source and versatile tool for modelling floating offshore renewable-energy systems requiring second-order hydrodynamic fidelity.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Adaptive Activation Functions Accelerate Convergence in Deep and Physics-informed Neural Networks

We employ adaptive activation functions for regression in deep and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) to approximate smooth and discontinuous functions as well as solutions of linear and nonlinear partial differential equations. In particular, we solve the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation, which has smooth solutions, the nonlinear Burgers equation, which can admit high gradient solutions, and the Helmholtz equation. We introduce a scalable hyper-parameter in the activation function, which can be optimized to achieve best performance of the network as it changes dynamically the topology of the loss function involved in the optimization process. The adaptive activation function has better learning capabilities than the traditional one (fixed activation) as it improves greatly the convergence rate, especially at early training, as well as the solution accuracy. To better understand the learning process, we plot the neural network solution in the frequency domain to examine how the network captures successively different frequency bands present in the solution. We consider both forward problems, where the approximate solutions are obtained, as well as inverse problems, where parameters involved in the governing equation are identified. Our simulation results show that the proposed method is a very simple and effective approach to increase the efficiency, robustness and accuracy of the neural network approximation of nonlinear functions as well as solutions of partial differential equations, especially for forward problems. We theoretically prove that in the proposed method, gradient descent algorithms are not attracted to suboptimal critical points or local minima.

machine leaning, Bad minima, Inverse problems, Phy↗
DOE OSTI2014

e/a classification of Hume–Rothery Rhombic Triacontahedron-type approximants based on all-electron density functional theory calculations

There are three key electronic parameters in elucidating the physics behind the Hume–Rothery electron concentration rule: the square of the Fermi diameter (2kF)2, the square of the critical reciprocal lattice vector and the electron concentration parameter or the number of itinerant electrons per atom e/a. We have reliably determined these three parameters for 10 Rhombic Triacontahedron-type 2/1–2/1–2/1 (N = 680) and 1/1–1/1–1/1 (N = 160–162) approximants by making full use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave-Fourier band calculations based on all-electron density-functional theory. We revealed that the 2/1–2/1–2/1 approximants Al13Mg27Zn45 and Na27Au27Ga31 belong to two different sub-groups classified in terms of equal to 126 and 109 and could explain why they take different e/a values of 2.13 and 1.76, respectively. Among eight 1/1–1/1–1/1 approximants Al3Mg4Zn3, Al9Mg8Ag3, Al21Li13Cu6, Ga21Li13Cu6, Na26Au24Ga30, Na26Au37Ge18, Na26Au37Sn18 and Na26Cd40Pb6, the first two, the second two and the last four compounds were classified into three sub-groups with = 50, 46 and 42; and were claimed to obey the e/a = 2.30, 2.10–2.15 and 1.70–1.80 rules, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Measurement of forward-backward multiplicity correlations in lead-lead, proton-lead, and proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle pseudorapidity correlations are measured in √ s NN = 2.76TeV Pb + Pb, √ s NN = 5.02TeV p + Pb, and √s = 13 TeV pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), with total integrated luminosities of approximately 7μb –1 , 28 nb –1 , and 65 nb –1 , respectively. The correlation function C N (η 1 ,η 2 ) is measured as a function of event multiplicity using charged particles in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 2.4. The correlation function contains a significant short-range component, which is estimated and subtracted. After removal of the short-range component, the shape of the correlation function is described approximately by 1 + < a2 1 > 1/2 η 1 η 2 in all collision systems over the full multiplicity range. The values of < a 2 1 > 1/2 are consistent for the opposite-charge pairs and same-charge pairs, and for the three collision systems at similar multiplicity. The values of < a 2 1 > 1/2 and the magnitude of the short-range component both follow a power-law dependence on the event multiplicity. Here, the short-range component in p + Pb collisions, after symmetrizing the proton and lead directions, is found to be smaller at a given η than in pp collisions with comparable multiplicity.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Composition and work function relationship in Os–Ru–W ternary alloys

Os–Ru thin films with varying concentrations of W were sputter deposited in order to investigate their structure–property relationships. The films were analyzed with x-ray diffraction to investigate their crystal structures, and a Kelvin probe to investigate their work functions. An Os–Ru–W film with ∼30 at. % W yielded a work function maximum of approximately 5.38 eV. These results align well with other studies that found work function minima from thermionic emission data on M-type cathodes with varying amounts of W in the coatings. Furthermore, the results are consistent with other work explaining energy-level alignment and charge transfer of molecules on metal oxides. This may shed light on the mechanism behind the “anomalous effect” first reported by Zalm et al., whereby a high work function coating results in a low work function for emitting cathode surfaces. An important implication of this work is the potential for the Kelvin probe to evaluate the effectiveness of dispenser cathode coatings.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Measure Approximation for Distributionally Robust PDE-Constrained Optimization Problems

In numerous applications, scientists and engineers acquire varied forms of data that partially characterize the inputs to an underlying physical system. This data is then used to inform decisions such as controls and designs. Consequently, it is critical that the resulting control or design is robust to the inherent uncertainties associated with the unknown probabilistic characterization of the model inputs. Here in this work, we consider optimal control and design problems constrained by partial differential equations with uncertain inputs. We do not assume a known probabilistic model for the inputs, but rather we formulate the problem as a distributionally robust optimization problem where the outer minimization problem determines the control or design, while the inner maximization problem determines the worst-case probability measure that matches desired characteristics of the data. We analyze the inner maximization problem in the space of measures and introduce a novel measure approximation technique, based on the approximation of continuous functions, to discretize the unknown probability measure. Finally, we prove consistency of our approximated min-max problem and conclude with numerical results.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Smoothness of Functions in Spaces of the Finite Element Method

We find necessary and sufficient conditions for the generalized smoothness of the coordinate functions obtained from the approximate relations. We show that for the coordinate functions the smoothness on their supports is equivalent to that on the boundaries of supports. We obtain conditions for the continuity of Courant type finite element approximations and conditions for the uniqueness of a linear space of such approximations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2013

Full-F gyrofluid model

A global electromagnetic gyrofluid model based on the full-F gyrokinetic model is derived. The gyrofluid moment variables are not split into fluctuating and equilibrium parts. Profiles are evolved freely, and gyro-averaging operators are not parametrized, but are functions of the gyrofluid moment variables. The fluid moment hierarchy is closed by approximating the gyrokinetic distribution function as a finite order Hermite-Laguerre polynomial and by determining closure approximations for terms involving the gyrokinetic gyro-averaging operator. The model exactly conserves the gyrokinetic full-F energy invariant evaluated using the Hermite-Laguerre decomposition. The model is suited for qualitative studies of the interplay between turbulence, flows, and dynamically evolving profiles in magnetically confined plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Homogenizing atomic dynamics by fractional differential equations

In this paper, we propose two ways to construct fractional differential equations (FDE) for approximating atomic chain dynamics. Taking harmonic chain as an example, we add a power function of fractional order to Taylor expansion of the dispersion relation, and determine the parameters by matching two selected wave numbers. This approximate function leads to an FDE after considering both directions for wave propagation. As an alternative, we consider the symbol of the force term, and approximate it by a similar function. It also induces an FDE. Both approaches produce excellent agreement with the harmonic chain dynamics. The accuracy may be improved by optimizing the selected wave numbers, or starting with higher order Taylor expansions. When resolved in the lattice constant, the resulting FDE's faithfully reproduce the lattice dynamics. When resolved in a coarse grid instead, they systematically generate homogenized algorithms. Numerical tests are performed to verify the proposed approaches. Moreover, FDE's are also constructed for diatomic chain and anharmonic lattice, to illustrate the generality of the proposed approaches. - Highlights: • Match the dispersion relation of linear chain by power function of fractional order, added on low order Taylor expansion. • Design FDE by approximating dispersion relation, or the symbol for the force term. • Solve the FDE by algorithm of spectral accuracy. • Obtain faithful and systematical homogenization when resolved at coarser grid. • Applies to general lattices: complex, nonlinear and multidimensional.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Cycloidal Shaping of Polyhedra in Two-Rotor Systems

A method of solution is proposed for the model of the cycloid shaping of polyhedra. The method is based on reducing the equations to algebraic form by polynomial approximation of transcendental functions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Embedded random phase approximation for magnetic systems: H 2 dissociative adsorption on Fe(110)

The random phase approximation (RPA), a method for treating electron correlation, has been shown to be superior to standard density functional theory (DFT) approximations in numerous cases. However, the RPA’s computational cost is substantially higher than that of DFT, particularly restricting its application to extended surfaces. The recently introduced embedded RPA (emb-RPA) approach [Wei et al., J. Chem. Phys. 159(19), 194108 (2023)] reduces this computational cost by approximately two orders of magnitude. While previous applications of emb-RPA focused on non-spin-polarized systems, here we extend the approach to ferromagnetic ones. Unlike other embedded correlated wavefunction methods, such as embedded complete active space self-consistent field theory, emb-RPA is advantageous for spin-polarized systems because the RPA is compatible with unrestricted DFT solutions, which are eigenfunctions of the spin angular momentum operator S z but not the total spin-squared operator S 2 . By applying emb-RPA with specific magnetization constraints, we achieved a speedup of two to three orders of magnitude (one order when accounting for the one-time embedding potential optimization cost) with only small errors (∼50 meV) compared to full periodic RPA. Moreover, emb-RPA significantly reduces the over-binding errors of DFT approximations. In conclusion, we anticipate that the acceleration enabled by the spin-polarized emb-RPA approach will broaden the applicability of RPA to magnetic materials.

Density functional theory↗
DOE OSTI2020

Aqueous solvation of the chloride ion revisited with density functional theory: impact of correlation and exchange approximations

The specificity of aqueous halide solvation is fundamental to a wide range of bulk and interfacial phenomena spanning from biology to materials science. Halide polarizability is thought to drive the ion specificity, and if so, it is essential to have an accurate description of the electronic properties of halide ions in water. To this end, the solvation of the chloride anion, Cl - has been reinvestigated with state-of-the-art density functional theory. Specifically, the PBE-D3, PBE0-D3, and SCAN functionals have been employed to probe the impact of correlation and exchange approximations. Anticipating the findings, adding exact exchange improves the electronic structure, but simultaneously significantly reduces the Cl - polarizability, resulting in an over-structured Cl–O radial distribution function (RDF) and longer water H-bond lifetimes to Cl - . SCAN does not yield as much improvement in the energetics of Cl - relative to bulk water, but does result in a smaller reduction of the polarizability and thus a less structured Cl–O RDF, which agrees better with experiment. Special consideration is therefore warranted in assessing the impact of exchange on the energy, charge density, and the charge density response when designing and testing hybrid functionals for aqueous halide solvation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neural Scaling Laws of Deep ReLU and Deep Operator Network: A Theoretical Study

Neural scaling laws play a pivotal role in the performance of deep neural networks and have been observed in a wide range of tasks. However, a complete theoretical framework for understanding these scaling laws remains underdeveloped. In this paper, we explore the neural scaling laws for deep operator networks, which involve learning mappings between function spaces, with a focus on the Chen and Chen style architecture. These approaches, which include the popular Deep Operator Network (DeepONet), approximate the output functions using a linear combination of learnable basis functions and coefficients that depend on the input functions. We establish a theoretical framework to quantify the neural scaling laws by analyzing its approximation and generalization errors. We articulate the relationship between the approximation and generalization errors of deep operator networks and key factors such as network model size and training data size. Moreover, we address cases where input functions exhibit low-dimensional structures, allowing us to derive tighter error bounds. These results also hold for deep ReLU networks and other similar structures. Our results offer a partial explanation of the neural scaling laws in operator learning and provide a theoretical foundation for their applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Exchange-correlation energy from pairing matrix fluctuation and the particle-particle random phase approximation

Despite their unmatched success for many applications, commonly used local, semi-local, and hybrid density functionals still face challenges when it comes to describing long-range interactions, static correlation, and electron delocalization. Density functionals of both the occupied and virtual orbitals are able to address these problems. The particle-hole (ph-) Random Phase Approximation (RPA), a functional of occupied and virtual orbitals, has recently known a revival within the density functional theory community. Following up on an idea introduced in our recent communication [H. van Aggelen, Y. Yang, and W. Yang, Phys. Rev. A 88, 030501 (2013)], we formulate more general adiabatic connections for the correlation energy in terms of pairing matrix fluctuations described by the particle-particle (pp-) propagator. With numerical examples of the pp-RPA, the lowest-order approximation to the pp-propagator, we illustrate the potential of density functional approximations based on pairing matrix fluctuations. The pp-RPA is size-extensive, self-interaction free, fully anti-symmetric, describes the strong static correlation limit in H{sub 2}, and eliminates delocalization errors in H{sub 2}{sup +} and other single-bond systems. It gives surprisingly good non-bonded interaction energies – competitive with the ph-RPA – with the correct R{sup −6} asymptotic decay as a function of the separation R, which we argue is mainly attributable to its correct second-order energy term. While the pp-RPA tends to underestimate absolute correlation energies, it gives good relative energies: much better atomization energies than the ph-RPA, as it has no tendency to underbind, and reaction energies of similar quality. The adiabatic connection in terms of pairing matrix fluctuation paves the way for promising new density functional approximations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗