Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Particle phenomena”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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

At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Comments on the paper “Eliminating beam-induced depolarizing effects in the hydrogen jet target for high-precision proton beam polarimetry at the Electron-Ion Collider” (Part I)

A critical review of the methodology used in F. Rathmann et al., Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 29, 021001 (2026), to evaluate beam-induced depolarization of the Atomic Polarized Hydrogen Gas Jet (HJET) target at the Electron–Ion Collider (EIC) is presented. It is shown that several key assumptions underlying that analysis—including the introduction of a photon emission threshold, the application of Fermi’s Golden Rule to coherent hyperfine transitions, the interpretation of power broadening as a physical linewidth increase, and the treatment of spatial magnetic fields—are either incorrect or internally inconsistent. As a consequence, the predicted large depolarization effects are demonstrated to be artifacts of the adopted methodology rather than genuine physical phenomena. A consistent quantum-mechanical treatment based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation shows that beam-induced depolarization probabilities at the EIC are negligibly small.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of Rayleigh Scattering in Liquid Argon at Vacuum Ultraviolet Wavelengths

Liquid argon based detectors are limited in scintillation light analysis capabilities due to inconsistent measurements of fundamental constants essential for the reconstruction of scintillation events. This experiment measures the Rayleigh scattering length of vacuum ultraviolet light propagating in liquid argon in support of liquid argon experiments. Preliminary results are presented for the Rayleigh scattering length in a range of vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths. Current data collection and analysis methods in this measurement require further advancements to understand and eliminate anomalous phenomena in the data. Future measurements in this experiment aim to precisely measure the liquid argon ultraviolet light scattering length. Results will contribute to the development of new photon system analysis methods for liquid argon experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Continuous Galactic Line Source of Axions: The Remarkable Case of 23 Na

Here, we argue that $^{23}$Na is a potentially significant source of galactic axions. For temperatures $\gtrsim 7 \times 10^8$K -- characteristic of carbon burning in the massive progenitors of supernovae and ONeMg white dwarfs -- the 440 keV first excited state of $^{23}$Na is thermally populated, with its repeated decays pumping stellar energy into escaping axions. Odd-A nuclear abundances are typically very low in high-temperature stellar environments (or absent entirely due to burn-up). $^{23}$Na is an exception: $\approx 0.1 M_\odot$ of the isotope is synthesized during carbon burning then maintained at $\approx 10^9$K for times ranging up to $6 \times 10^4$y. Using MESA simulations, a galactic model, and sampling over progenitor masses, locations, and evolutionary stages, we find a continuous flux at earth of $\langle ϕ_a \rangle \approx 22$/cm$^2$s for $g^\mathrm{eff}_{aNN} = 10^{-9}$. Some fraction of these axions convert to photons as they propagate through the galactic magnetic field, producing a distinctive 440 keV line $γ$ ray detectable by all-sky detectors like the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI). Assuming a 1$μ$G galactic magnetic field and a sufficiently light axion mass, we find that COSI will be able to probe $| g_{aNN}^\mathrm{eff} g_{a γγ} | \gtrsim1.8 \times 10^{-22}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at $3σ$ after two years of surveying.

Dark matter↗
DOE OSTI2021

Physics with NOvA: a half-time review

The NOvA experiment has been collecting data in the NuMI neutrino beam since 2014. In this article we describe the rich physics program of the experiment, including long-baseline oscillation measurements, neutrino cross-section measurements, searches for phenomena beyond the standard three flavor oscillation paradigm, as well as astro-physical searches. Only half way through its expected run plan, NOvA will continue to explore exciting physics topics through 2026 and beyond.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scattering theory in noncanonical phase space: A Drift-Kinetic collision operator for weakly collisional plasmas

After developing a scattering theory for grazing collisions in general noncanonical phase spaces, we introduce a guiding center collision operator in five-dimensional phase space designed for plasma regimes characterized by long wavelengths (relative to the Larmor radius), low frequencies (relative to the cyclotron frequency), and weak collisionality (where repeated Coulomb collisions induce cumulatively small changes in particle magnetic moment). The collision operator is fully determined by the noncanonical Hamiltonian structure of guiding center dynamics and exhibits a metriplectic structure, ensuring the conservation of particle number, momentum, energy, and interior Casimir invariants. It also satisfies an H-theorem, allowing for deviations from an equilibrium Maxwellian distribution due to the nontrivial kernel of the noncanonical guiding center Poisson tensor, spanned by the magnetic moment. We propose that this collision operator and its underlying mathematical structure may offer valuable insight into the study of turbulence, transport, and self-organizing phenomena in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

Hamiltonian mechanics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mesoscale Effects of Composition and Calendering in Lithium-Ion Battery Composite Electrodes

Macrohomogeneous battery models are widely used to predict battery performance, necessarily relying on effective electrode properties, such as specific surface area, tortuosity, and electrical conductivity. While these properties are typically estimated using ideal effective medium theories, in practice they exhibit highly non-ideal behaviors arising from their complex mesostructures. In this paper, we computationally reconstruct electrodes from X-ray computed tomography of 16 nickel–manganese–cobalt-oxide electrodes, manufactured using various material recipes and calendering pressures. Due to imaging limitations, a synthetic conductive binder domain (CBD) consisting of binder and conductive carbon is added to the reconstructions using a binder bridge algorithm. Reconstructed particle surface areas are significantly smaller than standard approximations predicted, as the majority of the particle surface area is covered by CBD, affecting electrochemical reaction availability. Finite element effective property simulations are performed on 320 large electrode subdomains to analyze trends and heterogeneity across the electrodes. Significant anisotropy of up to 27% in tortuosity and 47% in effective conductivity is observed. Electrical conductivity increases up to 7.5× with particle lithiation. We compare the results to traditional Bruggeman approximations and offer improved alternatives for use in cell-scale modeling, with Bruggeman exponents ranging from 1.62 to 1.72 rather than the theoretical value of 1.5. We also conclude that the CBD phase alone, rather than the entire solid phase, should be used to estimate effective electronic conductivity. This study provides insight into mesoscale transport phenomena and results in improved effective property approximations founded on realistic, image-based morphologies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Liquid helium fluid dynamics studies. Final Technical Report

Future high energy physics accelerators depend on a number of advanced technologies to open the many doors of scientific discovery. Among these advanced technologies, superconducting magnets and superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities are the backbone of the accelerator and detector systems. But all these low temperature systems depend critically on successful and reliable operation of their supporting technologies, among which the liquid helium cooling system is of the utmost importance. To improve the quality of these systems both in terms of efficiency and reliability, a robust helium cryogenics research and development (R&D) effort is required. The proposed research to be conducted by the FSU cryogenics group aims to produce fundamental knowledge that meets this R&D need. The projects that we have completed over the past grant period at Florida State University consist of experimental research on liquid helium fluid dynamics and heat transfer problems relevant to the development of future superconducting particle physics accelerators. Liquid helium is the coolant used in all such facilities and in many of these facilities He II (the low temperature phase of liquid helium also known as superfluid helium) is preferred due to its outstanding heat transfer characteristics. The work consists of two main experimental studies that probe both fundamental as well as practical aspects of liquid helium cooling. The first is a broad and fundamental study of the heat and mass transfer processes that can occur during a sudden catastrophic loss of vacuum (SCLV) incident in a superconducting accelerator. SCLV refers to the remote but extremely critical accident scenario where atmospheric pressure air is allowed to flood into the insulating vacuum system and impinge on the liquid helium cooled surfaces in the accelerator. Safe performance and recovery from such accidents is essential to the reliable operation of superconducting accelerators. The dynamics of this process is quite complex and so our approach is to conduct a series of well-orchestrated experiments that probe the various physical phenomena that can occur during an SCLV event. The experiments are coupled with analytic and numerical analysis in an effort to develop a general understanding of the process and to assist with future accelerator design and development. The second activity is directed toward fundamental understanding of heat and mass transfer in He II, which is essential to the design of superconducting magnets and radio frequency cavities in accelerators. The work consists of flow visualization of the dynamics of He II using laser assisted techniques. Two complementary techniques are used to study the fundamentals of the turbulent state. The first technique uses neutrally buoyant solid hydrogen particles to probe the flow fields of the superfluid and normal fluid components. The other technique uses laser excited He2* molecules as tracers of the normal fluid motion within the He II. The activities also included an effort to use visualization techniques to locate transient hot spots in radio frequency superconducting cavities. Such work provides valuable information about the heat transfer process in He II and its impact on the performance of superconducting devices. The research effort at Florida State University is not directly in support of a specific high energy physics experiment or facility. Rather, the work is general and coordinated with HEP accelerator laboratories to provide valuable insight that can assist with future accelerator development.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wire Plane Transparency: Commissioning the Time Projection Chambers for the Short-Baseline Near Detector

The Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND) serves as the near detector for Fermilab's Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) programme. It is a 112-ton Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) designed to study neutrino-argon interactions and search for new physics phenomena such as sterile neutrinos. Situated just 110 m from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB), SBND just began its first physics run and is expected to record over two million neutrino interactions annually. Commissioning the time projection chambers of SBND is crucial for optimising detector performance. Each of the two anodes is composed of three charge-sensing wire planes which detect drifting ionisation electrons from charged particles traversing the detector. The wire planes, arranged with different 2D orientations, facilitate the 3D reconstruction of neutrino interactions. Electron transport induces signals on the first two planes, with the signal being collected by the rear plane. The first two induction planes require transparency to ensure all drift electrons reach the collection plane. This transparency depends on the bias voltages applied to the wires and the spacing between them. Fine-tuning these bias voltages ensures the optimisation of wire plane transparency. In this poster, I will demonstrate how transparency can be assessed by analysing the waveforms from cosmic-ray muon tracks traversing the detector at specific orientations.

McCusker, Bethany [Unlisted, US]↗
DOE OSTI2026

QCD Theory and Transverse Momentum Dependent Physics

A major challenge for QCD theorists is to understand how to different categories of QCD physics contribute to a single observable. This is the goal of QCD factorization theory. Today, QCD physicists are tasked with describing increasingly detailed properties of transverse momentum dependent particle distributions, including their shapes and normalizations, their variation with energy and other kinematical variables, the identity of particles involved, correlations with spin, and the relationship between transverse momentum distributions in different processes. Embedded within that broad effort are specific fundamental questions at the heart of QCD theory. Namely, how does one give precise, quantitative meaning to quark and gluon concepts in hard scattering events, and what are the limits of those concepts? In the past two decades, there has been a renaissance in TMD QCD, with a broad spectrum of motivations driving the study of TMD observables. TMD QCD studies are in a transformative stage; subfields that traditionally progressed nearly independently of one other, such as hadronic structure studies and the study of perturbative QCD gluon radiation in high-energy collisions, are becoming intertwined. It is thus becoming increasingly clear that unified approaches -- those that incorporate all the relevant phenomena into a single formalism rooted in QCD fundamentals -- will be critical to the mission to expand the current understanding of QCD nuclear/hadronic dynamics. TMD QCD factorization theorems and their generalizations will be central to these efforts. The factorization theorems, in addition, provide the practical prescription for applying specific calculations to phenomenology. The goal of this project was to unify and push the boundaries of traditional TMD research and prepare it for use in future phenomenological applications.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

An investigation of shock formation vs shock mitigation of colliding plasma jets

Here, this work studies the interaction between colliding plasma jets to understand regimes in which jet merging results in shock formation vs regimes in which the shock formation is mitigated due to the collisionless interpenetration of the jets. A kinetic model is required for this study because fluid models will always produce a shock upon the collision of plasma jets. The continuum-kinetic, Vlasov–Maxwell–Dougherty model with one velocity dimension is used to accurately capture shock heating, along with a novel coupling with a moment equation to evolve perpendicular temperature for computational efficiency. As a result, this relatively inexpensive simulation can be used for detailed scans of the parameter space toward predictions of shocked vs shock-mitigated regimes, which is of interest for several fusion concepts such as plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion, high-energy-density plasmas, astrophysical phenomena, and other laboratory plasmas. The initial results obtained using this approach are in agreement with the preliminary outcomes of the plasma liner experiment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Analytic Benchmark for Neutron Boltzmann Transport with Downscattering—Part I: Flux and Eigenvalue Solutions

Computing in the energy dimension is one of the greatest challenges confronting present-day deterministic neutron transport solvers. Accurately resolving the neutron flux as neutrons downscatter across resonances in the nuclear cross sections currently requires considerable computing power and suffers from approximation errors. Flux uncertainty resulting from the uncertainty of the resonance structure is the single-largest cause of reactivity uncertainty. Any additional reference solution for the critical neutron downscattering problem with resonance phenomena would be a boon to verification and validation of neutronics codes. This paper establishes a benchmark to verify the accuracy of neutron transport criticality solvers along the energy dimension. For the first time, the analytic solution of the flux amplitude is derived in the particular case of an infinite homogeneous medium with isotropic scattering in the center of mass and an arbitrary number of no-threshold, neutral particle reaction resonances (e.g., radiative capture, fission, and resonance scattering). Furthermore, original analytic expressions are established to quantify the discrepancy between the ψ k (E) and ψ α (E) flux amplitudes, respective solutions of the multiplication factor k, or the exponential time-evolution frequency α eigenproblems. The physical study of these relations led to analysis of their first-order relative difference near the criticality condition α=0. Finally, numerical solutions are provided to a benchmark problem constituted of the first resonance of 239 Pu, the 6.67-eV resonance of 238 U, and a scattering isotope with a flat cross section, allowing for the computational verification of the energy resolution of current neutron transport criticality codes. Through these novel results, this analytic benchmark can serve as a reference to verify the energy resolution and sensitivity analysis of neutron transport criticality calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Multimodal and multiscale strengthening mechanisms in Al-Ni-Zr-Ti-Mn alloy processed by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

The unique thermokinetics of laser-powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (L-PBFAM) has been exploited for development of a novel high-strength Al-Ni-Ti-Zr-Mn alloy. The addition of 0.5 wt% Mn leads to extraordinary improvement in ultimate tensile strength (502 MPa) and work hardening due to the activation of two Mn-induced strengthening mechanisms. First, by a bimodal particle strengthening effect due to Al 31 Mn 6 Ni 12 nano-quasi-crystal particles rejected in inter-dendritic spaces and fibrous Al 3 Ni eutectic dendritic channels, which predominately contributes to the strength improvement, and second by solid solution strengthening from remaining Mn entrapped in Al. These mechanisms supplement the particle strengthening effect imparted by coherent and incoherent Al 3 (Ti,Zr) co-precipitates present at melt pool boundaries, dislocation strengthening due to solidification induced strain, and Hall-Petch and backstress strengthening effect due to heterogenous grain size distribution occurring at various length scales. In conclusion, the solidification dynamics and hierarchical heat distribution that are associated with L-PBFAM resulted in complex spatial variations in these strengthening phenomena and were investigated via a high-throughput multiscale structure–property correlation that involved thermokinetic simulation, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution nanoindentation mapping, and site-specific transmission electron microscopy of the alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

A reduced-order model for nonlinear radiative transfer problems based on moment equations and POD-Petrov-Galerkin projection of the normalized Boltzmann transport equation

A data-driven projection-based reduced-order model (ROM) for nonlinear thermal radiative transfer (TRT) problems is presented. The TRT ROM is formulated by (i) a hierarchy of low-order quasidiffusion (aka variable Eddington factor) equations for moments of the radiation intensity and (ii) the normalized Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). The multilevel system of moment equations is derived by projection of the BTE onto a sequence of subspaces which represent elements of the phase space of the problem. Exact closure for the moment equations is provided by the Eddington tensor. A Petrov-Galerkin (PG) projection of the normalized BTE is formulated using a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) basis representing the normalized radiation intensity over the whole phase space and time. The Eddington tensor linearly depends on the solution of the normalized BTE. By linear superposition of the POD basis functions, a low-rank expansion of the Eddington tensor is constructed with coefficients defined by the PG projected normalized BTE. The material energy balance (MEB) equation is coupled with the effective gray low-order equations which exist on the same dimensional scale as the MEB equation. The resulting TRT ROM is structure and asymptotic preserving. A detailed analysis of the ROM is performed on the classical Fleck-Cummings (F-C) TRT multigroup test problem in 2D geometry. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the ROM's effectiveness in the simulation of radiation wave phenomena. Importantly, the ROM is shown to produce solutions with sufficiently high accuracy while using low-rank approximation of the normalized BTE solution. Essential physical characteristics of supersonic radiation wave are preserved in the ROM solutions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Elucidating the Role of Ionomer in the Performance of Platinum Group Metal-free Catalyst Layer via in situ Electrochemical Diagnostics

The ionomer content in platinum group metal (PGM)-free polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) cathode catalyst layer (CCL) plays an important role in the electrode gas transport properties, proton conductivity, and hence, membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance. In this work, the ionomer content in the CCL is varied, influencing electrode microstructure by altering porosity, tortuosity, as well as ionomer distribution and coverage of the catalyst particles. A novel technique consisting of a H 2 pump, combined with a Pt black sensor layer, is used to measure the bulk mass transport resistance of a series of PGM-free CCL prepared with different ionomer contents. The values for bulk electrode mass transport resistance are contrasted with electrode proton transport resistance in the cathode catalyst layer, establishing a clearly defined trade-off between two key performance limiting phenomena and identifying a need for novel PGM-free electrode fabrication strategies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons in 139 fb -1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons (electrons, muons and $\tau$-leptons) is presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to 139 fb -1 of proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Four-lepton signal regions with up to two hadronically decaying $\tau$-leptons are designed to target several supersymmetric models, while a general five-lepton signal region targets any new physics phenomena leading to a final state with five charged leptons. Data yields are consistent with Standard Model expectations and results are used to set upper limits on contributions from processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level in simplified models of general gauge-mediated supersymmetry, excluding higgsino masses up to 540 GeV. In R-parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to charged leptons, lower limits of 1.6 TeV, 1.2 TeV, and 2.5 TeV are placed on wino, slepton and gluino masses, respectively.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

MENUS—Materials engineering by neutron scattering

Materials engineering by neutron scattering (MENUS) at the second target station will be a transformational high-flux, versatile, multiscale materials engineering diffraction beamline with unprecedented new capabilities for the study of complex materials and structures. It will support both fundamental and applied materials research in a broad range of fields. MENUS will combine unprecedented long-wavelength neutron flux and unique detector coverage to enable real-time studies of complex structural and functional materials under external stimuli. The incorporated small angle neutron scattering and transmission/imaging capabilities will extend its sensitivity to larger length scales and higher spatial resolution. Multimodal MENUS will provide crystallographic and microstructure data to the materials science and engineering community to understand lattice strain/phase transition/microstructure/texture evolution in three orthogonal directions in complex material systems under combined extreme applied conditions. Finally, the capabilities of MENUS will open new scientific opportunities and meet the research needs for science challenges to enable studies of a range of phenomena and answer the key questions in material design/exploration, advanced material processing, transformative manufacturing, and material operations of national impacts in our daily life.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum information and quantum simulation of neutrino physics

In extreme astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers, neutrinos play a major role in driving various dynamical and microphysical phenomena, such as baryonic matter outflows, the synthesis of heavy elements, and the supernova explosion mechanism itself. The interactions of neutrinos with matter in these environments are flavor-specific, which makes it of paramount importance to understand the flavor evolution of neutrinos. Flavor evolution in these environments can be a highly nontrivial problem thanks to a multitude of collective effects in flavor space, arising due to neutrino-neutrino ($v$-$v$) interactions in regions with high neutrino densities. A neutrino ensemble undergoing flavor oscillations under the influence of significant $v$-$v$ interactions is somewhat analogous to a system of coupled spins with long-range interactions among themselves and with an external field (‘long-range’ in momentum-space in the case of neutrinos). As a result, it becomes pertinent to consider whether these interactions can give rise to significant quantum correlations among the interacting neutrinos, and whether these correlations have any consequences for the flavor evolution of the ensemble. In particular, one may seek to utilize concepts and tools from quantum information science and quantum computing to deepen our understanding of these phenomena. In this article, we attempt to summarize recent work in this field. In conclusion, we also present some new results in a three-flavor setting, considering complex initial states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗