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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A brief review of spin glass magnetometry techniques

Spin glasses are inherently dynamical. Taken properly, measurements of these materials can capture their dynamics and provide a wealth of insight into the physics of the spin glass state. In this methods review, two magnetometry methods are directly compared–ac and dc. Because these measurements are taken differently, the resulting data of each method will contain different information about spin glass behavior. This review will specifically focus on how the out-of-equilibrium effects of aging, rejuvenation, and memory manifest in each of these techniques, and how to construct protocols to measure these effects. We then describe the physical significance of each type of measurement and how to interpret their results. Finally, we explicitly detail which applications are most appropriate for which method. This will help the reader select the most helpful technique to carry out their own future experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Flux Cube Reconstruction from Slitless Spectroscopy

Slitless spectroscopy enables efficient, large-area surveys without target preselection, yet it faces challenges from source blending, higher noise, and lost spatial–spectral information. We present an advanced, nonparametric, data-driven algorithm that leverages multiple dispersion angles to reconstruct three-dimensional flux distributions, providing low-resolution integral field unit capabilities from slitless data. By treating each pixel as an independent element, our method naturally handles source confusion without requiring prior assumptions regarding redshifts, templates, or model libraries. We validate the algorithm using simulated Roman Space Telescope wide-field slitless spectroscopy images that are equivalent to what is expected from the High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey. First, we demonstrate that a host-galaxy model reconstructed from multiple dispersion angles can be used to accurately subtract host light from a transient, recovering a Type Ia supernova spectrum with minimal bias. Second, we showcase a high-fidelity flux-cube reconstruction of a complex galaxy, successfully measuring the redshift and recovering continuum, emission, and absorption features. This approach highlights the potential of multi-dispersion-angle slitless data to provide spatially resolved spectral information in a nonparametric way, which is traditionally accessible only with integral field spectroscopy, opening a new window into large, unbiased, and spatially resolved studies of galaxy evolution.

Griggio, M. [Space Telescope Science Institute, Ba↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hydrodynamic Predictions for the Next Outburst of T Coronae Borealis: It Will Be the Brightest Classical or Recurrent Nova Ever Observed in X-Rays*

T Coronae Borealis (TCrB) is a recurrent nova with recorded outbursts in 1866 and 1946 and possible outbursts in 1217 and 1787. It is predicted to explode again in 2025 or 2026 based on multiple observational studies. The system consists of a massive ( M wd ≳ 1.35 M ⊙ ) white dwarf (WD) and a red giant (M3–M4 III). We have performed 1D hydrodynamic simulations with NOVA to predict the behavior of the next outburst. These simulations consist of a range of mass accretion rates onto ∼1.35 M ⊙ WDs, designed to bound the conditions necessary to achieve ignition of an explosion after an ≈80 yr interoutburst period. We have used both carbon–oxygen and oxygen–neon initial compositions, in order to include the possible ejecta abundances to be measured in the observations of the next outburst. As the WD in the TCrB system is observed to be massive, theoretical predictions reported here imply that the WD is growing in mass as a consequence of the thermonuclear runaway. Therefore, the secular evolution of the WD may allow it to approach the Chandrasekhar limit and either explode as a Type Ia supernova or undergo accretion-induced collapse, depending on its underlying composition. We have followed the evolution of just the WD, after removing the ejected matter from the surface layers. Our intent is to illuminate the mystery of the unique, second maximum in the two well-observed outbursts and we have found conditions that bracket the predictions.

Cataclysmic variable stars↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exploring the Effects of Varying Pre-Chamber Geometry in a Heavy-Duty Natural Gas Optical Engine under Dilution Conditions

Pre-chamber combustion is an advanced ignition strategy that has been shown to enhance spark ignition (SI) combustion stability in natural gas (NG) engines by providing distributed ignition sites from turbulent jets and enhancing main-chamber turbulence. Pre-chamber combustion has been proven especially advantageous compared to SI in ultra-lean and dilute operating conditions. This work involves experimental investigation of the effects of varying passive pre-chamber nozzle configuration on pre-chamber and main chamber combustion under simulated exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) dilution (0 and 20%) conditions in a heavy-duty, single-cylinder, optically accessible NG engine at stoichiometric fuel-air ratio. Pre-chamber nozzle configurations include four pre-chambers with constant nozzle area to pre-chamber volume ratio (A/V) with different nozzle sizes and orientations and one configuration with larger nozzles. The optical engine is operated in a skip-fire sequence consisting of 18 motored cycles followed by two consecutive fired cycles to elucidate the effect of combustion residuals (internal EGR) on combustion evolution. Pressure-based diagnostics are used to monitor pre-chamber and subsequent main chamber combustion, and optical diagnostics include high-speed OH* chemiluminescence to visualize the development of pre-chamber jets and the resulting ignition of the main chamber charge. Heat release analysis of the in-cylinder pressure data indicates that a faster pre-chamber pressure rise does not always translate into faster main-chamber combustion. The pre-chamber with the smallest nozzle diameter produced the highest pre-chamber pressure rise and fastest combustion under non-diluted conditions. However, dilution delays the main chamber ignition for smaller nozzles despite a comparable rise in pre-chamber pressure compared to configurations with larger nozzles. This effect is more pronounced for cycles with in-cylinder combustion residuals in addition to external dilution. Additionally, it was observed that pre-chambers with swirling nozzles have a faster pressure rise in the pre-chamber and main chamber under dilute conditions. Optical diagnostics suggest that the main reason for the delay between the pre-chamber pressure rise and main-chamber combustion lies in jet quenching and delayed re-ignition, which can even lead to misfire if jets emitted from small nozzles combined with dilution fail to re-ignite.

Dhotre, Akash [University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of Inclusive Charged-Current $\barν_μ$ Scattering on C, CH, Fe, and Pb at $\langle E_{\barν}\rangle \sim$ 6 GeV with MINERvA

We report MINERvA's first measurement of inclusive charged-current $\barν_μ$ cross sections on carbon, hydrocarbon, iron, and lead, and their ratios to the cross section on hydrocarbon, as functions of the antimuon transverse momentum, $p_{\mathrm{T}}$. Using a wide-band $\barν_μ$ beam with mean energy $\sim 6~\text{GeV}$, these measurements probe all interaction modes, including the transition from resonance production to deep-inelastic scattering. The total uncertainties are typically $5-10\%$ for the absolute cross sections and $2-5\%$ for the ratios. Comparisons with multiple neutrino interaction models reveal significant discrepancies in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ dependence, particularly for heavier nuclei. The disagreements are most pronounced at low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ but extend across the full $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ range, indicating missing or mis-modelled nuclear effects.

Klustová, A. [Imperial Coll., London] (ORCID:00000↗
DOE OSTI2026

New physics in multi-lepton tau decays

Dark particles with lepton-flavor-violating couplings to the tau lepton can induce rare neutrinoless $τ$ decays with large final state multiplicities. We study models where transitions of the type $τ^\pm\to \ell^\pm\,ϕ$, with $ϕ$ a light new particle, initiate a chain of decays in the dark sector that terminate with decays into electrons, muons, or pions. These decay cascades appear as rare five or even seven-body $τ$ decays with multiple reconstructable resonances. We survey several representative models: kinetically mixed dark photon, gauged $L_i-L_j$ models, and other more exotic charge assignments such as chiral $U(1)'$ extensions of the Standard Model. The main new ingredient is the possibility of flavor violation at very high scales. In these models, a number of channels that have not yet been searched for experimentally, such as $τ\to 5μ$, $τ\to 3μ\,2e$, $τ\to μ\,4e$, and hadronic channels like $τ\to μ\,4π$, typically dominate over the previously-considered signatures such as $τ\to 3μ$. While some of the models, such as the gauged $L_i-L_j$ ones, also contain more challenging channels with missing energy due to decays to neutrinos, they can still be searched for via fully visible channels.

Ema, Yohei [Florida U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

QuadSync: Quadrifocal tensor synchronization via Tucker decomposition

In structure from motion, quadrifocal tensors capture more information than their pairwise counterparts (essential matrices), yet they have often been thought of as impractical and only of theoretical interest. In this work, we challenge such beliefs by providing a new framework to recover n cameras from the corresponding collection of quadrifocal tensors. We form the block quadrifocal tensor and show that it admits a Tucker decomposition whose factor matrices are the stacked camera matrices, and which thus has a multilinear rank of (4,4,4,4) independent of n. We develop the first synchronization algorithm for quadrifocal tensors, using Tucker decomposition, alternating direction method of multipliers, and iteratively reweighted least squares. We further establish relationships between the block quadrifocal, trifocal, and bifocal tensors, and introduce an algorithm that jointly synchronizes these three entities. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods on modern datasets, indicating the potential and importance of using higher-order information in synchronization.

Miao, Daniel [University of Minnesota]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Panoramic View of MXenes via an Atomic Coordination‐Based Design Strategy

Two‐dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, possess unique physical and chemical properties, enabling diverse applications in fields ranging from energy storage to communication, catalysis, sensing, healthcare, and beyond. Despite extensive research and notable advancements, a fundamental understanding of MXenes’ phase diversity and its connection to their hierarchical precursors, including the intermediate MAX phases and the ancestral bulk phases, remains limited. Here, in this study, it is hypothesized that the atomic coordination environments adopted by transition metal and nonmetallic atoms in their three‐dimensional (3D) bulk precursors may persist in 2D MXenes to govern their phase diversity. Using high‐throughput modeling based on first‐principles density functional theory, a wide range of MXene phases is unveiled and comprehensively evaluate their relative stabilities across a large chemical space. The key to the approach lies in considering various atomic coordination environments drawn from four types of ancestral bulk phases. Through this comprehensive structural library of MXenes, general guiding principles are uncovered, such as a close alignment between the phase stability of MXenes and that of their 3D precursors. These findings introduce a new design strategy in which the atomic coordination environments in bulk phases can serve as reliable predictors for accessing the diverse structural landscape of MXenes.

MXenes↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recommendations for developing, documenting, and distributing data products derived from NEON data

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) provides over 180 distinct data products from 81 sites (47 terrestrial and 34 freshwater aquatic sites) within the United States and Puerto Rico. These data products include both field and remote sensing data collected using standardized protocols and sampling schema, with centralized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) provided by NEON staff. Such breadth of data creates opportunities for the research community to extend basic and applied research while also extending the impact and reach of NEON data through the creation of derived data products—higher level data products derived by the user community from NEON data. Derived data products are curated, documented, reproducibly-generated datasets created by applying various processing steps to one or more lower level data products—including interpolation, extrapolation, integration, statistical analysis, modeling, or transformations. Derived data products directly benefit the research community and increase the impact of NEON data by broadening the size and diversity of the user base, decreasing the time and effort needed for working with NEON data, providing primary research foci through the development via the derivation process, and helping users address multidisciplinary questions. Creating derived data products also promotes personal career advancement to those involved through publications, citations, and future grant proposals. However, the creation of derived data products is a nontrivial task. Here we provide an overview of the process of creating derived data products while outlining the advantages, challenges, and major considerations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluating sulfurization as a blue carbon sink in a southern California salt marsh

Blue carbon ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and salt marshes are important carbon sinks that can store carbon for millennia. Recently, organic matter sulfurization and pyritization have been proposed as mechanisms of net carbon storage in blue carbon ecosystems. At our study site, organic sulfur that is resistant to acid hydrolysis (protokerogen) is an order of magnitude less abundant than pyrite sulfur, suggesting a dominance of pyritization over sulfurization. The C/N ratios and carbon isotope compositions suggest that nearly half of total organic carbon and ≥ 80% of protokerogen is composed of marsh plant material. Sediment protokerogen appears to be sulfurized based on its low δ 34 S values (− 10‰), abundance of disulfides, and higher S/C ratio (~ 1.0%) relative to potential biogenic sulfur sources. However, the interpretation of protokerogen δ 34 S values is complicated by the wide range in sulfur isotope compositions of marsh plants. Evidence for sulfurization occurs within the shallowest sediments across different vegetation zones, yielding consistent products, while pyritization appears to be more sensitive to alterations in sediment redox conditions. Based on organic sulfur and pyrite content, sulfurization may be a more spatially consistent process than pyritization, with implications for carbon storage. The relative abundance of pyrite and protokerogen organic sulfur indicates that pyritization is favored at our study site, but this is likely to vary across the spectrum of blue carbon ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solution‐Phase Metathesis of Li 3 N and FeCl 3 to Synthesize Fe 2 N/Fe 3 N Nanoparticles

Soft magnetic materials play key roles in the flow of energy in electrically driven machines and power conversion electronics, and there is a great need for improvements in their magnetic properties to provide the right combination of high saturation magnetization, low coercivity, and high permeability. Most phases of iron nitride (Fe x N) are soft magnetic materials with these characteristics, but they exist as numerous phases which are not all stoichiometric compounds. While the production and magnetic properties of the different phases of bulk iron nitride are well known, accessing phase‐pure nanoscale iron nitride consistently remains a challenge. Most methods for the synthesis of iron nitride nanoparticles require complicated apparatus to achieve high‐temperature nitriding of nanoparticle precursors with gaseous nitrogen sources such as ammonia. The first solution‐phase metathesis reaction between FeCl 3 and Li 3 N in oleylamine is developed to directly synthesize Fe 2 N/Fe 3 N nanoparticles, requiring only a fume hood, glove box, standard chemistry laboratory glassware, and equipment. Finally, the ≈10–15 nm spheres display nearly soft magnetic behavior with a saturation magnetization ≈50–60 A m 2 kg −1 , coercivities between 40–50 kA m −1 , and susceptibility values from 0.0001–0.0006 m 3 kg −1 , well within the ranges reported with other published Fe x N nanoparticle synthesis methods.

iron nitride↗
DOE OSTI2025

Lepto-axiogenesis with light right-handed neutrinos

We study lepto-axiogenesis in theories where the right-handed neutrino is light enough that its dynamics affect the determination of the baryon asymmetry. When compared with theories of high-scale lepto-axiogenesis where the Majorana neutrino mass may be treated as an effective dimension-five operator, we find that the predicted saxion mass is lower. Two distinct scenarios emerge. In the first, processes that generate the baryon asymmetry are in equilibrium down to the mass of the right-handed neutrino. In the second, the relevant processes never reach equilibrium; the baryon number freezes in. We comment on implications for supersymmetric spectra and discuss constraints on late decays of supersymmetric relics and from dark radiation. In contrast to high-scale lepto-axiogenesis, which predicts superpartners with masses of 10–100 TeV or more, we find this scenario is consistent with a wider range of superpartner masses, all the way down to current direct search bounds.

Axions and ALPs↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accidental suppression of Wilson coefficients in Higgs coupling

Higgs couplings are essential probes for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) since they can be modified by new physics, such as through the Higgs portal interaction |H| 2 Ο. These modifications influence Higgs interactions via dimension-6 operators of the form (∂|H| 2 ) 2 and |H| 6 , which are generally expected to be of comparable size. This paper discusses a phenomenon of accidental suppression, where the |H| 6 coupling is significantly smaller than (∂|H| 2 ) 2 . This suppression, arising from the truncation of the tree-level effective potential, lacks a clear symmetry explanation but persists in portal models. This paper aims to inspire further studies on additional instances of accidental suppression without symmetry explanations or a general framework to characterize such suppression. We also discuss constraints, at the HL-LHC and future colliders, on the Wilson coefficients of the two dimension-6 operators for various benchmark scenarios of the concrete model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Freundlich isotherm equation best represents phosphate sorption across soil orders and land use types in tropical soils of Puerto Rico

Biomass production in the lowland wet tropical forest is greater than in any other biome, and it is typically limited by soil phosphorus (P) availability. However, the mechanisms involved in the P cycle remain poorly represented in Earth System Models (ESMs). Soil P sorption processes are key in the P cycle and for understanding the extent of P limitation for plant productivity. Currently, a few ESMs include isotherm equations to model these processes. Although the Langmuir equation is widely cited, other isotherm equations may better describe sorption in tropical soils. Here, we use a diverse range of soil samples from Puerto Rico to test the validity of the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin equation. We found that across four soil orders (Inceptisols, Mollisols, Oxisols, Ultisols), and forested and cultivated land use types, the Freundlich equation best represented soil P sorption. Furthermore, the Langmuir and the Temkin equations poorly represent soil P adsorption, especially at low P concentrations. Specifically, the Langmuir equation underestimated soil P adsorption by 40% and the Temkin equation overestimated adsorption by 76%. We also found, as expected, that soil clay content and pH were the most important parameters explaining the variability of the Freundlich (K f ) constant. Greater clay content and lower pH, common in highly weathered Ultisols and Oxisols which are abundant in the tropics, led to greater K f values. Overall, our results suggest that a diversity of soils can prompt underestimation of P sorption when using the Langmuir isotherm, which leads to an overestimation of available P that can have repercussions on ESM predictions of the P cycle and tropical forest productivity.

Earth system models↗
DOE OSTI2026

Deacetylation and Mechanical Refining Pathway for the Bioconversion of Sugarcane Bagasse

Advancing lignocellulose biorefining is imperative for the deployment of cellulosic (2G) biofuels. This work investigates the tailoring of the alkaline deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) pathway for the bioconversion of sugarcane bagasse. Experiments are conducted at laboratory and pilot scales, varying the pretreatment conditions (70–92 °C; 48–100 g NaOH /kg) and the mechanical refining technologies (PFI and disk refining). The pretreatments selectively solubilize acetyl groups (> 86%) and lignin (10–63%) while mostly preserving structural carbohydrates in the solid phase. Enzymatic hydrolysis generates hydrolysates of clean sugars (glucose and xylose), with sugar yields increasing up to 81% for glucose and 89% for xylose in response to delignification and mechanical refining. Biochemical methane potential assays reveal specific methane productions of up to 568 NmL CH₄ gVS⁻¹ for alkaline liquor monodigestion and 344 NmL CH₄ gVS⁻¹ for co-digestion with sugarcane vinasse from the conventional (1G) sugarcane ethanol, indicating a strong potential for bioenergy recovery from this process stream. Synergies are identified in integrating 1G ethanol, 2G DMR processing of bagasse, and anaerobic co-digestion of 1G vinasse and 2G DMR alkaline liquor. This technology enables sugarcane biorefineries to enhance the co-production of ethanol, methane, and concentrated streams of CO 2 .

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Interaction between dissolution and precipitation during olivine carbonation: Implications for CO 2 mineralization

Large-scale carbonation of olivine is considered a promising approach for in situ mineral carbonation, offering a permanent and stable method for CO 2 storage. A critical aspect of this process is understanding how dissolution and precipitation interact, as this could drive fracturing and enhance further reactions. In this study, we conducted carbonation experiments on olivine using CO 2 -saturated aqueous solutions of NaHCO 3 and NaCl. Two experimental setups were used: one representing an open geochemical system and the other a closed system, corresponding to reaction-limited and flow-limited scenarios, respectively. Further, post-reaction textural analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed surface coatings of reaction products in the closed system, while etch pits and etch channels were prevalent in the open system. Although no direct evidence of reaction-driven fracturing was observed, etch pits and etch channels may serve as initiation points for subcritical crack formation and growth, potentially maintaining permeability and exposing new unreacted surfaces. Using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) model, we estimate that microcracks could propagate under a pressure of 0.1 GPa if reaction products accumulate within the etch pits. Our findings offer new insights into the mechanisms governing olivine carbonation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗