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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 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

High-performance silicon photonic single-sideband modulators for cold-atom interferometry

The laser system is the most complex component of a light-pulse atom interferometer (LPAI), controlling frequencies and intensities of multiple laser beams to configure quantum gravity and inertial sensors. Its main functions include cold-atom generation, state preparation, state-selective detection, and generating a coherent two-photon process for the light-pulse sequence. To achieve substantial miniaturization and ruggedization, we integrate key laser system functions onto a photonic integrated circuit. Our study focuses on a high-performance silicon photonic suppressed-carrier single-sideband (SC-SSB) modulator at 1560 nanometers, capable of dynamic frequency shifting within the LPAI. By independently controlling radio frequency (RF) channels, we achieve 30-decibel carrier suppression and unprecedented 47.8-decibel sideband suppression at peak conversion efficiency of –6.846 decibels (20.7%). We investigate imbalances in both amplitudes and phases between the RF signals. Using this modulator, we demonstrate cold-atom generation, state-selective detection, and atom interferometer fringes to estimate gravitational acceleration, g ≈ 9.77 ± 0.01 meters per second squared, in a rubidium ( 87 Rb) atom system.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2011

Ultra-Short Electron Bunch and X-Ray Temporal Diagnostics with an X-Band Transverse Deflector

The measurement of ultra-short electron bunches on the femtosecond time scale constitutes a very challenging problem. In X-ray free-electron laser facilities such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), generation of sub-ten femtosecond X-ray pulses is possible, and some efforts have been put into both ultra-short electron and X-ray beam diagnostics. Here we propose a single-shot method using a transverse rf deflector (X-band) after the undulator to reconstruct both the electron bunch and X-ray temporal profiles. Simulation studies show that about 1 fs (rms) time resolution may be achievable in the LCLS and is applicable to a wide range of FEL wavelengths and pulse lengths. The jitter, resolution and other related issues will be discussed. The successful operation of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), with its capability of generating free-electron laser (FEL) X-ray pulses from a few femtoseconds (fs) up to a few hundred fs, opens up vast opportunities for studying atoms and molecules on this unprecedented ultrashort time scale. However, tremendous challenges remain in the measurement and control of these ultrashort pulses with femtosecond precision, for both the electron beam (e-beam) and the X-ray pulses. For ultrashort e-beam bunch length measurements, a standard method has been established at LCLS using an S-band radio-frequency (rf) deflector, which works like a streak camera for electrons and is capable of resolving bunch lengths as short as {approx} 10 fs rms. However, the e-beam with low charges of 20 pC at LCLS, which is expected to be less than 10 fs in duration, is too short to be measured using this transverse deflector. The measurement of the electron bunch length is helpful in estimating the FEL X-ray pulse duration. However, for a realistic beam, such as that with a Gaussian shape or even a spiky profile, the FEL amplification varies along the bunch due to peak current or emittance variation. This will cause differences between the temporal shape or duration of the electron bunch and the X-ray pulse. Initial experiments at LCLS have revealed that characterization of the X-ray pulse duration on a shot-by-shot basis is critical for the interpretation of the data. However, a reliable x-ray pulse temporal diagnostic tool is not available so far at the LCLS. We propose a novel method in this paper to characterize the FEL X-ray pulse duration and shape. A transverse rf deflector is used in conjunction with an e-beam energy spectrometer, located after the FEL undulator. By measuring the difference in the e-beam longitudinal phase space between FEL-on and FEL-off, we can obtain the time-resolved energy loss and energy spread induced from the FEL radiation, allowing the FEL X-ray temporal shape to be reconstructed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Control of the Plasma-Material Interface for Long Pulse Optimization in EAST and KSTAR

This is the Final Technical Report for the Grant DE-SC0016322. The major goals of the project are to use HIDRA to evaluate and optimize the FLiLi and LiMIT concepts, in preparation for the final designs of liquid Li PFCs for testing in EAST long pulse discharges. In the first year the goal is to fully commission HIDRA and begin liquid Li tests. In the second year it is to test the FLiLi and LiMIT designs in HIDRA and start the production of the first LiMIT test plate for EAST.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Directly driven source of multi-gigahertz, sub-picosecond optical pulses

A robust, compact optical pulse train source is described, with the capability of generating sub-picosecond micro-pulse sequences, which can be periodic as well as non-periodic, and at repetition rates tunable over decades of baseline frequencies, from MHz to multi-GHz regimes. The micro-pulses can be precisely controlled and formatted to be in the range of many ps in duration to as short as several fs in duration. The system output can be comprised of a continuous wave train of optical micro-pulses or can be programmed to provide gated bursts of macro-pulses, with each macro-pulse consisting of a specific number of micro-pulses or a single pulse picked from the higher frequency train at a repetition rate lower than the baseline frequency. These pulses could then be amplified in energy anywhere from the nJ to MJ range.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Flexible approach to vibrational sum-frequency generation using shaped near-infrared light

We describe a new approach that expands the utility of vibrational sum-frequency generation (vSFG) spectroscopy using shaped near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses. Here, we demonstrate that arbitrary pulse shapes can be specified to match experimental requirements without the need for changes to the optical alignment. In this way, narrowband NIR pulses as long as 5.75 ps are readily generated, with a spectral resolution of about 2.5 cm -1 , an improvement of approximately a factor of 3 compared to a typical vSFG system. Moreover, the utility of having complete control over the NIR pulse characteristics is demonstrated through nonresonant background suppression from a metallic substrate by generating an etalon waveform in the pulse shaper. The flexibility afforded by switching between arbitrary NIR waveforms at the sample position with the same instrument geometry expands the type of samples that can be studied without extensive modifications to existing apparatuses or large investments in specialty optics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Control of Large-Amplitude Combustion Oscillations Using Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed Plasmas

This paper details the use of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges to attenuate combustion instabilities in a 14 kW swirl-stabilized methane/air combustor. The combustor exhibits large-amplitude pressure oscillations ranging from 1 to 4% of the mean pressure during which the flame exhibits bulk motion in each instability cycle, upstream and downstream, as revealed by high-speed chemiluminescence. Control is accomplished with an electrode comprising a pin anode at the centerline of the combustor, allowing a nanosecond spark to be generated in a region spanning close to the flame base, through the shear layers of the swirling flow and ending at the metallic combustor wall. The discharges are generated using 20 kV, 9 kHz pulses; and they correspond to about 120 W of mean power. This results in a suppression of the peak amplitude of the pressure oscillations by a factor of two to four, and 5 dB in the rms value. Using phase-averaged visualizations of the flame with and without plasma, we detail the sequence of flame motion in the course of the instability. With the plasma active, this reveals significant interactions between the flame and the plasma during the suppression. Finally, we present a state-space model of the thermoacoustic system, and we demonstrate open-loop control of the instabilities.

Engineering↗
NASA NTRS1984

Motor/generator and electronic control considerations for energy storage flywheels

A spacecraft electric power supply system is described. Requirements of the system are to accelerate a momentum wheel to a fixed maximum speed when solar energy is available and to maintain a constant voltage on the spacecraft bus under varying loads when solar energy is not available. Candidate motor types, pulse width modulated current control systems, and efficiency considerations are discussed. In addition, the Lunar Roving Vehicle motors are described along with their respective efficiencies.

Nola, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Separation Control in a Multistage Compressor Using Impulsive Surface Injection

Control of flow separation using impulsive surface injection is investigated within the multistage environment of a low speed axial-flow compressor. Measured wake profiles behind a set of embedded stator vanes treated with suction-surface injection indicate significant reduction in flow separation at a variety of injection-pulse repetition rates and durations. The corresponding total pressure losses across the vanes reveal a bank of repetition rates at each pulse duration where the separation control remains nearly complete. This persistence allows for demands on the injected-mass delivery system to be economized while still achieving effective flow control. The response of the stator-vane boundary layers to infrequently applied short injection pulses is described in terms of the periodic excitation of turbulent strips whose growth and propagation characteristics dictate the lower bound on the band of optimal pulse repetition rates. The eventual falloff in separation control at higher repetition rates is linked to a competition between the benefits of pulse-induced mixing and the aggravation caused by the periodic introduction of low-momentum fluid. Use of these observations for impulsive actuator design is discussed and their impact on modeling the time-average effect of impulsive surface injection for multistage steady-flow simulation is considered.

Wundrow, David W.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Probing and controlling terahertz-driven structural dynamics with surface sensitivity

Intense, single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses are powerful tools to understand and control material properties through low-energy resonances, such as phonons. Combining this with optical second harmonic generation (SHG) makes it possible to observe the resulting ultrafast structural changes with surface sensitivity. This makes SHG an ideal method to probe phonon dynamics in topological insulators (TI), materials with unique surface transport properties. Here, we resonantly excite a phonon mode in the TI Bi 2 Se 3 with THz pulses and use SHG to separate the resulting symmetry changes at the surface from the bulk. Furthermore, we coherently control the lattice vibrations with a pair of THz pulses. Lastly, our work demonstrates a versatile, table-top tool to probe and control phonon dynamics in a range of systems, particularly at surfaces and interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advances in the long-pulse steady-state high beta H-mode scenario with active controls of divertor heat and particle fluxes in EAST

Since the last IAEA-Fusion Energy Conference, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) research program has been, in support of ITER and CFETR, focused on development in terms of the long-pulse steady-state (fully noninductive) high beta H-mode scenario with active controls of the stationary and transient divertor heat and particle fluxes. The operational domain of the steady-state H-mode plasma scenario has been significantly extended with ITER-like tungsten mono-block divertor, plasma control and heating schemes. EAST has achieved several important milestones in the development of high β p H-mode scenario and its key physics and technologies. A 60 s-scale long-pulse steady-state high β p H-mode discharge with the major normalized plasma parameters similar to the designed performance of the CFETR 1GW fusion power operation scenario has been successfully established and sustained by pure RF heating and current drive. Several feedback control schemes have been developed for a sustained detachment with good core confinement. This includes control of the total radiation power, target electron temperature, and particle flux measured using divertor Langmuir probes or a combination of the control of target electron temperature and AXUV radiation near the X point. The detachment feedback control schemes have been integrated with small-ELM regimes and high β p scenario via neon seeding, enabling a core and edge compatible integrated high-beta scenario applicable to long-pulse operations. ELM suppression has been achieved using various methods, including resonant magnetic perturbations and impurity seeding. Full suppression of ELMs by using n=4 RMPs has been demonstrated for ITER for the first time in low input torque plasmas in EAST. Finally, EAST has been operated with helium to support the ITER research requirements for the first time. For a long-pulse, high bootstrap current fraction operation, a new lower tungsten divertor with active water-cooling has been installed, along with improvements in the heating and current drive capability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Spatiotemporal control of laser intensity using differentiable programming

Optical techniques for spatiotemporal control can produce laser pulses with custom amplitude, phase, or polarization structure. In nonlinear optics and plasma physics, the use of structured pulses typically follows a forward design approach, in which the efficacy of a known structure is analyzed for a particular application. Inverse approaches, in contrast, enable the discovery of new structures with the potential for superior performance. Here, an implementation of the unidirectional pulse propagation equation that supports automatic differentiation is combined with gradient-based optimization to design structured pulses with features that are advantageous for a range of nonlinear optical and plasma-based applications: (1) a longitudinally uniform intensity over an extended region, (2) a superluminal intensity peak that travels many Rayleigh ranges with constant duration, spot size, and amplitude, and (3) a laser pulse that ionizes a gas to form a uniform column of plasma. In the final case, optimizing the full spatiotemporal structure improves the performance by a factor of 15 compared to optimizing only spatial or only temporal structure, highlighting the advantage of spatiotemporal control.

automatic differentiation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum coherence tomography of light-controlled superconductivity

The coupling between superconductors and oscillation cycles of light pulses, i.e., lightwave engineering, is an emerging control concept for superconducting quantum electronics. Although progress has been made towards terahertz-driven superconductivity and supercurrents, the interactions able to drive non-equilibrium pairing are still poorly understood, partially due to the lack of measurements of high-order correlation functions. In particular, the sensing of exotic collective modes that would uniquely characterize light-driven superconducting coherence, in a way analogous to the Meissner effect, is very challenging but much needed. Here we report the discovery of parametrically driven superconductivity by light-induced order-parameter collective oscillations in iron-based superconductors. The time-periodic relative phase dynamics between the coupled electron and hole bands drives the transition to a distinct parametric superconducting state out-of-equalibrium. This light-induced emergent coherence is characterized by a unique phase–amplitude collective mode with Floquet-like sidebands at twice the Higgs frequency. We measure non-perturbative, high-order correlations of this parametrically driven superconductivity by separating the terahertz-frequency multidimensional coherent spectra into pump–probe, Higgs mode and bi-Higgs frequency sideband peaks. We find that the higher-order bi-Higgs sidebands dominate above the critical field, which indicates the breakdown of susceptibility perturbative expansion in this parametric quantum matter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Interaction of an ultrarelativistic electron bunch train with a W-band accelerating structure: High power and high gradient

Electron beam interaction with high frequency structures (beyond microwave regime) has a great impact on future high energy frontier machines. We report on the generation of multimegawatt pulsed rf power at 91 GHz in a planar metallic accelerating structure driven by an ultrarelativistic electron bunch train. This slow-wave wakefield device can also be used for high gradient acceleration of electrons with a stable rf phase and amplitude which are controlled by manipulation of the bunch train. To achieve precise control of the rf pulse properties, a two-beam wakefield interferometry method was developed in which the rf pulse, due to the interference of the wakefields from the two bunches, was measured as a function of bunch separation. As a result, measurements of the energy change of a trailing electron bunch as a function of the bunch separation confirmed the interferometry method.

Wang, D.↗