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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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Tethered balloon measurements reveal enhanced aerosol occurrence aloft interacting with Arctic low-level clouds

Low-level clouds in the Arctic affect the surface energy budget and vertical transport of heat and moisture. The limited availability of cloud-droplet-forming aerosol particles strongly impacts cloud properties and lifetime. Vertical particle distributions are required to study aerosol–cloud interaction over sea ice comprehensively. This article presents vertically resolved measurements of aerosol particle number concentrations and sizes using tethered balloons. The data were collected during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition in the summer of 2020. Thirty-four profiles of aerosol particle number concentration were observed in 2 particle size ranges: 12–150 nm (N 12−150 ) and above 150 nm (N >150 ). Concurrent balloon-borne meteorological measurements provided context for the continuous profiles through the cloudy atmospheric boundary layer. Radiosoundings, cloud remote sensing data, and 5-day back trajectories supplemented the analysis. The majority of aerosol profiles showed more particles above the lowest temperature inversion, on average, double the number concentration compared to below. Increased N 12−150 up to 3,000 cm −3 were observed in the free troposphere above low-level clouds related to secondary particle formation. Long-range transport of pollution increased N >150 to 310 cm −3 in a warm, moist air mass. Droplet activation inside clouds caused reductions of N >150 by up to 100%, while the decrease in N 12−150 was less than 50%. When low-level clouds were thermodynamically coupled with the surface, profiles showed 5 times higher values of N 12−150 in the free troposphere than below the cloud-capping temperature inversion. Enhanced N 12−150 and N >150 interacting with clouds were advected above the lowest inversion from beyond the sea ice edge when clouds were decoupled from the surface. Vertically discontinuous aerosol profiles below decoupled clouds suggest that particles emitted at the surface are not transported to clouds in these conditions. It is concluded that the cloud-surface coupling state and free tropospheric particle abundance are crucial when assessing the aerosol budget for Arctic low-level clouds over sea ice.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characteristics and sources of fluorescent aerosols in the central Arctic Ocean

The Arctic is sensitive to cloud radiative forcing. Due to the limited number of aerosols present throughout much of the year, cloud formation is susceptible to the presence of cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles (INPs). Primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) contribute to INPs and can impact cloud phase, lifetime, and radiative properties. We present yearlong observations of hyperfluorescent aerosols (HFA), tracers for PBAP, conducted with a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor, New Electronics Option during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition (October 2019–September 2020) in the central Arctic. We investigate the influence of potential anthropogenic and natural sources on the characteristics of the HFA and relate our measurements to INP observations during MOSAiC. Anthropogenic sources influenced HFA during the Arctic haze period. But surprisingly, we also found sporadic “bursts” of HFA with the characteristics of PBAP during this time, albeit with unclear origin. The characteristics of HFA between May and August 2020 and in October 2019 indicate a strong contribution of PBAP to HFA. Notably from May to August, PBAP coincided with the presence of INPs nucleating at elevated temperatures, that is, >–9°C, suggesting that HFA contributed to the “warm INP” concentration. The air mass residence time and area between May and August and in October were dominated by the open ocean and sea ice, pointing toward PBAP sources from within the Arctic Ocean. As the central Arctic changes drastically due to climate warming with expected implications on aerosol–cloud interactions, we recommend targeted observations of PBAP that reveal their nature (e.g., bacteria, diatoms, fungal spores) in the atmosphere and in relevant surface sources, such as the sea ice, snow on sea ice, melt ponds, leads, and open water, to gain further insights into the relevant source processes and how they might change in the future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characteristics and effects of aerosols during blowing snow events in the central Arctic

Sea salt aerosol (SSaer) significantly impacts aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions, and sublimated blowing snow is hypothesized to be an important SSaer source in polar regions. Understanding blowing snow and other wind-sourced aerosols’ climate relevant properties is needed, especially during winter when Arctic amplification is greatest. However, most of our understanding of blowing snow SSaer comes from modeling studies, and direct observations are sparse. Additionally, SSaer can originate from multiple sources, making it difficult to disentangle emission processes. Here, we present comprehensive observations of wind-sourced aerosol during blowing snow events from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in the central Arctic. High wind speed strongly enhances total aerosol number, submicron sodium chloride mass, cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, and scattering coefficients. Generally, the relative response of aerosol properties to wind speed enhancement is strongest in fall when Arctic aerosol concentrations are lowest. Blowing snow events showed similar aerosol and environmental properties across events, apart from occasions with high snow age (>6 days since last snowfall). Coarse-mode number concentrations (>1 μm) are better explained by variability in wind speed averaged over 12-h air mass back trajectories arriving at the MOSAiC site compared to local, instantaneous wind speed, suggesting the importance of regional transport and consideration of air mass history for wind-driven aerosol production. These MOSAiC observations provide new insights into wind-driven aerosol in the central Arctic and may help validate modeling studies and improve model parameterizations particularly for aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

The two radiative states of the Arctic atmosphere and their impacts on the surface energy budget of sea ice

The surface energy budget (SEB) is a central regulator of Arctic climate and sea ice evolution, yet its processes remain poorly constrained due to sparse observations and complex, coupled surface-atmosphere interactions. This study leverages year-long measurements from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) to provide the most comprehensive assessment to date of the central Arctic SEB and its modulation by atmospheric variability. Ship- and ice-based observations from October 2019 to September 2020 were used to directly measure or tightly constrain each term of the SEB, leading to exceptional energetic closure with the seasonal snow and ice mass balance. The analysis reveals strong seasonal transitions in atmosphere-surface energy transfer that are modulated by the atmospheric state and constrained by the ability of the surface temperature to respond. Classification of the atmosphere into its two dominant radiative states—the semi-transparent (ST) and opaque (OP)—highlights the central role of synoptic-scale variability in clouds. The ST atmospheric state dominated the long winter ice growth season, with limited cloudiness supporting persistent surface radiative cooling and ice growth. The OP state, associated with liquid-containing or thick ice clouds, became dominant in spring, with the combination of increased solar heating and cloud surface longwave warming driving ice and snow melt. Eddy covariance versus bulk approaches for deriving surface turbulent heat fluxes provide vastly different perspectives on the role of turbulence in modulating the SEB. These results establish a high-quality benchmark dataset for Arctic SEB studies and demonstrate how the balance of atmospheric radiative states exerts a first-order control on the annual evolution of the sea ice. The findings have broad implications for advancing observing technologies, understanding Arctic amplification, improving climate models, and predicting future sea ice change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Roadmap on thermodynamics and thermal metamaterials

Thermal metamaterials represent a transformative paradigm in modern physics, synergizing thermodynamic principles with metamaterial engineering to master heat flow at will. As next-generation technologies demand multi-scale thermal control, this field urgently requires systematic frameworks to unify its multidisciplinary advances. Curated through a global collaboration involving over 50 specialists across 25 subdisciplines, this review primarily summarizes two decades of advancements, ranging from theoretical breakthroughs to functional implementations. The review reveals groundbreaking innovations in heat manipulation through the exploration of both classical and non-classical transport regimes, topological thermal control mechanisms, and quantum-informed phonon engineering strategies. By bridging physical insights like non-Hermitian thermal dynamics and valleytronic phonon transport with cutting-edge applications, we demonstrate paradigm-shifting capabilities: environment-adaptive thermal cloaks, AI-optimized metamaterials, and nonlinear thermal circuits enabling heat-based computation. Experimental milestones include 3D thermal null media with reconfigurable invisibility and thermal designs breaking classical conductivity limits. Here, this collaborative effort establishes an indispensable roadmap for physicists, highlighting pathways to quantum thermal management, entropy-controlled energy systems, and topological devices. As thermal metamaterials transition from laboratory marvels to technological cornerstones, this work provides the foundational lexicon and design principles for the coming era of intelligent thermal matter.

heat conduction control↗
DOE OSTI2022

Stable isotopes of carbon dioxide (CO2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), water and concentrations of greenhouse gases in a mountainous watershed (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Temperature and precipitation variability in response to climate change affects water cycling of watersheds and can potentially impact water quality, water availability, elemental and molecular fluxes, and biogeochemical processes. Here we report the measurements of light stable isotopes and greenhouse gases analysis to a large multidisciplinary project addressing watershed function. Water hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) stable isotopes of snow and water saturated soil were measured to constrain source contributions to groundwater and streamflow. In an effort to better constrain existing nitrogen and carbon cycling models in high-altitude ecosystems, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) greenhouse gases concentrations and stable isotope signatures of CO2, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and water were measured. This dataset includes one CSV file and one Excel file containing data including stable isotopes of carbon dioxide (CO2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), water and concentrations of greenhouse gases. The CSV and Excel files contain the same information/data but have included both versions for accessibility.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Advances and opportunities in materials science for scalable quantum computing

We report that by harnessing unique quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, quantum computers offer the possibility to drastically outperform classical computers for certain classes of problems. The realization of this potential, however, presents a substantial challenge, because noise and imperfections associated with the materials used to fabricate devices can obscure the delicate quantum mechanical effects that enable quantum computing. Hence, progress in synthesis, characterization, and modeling of materials for quantum computing have driven many exciting advances in recent years and will become increasingly important in the years to come. As progressively more complex, multi-qubit systems come online, and as significant government and industrial investment drives research forward, new challenges and opportunities for materials science continue to emerge. The articles in this issue survey the current state of materials science progress and obstacles for some leading quantum computing platforms; opportunities for deeper involvement by materials scientists abound. Ultimate realization of the full potential of quantum computers will require a multidisciplinary effort spanning many traditional areas of expertise.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

AmeriFlux US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3)

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3). Site Description - The Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) site is located at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Prince George's County, MD, and consists of a 22-ha production field, with an adjacent riparian wetland and first-order stream. Scientists from several U.S. Federal agencies, universities (foreign and domestic), and private industry have conducted multidisciplinary research at this location since 1998.

Alfieri, Joe↗
DOE OSTI2026

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-OPE Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) site is located at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Prince George's County, MD, and consists of a 22-ha production field, with an adjacent riparian wetland and first-order stream. Scientists from several U.S. Federal agencies, universities (foreign and domestic), and private industry have conducted multidisciplinary research at this location since 1998.

Alfieri, Joe [USDA-ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensin↗
DOE OSTI2023

Introduction to the Special Section on Seismoacoustics and Seismoacoustic Data Fusion

This special section of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America provides a broad overview on recent advances to the understanding of the seismoacoustic wavefield through 19 articles. Leveraging multiphenomenology datasets is instrumental for the continued success of future planetary missions, nuclear test ban treaty verification, and natural hazard monitoring. Progress in our theoretical understanding of mechanical coupling, advancements in coupled-media wave modeling, and developments of efficient multitechnology inversion procedures are key to fully exploiting geophysical datasets on Earth and beyond. We begin by highlighting papers describing experimental setups and instrumentation, followed by characterization of natural and anthropogenic sources of interest, and ending in new open-access datasets. Finally, we conclude with an overview of challenges that remain as well as some potential directions for future investigation within the growing multidisciplinary field of seismoacoustics.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Preface to the Focus Section on Geophysical Observations of the OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

Here, this focus issue of Seismological Research Letters compiles observational results and theoretical interpretations related to the OSIRIS-REx SRC re-entry and multidisciplinary analyses highlighting broader scientific applications of such events (Carr et al., 2025; Clemente et al., 2025; Fernando et al., 2025; KC et al., 2025; Silber and Bowman, 2025). The articles contribute toward a geophysical understanding of how hypersonic objects interact with Earth’s atmosphere and how generated acoustic waves propagate through the atmosphere and couple into the ground as measurable seismic signals.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

libEnsemble: A complete Python toolkit for dynamic ensembles of calculations

Almost all science and engineering applications eventually stop scaling: their runtime no longer decreases as available computational resources increase. Therefore, many applications will struggle to efficiently use emerging extreme-scale high-performance, parallel, and distributed systems. libEnsemble is a complete Python toolkit and workflow system for intelligently driving ensembles of experiments or simulations at massive scales. It enables and encourages multidisciplinary design, decision, and inference studies portably running on laptops, clusters, and supercomputers.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Innovations in optimization and control of accelerators using methods of differential geometry and genetic algorithms (Final Report)

Online tuning of particle accelerators is necessary in order to achieve optimal machine performance. However, it is also a major challenge due to the large parameter space which must be searched and the fact that many of the desir- able objectives compete with one another, and so will not reach their optimal values simultaneously. In order to mitigate these issues, we have explored using dimension-reduction techniques to reduce the size of the parameter space which must be searched and multi-objective genetic algorithms to obtain the sets of tuning parameters which provide pareto-optimal values for the objectives. These methods have enabled us to obtain improved values of the vertical emittance at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR), and to do so with greater control of orbit errors. Algorithmic tuning is a multidisciplinary endeavour, requiring expertise in beam dynamics, diagnostics, control systems and computer science, and thus a key practical problem is to formulate a common language in which experts with different specialties can communicate. We developed a solution to this problem in the form of a generic accelerator software interface that allows for rapid prototyping of optimization and control algorithms. Our interface is built on the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control Systems (EPICS) and makes possible testing control code in simulation before deployment on real accelerators, as well as deployment of third-party optimization code.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Novel Microbial Based Enzymatic CO 2 Fixation Mechanisms

The broad, long term goal of the research is to provide insight into the mechanism of novel carboxylation reactions catalyzed by enzymes involved in bacterial alkene, ketone, and epoxide metabolism. Novel convergent pathways in the model microorganism Xanthobacter autotrophicus have been described in which epoxides produced by alkene oxidation and ketones produced by the oxidation of alcohols are further carboxylated and utilized in energy yielding pathways. Both alkene/epoxide and alcohol/ketone pathways involve distinct carboxylases with unique molecular properties and cofactor requirements that represent alternative mechanisms of CO 2 fixation. The main focus and aims of this project is to provide structural basis for the mechanistic understanding of the reactions catalyzed by 2-ketopropyl coenzyme M oxidoreductase / carboxylase and acetone carboxylase, the terminal steps in the convergent pathways of alkene/epoxide and alcohol ketone metabolism in X. autotrophicus strain Py2. Interestingly, coenzyme M (CoM), the simplest known organic coenzyme, has been shown to have a central role in the pathway of alkene/epoxide carboxylation. Prior to this discovery CoM was thought only to be involved in methanogenesis in archaea. In addition to the carboxylation mechanisms, we are examining the enzymology of the biosynthesis of CoM in bacteria and we have already determined that it is biochemically distinct from that of CoM synthesized by methanogens. The proposed studies will reveal new and unique insights into CO 2 fixation pathways and carboxylation chemistry. We are utilizing a multidisciplinary approach involving kinetic studies, site-specific amino acid substitution studies, and the determination of high-resolution structures of enzymes in the presence of substrate analogs and mechanism base inhibitors to ascertain information concerning the biochemical mechanisms of enzyme catalyzed reactions. Within the context of the mission of the Department of Energy and the core activities of the Energy Biosciences, the results obtained in the study will reveal new insights into these novel carboxylation reactions and will provide the basis for the comparison of the mechanism of these interesting enzymes to other well-characterized biological mechanisms for CO 2 fixation and carboxylation. Knowledge concerning the mechanism of these enzymes provides the basis for an increased fundamental understanding of carboxylation chemistry that could contribute to future mechanisms for CO 2 capture and fixation and, in turn, to mitigating the effects of increasing concentrations of CO 2 on global climate change.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sequim Campus Master Plan

Based in Richland, Washington, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one of ten U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) national laboratories. PNNL is DOE’s premier chemistry, earth sciences, and data analytics laboratory, delivering vital mission impacts in energy resiliency and national security. PNNL has 19 core capabilities, each a powerful combination of world-class staff, state-of-the- art equipment, and mission-ready facilities. These capabilities represent a collective set of skills and a body of world-leading scientific and engineering work that provides exceptional value and mission delivery to DOE, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other federal agencies and industry through strategic partnership projects on a not-to-interfere basis. Currently operated by Battelle Memorial Institute, PNNL occupies more than 2.3 million gross square feet (GSF) of buildings and employs approximately 4,700 staff members. PNNL has implemented a rolling 10-year campus strategy, initiated in fiscal year 2013, designed to deliver the foundation for the multidisciplinary science and engineering expertise, equipment, instrumentation, facilities, and infrastructure required to continue providing exceptional value and mission delivery. This strategy is incorporated into PNNL’s annual Laboratory Plan, which serves as DOE-SC’s equivalent of the Five- Year Site Plan required by DOE Order 430.1C Chg. 1, Real Property Asset Management. The PNNL Sequim Campus is located in Clallam County, just outside of Sequim, Washington. PNNL Sequim builds upon a rich history of research related to marine and coastal resources, environmental chemistry, water resources modeling, ecotoxicology, biotechnology, and national security. Facilities at the PNNL Sequim Campus were designed to take advantage of two unique locational assets: the pristine coastal ocean water in Sequim Bay and the region’s exceptionally clean air. Research facilities on the waterfront are supplied with up to 200 gallons per minute (gpm) of seawater and/or groundwater that enables research on aquatic systems ranging from fully seawater to fresh water, with an onsite water treatment system that removes all biological and hazardous chemical residues prior to discharge. Multiple large seawater tanks outside the waterfront laboratories, along with a boat ramp, pier, and floating dock, enable lab-to-field research. The uplands facility takes advantage of the amazing air quality and is built and operated to enable ultratrace chemical/radiological analytical chemistry. This combination of capabilities is not available at any other marine laboratory in the nation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Predicting Future Disease Burden in a Rapidly Changing Climate

The interplay of a rapidly changing climate and infectious disease occurrence is emerging as a critical topic, requiring investigation of possible direct, as well as indirect, connections between disease processes and climate-related variation and phenomena. First, we introduce and overview three infectious disease exemplars (dengue, influenza, valley fever) representing different transmission classes (insect-vectored, human-to-human, environmentally-transmitted) to illuminate the complex and significant interplay between climate disease processes, as well as to motivate discussion of how Sandia can transform the field, and change our understanding of climate-driven infectious disease spread. We also review state-of-the-art epidemiological and climate modeling approaches, together with data analytics and machine learning methods, potentially relevant to climate and infectious disease studies. We synthesize the modeling and disease exemplars information, suggesting initial avenues for research and development (R&D) in this area, and propose potential sponsors for this work. Whether directly or indirectly, it is certain that a rapidly changing climate will alter global disease burden. The trajectory of climate change is an important control on this burden, from local, to regional and global scales. The efforts proposed herein respond to the National Research Councils call for the creation of a multidisciplinary institute that would address critical aspects of these interlocking, cascading crises.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Two new SciDAC institutes promote mathematical tools and software technology for high-performance computing

Bigger is often said to be better, and the newest extreme-scale computers certainly are bigger, with millions of processing units. Moreover, the breadth of science performed on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) computing facilities is expanding, with new technology such as artificial intelligence emerging. These advances are exciting, creating new opportunities for scientific discovery; however, they also raise new questions for scientists who want to exploit these advances for tackling more complex problems. Will my simulation code be able to utilize the accelerators in extreme-scale computing systems? Can I take advantage of the deepening memory hierarchy in heterogeneous processors? Is there a way around bottlenecks caused by the widening ratio of peak floating-point operations per second to I/0 bandwidth? How can I manage my huge amounts of data effectively? Can I analyze data in situ, or must I transfer it to offline storage for later analysis? To address such questions, DOE announced that it is providing $57.5 million over the next five years for two multidisciplinary teams — FASTMath and RAPIDS2 — to develop new tools and techniques to harness supercomputers for scientific discovery. The teams, called SciDAC Institutes, are part of the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing program.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

DARPA beyond CMOS RFI

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Micro and Nanotechnology (CMNT) is located on the LLNL campus in Livermore, CA. LLNL employs over 7000 employees with a broad range of science and engineering backgrounds with an administrative structure that encourages multidisciplinary teaming, a key ingredient in our ability to address diverse technical problems. Our CMNT facility houses a 6,400 ft 2 class 100 cleanroom (class 10 capable) with an additional 1,000 ft 2 Class 1000 space, and 6000 ft 2 of other laboratories. Most equipment can accommodate 6” wafers, although some is limited to 4”. The CMNT is a multi-user, multi-programmatic facility that offers a broad set of instruments for microfabrication to invent, develop, and apply microscale and nanoscale technologies to support national security missions in Stockpile Stewardship, Homeland Security, Directed Energy, Nonproliferation, biomedical research, and more. The research and capabilities of the Center cover materials, devices, instruments, and systems that require microfabricated components, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), electronics, photonics, micro- and nanostructures, bio-implantable devices, and micro- and nanoactuators.

42 ENGINEERING↗