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At least 739 records · Page 41

Strong enhancement of surface diffusion by nonlinear surface acoustic waves

The phenomenon of acoustic activation of surface diffusion is investigated in a combined computational and experimental study. The ability of pulsed laser-generated surface acoustic waves (SAWs) to enhance the mobility of small atomic clusters is demonstrated by directly tracking, with fluorescence microscopy, individual Au 8 clusters moving on a (111) silicon substrate. In this work, a 19-fold increase in the effective diffusion coefficient is measured in room temperature experiments in the presence of SAWs generated by nanosecond pulse laser irradiation at a 100 Hz repetition rate. A strong enhancement of cluster mobility by SAWs is also observed in large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of surface diffusion of small atomic clusters. The analysis of the computational results demonstrates that the nonlinear sharpening of SAWs and the corresponding enrichment of the SAW spectra by high frequency harmonics which are capable of dynamic coupling to the cluster vibrations are responsible for the efficient acoustic activation of surface mobility in the simulations. The increase in the effective diffusion coefficient is proportional to the number of the SAW pulses passing through the diffusion region per unit time and a dramatic 4500-fold diffusion enhancement (corresponds to an equivalent temperature increase by ~10 3 K ) is predicted in the simulations for 15 GHz SAWs. The ability of SAWs to affect atomic-level surface processes has far-reaching implications for the design of new techniques where the acoustic energy serves as an effective substitution for thermal activation in applications where heating must be avoided or rapid switching of surface conditions is required.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Eddy diffusivity operator in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

Here, we use the recently developed macroscopic forcing method to compute the scale-dependent eddy diffusivity characterizing ensemble-averaged scalar and momentum transport in incompressible homogeneous isotropic turbulence. For scales larger than the energy containing eddies, eddy diffusivity is found to be constant and consistent with the Boussinesq approximation. However, for small scales eddy diffusivity is found to vanish inversely proportional to the wave number. Behavior at all scales is reasonably captured by a nonlocal eddy diffusivity operator modeled as D/$\sqrt{I - l^2∇^2}$, where D is the eddy diffusivity in the Boussinesq limit, and l is a constant on the order of the large-eddy length. These results present a direct measurement of eddy diffusivity in turbulence with implications in turbulence modeling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Strongly extended diffusion length for the nonequilibrium magnons in Y 3 F e 5 O 12 by photoexcitation

Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 (YIG) is known for its long magnon diffusion length. Although it has the known lowest damping rate, an even longer diffusion distance is still highly desired since it may lead to a much more efficient information transmission and processing. While most of previous works focused on the generation and detection of magnons in YIG, here we demonstrate how to depress the damping rate during the diffusion of magnon. By selectively exciting the spin state transition of the Fe ions in YIG, we successfully increase magnon diffusion length by one order of magnitude, i.e., from the previous reported ~10 μm up to ~156 μm (for the sample prepared by liquid phase epitaxy) and ~180 μm (for the sample prepared by pulsed laser deposition) at room temperature. The diffusion length, determined by nonlocal geometry, is ~30 μm for the magnons induced by visible light and above 150 μm for the laser of 980 nm. In addition to thermal gradient, light excitation affects the electron configuration of the Fe 3+ ion in YIG. Long-wavelength laser is more effective since it causes a transition of the Fe 3+ ions in FeO 6 octahedron from a high spin to a low spin state and thus causes a magnon softening which favors a long-distance diffusion. Furthermore, the present work paves the way toward an efficient tuning of magnon transport which is crucially important for magnon spintronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

In situ counter-diffusion crystallization and long-term crystal preservation in microfluidic fixed targets for serial crystallography

Compared with batch and vapor diffusion methods, counter diffusion can generate larger and higher-quality protein crystals yielding improved diffraction data and higher-resolution structures. Typically, counter-diffusion experiments are conducted in elongated chambers, such as glass capillaries, and the crystals are either directly measured in the capillary or extracted and mounted at the X-ray beamline. Despite the advantages of counter-diffusion protein crystallization, there are few fixed-target devices that utilize counter diffusion for crystallization. In this article, different designs of user-friendly counter-diffusion chambers are presented which can be used to grow large protein crystals in a 2D polymer microfluidic fixed-target chip. Methods for rapid chip fabrication using commercially available thin-film materials such as Mylar, propylene and Kapton are also detailed. Rules of thumb are provided to tune the nucleation and crystal growth to meet users' needs while minimizing sample consumption. These designs provide a reliable approach to forming large crystals and maintaining their hydration for weeks and even months. This allows ample time to grow, select and preserve the best crystal batches before X-ray beam time. Importantly, the fixed-target microfluidic chip has a low background scatter and can be directly used at beamlines without any crystal handling, enabling crystal quality to be preserved. The approach is demonstrated with serial diffraction of photoactive yellow protein, yielding 1.32 Å resolution at room temperature. Fabrication of this standard microfluidic chip with commercially available thin films greatly simplifies fabrication and provides enhanced stability under vacuum. These advances will further broaden microfluidic fixed-target utilization by crystallographers.

Liu, Zhongrui↗

Constrained Local Approximate Ideal Restriction for Advection-Diffusion Problems

Herein this paper focuses on developing a reduction-based algebraic multigrid (AMG) method that is suitable for solving general (non)symmetric linear systems and is naturally robust from pure advection to pure diffusion. Initial motivation comes from a new reduction-based AMG approach, $\ell \text{AIR}$ (local approximate ideal restriction), that was developed for solving advection-dominated problems. Though this new solver is very effective in the advection-dominated regime, its performance degrades in cases where diffusion becomes dominant. This is consistent with the fact that in general, reduction-based AMG methods tend to suffer from growth in complexity and/or convergence rates as the problem size is increased, especially for diffusion-dominated problems in two or three dimensions. Motivated by the success of $\ell \text{AIR}$ in the advective regime, our aim in this paper is to generalize the AIR framework with the goal of improving the performance of the solver in diffusion-dominated regimes. To do so, we propose a novel way to combine mode constraints as used commonly in energy-minimization AMG methods with the local approximation of ideal operators used in $\ell \text{AIR}$. The resulting constrained $\ell \text{AIR}$ algorithm is able to achieve fast scalable convergence on advective and diffusive problems. In addition, it is able to achieve standard low complexity hierarchies in the diffusive regime through aggressive coarsening, something that was previously difficult for reduction-based methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Characterization of Thermal, Hydraulic, and Gas Diffusion Properties in Variably Saturated Sand Grades

Core Ideas This study provides physical, hydraulic, and thermal properties of five sand grades. An extended three‐region thermal conductivity model is proposed. A gas diffusivity‐based variable tortuosity parameter is examined. Useful parametric functions and descriptive models were tested. Detailed characterization of partially saturated porous media is important for understanding and predicting vadose zone transport processes. While basic properties (e.g., particle‐ and pore‐size distributions and soil‐water retention) are, in general, essential prerequisites for characterizing most porous media transport properties, key transport parameters such as thermal conductivity and gas diffusivity are particularly important to describe temperature‐induced heat transport and diffusion‐controlled gas transport processes, respectively. Despite many experimental and numerical studies focusing on a specific porous media characteristic, a single study presenting a wide range of important characteristics, together with the best‐performing functional relationships, can seldom be found. This study characterized five differently textured sand grades (Accusand no. 12/20, 20/30, 30/40, 40/50, and 50/70) in relation to physical properties, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas diffusivity. We used measured basic properties and transport data to accurately parameterize the characteristic functions (particle‐ and pore‐size distributions and water retention) and descriptive transport models (thermal conductivity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and gas diffusivity). An existing thermal conductivity model was improved to describe the distinct three‐region behavior in observed thermal conductivity–water saturation relations. Applying widely used parametric models for saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil‐gas diffusivity, we characterized porous media tortuosity in relation to grain size. Strong relations among average particle diameter, characteristic pore diameter from soil‐water retention measurements, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were found. Thus, the results of this work are useful toward better describing, linking, and predicting mass transfer and pore network properties in variably saturated porous media.

Chamindu Deepagoda, T. K. K.↗

Isotope Fractionation by Diffusion in Liquids (Final Technical Report)

The overall objective of the DOE-funded research by grant DE-FG02-01ER15254 was document and quantify kinetic isotope fractionations during chemical and thermal (i.e., Soret) diffusion in liquids (silicate melts and water) and in the later years to include alloys and major minerals such as olivine and pyroxene. The research involved both laboratory experiments and applications to natural settings. The key idea is that major element zoning on natural geologic materials is common and can arise for either changes in melt composition during cooling and crystallization or from diffusion. The isotope effects associated with diffusion that we have documented are the key for determining whether or not the zoning observed in a natural system was the result of diffusion. Only in those cases were the zoning is demonstrably due to diffusion can use independently measured rates of diffusion to constrain the thermal evolution of the system.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

High-Throughput Study of Diffusion and Phase Transformation Kinetics of Magnesium-Based Systems for Automotive Cast Magnesium Alloys

The objective of the proposed study is to establish a scientific foundation on kinetic modeling of diffusion, phase precipitation, and casting/solidification, in order to accelerate the design and optimization of cast magnesium (Mg) alloys for weight reduction of U.S. automotive fleet. The team has performed the following tasks: 1) study diffusion kinetics of various Mg-containing binary systems using high-throughput diffusion multiples to establish reliable diffusivity and mobility databases for the Mg-aluminum (Al)-zinc (Zn)-tin (Sn)-calcium (Ca)-strontium (Sr)-manganese (Mn) systems; 2) study the precipitation kinetics (nucleation, growth and coarsening) using both innovative dual-anneal diffusion multiples and cast model alloys to provide large amounts of kinetic data (including interfacial energy) and microstructure atlases to enable implementation of the Kampmann-Wagner numerical model to simulate phase transformation kinetics of non-spherical/non-cuboidal precipitates in Mg alloys; 3) implement a micromodel to take into account back diffusion in the solid phase in order to predict microstructure and microsegregation in multicomponent Mg alloys during dendritic solidification especially under high pressure die-casting (HPDC) conditions; and, 4) widely disseminate the data, knowledge and information using the Materials Genome Initiative infrastructure (http://www.mgidata.org) as well as publications and digital data sharing to enable researchers to identify new pathways/routes to better cast Mg alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

First-principles Studies of Tritium Reactivity and Diffusivity on Defective and Carbon Doped Surfaces of $\gamma$-LiAlO 2 Pellets (Tritium Science Program Report FY 2019 )

In tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs), tritium ($^{3}_{1}$H,T) is produced in 6 Li isotope enriched γ-LiAlO 2 ceramic pellet. However, a better understanding of $^{3}_{1}$H transport through the pellets, getters and the barrier/cladding system is hampered by a lack of fundamental data about the $^{3}_{1}$H solubility and diffusivity. In the process of $^{3}_{1}$H diffusion from bulk γ-LiAlO 2 to its surface, it is possible that $^{3}_{1}$H atoms bind with surface atoms or become trapped at vacancies sites. By increasing the number of $^{3}_{1}$H diffused from bulk to surface, upon recombination and desorption from surface sites, they will escape from the γ-LiAlO 2 surface to form different $^{3}_{1}$H species (possibly being as T, T 2 , T 2 O, OT, or CT x (x=1-4, with C impurity present at a 100-600 ppm level in pellets) that need to be identified and can become captured by the getter. Therefore, exploring the $^{3}_{1}$H diffusion from bulk to surface, corroborated with surface adsorption, diffusion and recombination and followed by desorption from surface as various types of $^{3}_{1}$H species becomes a very important task as an integral part of the study of $^{3}_{1}$H solubility and diffusivity in the pellets.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Calibration of the Diffusivity Predictions of Centipede Using Approximate Bayesian Computation and Applications in Nyx (Engineering Scale) and Xolotl-MARMOT (Meso-Scale) Simulations

Fission gas evolution and release in UO 2 nuclear fuel are important fuel performance metrics and occur in several distinct stages: 1) nucleation, growth and resolution of intra-granular bubbles, 2) diffusion to grain boundaries and 3) nucleation and growth of bubbles at grain boundaries, which eventually form a connected network (percolation) enabling release of gas from grain boundaries through connections to triple junctions, grain edges or free surfaces. The NE-SciDAC project is developing several computational tools to model this problem, which are connected in a hierarchical multi-scale framework. The information transfer in the multi-scale framework is a critical step that, in addition to best-estimates, should include uncertainty quantification. Despite taking a first-principles multi-scale approach, there is a need to perform parameter calibration to ensure consistency with available experimental data. In the present study, uncertainty quantification (UQ) and parameter calibration is demonstrated for one of the lower length scale codes in the multi-scale framework (Centipede) and then the results, including instances of the propagated uncertainties, are used in other codes within the framework, specifically Nyx and Xolotl-MARMOT. We calibrated the model parameters in Centipede, a computer code used to predict diffusivities of uranium (U) and xenon (Xe) in the context of the simulation of fission gas in uranium oxide (UO 2 ) nuclear fuel. The Centipede code depends on 183 parameters, all of which are subject to uncertainty. The three data sets used in our calibration effort are taken from the literature. This data is available as a set of measurements, including measurement errors. Our goal is to calibrate a statistical model that predicts both the value of the measurement and the uncertainty associated with the measurement. We perform a Bayesian calibration of the model parameters using a dedicated approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) likelihood function. To avoid excessive computational costs, we replace the expensive Centipede simulation code by a higher-order surrogate model, constructed using only the 9 most important parameters. These important parameters are identified by a preliminary global sensitivity analysis (GSA) study. Among the important parameters are T0 (the temperature at which UO 2 is perfectly stoichiometric) and Hf_pO2 (the temperature dependence of the oxygen (O) partial pressure) that should be considered as operating conditions to be estimated along with the other parameters. We consider two different cases: one where we define one set of these operating conditions for all data sets, and one where we define distinct operating condition parameters for each data set. The Xe diffusivities predicted by the latter case show distinct features that could not be observed in the former. Next, we use the diffusivity predictions by Centipede as input to Nyx, a reduced order fuel performance code focused on gas behavior alone, in order to estimate quantities associated with inter-granular bubble formation at conditions specified by the experiments. Finally, the diffusivities obtained from the calibrated Centipede runs were used in coupled Xolotl-MARMOT simulations of intra- and inter-granular gas evolution. The results are compared to simulations using the baseline diffusivities from Turnbull et al.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of fission gas xenon (Xe) diffusion at UO 2 grain-boundaries (Rev.1)

The diffusivity of fission gas xenon (Xe) at UO 2 grain-boundaries is one of the most important parameters in mechanistic modeling of fission gas diffusion in UO 2 based nuclear fuels. In this report, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the Xe diffusivity in UO 2 grain-boundaries, employing the many-body potential developed by Cooper, Rushton and Grimes for UO 2 . Three different types of grain-boundaries are investigated, twist Σ5, tilt Σ5, and a random grain-boundary. Diffusion activation energies in the range of 0.39 – 1.46 eV are obtained for the Xe diffusivity. Comparison to results for the uranium vacancy diffusivity from MD simulations employing the same methodology suggests a weak to moderate attractive Xe-uranium vacancy binding energy depending on the grain-boundary type.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

First Galactic Survey of Energy-Dependent Diffusion by HAWC

HAWC’s wide field-of-view enables unbiased observations of much of the galaxy, allowing for analysis of many candidate sources in the HAWC dataset. Recent work has allowed HAWC to start investigating electron diffusion around pulsars at TeV energies. Surveying electron diffusion at TeV energies along the galactic plane is a unique capability of HAWC that allows us to examine the sources of electrons in our galaxy and constrain the energy dependence of the diffusion mechanism. HAWC has already applied this model to the Geminga and Monogem pulsars. This work will expand the study to include multiple sources associated with pulsars in the latest HAWC dataset. Unlike older pulsars, lepton transport around young pulsars is likely to be dominated by advective processes. Using simple assumptions, both advective and diffusive processes predict that the size of the emission region follows a power law dependence on energy. This study has important consequences for the positron excess reported by space-based instruments; if electron diffusion is suppressed for tens of parsecs around pulsars relative to diffusion in the interstellar medium (a "two-zone" model), they may be able to explain at least part of the observed increase in the positron fraction above 10 GeV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Solar-Tracker Diffuse-Response Algorithm for Balancing Energy Gain and Mechanical Wear in Photovoltaic Systems

Single-axis solar tracking maximizes photovoltaic energy production under clear-sky conditions; however, its effectiveness decreases under cloudy and overcast skies, where diffuse irradiance dominates and the optimal module orientation changes. Conventional tracking algorithms either neglect sky conditions or rely on simplified diffuse-response strategies that may trigger frequent tracker repositioning under variable cloud cover, leading to increased mechanical wear with marginal energy gains. This work proposes an enhanced diffuse-response tracking algorithm that explicitly accounts for both the intensity and temporal persistence of cloudiness. By requiring overcast conditions to persist for a minimum duration before reorienting the tracker to a diffuse-stow position, the proposed approach reduces unnecessary movements while preserving the benefits of diffuse-response operation. The algorithm is evaluated through numerical simulations based on historical meteorological data and validated using field measurements on monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic strings. The results show that the proposed strategy reduces excess tracker movement from 114% to 0.16% while maintaining nearly the same energy yield. Compared to a conventional diffuse-response algorithm, the associated energy reduction is minimal (≈0.17%) relative to the ≈0.37% yield gain observed at the studied location. These findings demonstrate that incorporating cloudiness duration enables a practical compromise between energy performance and tracker durability, particularly for monofacial photovoltaic systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Distribution and mass of diffuse and dense CO gas in the Milky Way

Emission from carbon monoxide (CO) is ubiquitously used as a tracer of dense star-forming molecular clouds. There is, however, growing evidence that a significant fraction of CO emission originates from diffuse molecular gas. Quantifying the contribution of diffuse CO-emitting gas is vital for understanding the relation between molecular gas and star formation. We examine the Galactic distribution of two CO-emitting gas components, a high column density component detected in {sup 13}CO and {sup 12}CO, and a low column density component detected in {sup 12}CO, but not in {sup 13}CO. The “diffuse” and “dense” components are identified using a combination of smoothing, masking, and erosion/dilation procedures, making use of three large-scale {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO surveys of the inner and outer Milky Way. The diffuse component, which globally represents 25% (1.5 × 10{sup 8}M{sub ⊙}) of the total molecular gas mass (6.5 × 10{sup 8} M{sub ⊙}), is more extended perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The fraction of diffuse gas increases from ∼10%–20% at a galactocentric radius of 3–4 kpc to 50% at 15 kpc, and increases with decreasing surface density. In the inner Galaxy, a yet denser component traced by CS emission represents 14% of the total molecular gas mass traced by {sup 12}CO emission. Only 14% of the molecular gas mass traced by {sup 12}CO emission is identified as part of molecular clouds in {sup 13}CO surveys by cloud identification algorithms. This study indicates that CO emission not only traces star-forming clouds, but also a significant diffuse molecular ISM component.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Optical–Mid-infrared Extinction Law of the l = 165° Sightline in the Galactic Plane: Diversity of the Extinction Law in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium

Understanding the effects of dust extinction is important to properly interpret observations. The optical total-to-selective extinction ratio, R{sub V}=A{sub V}/E(B−V), is widely used to describe extinction variations in ultraviolet and optical bands. Since the R{sub V}=3.1 extinction curve adequately represents the average extinction law of diffuse regions in the Milky Way, it is commonly used to correct observational measurements along sightlines toward diffuse regions in the interstellar medium. However, the R{sub V} value may vary even along different diffuse interstellar medium sightlines. In this paper, we investigate the optical–mid-infrared (mid-IR) extinction law toward a very diffuse region at l=165{sup ∘} in the Galactic plane, which was selected based on a CO emission map. Adopting red clump stars as extinction tracers, we determine the optical–mid-IR extinction law for our diffuse region in two APASS bands (B,V), three XSTPS-GAC bands (g,r,i), three 2MASS bands (J,H,K{sub s}), and two WISE bands (W1,W2). Specifically, 18 red clump stars were selected from the APOGEE–RC catalog based on spectroscopic data in order to explore the diversity of the extinction law. We find that the optical extinction curves exhibit appreciable diversity. The corresponding R{sub V} ranges from 1.7 to 3.8, while the mean R{sub V} value of 2.8 is consistent with the widely adopted average value of 3.1 for Galactic diffuse clouds. There is no apparent correlation between R{sub V} value and color excess E(B−V) in the range of interest, from 0.2 to 0.6 mag, or with specific visual extinction per kiloparsec, A{sub V}/d.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Local Incident Flux Response Expansion Transport Method for Coupling to the Diffusion Method in Cylindrical Geometry

A local incident flux response expansion transport method is developed to generate transport solutions for coupling to diffusion theory codes regardless of their solution method (e.g., fine mesh, nodal, response based, finite element, etc.) for reactor core calculations in both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) cylindrical geometries. In this approach, a Monte Carlo method is first used to precompute the local transport solution (i.e., response function library) for each unique transport coarse node, in which diffusion theory is not valid due to strong transport effects. The response function library is then used to iteratively determine the albedo coefficients on the diffusion-transport interfaces, which are then used as the coupling parameters within the diffusion code. This interface coupling technique allows a seamless integration of the transport and diffusion methods. The new method retains the detailed heterogeneity of the transport nodes and naturally constructs any local solution within them by a simple superposition of local responses to all incoming fluxes from the contiguous coarse nodes. A new technique is also developed for coupling to fine-mesh diffusion methods/codes. The local transport method/module is tested in 2-D and 3-D pebble-bed reactor benchmark problems consisting of an inner reflector, an annular fuel region, and a controlled outer reflector. It is found that the results predicted by the transport module agree very well with the reference fluxes calculated directly by MCNP in both benchmark problems.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Process for forming a chromium diffusion portion and articles made therefrom

In one embodiment, a method for forming an article with a diffusion portion comprises: forming a slurry comprising chromium and silicon, applying the slurry to the article, and heating the article to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient period of time to diffuse chromium and silicon into the article and form a diffusion portion comprising silicon and a microstructure comprising .alpha.-chromium. In one embodiment, a gas turbine component comprises: a superalloy and a diffusion portion having a depth of less than or equal to 60 .mu.m measured from the superalloy surface into the gas turbine component. The diffusion portion has a diffusion surface having a microstructure comprising greater than or equal to 40% by volume .alpha.-chromium.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Method for applying a diffusion barrier interlayer for high temperature components

A coated substrate and a method of forming a diffusion barrier coating system between a substrate and a MCrAl coating, including a diffusion barrier coating deposited onto at least a portion of a substrate surface, wherein the diffusion barrier coating comprises a nitride, oxide or carbide of one or more transition metals and/or metalloids and a MCrAl coating, wherein M includes a transition metal or a metalloid, deposited on at least a portion of the diffusion barrier coating, wherein the diffusion barrier coating restricts the inward diffusion of aluminum of the MCrAl coating into the substrate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗