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At least 829 records · Page 46

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NASA NTRS2020

Irradiation-energy Dependence on the Spectral Changes of Hydrous C-Type Asteroids Based on 4kev and 20kev He Exposure Experiments of Murchison Cm Chondrite

C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu was observed by remote sensing apparatus onboard Hayabusa2 spacecraft and found to be very dark object whose reflectance is (1.60 ± 0.15) % at 0.55μm and showed a small 2.7μm absorption band indicative of phyllosilicates. The optical navigation camera detected color variations of Ryugu’s surface in the wavelength range from 0.4 to 0.95μm: Bluer spectra are ob-served at both poles and on the equatorial ridge, both of which are topographic highs and thus may be fresh material exposed by gradual erosion. On the other hand, many locations at middle-latitude areas exhibit redder and darker colors. Similar color variations are also detected in the near-infrared wavelength range. These observations suggest that a surface-correlated process is responsible for the color variation, most prob-ably from blue to red, but the mechanism for the change is not yet identified. Space weathering is one possible mechanism responsible for the color variation, but the spectral changes of C-type asteroids from space weathering are far from being fully understood. Past experimental studies using hydrous carbonaceous chondrites such as Murchison and Tagish Lake show that He exposure (simulating solar wind irradiation) changes spectra to bluer and brighter. Recently our He exposure experiments indicate that spectral changes depend on physical properties such as porosity of exposed material. In this study, we per-formed further He exposure experiments using Murchison CM chondrite in order to understand energy dependence on the spectral changes. We found that He energy is a critical parameter, as well as physical properties of the samples, that affects spectral changes of space weathering of hydrated C-type asteroids.

Nakamura, T.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Exo-C: A Dedicated Probe-scale Space Mission for Coronagraphic Imaging and Spectroscopy of Exoplanetary Systems

"Exo-C", the Exoplanet Coronagraph, is a concept for a dedicated probe-scale (< $1B) space mission optimized for direct imaging of exoplanetary systems. It was the product of a detailed mission study carried in 2013-2015 under the sponsorship of the NASA Astrophysics Division. Exo-C was designed to be capable of spectrally characterizing 1-2 dozen nearby exoplanets in reflected visible light, discovering previously undetected planets, and imaging structure in hundreds of circumstellar disks. It would obtain unique science results on planets down to super-Earth size and serve as a technology pathfinder toward an eventual flagship-class mission to find and characterize habitable Earth-like exoplanets. Key design elements are an unobscured telescope aperture, an internal coronagraph with deformable mirrors for precise wavefront control, and an orbit and observatory design chosen for high thermal stability. ExoC’s telescope aperture, orbit, mission lifetime, and spacecraft bus are all comparable to those of the highly successful Kepler mission. Much of the needed technology development (precision pointing, wavefront sensing and correction, high contrast integral field spectroscopy, detector flight readiness) has been advanced by the WFIRST Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) project over the past several years. Mission performance, mass, power, and cost estimates have also benefited from detailed work by the WFIRST CGI team. A Cost and Technical Evaluation (CATE) was performed in 2015 by the Aerospace Corporation. Today Exo-C is a backup option to WFIRST CGI. It could nominally be implemented within seven years from project start. This white paper summarizes the study final report, with updates on performance and technical readiness as of spring 2019.

Karl R. Stapelfeldt↗

NASA NTRS1994

Structural Qualifications of SIR-C Antenna Core Structure

A 2-bay SIR-C Antenna Core Structure(ACS) has been utilized to verify the strength of the SIR-C structural design. Five loading configurations were applied to assure that many SIR-C ACS members were loaded up to more than 1.25 times the predicted flight limit loads.

antenna↗

DOE OSTI2025

RTN-095: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory Data Preview 1

We present Rubin Data Preview 1 (DP1), the first release of data from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, consisting of raw and calibrated single-epoch images, coadds, difference images, detection catalogs, and other derived data products. DP1 is based on 1792 science-grade optical/near-infrared exposures acquired over 48 distinct nights by the Rubin Commissioning Camera, LSSTComCam, on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Summit Facility on Cerro Pachón, Chile during the first on-sky commissioning campaign in late 2024. DP1 covers a total of ~15 sq. deg. over seven roughly equally-sized non-contiguous fields, each independently observed in six broad photometric bands, ugrizy, spanning a range of stellar densities and latitudes and overlapping with external reference datasets. The median image quality across all bands, measured by the FWHM of the point-spread function, is approximately 1.13 arcseconds, with the sharpest images reaching about 0.65 arcseconds. DP1 contains approximately 2.3 million distinct astrophysical objects, of which 1.6 million are extended in at least one band, and 431 solar system objects, of which 93 are new discoveries. DP1 is approximately 3.5 TB in size and available to Rubin data rights holders via the Rubin Science Platform, a cloud-based environment for the analysis of petascale astronomical data. While small compared to future LSST releases, its high quality and diversity of data support a broad range of early science investigations across all four LSST themes, providing a valuable opportunity to engage with Rubin data ahead of the start of full operations in late 2025.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

C 12 ( n , n 1 ′ γ ) partial γ -ray cross section measured using the GENESIS array

Improved neutron inelastic scattering cross sections have repeatedly been identified as a top priority nuclear data need, important for basic science and a range of applications in nuclear energy, stockpile stewardship, and proliferation detection. For the C 12 ( n , n ′ γ ) reaction in particular, recent measurements have unveiled some structural discrepancies, demonstrating incongruities among themselves and in relation to the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data evaluation. To help resolve these disagreements, a measurement was performed at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using a broad-spectrum neutron beam and a 99.8% pure natural carbon target. The Gamma Energy Neutron Energy Spectrometer for Inelastic Scattering (GENESIS) was employed to measure energy-differential γ -ray emission spectra as a function of incident neutron energy in the energy range of 5.5 to 16.7 MeV. The C 12 partial γ -ray cross sections were extracted at 63 ∘ , 122 . 5 ∘ , and 150 ∘ with respect to the incoming neutron beam and integrated using angular distribution data available in the literature. The data show agreement with a recent literature measurement and evaluation from 11 to 15 MeV, but indicate a larger cross section for incident neutron energies between 5.5 and 8.5 MeV. The measured relative angular distributions are also reported and were found to agree with evaluation. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Gordon, J. M. (ORCID:0009000789886897)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for two-body B meson decays to Λ 0 and Ω c ( * ) 0

We report the results of the first search for Standard Model and baryon-number-violating two-body decays of the neutral B mesons to Λ 0 and Ω c ( * ) 0 using 711 fb − 1 of data collected at the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e + e − collider. We observe no evidence of signal from any such decays and set 95% confidence-level upper limits on the products of B 0 and B ¯ 0 branching fractions for these two-body decays with B ( Ω c 0 → π + Ω − ) in the range between 9.5 × 10 − 8 and 31.2 × 10 − 8 . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Savinov, V. (ORCID:0000000291842830)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the branching fraction, polarization, and time-dependent C P asymmetry in B 0 → ρ + ρ − decays and constraint on the CKM angle ϕ 2

We present a measurement of the branching fraction and fraction of longitudinal polarization of B 0 → ρ + ρ − decays, which have two π 0 ’s in the final state. We also measure time-dependent C P violation parameters for decays into longitudinally polarized ρ + ρ − pairs. This analysis is based on a data sample containing ( 387 ± 6 ) × 10 6 ϒ ( 4 S ) mesons collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e + e − collider in 2019–2022. We obtain B ( B 0 → ρ + ρ − ) = ( 2.8 9 − 0.22 + 0.23 − 0.27 + 0.29 ) × 10 − 5 , f L = 0.92 1 − 0.025 + 0.024 − 0.015 + 0.017 , S = − 0.26 ± 0.19 ± 0.08 , and C = − 0.02 ± 0.1 2 − 0.05 + 0.06 , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. We use these results to perform an isospin analysis to constrain the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle ϕ 2 and obtain two solutions; the result consistent with other Standard Model constraints is ϕ 2 = ( 92.6 − 4.7 + 4.5 ) ° . Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Adachi, I. (ORCID:0000000322870173)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of branching fractions, C P asymmetry, and isospin asymmetry for B → ρ γ decays using Belle and Belle II data

We present measurements of B + → ρ + γ and B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays using a combined data sample of 772 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle experiment and 387 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle II experiment in e + e − collisions at the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance. After an optimized selection, a simultaneous fit to the Belle and Belle II datasets yields 114 ± 12 B + → ρ + γ and 99 ± 12 B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays. The measured branching fractions are ( 13.1 − 1.9 − 1.2 + 2.0 + 1.3 ) × 10 − 7 and ( 7.6 ± 1.3 − 0.8 + 1.0 ) × 10 − 7 for B + → ρ + γ and B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays, respectively, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We also measure the isospin asymmetry A I ( B → ρ γ ) = ( 10.9 − 11.7 − 7.3 + 11.2 + 7.8 ) % and the direct C P asymmetry A C P ( B + → ρ + γ ) = ( − 8.2 ± 15.2 − 1.3 + 2.0 ) % . Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Adachi, I. (ORCID:0000000322870173)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Direct and Inverse Photoelectron Spectroscopy Evidence for a Revised Picture of Electronic States of Negative Polarons in n‐Doped C 60

Abstract Determining the electronic levels associated with polarons, the fundamental charge carriers in organic semiconductors, is key to understanding the charge transport properties of these materials. Recent findings challenge the traditional view of these electronic levels by highlighting the importance of intra‐molecular Coulomb interactions in polarons. Experimental evidence was previously presented for a revised model of the negative polaron in the case of the polymer semiconductor poly(NDI2OD‐T 2 ); there, the addition of an excess electron was seen to lead to the emergence of a singly occupied state within the energy gap of the undoped material and an unoccupied state above the edge of the conduction states . Here, focus is on a small‐molecule semiconductor, C 60 , and spectral evidence is provided of a similar picture for the new states appearing upon polaron formation. Specifically, direct and inverse photoemission spectroscopy is used to investigate the density of states in C 60 films n‐doped with two dimeric dopants. The Coulomb interaction energy (Hubbard U ) of the C 60 anion is experimentally determined to be ≈1.1 eV, a value that aligns closely with theoretical predictions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Blocky Selective Postpolymerization C–H Functionalization of Polyolefins

C–H functionalization of commodity polyolefins affords functional materials derived from a high-volume, low-cost resource. However, current postpolymerization modification strategies result in randomly distributed functionalization along the length of the polymer backbone, which has a negative impact on the crystallinity of the resultant polymers, and thus the thermomechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate an amidyl radical mediated C–H functionalization of polyolefins to access blocky microstructures, which exhibit a higher crystalline fraction, larger crystallite size, and improved mechanical properties compared to their randomly functionalized analogues. Taking inspiration from the site-selective C–H functionalization of small molecules, we leverage the steric protection provided by crystallites and target polymer functionalization to amorphous domains in a semicrystalline polyolefin gel. The beneficial outcomes of blocky functionalization are independent of the identity of the pendant functional group that is installed through functionalization. Here, the decoupling of functional group incorporation and crystallinity highlights the promise in accessing nonrandom microstructures through selective functionalization to circumvent traditional tradeoffs in postpolymerization modification, with potential impact in advanced materials and upcycling plastic waste.

Neidhart, Eliza K. [The University of North Caroli↗

DOE OSTI2025

Continuum laser absorption spectroscopy of C 2 (a 3 Π u ) in a sublimating cloud of carbon black

A direct optical absorption diagnostic has been developed for rotationally resolved measurements of diatomic carbon (a 3 Π u →d 3 Π g (0,0) and (1,1)) at a repetition rate of 525 kHz and resolution of 7.3 pm over the range of 511.1–514.1 nm. The diagnostic utilizes a high-power pulsed continuum laser light source dispersed in a spectrograph and imaged by a high-speed camera. Measurements have been performed that capture the temporal evolution of C 2 number density and temperature of a cloud of carbon black sublimating in shock heated gas at high temperature and pressure (T = 5500 K, P = 3.7 atm). A simultaneous light absorption measurement of the condensed phase enables comparisons of the gaseous C 2 number density to the condensed phase mass. The continuum laser absorption diagnostic is applied to C 2 in this work but shows promise in being a simple “drop-in” system for absorption spectroscopy in the visible range at rapid repetition rates and high dispersion, filling an important gap for laser diagnostic systems.

Willhardt, Colton Dean [Univ. of Illinois at Urban↗

DOE OSTI2026

Effect of magneto-mechanical synergism in the process-structure correlation in Fe–C alloys: A phase-field modeling approach

Applied magnetic fields can alter phase equilibria and kinetics in steels; however, quantitatively resolving how magnetic, chemical, and elastic driving forces jointly influence the microstructure remains challenging. We develop a quantitative magneto-mechanically coupled phase-field model for the Fe–C system that couples a CALPHAD-based chemical free energy with demagnetization-field magnetostatics and microelasticity. Here, the model reproduces single- and multi-particle evolution during the α → γ inverse transformation at 1023 K under external fields up to 20 T, including ellipsoidal morphologies observed experimentally at 8 T. Chemically driven growth is isotropic; a magnetic interaction introduces an anisotropic driving force that elongates γ precipitates along the field into ellipsoids, while elastic coherency promotes faceting, yielding elongated cuboidal or “brick-like” particles under combined magneto-elastic coupling. Growth kinetics increase with C content, and decrease with field strength and misfit strain. Multi-particle simulations reveal dipolar interaction-mediated coalescence for field-parallel neighbors and ripening for field-perpendicular neighbors. Incorporating field-dependent diffusivity from experiment slows kinetics as expected; a first-principles-motivated anisotropic diffusivity correction is estimated to be small (<2%). These results establish a process-structure link for magnetically assisted heat treatments of Fe–C alloys and provide guidance for microstructure control via chemo-magneto-mechanical synergism.

Magnetic field↗

DOE OSTI2026

Absolute photoionization cross sections of brominated organics and determination of an effective C—Br bond cross section

For this work, absolute photoionization cross sections for five brominated species were measured using multiplexed synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry at the Advanced Light Source (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). These data enable reliable detection of bromine-containing compounds and estimation of C—Br bond photoionization cross sections. Complementary electronic-structure calculations provided adiabatic ionization energies in good agreement with experiment, while thermochemical appearance energies were measured directly. Bond dissociation energies for key fragmentation pathways of the neutral parent molecules were also analyzed. At 11 eV, cross sections were 53.8 ± 7.50 Mb (sp 2 C—Br) and 48.8 ± 7.70 Mb (sp 3 C—Br).

Brominated compounds↗

DOE OSTI2024

DG-IMEX method for a two-moment model for radiation transport in the $\mathscr{O}$($v$/$c$) limit

Here, we consider neutral particle systems described by moments of a phase-space density and propose a realizability-preserving numerical method to evolve a spectral two-moment model for particles interacting with a background fluid moving with nonrelativistic velocities. The system of nonlinear moment equations, with special relativistic corrections to $\mathscr{O}$($v$/$c$), expresses a balance between phase-space advection and collisions and includes velocity-dependent terms that account for spatial advection, Doppler shift, and angular aberration. The model is conservative for the correct $\mathscr{O}$($v$/$c$) Eulerian-frame number density and is consistent, to $\mathscr{O}$($v$/$c$), with Eulerian-frame energy and momentum conservation. This model is closely related to the one promoted by Lowrie et al. and similar to models currently used to study transport phenomena in large-scale simulations of astrophysical environments. The proposed numerical method is designed to preserve moment realizability, which guarantees that the moments correspond to a nonnegative phase-space density. The realizability-preserving scheme consists of the following key components: (i) a strong stability-preserving implicit-explicit (IMEX) time-integration method; (ii) a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) phase-space discretization with carefully constructed numerical uxes; (iii) a realizability-preserving implicit collision update; and(iv) a realizability-enforcing limiter. In time integration, nonlinearity of the moment model necessitates solution of nonlinear equations, which we formulate as fixed-point problems and solve with tailored iterative solvers that preserve moment realizability with guaranteed global convergence. We also analyze the simultaneous Eulerian-frame number and energy conservation properties of the semi-discrete DG scheme and propose a "spectral redistribution" scheme that promotes Eulerian-frame energy conservation. Through numerical experiments, we demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of this DG-IMEX method and investigate its Eulerian-frame energy conservation properties.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

APOA2 increases cholesterol efflux capacity to plasma HDL by displacing the C-terminus of resident APOA1

The ability of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to promote cellular cholesterol efflux is a more robust predictor of cardiovascular disease protection than HDL-cholesterol levels in plasma. Previously, we found that lipidated HDL containing both apolipoprotein A-I (APOA1) and A-II (APOA2) promotes cholesterol efflux via the ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1). In the current study, we directly added purified, lipid-free APOA2 to human plasma and found a dose-dependent increase in whole plasma cholesterol efflux capacity. APOA2 likewise increased the cholesterol efflux capacity of isolated HDL with the maximum effect occurring when equal masses of APOA1 and APOA2 coexisted on the particles. Follow-up experiments with reconstituted HDL corroborated that the presence of both APOA1 and APOA2 were necessary for the increased efflux. Using limited proteolysis and chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry, we found that APOA2 induced a conformational change in the N- and C-terminal helices of APOA1. Using reconstituted HDL with APOA1 deletion mutants, we further showed that APOA2 lost its ability to stimulate ABCA1 efflux to HDL if the C-terminal domain of APOA1 was absent, but retained this ability when the N-terminal domain was absent. Based on these findings, we propose a model in which APOA2 displaces the C-terminal helix of APOA1 from the HDL surface which can then interact with ABCA1—much like it does in lipid-poor APOA1. These findings suggest APOA2 may be a novel therapeutic target given this ability to open a large, high-capacity pool of HDL particles to enhance ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Ab initio evaluation of the electronic and optical properties of V B C B defect in wurtzite boron nitride as promising single-photon emitter

Single-photon emitters (SPEs) in the near-infrared (NIR) range with sharp and intense zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) of emission are critical for quantum communications. Certain local defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors create isolated occupied and unoccupied states within the bandgap of the host semiconductor and thus exhibit sharp ZPLs of emission. We designed and studied a defect in the wurtzite boron nitride as a potential SPE. It consists of a boron vacancy and a carbon atom substituting another boron atom (V B C B defect). The density of states is obtained within the GW method to identify favorable local defect states that may dominate optical transitions. The dielectric function and oscillator strength of the V B C B defect are obtained using the Bethe-Salpeter equation method to identify the optical excitations of the V B C B defect, from which we conclude that the defect could be a source of NIR emission with a narrow bright ZPL peak, thus an efficient SPE.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of electrode-electrolyte interfaces to enable non-flammable Li-ion batteries operating up to 125°C with liquid electrolyte

Non-flammable and high-temperature stable ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolytes could eliminate catastrophic battery failures and improve battery safety, but their poor electrochemical interaction with the LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 (NMC) family of cathodes is a long-standing problem due to severe parasitic reactions at high temperature. Understanding surface and bulk structural mechanisms of NMC-type cathodes at elevated operational temperature is of paramount importance to facilitate stable electrochemical performance. Here, we report a non-flammable phosphonium IL-based cell chemistry that offers stable electrode-electrolyte interfaces, leading to electrochemical performance up to 125°C and high-temperature safety. We combine electrochemistry with multimodal X-ray spectroscopy methods to understand interfaces at elevated temperature (100°C). This nanoscale understating enables a proof-of-concept high-temperature cylindrical cell (14500), and the design achieves an average Coulombic efficiency of ≈99.5% up to 300 cycles at 100°C. The results ascertain the significance of depth-dependent degradation at the interface, guiding room-temperature Li-ion technology toward extreme-temperature applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2026

Robust Rapid Cellular Metabolite Sensing Using Benchtop NMR and SABRE-Hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]Pyruvate

Hyperpolarized NMR has emerged as a powerful analytical technique to significantly enhance targeted NMR signals, improving the sensitivity for investigations of unique chemical and biological dynamics. Here, we demonstrate the use of a hyperpolarization strategy based on Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE) to generate highly reproducible doses of a hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]pyruvate probe for benchtop characterization of yeast metabolism. This method allows rapid, scalable, and benchtop preparation of biocompatible hyperpolarized solutions suitable for live-cell experiments. We show that this production can be dove-tailed into a modular, compact workflow to characterize real-time metabolism in cell cultures, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s yeast) as a model organism. With high temporal resolution, we show that this method can resolve the conversion of hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]pyruvate into oxidative decarboxylation products CO 2 and bicarbonate. This conversion exhibits sustained and detectable metabolic activity for over 300 s after introduction of the agent to the cells. We model the metabolite kinetics to show decarboxylation activity and derive estimates of the pH over time from the CO 2 and bicarbonate (carbonic acid buffer system) equilibrium to probe changes in the cellular environment during active metabolism. These results highlight the utility of benchtop SABRE-hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]pyruvate as a scalable, specific probe for metabolic phenotyping of living cells using compact, low-cost instrumentation well-suited for future high-throughput applications across microbial engineering, drug response profiling, and dynamic metabolic screening.

fungi↗