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At least 829 records · Page 46

Kinetic model development and Bayesian uncertainty quantification for the complete reduction of Fe-based oxygen carriers with CH 4 , CO, and H 2 for chemical looping combustion

In this work, three kinetic models are developed and calibrated for the complete multi-step reduction of an Fe-based oxygen carrier (OC) particle with CH 4 , CO, and H 2 , using data from thermogravimetric analysis. The complete reduction rate profiles exhibit complex dynamics whose trajectory is significantly different depending on the reducing gas. A Bayesian model building and parameter estimation framework is applied for simultaneous parameter and model structure uncertainty quantification. The final models show excellent agreement between model predictions and calibration data, as well as new data not used for calibration (for the reduction of the OC with CH 4 ). Parameter uncertainty is quantified by determining joint posterior distribution, and model structure uncertainty is addressed by incorporating Gaussian process stochastic functions (represented by Bayesian smoothing splines) into the kinetic models. The final kinetic models with discrepancy functions are readily employable in equation-oriented simulation and optimization platforms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Joint Resource Modeling and Assessment for Hybrid Distributed Solar and Wind Systems

The inherent variability and uncertainty in distributed energy resources can presents myriad challenges to the planning and operations of power systems. These risks are poised to become larger as the penetration of renewable energy sources rises in the power generation mix. Hybrid solar-wind energy systems are able to mitigate some of these risks by their complementary resource availability. Surface solar and wind fields are coupled and correlated in both space and time. Appropriately estimating the hybrid solar wind energy system requires simulating the spatio-temporal structure of these fields that can be produced for each time horizon. We introduce a novel joint spatio-temporal stochastic differential equation (SPDE) approach that captures the spatio-temporal dynamics of solar and wind fields and their joint dependency over a domain for each time step. In the case study on Colorado, we consider nonstationary three-level hierarchical spatio temporal models for both hourly solar irradiance data and wind speed data in Colorado. Dependence between the solar irradiance data and wind speed data is captured by a shared spatio-temporal random effect. Our approach performs well in terms of the prediction score criterion.

joint modeling↗

Fast Computational Algorithms for Partial Differential Equations and Uncertainty Quantifications

This project concerned the construction, testing and analysis of computational algorithms for solving parameterized and stochastic partial differential equations. The study and understanding of equations of this type is of fundamental importance in numerous engineering and scientific applications. Examples include simulation of plasma dynamics in models of electric propulsion and nuclear fusion, simulation of multiphase flows, such as the flow of water, gas and oil in reservoirs, and structural analysis of the dependence of structures on materials. Parametrization is used in such settings when properties of the models such as viscosity of fluids or electric resistivity of materials are not precisely understood and instead are treated as random variables. The resulting solutions are themselves random, and having such solutions will enable engineers to use probabilistic methods to assess the likelihood of events, for example, whether a pollutant in a liquid will exceed a limit, and to use such analyses to develop ways to ensure positive outcomes. Construction of accurate (high resolution) computational solutions is expensive, requiring significant computer time and computational resources, and there is need to reduce computational cost to make simulation useful and effective. The aim of the project was to construct algorithms to efficiently compute surrogate solutions to parameterized problems to allow for efficient and accurate simulation. The technical approach used focused on two related strategies, based on rank-reduction methods and reduced-order models. These methods construct surrogate solutions of parameter-dependent models by projection or interpolation into low-dimensional approximation spaces. Cost savings are achieved if the low-dimensional spaces can be identified and constructed efficiently and if the resulting low-dimensional algebraic systems can be solved cheaply. Accomplishments include: Theoretical and empirical demonstration of the effectiveness of fast multigrid solution strategies for computing low-rank representations of parameter-dependent solutions to discrete partial differential equations, including the first proof establishing so-called textbook convergence properties for low-rank methods. Development of efficient solution algorithms for solving nonlinear parameter-dependent partial differential equations used in models of fluid dynamics. Developent of efficient algorithms for low-rank representation of solutions of time-dependent simulations of fluid dynamics using multi-dimensional tensor representations of solutions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Study of a Simulation Tool to Determine Achievable Control Dynamics and Control Power Requirements with Perfect Tracking

This paper contains a study of two methods for use in a generic nonlinear simulation tool that could be used to determine achievable control dynamics and control power requirements while performing perfect tracking maneuvers over the entire flight envelope. The two methods are NDI (nonlinear dynamic inversion) and the SOFFT(Stochastic Optimal Feedforward and Feedback Technology) feedforward control structure. Equivalent discrete and continuous SOFFT feedforward controllers have been developed. These equivalent forms clearly show that the closed-loop plant model loop is a plant inversion and is the same as the NDI formulation. The main difference is that the NDI formulation has a closed-loop controller structure whereas SOFFT uses an open-loop command model. Continuous, discrete, and hybrid controller structures have been developed and integrated into the formulation. Linear simulation results show that seven different configurations all give essentially the same response, with the NDI hybrid being slightly different. The SOFFT controller gave better tracking performance compared to the NDI controller when a nonlinear saturation element was added. Future plans include evaluation using a nonlinear simulation.

Ostroff, Aaron J.↗

Binary Quantum Control Optimization with Uncertain Hamiltonians

Optimizing the controls of quantum systems plays a crucial role in advancing quantum technologies. The time-varying noises in quantum systems and the widespread use of inhomogeneous quantum ensembles raise the need for high-quality quantum controls under uncertainties. In this paper, we consider a stochastic discrete optimization formulation of a discretized binary optimal quantum control problem involving Hamiltonians with predictable uncertainties. We propose a sample-based reformulation that optimizes both risk-neutral and risk-averse measurements of control policies, and solve these with two gradient-based algorithms using sum-up-rounding approaches. Furthermore, we discuss the differentiability of the objective function and prove upper bounds of the gaps between the optimal solutions to binary control problems and their continuous relaxations. We conduct numerical simulations on various sized problem instances based on two applications of quantum pulse optimization; we evaluate different strategies to mitigate the impact of uncertainties in quantum systems. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the controls of our stochastic optimization model achieve significantly higher quality and robustness compared with the controls of a deterministic model.

conditional value-at-risk (CVaR)↗

Stochastic acceleration in impulsive solar flares

We consider ion energization by Alfven waves, and suggest that a combination of nonlinear Landau damping and gyroresonant acceleration could account for proton acceleration in impulsive solar flares. Based on simulations which include both processes in a H plasma, we find that 10 exp -5 of the ambient protons can be accelerated above 1 MeV and that these particles contain about 10 percent of the total available wave energy. From a simulation in a H-He plasma, we find a large ratio of accelerated alpha particles to protons. Furthermore, arguments based upon the nonlinear Landau damping rate indicate heavy element enhancements. These results are consistent with accelerated particle observations from impulsive flares.

Miller, James A.↗

Practical Insights on Applying Simulation-Based Control Methods in Experimental Studies

Advanced nuclear reactors are crucial to the future of energy both in the United States and around the globe. In contrast to the current operating fleet, they are characterized as being deployable in remote locations and able to operate in semi-autonomous or autonomous fashion. This leap forward necessitates a new reactor control paradigm. Because advanced nuclear reactors are still under development in the United States, the creation of new control methods to achieve autonomous operations has been based on systems modeling and simulation. However, an important factor in successfully deploying these new control methods is the ability to seamlessly transition from simulation environments to real-world settings. Control methods tested in both simulation and experimental settings need to be investigated in the context of advanced reactor applications. This work developed a series of simple controllers for Idaho National Laboratory (INL)’s Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) microreactor operating in load-following scenarios. These controllers were tested in both simulation and experimental settings, and a comparative performance analysis was performed. The simulation tests leveraged the Control and Optimization Modular Modeling Application for Nuclear Deployment (COMMAND) software developed in a previous stage of the current effort, along with the MARVEL Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) and Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) models. The experimental tests leveraged the COMMAND software, MARVEL models, and the U.S. Department of Energy Microreactor Program’s Microreactor Automated Control System (MACS). MACS was developed to serve as a control method testbed. It was customized to mirror the MARVEL microreactor, and COMMAND enabled MACS to emulate the physics of MARVEL. The load-following controller was developed using the simulation platform, with efforts to emulate real systems by introducing actuator saturation and noise. These factors were incrementally accounted for in the controller design. After finalizing the controller design, it was implemented with the experimental setup. The experimental conditions tested included an initial test under conditions similar to the final simulation test, and two additional scenarios. The first scenario introduced additional actuator saturation to account for equipment aging over time, which was unknown to the controller. The second scenario introduced sensor delay, a phenomenon anticipated with the use of remote operations or wireless communication in advanced reactors. These tests revealed several notable differences. While the controller performed well in simulation, it exhibited several limitations when transitioning to hardware. The main challenges involved maintaining the steady-state target power, as evidenced by larger error values between the true reactor power and setpoint power, as well as persistent oscillations in controlled reactor power. These issues could lead to unacceptable transient conditions in real reactor testing. Introducing actuator aging and stochastic delays in the experimental setup significantly impacted controller performance, resulting in increased overshoot and undershoot, and exacerbated error and oscillations previously mentioned. These findings underscore the importance of experimental testbeds for testing and validating control methods, as controllers developed using only theory and/or simulation may perform unexpectedly when applied to actual hardware. This research emphasizes the need for an experimental testbed for achieving such validation.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

STOCHASTIC OPTIMAL POWER FLOW FOR REAL-TIME MANAGEMENT OF DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE GENERATION AND DEMAND RESPONSE (Final Report)

To meet the grand challenge of a sustainable energy future, there has been a surge of interest in renewable energy. Today, the uncertainty associated with renewable resources is handled by using operating reserves. The high penetration of renewable resources, however, introduces difficult-to-control dynamics and challenges for power system operation. Decision support tools are necessary at the bulk system operational level to recognize and efficiently utilize renewable resources and distributed demand response products in concert with traditional grid resources. It is envisaged that responsive load can potentially have very significant cost advantages over either spinning or non-spinning ramping reserve. Critical decisions are made during hour(s)-ahead and real-time power system operation regarding the commitment and dispatch of generators to ensure power delivery is both reliable and economic. These decisions are typically made by a security constrained optimal flow, which determines future generator commitments, dispatches, and ensures adequate reserves are available in the event of a contingency (unexpected outage) or if future system conditions deviate from forecasts. However, security has been always based on a pre-specified subset of contingency constraints whose enforcement does not guarantee security under all possible future possibilities while also giving little or no weight to the likelihood of each contingent event or the severity of its consequences. Existing tools, which are based exclusively on deterministic optimization models, do not yield optimal operational decisions to address these new challenges, in terms of both reliability and cost-effectiveness. This project has focused on developing a stochastic optimal power flow (SOPF) framework, which integrates renewable resource uncertainty, load uncertainty, distributed storage (DS), demand response (DR) products, in a holistic manner to address the uncertainty associated with ever-increasing renewable resources, along with the inclusion of distributed demand response products in future power systems. A proof-of-concept problem was created using the Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland (PJM) power system network. Synthetic wind generation was added to the system to simulate 50% wind penetration. A 1-hour test of SOPF operation indicated more than 6% operational cost savings. The project continued by adding the Midwestern Independent System Operator (MISO) as a partner, with focus shifting from SOPF to Stochastic Look-Ahead Unit Commitment (SLAC). Unlike PJM, MISO is faced with significant renewable energy resources within its footprint and is challenged with substantial uncertainty in its operations. The SLAC distinguishes itself from existing tools that operators use. At best, today’s tools solve two to three cases independently, where one or two system parameters, such as forecasted load level (e.g., a low, base, and high forecast), are varied and the resulting scenarios are analyzed independently. The stochastic-based optimization of SLAC leverages statistical information from an ensemble of potential operational scenarios and their respective likelihood. The SLAC output can be translated into valuable information to the operator such as suggested commitments, optimal scheduling and dispatch of resources, reserve requirements at both locational and zonal resolutions, ramping availability and requirements, availability of demand response including operational guidance concerning the near-term and real-time coordination between distributed energy resources, and utilization of distributed storage resources. The developed SOPF/SLAC tool, a stand-alone tool compatible with existing EMSs, will provide system operators with unprecedented visibility, flexibility and predictability to these resources and operational guidance concerning the real-time coordination between DERs and DR/DS products. The game changing and practical impact of this disruptive technology will be dramatic and will usher in a new era in the electric power industry, wherein green energy concepts are fully embraced, and electric power costs are lowered throughout the nation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Runaway electron transport in stochastic toroidal magnetic fields

Here, we study the transport and confinement properties of runaway electrons (RE) in the presence of magnetic fields with perturbations producing different levels of stochasticity. We use Kinetic Orbit Runaway Electron Code (KORC) [Carbajal et al. , Phys. Plasmas 24, 042512 (2017) and del-Castillo-Negrete et al. , Phys. Plasmas 25, 056104 (2018)] for simulating the full-orbit (FO) and guiding-center (GC) dynamics of RE in perturbed magnetic fields that exhibit magnetic islands. We extend previous works on this problem [Wingen et al. , Nucl. Fusion 46, 941 (2006); Izzo et al. , Nucl. Fusion 51, 063032 (2011); Papp et al. , Nucl. Fusion 51, 043004 (2011); V. Izzo and P. Parks, Phys. Plasmas 24, 060705 (2017); and Sommariva et al. , Nucl. Fusion 58, 016043 (2018)] by studying in detail full-orbit effects on the RE dynamics. We quantify FO effects on RE transport by performing one-to-one comparisons between FO and GC simulations. It is found that, for the magnetic field configurations considered, GC simulations predict twice the RE losses of FO simulations for 1 MeV and four times the RE losses of FO simulations for 25 MeV. Similarly, we show how different GC and FO dynamics of RE moving around magnetic islands can be, especially in the scenario where the RE Larmor radius is on the order of the size of the magnetic island. We also study the role of rotation of the magnetic islands on RE confinement, and we find that low-frequency toroidal rotation has no observable effect on RE transport in the cases considered. These results shed some light into the potential of avoidance or mitigation mechanisms based on magnetic perturbations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Simulation of Physics-Based 0-10Hz Strong Motion Using High Performance Computing Supporting Refinements to Regional Ground Motion Models for the Central Eastern US

In collaboration with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) the LLNL has developed a computationally efficient simulation platform designed to perform physics-based ground motion simulations for crustal earthquakes in the Stable Continental Regions of Central and Eastern US (CEUS), using high-performance computing. The main objective of the earthquake simulations was to use synthetic ground motion to provide constrains to refinements of existing ergodic Ground Motion Models (GMMs), for large magnitude earthquakes and near-fault distances, for which these models are less reliable. Physics-based broadband (0-10Hz) ground motion simulations were used to estimate the near-fault ground motion amplitudes and within event and between-event variabilities associated with fault rupture characteristics. In our simulations we used a 3D regional velocity model that was based on Saikia’s 1D velocity model (1994). In simulations performed during the first stage of this project the Saikia’s velocity model demonstrated better performance in modelling high frequency regional wave propagation for the CEUS region recorded during the Mw5.0 November 7, 2016, Cushing Oklahoma (Taylor et al., 2017), and Mw5.8 September 3, 2016, Pawnee Oklahoma earthquakes. The proposed regional 3D model includes random perturbations to the 1D background model using the stochastic scheme of Pitarka and Mellors (2021). In addition, validation analysis of the rupture generator and regional wave propagation models, using comparisons with different GMMs for Mw6.5 and Mw7.0 scenario earthquakes in the CEUS region resulted in a very good match between the simulated and empirical ground motion models. For the purposes of seismic hazard assessment at the existing and planned nuclear power plants, NRC is interested in studies aimed at improving the current ground motion models (GMM) for both Stable Continental Regions (SCR) in the Central and Eastern US and Active Crustal Regions (ACR) in the Western US. Due to lack of recorded data, these improvements require synthetic data for short fault distances and large magnitude earthquakes for which the existing recorded data is not enough to uniquely constrain the GMMs. The need for simulations and strong motion data is especially critical for the CEUS region where we do not have recorded data from potentially large damaging earthquakes with moment magnitudes 6.0 and higher. In this the project, we focused on 10Hz simulations of Mw7.0 scenario earthquakes with strike slip and thrust faulting mechanisms. We used more than 50 Mw7.0 earthquake rupture scenarios to investigate the ground motion uncertainty due to unknown earthquake rupture parameters, in particular, the slip distribution, rupture velocity, and faulting mechanism, and their implication on ground motion amplification due to forward rupture directivity effects.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Ultimate compressive strength and severe plastic deformation of equilibrated single-crystalline copper nanoparticles

Mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of defect-free copper nanoparticles are investigated by combining experiments with atomistic simulations. The compressive strength of the particles increases with decreasing size and tends to saturate near the theoretical strength in the small-size limit. In this limit, the intrinsic size dependence of the strength is governed by the stochastic nature of dislocation nucleation near the particle surface. The particle deformation process evolves from the initial strain softening to strain hardening as the particle accumulates residual damage. The normalized strength-size relation for Cu is compared with those for Au, Ni, and Pt. The lack of universal behavior among the four FCC metals is discussed. Heavily deformed Cu nanoparticles develop polycrystalline structures and change the lattice orientation from [111] to [110]. The experiments and simulations reveal the twinning mechanism of the lattice rotation leading to the new grain formation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ultimate compressive strength and severe plastic deformation of equilibrated single-crystalline copper nanoparticles

Mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of defect-free copper nanoparticles are investigated by combining experiments with atomistic simulations. The compressive strength of the particles increases with decreasing size and tends to saturate near the theoretical strength in the small-size limit. In this limit, the intrinsic size dependence of the strength is governed by the stochastic nature of dislocation nucleation near the particle surface. The particle deformation process evolves from the initial strain softening to strain hardening as the particle accumulates residual damage. The normalized strength-size relation for Cu is compared with those for Au, Ni, and Pt. The lack of universal behavior among the four FCC metals is discussed. Heavily deformed Cu nanoparticles develop polycrystalline structures and change the lattice orientation from [111] to [110]. The experiments and simulations reveal the twinning mechanism of the lattice rotation leading to the new grain formation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

How good are learning-based control v.s. model-based control for load shifting? Investigations on a single zone building energy system

Both model predictive control (MPC) and deep reinforcement learning control (DRL) have been presented as a way to approximate the true optimality of a dynamic programming problem, and these two have shown significant operational cost saving potentials for building energy systems. Furthermore, there is still a lack of in-depth quantitative studies on their approximation levels to the true optimality, especially in the building energy domain. To fill in the gap, this paper provides a numerical framework that enables the evaluation of the optimality levels of different controllers for building energy systems. This framework is then used to comprehensively compare the optimal control performance of both MPC and DRL controllers with given computation budgets for a single zone fan coil unit system. Note the optimality is estimated based on a user-specific selection of trade-off weights among energy costs, thermal comfort and control slew rates. Compared with the best optimality we can find through expensive optimization simulations, the best DRL agent can maximally approximate the optimality by 96.54%, which outperforms the best MPC whose optimality level is 90.11%. However, due to the stochasticity, the DRL agent is only expected to approximate the optimality by 90.42%, which is almost equivalent to the best MPC. Except for Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), all DRL agents can have a better approximation to the optimality than the best MPC, and are expected to have better approximation than the MPC with a prediction horizon of 32 steps (15 min per step). In terms of reducing energy cost and thermal discomfort, MPC can outperform the rule-based control (RBC) by 18.47%–25.44%. DRL can be expected to outperform RBC by 18.95%–25.65% ,and the best DRL control policy can outperform RBC by 20.29%–29.72%. Although the comparison of the optimality level is performed in a perfect setting, e.g., MPC assumes perfect models, and DRL assumes a perfect offline training process and online deployment process, this can shed insight on their capabilities of approximating to the original dynamic programming problem.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Stochastic reconstruction of fracture network pattern using spatial point processes

Fracture spatial patterns can strongly affect fluid flow in the subsurface. Proximity and distribution of fractures control reservoir flow behavior over various length scales. In many studies, however, simplified geometrical patterns are generated for fractures which may lead to unrealistic subsurface models. Here we introduce a new method for characterization and modeling of fracture spatial patterns based on outcrop observations. We use Ripley's K-function to characterize the arrangement of fracture barycenters and intersection points over various length scales. In addition, we use semivariograms to quantify spatial correlation in fracture intensity maps. Using this information, we develop a stochastic algorithm that generates two-dimensional fracture network realizations with spatial properties similar to those of a real fracture network measured in the field. Numerical simulation models indicate that the generated fracture realizations exhibit similar flow behaviors as that of the original fracture network. Furthermore, such modeling tools expand and improve our capability in building representative fracture models and in quantification of uncertainty in naturally and hydraulically fractured reservoirs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Stochastic equilibrium Raman spectroscopy (STERS)

In this manuscript, we propose a new method for cavity- and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with improved temporal resolution in the measurement of stochastic Raman spectral fluctuations. Our approach combines Fourier spectroscopy and photon correlation to decouple the integration time from the temporal resolution. Using statistical optics Monte Carlo simulations, we establish the relationship between time resolution and Raman signal strength, revealing that typical Raman spectral fluctuations, commensurate with molecular conformational dynamics, can theoretically be resolved on micro- to millisecond timescales. The method can further extract average single-molecule dynamics from small sub-ensembles, thereby potentially mitigating challenges in achieving strictly single-molecule isolation on SERS substrates.

Cobb-Bruno, Colburn [University of California, Ber↗

Using mechanistic models and machine learning to design single-color multiplexed nascent chain tracking experiments

mRNA translation is the ubiquitous cellular process of reading messenger-RNA strands into functional proteins. Over the past decade, large strides in microscopy techniques have allowed observation of mRNA translation at a single-molecule resolution for self-consistent time-series measurements in live cells. Dubbed Nascent chain tracking (NCT), these methods have explored many temporal dynamics in mRNA translation uncaptured by other experimental methods such as ribosomal profiling, smFISH, pSILAC, BONCAT, or FUNCAT-PLA. However, NCT is currently restricted to the observation of one or two mRNA species at a time due to limits in the number of resolvable fluorescent tags. In this work, we propose a hybrid computational pipeline, where detailed mechanistic simulations produce realistic NCT videos, and machine learning is used to assess potential experimental designs for their ability to resolve multiple mRNA species using a single fluorescent color for all species. Our simulation results show that with careful application this hybrid design strategy could in principle be used to extend the number of mRNA species that could be watched simultaneously within the same cell. We present a simulated example NCT experiment with seven different mRNA species within the same simulated cell and use our ML labeling to identify these spots with 90% accuracy using only two distinct fluorescent tags. We conclude that the proposed extension to the NCT color palette should allow experimentalists to access a plethora of new experimental design possibilities, especially for cell Signaling applications requiring simultaneous study of multiple mRNAs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluation of an efficient statistical transport model for turbulent droplet dispersion in dilute combusting sprays

Evaluation of an efficient statistical transport model for turbulent droplet dispersion is made for a dilute spray of methanol droplets injected into a turbulent, axisymmnetric methane-fuelled diffusion flame burning in stagnant air. In the dispersion model, a computational parcel representing a group of physical particles (droplets) is considered to have a normal probability density function (pdf) in space. The mean is determined by Lagrangian tracking through a sequence of stochastically generated turbulent eddies and the variance is evaluated from a statistical formulation based on the linearized particle equations of motion. The basic validity of this model is established through comparison with available experimental data and with theoretical predictions using a conventional stochastic direct modeling approach. The conclusion of the evaluation is that the proposed dispersion model compares favorably with experimental data and provides a valid technique for simulating turbulent combusting sprays with significant computational savings over conventional methods.

Litchford, Ron J.↗

Anomalous Transport of High Energy Cosmic Rays in Galactic Superbubbles

High-energy cosmic rays may exhibit anomalous transport as they traverse and are accelerated by a collection of supernovae explosions in a galactic superbubble. Signatures of this anomalous transport can show up in the particles' evolution and their spectra. In a continuous-time-random- walk (CTRW) model assuming standard diffusive shock acceleration theory (DSA) for each shock encounter, and where the superbubble (an OB stars association) is idealized as a heterogeneous region of particle sources and sinks, acceleration and transport in the superbubble can be shown to be sub-diffusive. While the sub-diffusive transport can be attributed to the stochastic nature of the acceleration time according to DSA theory, the spectral break appears to be an artifact of transport in a finite medium. These CTRW simulations point to a new and intriguing phenomenon associated with the statistical nature of collective acceleration of high energy cosmic rays in galactic superbubbles.

Barghouty, Nasser F.↗