Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “generalized functions”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 829 records · Page 46

Multipartite entanglement in the one-dimensional spin- 1 2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet

Multipartite entanglement refers to the simultaneous entanglement between multiple subsystems of a many-body quantum system. While multipartite entanglement can be difficult to quantify analytically, it is known that it can be witnessed through the quantum Fisher information (QFI), a quantity that can also be related to dynamical Kubo response functions. In this work, we first show that the finite temperature QFI can generally be expressed in terms of a static structure factor of the system, plus a correction that vanishes as T→0. This implies that the static structure factor witnesses multipartite entanglement near quantum critical points at temperatures below a characteristic energy scale of the system. Therefore, in systems with a known static structure factor, we can deduce finite temperature scaling of multipartite entanglement and low temperature entanglement depth without knowledge of the full dynamical response function of the system. This is particularly useful to study 1D quantum critical systems in which sub-power-law divergences can dominate entanglement growth, where the conventional scaling theory of the QFI breaks down. Furthermore, the 1D spin- 1 2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model is an important example of such a system, and we show that multipartite entanglement in the Heisenberg chain diverges nontrivially as ~ln(1/T) 3/2 . We verify these predictions with calculations of the QFI using conformal field theory and matrix product state simulations. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for experiments to probe entanglement in quantum materials, comparing to neutron scattering data in KCuF 3 , a material well described by the Heisenberg chain.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A hybrid calibration approach to Hertz-type contact parameters for discrete element models

This study aims at providing a hybrid calibration framework to estimate Hertz-type contact parameters (particle-scale shear modulus and Poisson ratio) for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional discrete element modelling (DEM). On the basis of statistically isotropic granular packings, a set of analytical formulae between macroscopic material parameters (Young modulus and Poisson ratio) and particle-scale Hertz-type contact parameters for granular systems are derived under small-strain isotropic stress conditions. However, the derived analytical solutions are only estimated values for general models. By viewing each DEM modelling as an implicit mathematical function taking the particle-level parameters as independent variables and employing the derived analytical solutions as the initial input parameters, an automatic iterative scheme is proposed to obtain the calibrated parameters with higher accuracies. Considering highly nonlinear features and discontinuities of the macro-micro relationship in Hertz-based discrete element models, the adaptive moment estimation algorithm is adopted in this study because of its capacity of dealing with noise gradients of cost functions. Here, the proposed method is validated with several numerical cases including randomly distributed monodisperse and polydisperse packings. Noticeable improvements in terms of calibration efficiency and accuracy have been made.

Constitutive law↗

Enriched immersed finite element and isogeometric analysis: algorithms and data structures

Immersed finite element methods provide a convenient analysis framework for problems involving geometrically complex domains, such as those found in topology optimization and microstructures for engineered materials. However, their implementation remains a major challenge due to, among other things, the need to apply nontrivial stabilization schemes and generate custom quadrature rules. This article introduces the robust and computationally efficient algorithms and data structures comprising an immersed finite element preprocessing framework. The input to the preprocessor consists of a background mesh and one or more geometries defined on its domain. The output is structured into groups of elements with custom quadrature rules formatted such that common finite element assembly routines may be used without or with only minimal modifications. The key to the preprocessing framework is the construction of material topology information, concurrently with the generation of a quadrature rule, which is then used to perform enrichment and generate stabilization rules. While the algorithmic framework applies to a wide range of immersed finite element methods using different types of meshes, integration, and stabilization schemes, the preprocessor is presented within the context of the extended isogeometric analysis. This method utilizes a structured B-spline mesh, a generalized Heaviside enrichment strategy considering the material layout within individual basis functions’ supports, and face-oriented ghost stabilization. Using a set of examples, the effectiveness of the enrichment and stabilization strategies is demonstrated alongside the preprocessor’s robustness in geometric edge cases. Additionally, the performance and parallel scalability of the implementation are evaluated.

Computer implementation↗

A general kinetic framework for dislocation mobility derived from probabilistic cellular automaton simulations of the kink-pair mechanism

Dislocation mobility laws are essential components of dislocation-density-based crystal plasticity models. For dislocations governed by the kink-pair mechanism, however, existing formulations are typically limited to specific regimes due to the com plex interplay between stochastic kink-pair nucleation and lateral kink migration. In this work, we develop a general kinetic framework that expresses the average dislocation velocity as a function of mechanism-level variables: positive/negative kink pair nucleation rates, kink migration velocity, dislocation segment length, critical kink-pair width, and kink height. Probabilis tic cellular automaton simulations are used to capture the behavior of conceptual dislocation segments between the limiting conditions of migration outpacing nucleation on the one end and nucleation outpacing migration on the other. An elemen tary functional form that captures the system dynamics is suggested and fitted against the simulation results. This framework remains valid for arbitrary combinations of the six variables and is, therefore, compatible with any admissible constitutive re lations that describe their stress and temperature dependence. Comparisons with established approaches and experimental results confirm the robustness and physical consistency of the formulation, making it broadly applicable to material systems in which dislocation motion is governed by the kink-pair mechanism.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Metal Halide Perovskites Demonstrate Radiation Hardness and Defect Healing in Vacuum

Herein, we subject formamidinium lead iodide films to oxygen-containing gases (flowing O 2 or free diffusion of lab atmosphere), inert gases (flowing He, Ar, or N 2 ), and vacuum. Our films are irradiated by Cu Ka X-rays and held at 75 °C while X-ray diffraction is recorded. Under all gas conditions, we observe a reproducible 1.1 ± 0.5 A 3 perovskite lattice contraction from an initial unit cell volume of 256.5 ± 0.8 A 3 concurrent with continuous perovskite loss and lead iodide growth. Oxygen-containing gases increase the reaction rates without materially altering perovskite structural changes. Under the same temperature and irradiation conditions in vacuo, a self-healing reaction is observed, exhibited by a reproducible (0.9 ± 0.3 A 3 ) lattice expansion and stabilization of the perovskite. Furthermore, interactions between the perovskite, defects, and minority phases are simulated by generalized gradient approximation Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE) density functional theory. Lattice contraction indicates an increase in the concentration of Schottky defects-pairs of formamidinium and iodine vacancies. Under irradiation in every atmospheric condition, a solid solution of Schottky defects with a concentration of several percent diffuses and precipitates forming lead iodide and consuming the defects. In the presence of ionized gases, this framework is modified to include the continual loss of formamidinium and iodine ions from the perovskite forming Schottky defects.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A flexible and scalable scheme for mixing computed formation energies from different levels of theory

Abstract Computational materials discovery efforts are enabled by large databases of properties derived from high-throughput density functional theory (DFT), which now contain millions of calculations at the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) level of theory. It is now feasible to carry out high-throughput calculations using more accurate methods, such as meta-GGA DFT; however recomputing an entire database with a higher-fidelity method would not effectively leverage the enormous investment of computational resources embodied in existing (GGA) calculations. Instead, we propose here a general procedure by which higher-fidelity, low-coverage calculations (e.g., meta-GGA calculations for selected chemical systems) can be combined with lower-fidelity, high-coverage calculations (e.g., an existing database of GGA calculations) in a robust and scalable manner. We then use legacy PBE(+ U ) GGA calculations and new r 2 SCAN meta-GGA calculations from the Materials Project database to demonstrate that our scheme improves solid and aqueous phase stability predictions, and discuss practical considerations for its implementation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A high-throughput framework for lattice dynamics

We develop an automated high-throughput workflow for calculating lattice dynamical properties from first principles including those dictated by anharmonicity. The pipeline automatically computes interatomic force constants (IFCs) up to 4th order from perturbed training supercells, and uses the IFCs to calculate lattice thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and vibrational free energy and entropy. It performs phonon renormalization for dynamically unstable compounds to obtain real effective phonon spectra at finite temperatures and calculates the associated free energy corrections. The methods and parameters are chosen to balance computational efficiency and result accuracy, assessed through convergence testing and comparisons with experimental measurements. Deployment of this workflow at a large scale would facilitate materials discovery efforts toward functionalities including thermoelectrics, contact materials, ferroelectrics, aerospace components, as well as general phase diagram construction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Isolation, bonding and reactivity of a monomeric stibine oxide

Abstract In contrast to phosphine oxides and arsine oxides, which are common and exist as stable monomeric species featuring the corresponding pnictoryl functional group (Pn=O/Pn + –O − ; Pn = P, As), stibine oxides are generally polymeric, and the properties of the unperturbed stiboryl group (Sb=O/Sb + –O − ) remain unexplored. We now report the isolation of the monomeric stibine oxide, Dipp 3 SbO (where Dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl). Spectroscopic, crystallographic and computational studies provide insight into the nature of the Sb=O/Sb + –O − bond. Moreover, isolation of Dipp 3 SbO allows the chemistry of the stiboryl group to be explored. Here we show that Dipp 3 SbO can act as a Brønsted base, a hydrogen-bond acceptor and a transition-metal ligand, in addition engaging in 1,2-addition, O-for-F 2 exchange and O-atom transfer. In all cases, the reactivity of Dipp 3 SbO differed from that of the lighter congeners Dipp 3 AsO and Dipp 3 PO.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Correlative chemical and elemental nano-imaging of morphology and disorder at the nacre-prismatic region interface in Pinctada margaritifera

Abstract Understanding biomineralization relies on imaging chemically heterogeneous organic–inorganic interfaces across a hierarchy of spatial scales. Further, organic minority phases are often responsible for emergent inorganic structures from the atomic arrangement of different polymorphs, to nano- and micrometer crystal dimensions, up to meter size mollusk shells. The desired simultaneous chemical and elemental imaging to identify sparse organic moieties across a large field-of-view with nanometer spatial resolution has not yet been achieved. Here, we combine nanoscale secondary ion mass spectroscopy (NanoSIMS) with spectroscopic IR s -SNOM imaging for simultaneous chemical, molecular, and elemental nanoimaging. At the example of Pinctada margaritifera mollusk shells we identify and resolve ~ 50 nm interlamellar protein sheets periodically arranged in regular ~ 600 nm intervals. The striations typically appear ~ 15 µm from the nacre-prism boundary at the interface between disordered neonacre to mature nacre. Using the polymorph distinctive IR-vibrational carbonate resonance, the nacre and prismatic regions are consistently identified as aragonite ( $${\overline{\nu }}_{a}=860$$ ν ¯ a = 860 cm −1 ) and calcite ( $${\overline{\nu }}_{c}=880$$ ν ¯ c = 880 cm −1 ), respectively. We observe previously unreported morphological features including aragonite subdomains encapsulated in extensions of the prism-covering organic membrane and regions of irregular nacre tablet formation coincident with dispersed organics. We also identify a ~ 200 nm region in the incipient nacre region with less well-defined crystal structure and integrated organics. These results show with the identification of the interlamellar protein layer how correlative nano-IR chemical and NanoSIMS elemental imaging can help distinguish different models proposed for shell growth in particular, and how organic function may relate to inorganic structure in other biomineralized systems in general.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Lyapunov stability of smart inverters using linearized distflow approximation

Fast-acting smart inverters that utilize preset operating conditions to determine real and reactive power injection/consumption can create voltage instabilities (over-voltage, voltage oscillations and more) in an electrical distribution network if set-points are not properly configured. In this work, linear distribution power flow equations and droop-based Volt–Var and Volt–Watt control curves are used to analytically derive a stability criterion using Lyapunov analysis that includes the network operating condition. The methodology is generally applicable for control curves that can be represented as Lipschitz functions. The derived Lipschitz constants account for smart inverter hardware limitations for reactive power generation. A local policy is derived from the stability criterion that allows inverters to adapt their control curves by monitoring only local voltage, thus avoiding centralized control or information sharing with other inverters. The criterion is independent of the internal time-delays of smart inverters. Simulation results for inverters with and without the proposed stabilization technique demonstrate how smart inverters can mitigate voltage oscillations locally and mitigate real and reactive power flow disturbances at the substation under multiple scenarios. The study concludes with illustrations of how the control policy can dampen oscillations caused by solar intermittency and cyberattacks.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Molecular dynamics simulations of uranyl and plutonyl cations in a task-specific ionic liquid

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a unique class of solvents with potential applications in advanced separation technologies relevant to the nuclear industry. ILs are salts with low melting points and a wide range of tunable physical properties, such as viscosity, hydrophobiciy, conductivity, and liquidus range. ILs have negligible vapor pressure, are often non-flammable, and can have high thermal stability and a wide electrochemical window, making them attractive for use in separations processes relevant to the nuclear industry. Metal salts generally have a low solubility in ILs; however, by incorporating new functional groups into the IL cation or anion that promote complexation with the metal, the solubility can be greatly increased. One such task-specific ionic liquid (TSIL) is 1-carboxy-N, N, N-trimethylglycine bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Hbet][Tf 2 N]). Water, which is detrimental for electrochemical separations, is a common impurity in ILs and can coordinate with actinyl cations, particularly in ILs containing only weakly coordinating components. Understanding the behavior of actinides in TSIL/water mixtures on a molecular level is vital for designing improved separations processes. Classical molecular dynamics simulations of uranyl(VI) and plutonyl(VI) in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][Tf 2 N]) with deprotonated Hbet (betaine) and water have been performed to understand the coordination and dynamics of the actinyl cations. We find that betaine is a much stronger ligand than water and prefers to coordinate the metal in a bidentate manner. Potential of mean force simulations yield a relative free energy for betaine coordination of approximately -120 to -90 kJ/mol in mixtures with water. As the amount of betaine coordinated to the actinide increases, the diffusion coefficient of the actinyl cation decreases. Moreover, the betaine ligand is able to bridge between two metal centers, resulting in dimeric complexes with actinide–actinide distances of ~5 Å. Potential of mean force simulations show that these structures are stable, with relative free energies of up to -40 kJ/mol. The crystal structure for [(UO 2 ) 2 (bet) 6 (H 2 O) 2 ][Tf 2 N] 4 shows that the betaine bridges between two uranium atoms to form dimeric complexes similar to those found in our simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Interplay between electron localization, magnetic order, and Jahn-Teller distortion dictates LiMnO2 phase stability

The development of manganese (Mn)-rich cathodes for Li-ion batteries promises to alleviate potential supply chain bottlenecks in battery manufacturing. Fundamental challenges in Mn-rich cathodes arise from phenomena such as structural changes due to cooperative Jahn-Teller (JT) distortions of in octahedral environments, Mn migration, and phase transformations to spinel-like order, all of which affect the electrochemical performance. These physically complex phenomena motivate an re-examination of the Li-Mn-O rock-salt space, with a focus on the thermodynamics of the prototypical, polymorphs. It is found that the generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBEsol) and meta-GGA ( ) density functionals with empirically fitted on-site Hubbard corrections yield spurious stable phases for , such as predicting a phase with -like order ( ) to be the ground state instead of the orthorhombic (Pmmn) phase, which is the experimentally known ground state. Accounting for antiferromagnetic order in each structure is shown to have a substantial effect on the total energies and resulting phase stability. By using hybrid-GGA (HSE06) and GGA with self-consistent Hubbard parameters (on-site and inter-site ) calculated from linear response theory, the experimentally observed phase stability trends are recovered. The calculated on-site between Mn- states in the experimentally observed orthorhombic, layered, and spinel phases are significantly smaller than in and disordered layered structures, by within GGA. The smaller values of are shown to be correlated with a collinear ordering of JT distortions, in which all orbitals are oriented in the same direction. This cooperative JT effect can lead to greater electron delocalization from Mn along the states due to increased Mn-O covalency, which contributes to the greater electronic stability compared to the phases with noncollinear JT arrangements. The structures with collinear ordering of JT distortions also generate greater vibrational entropy, which helps stabilize these phases at high temperature. These phases are shown to be strongly insulating with large calculated band gaps , which are computed using HSE06 and .

Kam, Ronald L↗

Effect of interparticle fields and radiation reaction on beam dynamics

The dynamics of relativistic particles in an intense electromagnetic field can be described by the Landau-Lifshitz (LL) equation, where the radiation reaction (RR) is accounted for via a self-force, and interparticle fields are often neglected as an approximation. However, the inclusion of interparticle fields is necessary to ensure energy-momentum conservation, particularly during coherent emission. Here we present (i) an analytical proof showing that the energy-momentum conservation law of the Hamilton-Rohrlich-Dirac action, which is divergence free and describes a generic system of interacting charges, respects causality and provides physically sensible results; (ii) a simple generalization of the LL equation for many particles evaluated as a function of the total field, i.e., the sum of the external and interparticle fields. By performing first-principles numerical simulations of a neutral, relativistic bunch of electrons and positrons (e − /e + ) colliding with a laser pulse, this theory is shown to satisfy energy-momentum conservation when interparticle fields and RR are simultaneously taken into account; and (iii) the combined effect of interparticle fields and RR primarily affects the tail of the particle energy distribution. Additionally, our first-principles simulations show that the effect of interparticle fields on beam energy loss becomes smaller when most of the radiated energy is incoherent.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Advanced Closures for Nonlinear Fluid Simulations of Plasmas (Final Report)

Advanced Closures for Nonlinear Fluid Simulations of Plasmas E. Held, Utah State University (Principal Investigator) J.-Y. Ji, Utah State University (Co-Investigator) Utah State University (USU) continued to develop and apply closures for hybrid fluid/kinetic simulations of magnetized fusion plasmas. The closures developed by USU's fusion theory and computation group use the drift ordering and are referred to as "continuum" and "general moment" approaches. They differ in their representation for the distribution functions which probabilistically describe the density of particles in 5 dimensional phase space. The two chosen velocity variables, needed in studies of kinetic physics for magnetized plasmas, are the speed and the component of a particle's velocity along the magnetic field. In magnetized plasmas, the charged particle trajectories are tied closely to the magnetic field lines. Both approaches account for binary interactions between particles using the Coulomb collision operator. Theoretical and computational development along both lines provided avenues for verification between the two approaches. This funding allowed USU to further develop physically accurate and numerically efficient models that advance our understanding of kinetic physics in experiments like the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The ITER device will likely prove the physical practicality of thermonuclear fusion by producing 500 megawatts of clean, abundant fusion power. This work helped to realize this goal by advancing our simulation capability using hybrid fluid/kinetic models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Automated shaker placement and regularized input estimation for MIMO testing.

Multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) testing is used in component qualification to reproduce operational responses in the laboratory. It is often preferred to single-input and base-shake testing because of the potential for equivalent or better tests using smaller actuators and shorter test suites. Given a target response, two key steps in MIMO test design are selecting actuator locations and solving for input loads. Actuator locations are often manually selected using expert judgment. If an automatic method is used, locations are usually determined by simulating the vibration control problem and minimizing a combination of the input energy and control residuals. To select a configuration, the relative importance of input energy and residuals must be specified. Specifying relative weights is, in general, a manual and subjective process. This paper develops an objective function that compares actuator configurations based on control accuracy and required input energy without any manual parameter tuning. The objective function uses an optimally selected tradeoff parameter for each candidate configuration. To choose actuator locations using the new objective function, a pivoting algorithm for integer programming problems is developed. Starting with an initial configuration (such as the one generated by a greedy algorithm), the pivoting algorithm guarantees an objective function decrease in each iteration until convergence is reached. In a simulation featuring a structure excited by a diffuse acoustic field, electrodynamic shaker locations and regularized inputs are solved for without any analyst-specified parameters. Simulations are performed in MIMO configurations where the number of target responses is less than, equal to, and greater than the number of actuators.

Multi-input multi-output↗

Stochastic Distribution Control Theory-Its Potential Application in Risk Management in Financial Systems

Stochastic Distribution Control (SDC) theory [1], originated by the author in 1996, aims at developing modeling and control strategies for dynamic and non-Gaussian stochastic systems by controlling the shape of the probability density functions of some concerned variables and parameters in stochastic systems. It generalizes the capability of standard stochastic differential equations and can therefore be applied to generic non-Gaussian systems. Since it was established in 1996, it has found a wide spectrum of applications in non-Gaussian stochastic system control, data mining, filtering and optimization for uncertain systems. In this short opinion article, discussions will be made on potential applications of SDC theory to financial systems in terms of risk analysis and management.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Evolution and Mass Dependence of Galaxy Cluster Pressure Profiles at 0.05 ≤ z ≤ 0.60 and 4 × 10 14 M ⊙ ≤ M 500 ≤ 30 × 10 14 M ⊙

Abstract We have combined X-ray observations from Chandra with Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect data from Planck and Bolocam to measure intracluster medium pressure profiles from 0.03 R 500 ≤ R ≤ 5 R 500 for a sample of 21 low- z galaxy clusters with a median redshift of 〈 z 〉 = 0.08 and a median mass of 〈 M 500 〉 = 6.1 × 10 14 M ⊙ and a sample of 19 mid- z galaxy clusters with 〈 z 〉 = 0.50 and 〈 M 500 〉 = 10.6 × 10 14 M ⊙ . The mean scaled pressure in the low- z sample is lower at small radii and higher at large radii, a trend that is accurately reproduced in similarly selected samples from The Three Hundred simulations. This difference appears to be primarily due to dynamical state at small radii, evolution at intermediate radii, and a combination of evolution and mass dependence at large radii. Furthermore, the overall flattening of the mean scaled pressure profile in the low- z sample compared to the mid- z sample is consistent with expectations due to differences in the mass accretion rate and the fractional impact of feedback mechanisms. In agreement with previous studies, the fractional scatter about the mean scaled pressure profile reaches a minimum of ≃20% near 0.5 R 500 . This scatter is consistent between the low- z and mid- z samples at all radii, suggesting it is not strongly impacted by sample selection, and this general behavior is reproduced in The Three Hundred simulations. Finally, analytic functions that approximately describe the mass and redshift trends in mean pressure profile shape are provided.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Post-Newtonian kinetic theory

A kinetic theory for relativistic gases in the presence of gravitational fields is developed in the second post-Newtonian approximation. The corresponding Boltzmann equation is determined from the evolution of the one-particle distribution function with respect to the proper time along the world line of the particle. From the knowledge of the equilibrium Maxwell–Jüttner distribution function in the second post-Newtonian approximation the components of the particle four-flow and energy–momentum tensor are obtained. The Eulerian hydrodynamic equations for the mass density, mass-energy density and momentum density in the second post-Newtonian approximation are determined from the Boltzmann equation. It is shown that the combination of the hydrodynamic equations of mass and mass-energy densities leads to the hydrodynamic equation for the internal energy density in the first post-Newtonian approximation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗