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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 865 records · Page 48
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The state of the art for neutron irradiation experiments from the perspective of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)

Irradiation experiment campaigns are critical to advancing nuclear energy technologies by providing data on material performance under relevant radiation conditions. Successful irradiation experiments require integrated design efforts that balance technical goals with facility constraints. Here, this paper presents an expert-informed overview of irradiation experiment design at the High Flux Isotope Reactor. It addresses the nuclear materials research and irradiation experiment communities to guide them toward developing technically sound, facility-compatible campaigns. The High Flux Isotope Reactor is a multipurpose reactor supporting isotope production, neutron scattering, and materials testing. Its high, steady-state neutron flux is ideal for irradiation experiments, but successful execution demands coordinated thermal, structural, and reactor physics analyses. The paper outlines the complete development workflow from concept definition and design optimization to safety qualification and post-irradiation examination. Standardized capsule platforms are also discussed in terms of flexibility, specimen capacity, and thermal performance. Common failure modes such as unanticipated geometric variations, can impact temperature-dose profiles and compromise data reliability. Therefore, detailed thermal modeling and accurate as-built characterization are essential for meaningful post-irradiation data interpretation. Key recommendations include early engagement all stakeholders, clearly defined design expectations, and alignment of specimen geometries with post-irradiation examination capabilities. This approach reduces design iterations, enhances data quality, and supports more efficient use of irradiation resources. Strategic and well-planned irradiation testing not only improves individual campaign success but also accelerates the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies. By closing critical data gaps and reducing development risks, the nuclear materials community can more effectively contribute to the future of clean, resilient energy systems.

Experiments↗
NASA NTRS2009

Data Analysis for the LISA Pathfinder Mission

The LTP (LISA Technology Package) is the core part of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission. The main goal of the mission is to study the sources of any disturbances that perturb the motion of the freely-falling test masses from their geodesic trajectories as well as 10 test various technologies needed for LISA. The LTP experiment is designed as a sequence of experimental runs in which the performance of the instrument is studied and characterized under different operating conditions. In order to best optimize subsequent experimental runs, each run must be promptly analysed to ensure that the following ones make best use of the available knowledge of the instrument ' In order to do this, all analyses must be designed and tested in advance of the mission and have sufficient built-in flexibility to account for unexpected results or behaviour. To support this activity, a robust and flexible data analysis software package is also required. This poster presents two of the main components that make up the data analysis effort: the data analysis software and the mock-data challenges used to validate analysis procedures and experiment designs.

Thorpe, James Ira↗
DOE OSTI2022

AI-assisted optimization of the ECCE tracking system at the Electron Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a cutting-edge accelerator facility that will study the nature of the “glue” that binds the building blocks of the visible matter in the universe. The proposed experiment will be realized at Brookhaven National Laboratory in approximately 10 years from now, with detector design and R&D currently ongoing. Notably, EIC is one of the first large-scale facilities to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) already starting from the design and R&D phases. The EIC Comprehensive Chromodynamics Experiment (ECCE) is a consortium that proposed a detector design based on a 1.5 T solenoid. The EIC detector proposal review concluded that the ECCE design will serve as the reference design for an EIC detector. Herein we describe a comprehensive optimization of the ECCE tracker using AI. The work required a complex parametrization of the simulated detector system. Herein our approach dealt with an optimization problem in a multidimensional design space driven by multiple objectives that encode the detector performance, while satisfying several mechanical constraints. We describe our strategy and show results obtained for the ECCE tracking system. The AI-assisted design is agnostic to the simulation framework and can be extended to other sub-detectors or to a system of sub-detectors to further optimize the performance of the EIC detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2017

Towards the Development of a Global, Satellite-Based, Terrestrial Snow Mission Planning Tool

A global, satellite-based, terrestrial snow mission planning tool is proposed to help inform experimental mission design with relevance to snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE). The idea leverages the capabilities of NASA's Land Information System (LIS) and the Tradespace Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C) to harness the information content of Earth science mission data across a suite of hypothetical sensor designs, orbital configurations, data assimilation algorithms, and optimization and uncertainty techniques, including cost estimates and risk assessments of each hypothetical permutation. One objective of the proposed observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) is to assess the complementary or perhaps contradictory information content derived from the simultaneous collection of passive microwave (radiometer), active microwave (radar), and LIDAR observations from space-based platforms. The integrated system will enable a true end-to-end OSSE that can help quantify the value of observations based on their utility towards both scientific research and applications as well as to better guide future mission design. Science and mission planning questions addressed as part of this concept include: What observational records are needed (in space and time) to maximize terrestrial snow experimental utility? How might observations be coordinated (in space and time) to maximize this utility? What is the additional utility associated with an additional observation? How can future mission costs be minimized while ensuring Science requirements are fulfilled?

Mission Desig↗
DOE OSTI2025

Autonomous phase mapping of gold nanoparticles synthesis with differentiable models of spectral shape

Autonomous experimentation–or self-driving labs–offers a systematic approach to accelerate materials discovery by integrating automated synthesis, characterization, and data-driven decision-making. We present a closed-loop workflow for the on-demand synthesis and structural characterization of colloidal gold nanoparticles, enabling direct mapping from composition to nanoscale structure. Our framework leverages differentiable models of spectral shape to address two central tasks in self-driving labs: (a) phase mapping, or identifying compositional regions with distinct structural behavior; and (b) material retrosynthesis, or optimizing compositions for target structure. Using functional data analysis, we develop a data-driven model with generative pre-training, active learning, and high-throughput experiments to predict spectral responses across composition space. We demonstrate the approach on seed-mediated growth of gold nanoparticles, showcasing its ability to extract design rules, reveal secondary interactions, and efficiently navigate morphology space. Gradient-based optimization of the models enables inverse design, making this a unified platform.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2006

On the Need for Multidimensional Stirling Analysis

Contents include the following: Dual opposed convertors. High efficiency. Low mass space power. One-dimensional analysis. Fast computation. Design optimizations are easily done. Need for multidimensional modeling. Axisymmetric simulation. Flow characteristics. Low mach number. Laminar, transitional, and turbulent flow. Conjugate heat transfer. Third order analysis. Recent whole engine modeling. Regenerator geometry. Turbulence modeling. Flat head heater not 1-D. Empirical coefficients needed. Experiment design. Flow distribution. Sensor placement. Calibration. Validation.

Dyson, Rodger↗
DOE OSTI2026

Grid Operator Analytics and Assessment Tools for Inverter- Based Resources Dominated Grid (GOAAT-IBR) Project Update

This presentation provides an update on the OPTIMA GOAAT project, with emphasis on the cloud-native data platform developed in-house to ingest, manage, and operationalize high-resolution power system data. Since our last NASPI presentation, accessible via OSTI ID #2671437, the project team advanced the design and deployment of a scalable architecture capable of handling both synchronized and non-synchronized streams, including PMU, point-on-wave (POW), COMTRADE, and SCADA data. These materials review the project status, recent progress, and key lessons learned. The core of the presentation examines the architecture and engineering of our cloud-native ingestion and data management platform. We then explain how pipelines were designed to collect, normalize, time-align, store, and serve heterogeneous data at scale. We will discuss design choices such as data models, streaming versus batch ingestion, storage tiers, and interoperability with analytics applications. Practical experiences with cloud-native technologies were shared during the event, including benefits, limitations, and integration challenges in a utility environment, along with methods used to improve performance, reduce latency, and optimize resource usage. The presentation also showcases user interface designs and visualization tools that convert raw measurements and analytics results into intuitive, actionable insights for operators and engineers. During the presentation examples were provided demonstrating how visualization, event views, and summarized analytics enhance situational awareness and support operational decision-making. These use cases illustrate how a well-designed data infrastructure can bridge the gap between high-volume measurements and practical grid operations.

Aminifar, Farrokh↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coulomb Interaction-Driven Entanglement of Electrons on Helium

The generation and evolution of entanglement in many-body systems is an active area of research that spans multiple fields, from quantum information science to the simulation of quantum many-body systems encountered in condensed matter, subatomic physics, and quantum chemistry. Motivated by recent experiments exploring quantum information processing systems with electrons trapped above the surface of cryogenic noble gas substrates, we theoretically investigate the generation of entanglement between two electrons via their unscreened Coulomb interaction. The model system consists of two electrons confined in separate electrostatic traps that establish microwave-frequency quantized states of their motion. We compute the motional energy spectra of the electrons, as well as their entanglement, by diagonalizing the model Hamiltonian with respect to a single-particle Hartree product basis. We also compare our results with the predictions of an effective Hamiltonian. The computational procedure outlined here can be employed for device design and guidance of experimental implementations. In particular, the theoretical tools developed here can be used for fine-tuning and optimization of control parameters in future experiments with electrons trapped above the surface of superfluid helium or solid neon. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗
NASA NTRS2001

Multidisciplinary Aerospace Systems Optimization: Computational AeroSciences (CAS) Project

The report describes a method for performing optimization of a system whose analysis is so expensive that it is impractical to let the optimization code invoke it directly because excessive computational cost and elapsed time might result. In such situation it is imperative to have user control the number of times the analysis is invoked. The reported method achieves that by two techniques in the Design of Experiment category: a uniform dispersal of the trial design points over a n-dimensional hypersphere and a response surface fitting, and the technique of krigging. Analyses of all the trial designs whose number may be set by the user are performed before activation of the optimization code and the results are stored as a data base. That code is then executed and referred to the above data base. Two applications, one of the airborne laser system, and one of an aircraft optimization illustrate the method application.

Kodiyalam, S.↗
DOE OSTI2016

The design of the optical Thomson scattering diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility [The preliminary design of the optical Thomson scattering diagnostic for the National Ignition Facility]

Here, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 laser beam facility designed to support the Stockpile Stewardship, High Energy Density and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) programs. We report on the design of an Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic that has the potential to transform the community’s understanding of NIF hohlraum physics by providing first principle, local, time-resolved measurements of under-dense plasma conditions. The system design allows operation with different probe laser wavelengths by manual selection of the appropriate beam splitter and gratings before the shot. A deep-UV probe beam (λ 0 -210 nm) will be used to optimize the scattered signal for plasma densities of 5 × 10 20 electrons/cm 3 while a 3ω probe will be used for experiments investigating lower density plasmas of 1 × 10 19 electrons/cm 3 . We report the phase I design of a two phase design strategy. Phase I includes the OTS telescope, spectrometer, and streak camera; these will be used to assess the background levels at NIF. Phase II will include the design and installation of a probe laser.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2012

The History and Legacy of BATSE

The BATSE experiment on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory was the first large detector system specifically designed for the study of gamma-ray bursts. The eight large-area detectors allowed full-sky coverage and were optimized to operate in the energy region of the peak emission of most GRBs. BATSE provided detailed observations of the temporal and spectral characteristics of large samples of GRBs, and it was the first experiment to provide rapid notifications of the coarse location of many them. It also provided strong evidence for the cosmological distances to GRBs through the observation of the sky distribution and intensity distribution of numerous GRBs. The large number of GRBs observed with the high- sensitivity BATSE detectors continues to provide a database of GRB spectral and temporal properties in the primary energy range of GRB emission that will likely not be exceeded for at least another decade. The origin and development of the BATSE experiment, some highlights from the mission and its continuing legacy are described in this paper.

Fishman, Gerald J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Maximum power point tracking for a multi-layered piezoelectric heel charger with a levered mechanism toward impact-based energy harvesting

The piezoelectric footstep energy harvester does not always work at its maximum power point when the external load is fixed, as the optimal load changes when the walking excitation alters. Thus, the harvesting efficiency is downgraded largely in real-life scenarios compared to in-lab experiments and theoretical or numerical predictions due to the mismatch between the actual load and the optimal load. To address this issue, the concept of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is investigated in this paper and the circuit design is implemented for a multi-layered levered piezoelectric footstep energy harvester (heel charger). The proposed event-driven MPPT circuit interface with a customized buck converter aims to maximize the power gained from daily walking using the heel charger to power a fixed load, such as smart insole or shoes. The MPPT circuit design is conceptually simulated and then tested with the heel charger to further validate if it works at its maximum power point when the frequency of the input excitation alters. Results show that the extracted power from the heel charger connected to a fixed resistance load with MPPT implementation is improved up to 300% compared to the one without MPPT implementation in simulation and up to 180% in the experiment when connected to a fixed load. The difference between simulation and experimental results is due to the optimization of using voltage sources as the heel charger and the control signals (pulse width modulation) from the microcontroller in the simulation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Physics design of the next-generation spallation neutron target-moderator-reflector-shield assembly at LANSCE

Here, we discuss the physics design of the next-generation spallation neutron target-moderator-reflector-shield (TMRS) assembly for the Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center (Lujan Center) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). We developed this TMRS to improve the neutronic performance of the Lujan Center in the intermediate energy range (keV–MeV) enabling a variety of new nuclear physics experiments, as well as increasing the quality of the ongoing experiments. The results of our Monte Carlo optimization study indicate that the new TMRS will generate keV–MeV neutrons with higher intensity and improved time resolution. At the same time, the new design largely maintains its current performance in the cold and thermal ranges supporting materials research. In this article we show that the new TMRS has the potential to enhance the Lujan Center’s experimental capability in a wider interval of energies – cold to intermediate – after its scheduled installation in 2020.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Differential Property Prediction: A Machine Learning Approach to Experimental Design in Advanced Manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing techniques have enabled the production of materials with state-of-the-art properties. In many cases however, the development of physics-based models of these techniques lags behind their development in the lab. This means that material and process development proceeds largely via trial and error. This is sub-optimal since experiments are cost-, time-, and labor-intensive. In this work we propose a machine learning framework, differential property classification (DPC), which enables an experimenter to leverage machine learning's unparalleled pattern matching capability to pursue data-driven experimental design. DPC takes two possible experiment parameter sets and outputs a prediction of which will produce a material with a more desirable property specified by the operator. We demonstrate the success of DPC on AA7075 tube manufacturing process and mechanical property data using shear assisted processing and extrusion (ShAPE), an emerging solid phase processing technology. We show that by focusing on the experimenter's need to choose between multiple candidate experimental parameters, we can reframe the challenging regression task of predicting material properties from processing parameters, into a classification task on which machine learning models can achieve good performance.

advanced manufacturing, machine learning, ShAPE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance of the Particle-Identification Silicon-Telescope Array coupled with the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer

The Particle-Identification Silicon-Telescope Array (PISTA) is a new detection system designed for high-resolution studies of fission process induced by multi-nucleon transfer in inverse kinematics. It is specifically optimized for experiments with the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer at GANIL (Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds). The array comprises eight trapezoidal ΔE-E silicon telescopes arranged in a lamp shade configuration. Each telescope integrates two single-sided stripped silicon detectors, enabling target-like recoil identification, energy loss measurements, and trajectory reconstruction. Positioned in close proximity to the target, PISTA’s compact geometry achieves high-efficiency tracking of target-like recoils produced in multi-nucleon transfer reactions at Coulomb barrier energies. The spatial segmentation of the array allows precise determination of the mass and charge of the target-like nucleus, and excitation energy of fissioning systems. This work presents the particle identification and excitation energy reconstruction performances for the interactions of 238 U beam with 12 C target. An excitation energy resolution of 800 keV (FWHM) was determined together with mass resolution of 1.1% (FWHM). The combination of PISTA and VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer enables unprecedented investigations of the fission process as a function of the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus, particularly for exotic systems produced in transfer-induced reactions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Simulation of background from low-level tritium and radon emanation in the KATRIN spectrometers

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is a large-scale experiment for the model independent determination of the mass of electron anti-neutrinos with a sensitivity of 200 meV/c{sup 2}. It investigates the kinematics of electrons from tritium beta decay close to the endpoint of the energy spectrum at 18.6 keV. To achieve a good signal to background ratio at the endpoint, a low background rate below 10{sup −2} counts per second is required. The KATRIN setup thus consists of a high luminosity windowless gaseous tritium source (WGTS), a magnetic electron transport system with differential and cryogenic pumping for tritium retention, and electro-static retarding spectrometers (pre-spectrometer and main spectrometer) for energy analysis, followed by a segmented detector system for counting transmitted beta-electrons. A major source of background comes from magnetically trapped electrons in the main spectrometer (vacuum vessel: 1240 m{sup 3}, 10{sup −11} mbar) produced by nuclear decays in the magnetic flux tube of the spectrometer. Major contributions are expected from short-lived radon isotopes and tritium. Primary electrons, originating from these decays, can be trapped for hours, until having lost almost all their energy through inelastic scattering on residual gas particles. Depending on the initial energy of the primary electron, up to hundreds of low energetic secondary electrons can be produced. Leaving the spectrometer, these electrons will contribute to the background rate. This contribution describes results from simulations for the various background sources. Decays of {sup 219}Rn, emanating from the main vacuum pump, and tritium from the WGTS that reaches the spectrometers are expected to account for most of the background. As a result of the radon alpha decay, electrons are emitted through various processes, such as shake-off, internal conversion and the Auger deexcitations. The corresponding simulations were done using the KASSIOPEIA framework, which has been developed for the KATRIN experiment for low-energy electron tracking, field calculation and detector simulation. The results of the simulations have been used to optimize the design parameters of the vacuum system with regard to radon emanation and tritium pumping, in order to reach the stringent requirements of the neutrino mass measurement.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Coincidence Velocity Map Imaging Spectrometer for Ions and High-Energy Electrons to Study Inner-Shell Photoionization of Gas-Phase Molecules

We report on the design and performance of a double-sided coincidence velocity map imaging spectrometer optimized for electron-ion and ion-ion coincidence experiments studying inner-shell photoionization of gas-phase molecules with soft X-ray synchrotron radiation. The apparatus employs two microchannel plate detectors equipped with delay-line anodes for coincident, time- and position-resolved detection of photoelectrons and Auger electrons with kinetic energies up to 300 eV on one side of the spectrometer and photoions up to 25 eV per unit charge on the opposite side. We demonstrate its capabilities by measuring valence photoelectrons and ion spectra of neon and nitrogen and by studying channel-resolved photoelectron and Auger spectra along with fragment-ion momentum correlations for chlorine 2 p inner-shell ionization of cis - and trans -1,2-dichloroethene.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗