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At least 91 records · Page 5

High-fidelity kinetic modeling of instabilities and gyromotion physics in nonuniform low-beta plasmas

A fourth-order accurate continuum kinetic Vlasov solver and a systematic method for constructing customizable kinetic equilibria are demonstrated to be powerful tools for the study of nonuniform collisionless low-beta plasmas. The noise-free methodology is applied to investigate two gradient-driven instabilities in 4D (x,y,vx,vy) phase space: the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability and the lower hybrid drift instability. Nonuniform two-species configurations where ion gyroradii are comparable to gradient scale lengths are explored. The approach sheds light on the evolution of the pressure tensor in Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and demonstrates that the associated stress tensor deviates significantly from the gyroviscous stress tensor. Even at high magnetization, first-order approximations to finite-gyromotion physics are shown to be inadequate for the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, as shear scales evolve to become on par with gyromotion scales. The methodology facilitates exploring transport and energy partitioning properties associated with lower hybrid drift instabilities in low-beta plasma configurations. Distribution function features are captured in detail, including the formation of local extrema in the vicinity of particle-wave resonances. Finally, the approach enables detailed targeted investigations and advances kinetic simulation capability for plasmas in which gyromotion plays an important role.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

High-harmonic generation from artificially stacked 2D crystals

Here, we report a coherent layer-by-layer build-up of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in artificially stacked transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) crystals in their various stacking configurations. In the experiments, millimeter-sized single crystalline monolayers are synthesized using the gold foil-exfoliation method, followed by artificially stacking on a transparent substrate. High-order harmonics up to the 19th order are generated by the interaction with a mid-infrared (MIR) driving laser. We find that the generation is sensitive to both the number of layers and their relative orientation. For AAAA stacking configuration, both odd- and even-orders exhibit a quadratic increase in intensity as a function of the number of layers, which is a signature of constructive interference of high-harmonic emission from successive layers. Particularly, we observe some deviations from this scaling at photon energies above the bandgap, which is explained by self-absorption effects. For AB and ABAB stacking, even-order harmonics remain below the detection level, consistent with the presence of inversion symmetry. Our study confirms our capability of producing nonperturbative high-order harmonics from stacked layered materials subjected to intense MIR fields without damaging samples. Our results have implications for optimizing solid-state HHG sources at the nanoscale and developing high-harmonics as an ultrafast probe of artificially stacked layered materials. Because the HHG process is a strong-field driven process, it has the potential to probe high-momentum and energy states in the bandstructure combined with atomic-scale sensitivity in real space, making it an attractive probe of novel material structures such as the Moiré pattern.

2D materials↗

Top Yukawa coupling determination at high energy muon collider

The Top Yukawa coupling profoundly influences several core mysteries linked to the electroweak scale and the Higgs boson. We study the feasibility of measuring the Top Yukawa coupling at high energy muon colliders by examining the high energy dynamics of the weak boson fusion to top quark pair processes. A deviation of the Top Yukawa coupling from the Standard Model would lead to a modified VV → t⁢t¯ process, violating unitarity at high energy. Our analysis reveals that utilizing a muon collider with a center-of-mass energy of 10 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 10 ab –1 allows us to investigate the Top Yukawa coupling with a precision surpassing 1.5%, more than one order of magnitude better than the precision from t⁢t¯⁢ℎ channel at muon colliders. This precision represents a notable enhancement compared to the anticipated sensitivities of the High-Luminosity LHC (3.4%) and those at muon colliders derived from the t⁢t¯H process.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Investigation of Best-Practices and Computationally Inexpensive Radiative Exchange Models for Discrete Element Method Modeling of Aluminosilicate Particles in Concentrating Solar Power Environments

Chemically inert, aluminosilicate based particles have been investigated as both a thermal transport and sensible energy storage medium for concentrating solar power facilities. These particles will experience a wide range of operating temperatures (300-1000 K) and handling conditions (dense to dilute falling particle curtains, dense granular flows, or dense structures), requiring specially-designed and optimized infrastructures. The relative influence of collisional and frictional interactions between particles varies based on temperature-dependent particulate properties and greatly impacts the bulk, granular flow behavior. These underlying physics are captured using discrete element method modeling tools. However, this modeling method is computationally expensive as each particle position and interaction is tracked during the simulation. These modeling methods are further complicated by introducing temperature-dependent particle properties, high-temperature radiative exchange, and directional irradiation sources experienced by granular flows in concentrating solar power environments. In this study, coupled experimental and numerical slump testing of aluminosilicate particles was performed and computationally efficient radiative exchange models were evaluated to establish best-practices for discrete element method models for concentrating solar power environments. The three particle types investigated included Carbobead HSP 30 /60, Carbobead CP 30/60, and Granusil 4030. Existing modeling limitations and computationally-efficient multi-modal heat transfer models were evaluated using Aspherix®, a commercial discrete element method software. High-temperature (< 1073 K) slump testing of aluminosilicate particles was performed to investigate the deviation between experimentally-observed and numerically-predicted angles of repose introduced by computation-time reduction practices including the relaxation of the particle elastic modulus and coarse-graining. Coarse-graining is used to use a single modeled particle that is representative of a collection of smaller particles, decreasing the computational cost at the expense of geometric accuracy. Additionally, relaxation of the elastic modulus is used to reduce computational time at the expense of an increased, modeled particle overlap. Prior studies have determined that aluminosilicate particles retain a high elastic modulus at high temperatures (< 1073 K), requiring small simulation timesteps to ensure resolved contact forces resemble appropriate solid mechanics. A parametric study was performed to evaluate the influence of computation time improvements on the deviation between experimental and modeled angle of repose across high temperatures < 1073 K. Additionally, numerical case studies were performed on candidate particle systems at varying porosities and temperatures. These studies were performed to investigate the influence of computationally-efficient radiative-exchange modeling methods coupled to Aspherix® on modeled accuracy and computation time. The recently-developed distance-based approximation was evaluated in estimating radiative exchange between particles and participating surfaces located in close proximity. The distance based approximation was developed to use tabulated estimates of the radiative distribution factor between individual particles and surfaces in close proximity (< 40 particle radii). These methods were expanded to the aluminosilicate particles of interest, including the influence of particle size distributions. To capture radiative exchange between particles and surfaces not in close proximity (> 40 particle radii) and to capture the absorption of directional irradiation from concentrating solar resources, a volumetrically-averaged radiative distribution factor was calculated between the modeled granular flow and surfaces using Monte Carlo ray-tracing for participating media. Volume-averaged absorption and scattering coefficients were predicted using a volumetric discretization of the modeled domain with monodisperse approximations based on geometric optics and experimentally-determined scattering phase functions for aluminosilicate particles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Chelation ion chromatography as an automated, and cost-effective analytical technique for REE determination: method development and applications

Rare earth elements (REEs), as critical minerals, have important uses in modern energy and technologies, yet are vulnerable to potential supply chain disruptions. To establish domestic REE supply chain, efficient REE detection methods for resource characterization and mineral processing will be needed to accelerate innovations for domestic REE recovery. This study developed a rapid, novel, and cost-effective for REE detection method using ion chromatography (IC) for aqueous samples. Various REE-targeted eluent gradients and post-column agent compositions were tested on the chelation ion chromatography (CIC) with UV-vis detector for optimal separation and quantification of REEs within approximately 20 min. The single-channel pump to deliver the post-column solution to UV-vis detector was replaced with a 4-channel gradient pump, to increase operation and maintenance efficiencies. After method optimization, resulting calibration curves for more than ten REEs achieved high coefficients of determination (R2>0.999) and low relatively standard deviations (below 3.24%), demonstrating sub-ppm level detection limits (0.0897 to 0.1149 mg/L). The reliability of the CIC method was validated through comparison with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), showing strong agreement in REE recovery from certified standards. The impact of metal ions and salts on REE recovery using CIC was also systematically investigated. CIC consistently exhibited reliable performance in the presence of salt solutions such as NaCl and Na₂SO₄ (up to 10,000 mg/L). Our study also found the presence of high concentrations of Al ions (at 10,000 mg/L) significantly influenced REE determination, and elevated concentrations of Ca ions affected the recovery of specific REEs, including La, Ce, and Pr. The CIC method was further tested on REE-containing eluents from solvent extraction tests out of fly ash leachates. REE detection from these real processing fluids were reported to achieve 90% to 100% recovery rate from our IC method, compared to ICP-MS results. This study underscores the potential of CIC as a reliable and efficient alternative for REE determination in complex matrices. It also highlights the importance of minimizing select interfering metal ions in solutions to ensure accurate results. The REE CIC method presents a promising, low-maintenance, salt-tolerant, and cost-effective alternative to traditional analytical methods for REE analysis.

detection of rare earth elements (REE)↗

Modeling Heterogeneity in UO 2 Nanoparticles Using X‐ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Abstract EXAFS provides the capability to interrogate nanoparticle (NP) structure in atomistic detail without relying on long‐range crystallinity. There is a limitation in that EXAFS provides averaged structural information, making it difficult to separate a small amount of heterogeneous structure from bulk. In this work, models were developed to extract surface‐specific information from conventional EXAFS measurements collected on UO 2 NPs of varying size. Specifically, the surface terminating species of UO 2 NPs was determined from comparison of coordination numbers with geometric models while the origin of static disorder was interrogated from user‐defined simulations. Results show that the degree of oxygenation on the NP surface does not significantly deviate from bulk surface and that static disorder is highly enhanced in NP surface layers but cannot be attributed to surface relaxation effects alone. The approach described herein has the potential to be adapted to a range of inorganic NP systems to interrogate surface structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

RAPID UNSEPARATED RARE EARTH ELEMENT ANALYSES BY ISOTOPE DILUTION MULTICOLLECTOR INDUCTIVELY COUPLED MASS SPECTROMETRY (ID-MC-ICP-MS)

We present a method for analyzing rare earth elements (REEs) by isotope dilution without separation of individual elements. Utilizing a Nu Plasma 2 multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) equipped with an Aridus II desolvation nebulizer, sample introduction tuning parameters (torch position, gas flows) were investigated and used to minimize oxide formation (e.g., NdO/Nd <0.05%) and remove the need to analyze the REEs as separated “cuts.” Ratios for spike/sample isotopes in mixed synthetic standards containing varying amounts of Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, and Yb were measured accurately within 1% of IUPAC values. La and Lu in the standards were more than 2% off from expected values due to more demanding interference corrections. A USGS BCR-2 rock standard was also processed with flux fusion, iron coprecipitation and a single column pass bulk separation followed by analysis. The concentrations for Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Er, and Yb fell within 2% of consensus values. A United States Geological Survey (USGS) BIR-1A rock standard was also processed in triplicate by hydrofluoric and nitric acid digestion, yielding rare earth concentrations within 3% of consensus values with 0.3% relative standard deviation (n=3). This demonstrates the ability to produce high quality REE patterns of comparable quality to traditional methods involving labor and time intensive REE separation, with sample preparation and analytical times that are comparable to analyses against isotope dilution by single-collector ICP-MS.

Shen, Steve D.↗

Reconstruction of Electron and Ion Distribution Functions in a Magnetotail Reconnection Diffusion Region

In the diffusion region of magnetotail reconnection, particle distributions are highly structured, exhibiting triangular shapes and multiple striations that deviate dramatically from the Maxwellian distribution. Fully kinetic simulations have been demonstrated to be capable of producing the essential structures of the observed distribution functions, yet are computationally not feasible for 3D global simulations. The fluid models used for large-scale simulations, on the other hand, do not have the kinetic physics necessary for describing reconnection accurately. Our study aims to bridge fully kinetic and fluid simulations by quantifying the information required to capture the non-Maxwellian features in the distributions underlying the closures used in the fluid code. Here, we compare the results of fully kinetic simulations with observed electron velocity distributions in a magnetotail reconnection diffusion region and use the maximum entropy model to reconstruct electron and ion distributions using various numbers of moments obtained from the simulation. Our results indicate that using only local moments, the maximum entropy model can reproduce many of the features of the distributions: (1) the electron outflow distribution with a tilted triangular structure is reproduced with 21 or more moments in agreement with Ng et al. and (2) counterstreaming distributions can be captured with the 35-moment model when the separation in velocity space between the populations is large.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

An Assessment of Nonhydrostatic and Hydrostatic Dynamical Cores at Seasonal Time Scales in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)

Abstract In global atmospheric modeling, the differences between nonhydrostatic (NH) and hydrostatic (H) dynamical cores are negligible in dry simulations when grid spacing is larger than 10 km. However, recent studies suggest that those differences can be significant at far coarser resolution when moisture is included. To better understand how NH and H differences manifest in global fields, we perform and analyze an ensemble of 28 and 13 km seasonal simulations with the NH and H dynamical cores in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model global atmosphere model, where the differences between H and NH configurations are minimized. A set of idealized rising bubble experiments is also conducted to further investigate the differences. Although NH and H differences are not significant in global statistics and zonal averages, significant differences in precipitation amount and patterns are observed in parts of the tropics. The most prominent differences emerge near India and the Western Pacific in the boreal summer, and the central‐southern Indian Ocean and Pacific in the boreal winter. Tropical differences influence surrounding regions through modification of the regional circulation and can propagate to the extratropics, leading to significant temperature and geopotential differences over the middle to high latitudes. While the dry bubble experiments show negligible deviation between H and NH dynamics until grid spacing is below 6.25 km, precipitation amount and vertical velocity are different in the moist case even at 25 km resolution.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Photoinduced correlations in stochastic dynamics of a solid-state ionic conductor

Photoexcitation by ultrashort laser pulses plays a crucial role in controlling reaction pathways, creating nonequilibrium material properties, and probing complex molecular dynamics. The photoresponse following a laser pulse is generally nonidentical between exposures due to spatiotemporal fluctuations or the stochastic nature of dynamical pathways. However, most ultrafast pump-probe experiments struggle to distinguish intrinsic sample fluctuations from extrinsic apparatus noise, often missing deviations from the averaged response. Leveraging the stability and high photon flux of time-resolved X-ray micro-diffraction at a synchrotron, we characterized stochastic photoinduced dynamics in a solid-state ionic conductor. By analyzing temporal evolutions of the lattice parameter of a single grain, we found that shot-to-shot fluctuations are not independent. Instead, correlations exist between nonequilibrium lattice trajectories following adjacent shots, with a characteristic correlation length of approximately 1500 shots, corresponding to an energy barrier of 0.4 ± 0.1 eV, close to the activation energy of lithium-ion diffusion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Perturbatively including inhomogeneities in axion inflation

Axion inflation, i.e. an axion-like inflaton coupled to an Abelian gauge field through a Chern-Simons interaction, comes with a rich and testable phenomenology. This is particularly true in the strong backreaction regime, where the gauge field production heavily impacts the axion dynamics. Lattice simulations have recently demonstrated the importance of accounting for inhomogeneities of the axion field in this regime. We propose a perturbative scheme to account for these inhomogeneities while maintaining high computational efficiency. Our goal is to accurately capture deviations from the homogeneous axion field approximation within the perturbative regime as well as self-consistently determine the onset of the nonperturbative regime.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Driver Identification Midyear Report

First, we create a profile for each authorized driver based on their existing driving data. We then train a machine learning model on the driving data from this profile, yielding an individualized model for each driver. Finally during a drive, we pass the Controller Area Network (CAN) data to the model and authen ticate the driver’s identity in real-time. This verification or lack thereof could be used to alert supervisors of threats to their drivers or transported materials. Deviations from their normal driving behavior could indicate high-risk situations, medical events, or even insider threats.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Validation of an Erythema-Weighted UV Model Using Broadband Solar Irradiance Measurements From Eleven U.S. Sites: Preprint

Erythema-weighted UV solar irradiance (UV-E) has a potential impact on human health if the recommended maximum exposure times are exceeded. In spite of this, it is not measured at most sites that measure Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI). However, since UV-E is highly correlated with GHI and total ozone content it can be estimated from this information with sufficient accuracy to assisst in public health recommendations. The Power Model (PM) provides a simple method to estimate the erythema-weighted UV irradiance (UV-E) from measured GHI, total ozone column and air mass. In this work, the performance of the PM method is assessed using high-quality data from 11 sites in the continental U.S. (part of SURFRAD and SOLRAD networks) and total ozone estimates publicly available from the MERRA-2 re-analysis database. A three year period (2021- 2023) at 1-minute frequency is considered. The results (for time aggregations of 5 and 60 minutes) show a high Pearson's correlations (> 0.99), consistently positive mean bias deviations (below 13%) and dispersions in the 8-19% range at all sites. Relative values are expressed in terms of the corresponding measurement mean. The performance indicators remain consistent across time resolutions (5 or 60 minutes), suggesting that the model's performance is robust and not significantly affected by short-term variability (which is captured by GHI). Spatial patterns reveal higher biases and RMSD in northern and eastern locations. These values represent a significant improvement over widely used satellite-based global UV-E estimates and open the possibility of using the PM with satellite-based GHI estimates for operational UV-E mapping over the contiguous U.S. territory.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A machine learning approach for particle accelerator errant beam prediction using spatial phase deviation

Particle accelerators are extremely complex systems that are expected to operate on high availability. Predicting impending failures only by utilizing data collected from diagnostic equipment already on board can help operators to avoid installing expensive sensors, unscheduled downtime and associated costs. For this purpose we explore the predictive power of Machine Learning algorithms to detect faulty beams prior to the failure. In this study, we propose a Machine Learning approach to model mapping from a pair of sensors located across the accelerator. While the model is trained to represent normal operation, we evaluate the predictive performance on known faulty beam pulses. We also investigate the model performance on unseen data through k-fold cross-validation. Then we recap the analysis with a neural architecture search and hyperparameter optimization study to fine tune our initial model. In conclusion, this paper will also introduce a sustainable framework that can standardize Machine Learning workflow applied to particle accelerators.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

High-Gradient Wien Spin Rotators at Jefferson Lab

Nuclear physics experiments performed in the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) require spin manipulation of electron beams. Two Wien spin rotators in the injector keV region are essential at CEBAF to establish longitudinal polarization at the end station target, and to flip the polarization direction by ? rad to rule out false asymmetries. In a Wien filter, the homogeneous and independent electric and magnetic fields, along with the velocity vectors of the electrons that traverse it, form a mutually orthogonal system. The magnitude of the electrostatic field, established by biasing two highly-polished electrodes, defines the desired spin angle at the target yet deviates the beam trajectory due to the Lorentz force. The beam trajectory in the Wien is then re-established by adjusting the magnetic field, induced by an electromagnet encasing the device vacuum chamber. This contribution describes the evolution design and high voltage testing of Wien filters for spin manipulation at increased beam energies in the keV injector region, required by high precision parity violation experiments like MOLLER.

Palacios Serrano, G. G.↗

High-Gradient Wien Spin Rotators at Jefferson Lab

Nuclear physics experiments performed in the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab) require spin manipulation of electron beams. Two Wien spin rotators in the injector keV region are essential at CEBAF to establish longitudinal polarization at the end station target, and to flip the polarization direction by ? rad to rule out false asymmetries. In a Wien filter, the homogeneous and independent electric and magnetic fields, along with the velocity vectors of the electrons that traverse it, form a mutually orthogonal system. The magnitude of the electrostatic field, established by biasing two highly-polished electrodes, defines the desired spin angle at the target yet deviates the beam trajectory due to the Lorentz force. The beam trajectory in the Wien is then re-established by adjusting the magnetic field, induced by an electromagnet encasing the device vacuum chamber. This contribution describes the evolution design and high voltage testing of Wien filters for spin manipulation at increased beam energies in the keV injector region, required by high precision parity violation experiments like MOLLER.

Palacios Serrano, G. G.↗

Muon Campus at Fermilab

The Muon Campus at Fermilab provides world class accelerator infrastructure supporting the next generation intensity frontier experiments. The anti-proton source from the Tevatron era was converted to the present day Muon Campus at the end of the collider program in 2011. Currently, the Muon Campus delivers highly polarized muon beams to the Muon g-2 experiment and in a few years, it will provide muon beams to the Mu2e experiment. The Muon g-2 experiment is a high precision test of the standard model; it is precise enough to measure QED, Weak, and QCD Standard Model contributions.The Muon g-2 experiment looks for a significant deviation from the Standard Model whereas the Mu2e experiment looks for rare processes using high intensity muon beams. The Muon g-2 experiment has measured the anomalous magnetic moment of muons to an unprecedented 460 ppb precision with Run 1 data. The experiment has completed 5 runs, accumulating 19$\times$ Brookhaven E821 data set. The Mu2e experiment has completed the construction phase and first beam to the Diagnostic Absorber was run on April 14, 2022. Installation and commissioning of the Mu2e experiment will begin in 2023 and beam commissioning and physics run is currently planned for 2026.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Progress Toward Simulating Departure from Nucleate Boiling at High-Pressure Applications with Selected Wall Boiling Closures

Recently, a Eulerian-based two-fluid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework with a wall heat flux partitioning approach has been intensively investigated for departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) simulation under the U.S. Department of Energy–funded Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) program. Understanding of the DNB characteristics over a range of pressurized water reactor–like operating conditions and accurate prediction of boiling crisis in the nuclear power system have been grand challenges because of the large impact of DNB on reactor safety and operational economics. The ultimate goal of this task in the CASL program is to introduce a robust multiphase CFD–based DNB modeling framework that is capable of characterizing an entire boiling history in which the wall boiling mode experiences the following through multiple stages of heat transfer mode: (1) single-phase convective heat transfer, (2) nucleate boiling heat transfer, and (3) identification of the departure of nucleate boiling. To validate the CASL boiling model, we have benchmarked simulated DNB over three different flow channel configurations (pipe flow, 5 × 5 fuel bundle with mixing vane tests, and 5 × 5 fuel bundle without mixing vane tests) against experimental measurements, and the validation result with open literature is reported. The DNB detection criteria in the simulation are checked by monitoring the peak wall temperature, wall dryout factor, and net energy balance. In addition to the DNB performance test, some preliminary sensitivity results on closure model selection are reported to address the prediction capability of local void profile against measurements. The boiling simulation tested in this study exhibits a maximum deviation of 24% from the measured DNB value in a high-pressure (i.e., 138 bars) subcooled pipe flow test. The ranges of operating conditions are as follows: 1650 to 2650 kg/m 2 ·s for mass flux and 8.5 to 96 K for subcooled inlet temperature. The deviation is even reduced to 7% when the subcooled temperature is less than 40 K. Besides accuracy, base practice guidelines for DNB detection criteria are tested by monitoring three simulation variables: (1) maximum wall temperature, (2) wall dryout factor (i.e., K-value), and (3) energy balance. Numerical robustness of DNB simulation is largely achieved in most of the validation test except for a few high subcooled test cases.

42 ENGINEERING↗