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DOE OSTI2024

Development of a Particle Flow Control Mechanism

The next generation of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems are utilizing solid particles as the heat transfer medium. The state-of-the-art particle flow control mechanism currently utilized is the slide-gate mechanism which functions by linearly actuating a gate across a tear-drop shaped opening. The sensitivity, which is a measure of the change in mass flow rate per unit movement of the slide-gate, is 0.354 g/s-mm[1]. The slide-gate’s main shortcomings include particle lodging and particle leakage between the plates, and difficulty actuating under the pressure from the particles. The goal of a new device is to minimize or eliminate these flaws. The new proposed device functions similar to a chuck mechanism in a drill where a rotation of an outer ring produces a change in outlet area through moving “jaws” diagonally. This mechanism aims to solve the issues of the slide-gate by having the jaws on the outside of the particle flow volume to reduce the probability of particle lodging, and the jaw tips are designed to overlap as they actuate to reduce particle leakage. Additionally, the vertical orientation of the device as well as the inclined movement of the jaws allows for easier actuation of the device under pressure. Experiments involving 3D printed prototypes have been carried out, producing a max mass flowrate of about 50 g/s and a sensitivity curve with the equation 𝑦 (𝑔/𝑠) = 0.0851𝑥^2(𝑔/𝑠−𝑚𝑚2) +3.6993𝑥(𝑔/𝑠−𝑚𝑚). These experiments validated the device’s capability to address the shortcomings of the slide-gate. Currently, an aluminum model of the device is being tested at room temperature, and a stainless-steel model is being developed to be tested at 700oC, which is the expected operating temperature of the CSP system. Furthermore, simulations are on-going to predict the mass flowrate of different device configurations at room and high temperatures.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

End-Use Savings Shapes Upgrade Package Documentation: HP-RTU + ASHP Boiler + Demand Control Ventilation + Heat/Energy Recovery + Economizers

This report describes the implementation of a Max Tech HVAC upgrade scenario, which involves replacing boilers and RTUs with heat pumps, as we as adding economizers, heat recovery, and demand control ventilation to all applicable systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic Materials Research at SRNL

Introduction – What are Magnetic Materials? Magnetic materials are crystalline solids which below a certain temperature, known as the ordering temperature, display spontaneous order in their magnetic moments. Results • Enhanced thermal stability and saturation magnetization with Y substitution in Ce2Fe14B based permanent magnets • Discovered a new ferromagnetic phase transition at TC = 62.9 K in (Dy1/3Mo2/3)2AlC and validated the two previously reported low temperature magnetic phases Characterization of Magnetic Materials Raw high purity materials are melted together to synthesize a crystalline sample using an arc melter at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). Use high energy ball milling to form a hard/soft magnetic composite using Y substituted Ce2Fe14B. Finish structural characterization on γ- irradiated (RE1/3Mo2/3)2AlC (RE = Rare Earth) MAX samples. Unit Cell Lattice Points

Bretana, Alex↗

DOE OSTI2024

SQMS Quantum R&D in Machine Learning, Optimization and Sensing beyond Fundamental Physics Applications

This newly formed team at SQMS under the Ecosystem Thrust is looking to develop capabilities impacting societal advances outside the core domain of HEP and condensed matter physics. We explicitly leverage the experimental and algorithmic innovations developed across all groups as well as connect to broad-scope external projects of the diverse team of PIs. As the inaugural set of projects, we are studying numerically quantum machine learning models inspired by efficiently trainable echo-state and orthogonal neural networks and developing designs for related experiments to be performed on quantum processors based on SQMS SRF cQED technology and Rigetti s transmon arrays. Investigated models exploit ideas and lessons learned from multiple prior work by SQMS team members in a variety of internal and external activities [R1]. Target initial applications include noisy signal processing, potentially captured by quantum sensors or noisy QPUs, as well as simulation and classification of healthcare data. For instance, image reconstruction of the brain s electrical properties by solving the inverse Maxwell equation problem with uncertainty [R2] through a hybrid quantum-classical physics-informed architecture for time-dependent processes [R3]. The group is also investigating the application and development of novel quantum sensors based on magnetic levitation of a superconducting sphere coupled to a superconducting qubit. This coupling enables high-precision measurements of the position of the sphere, which can be used for sensitive detection of forces, enabling practical applications such as gravimetry for geophysics analysis, or accelerometry for GPS-denied navigation [R4] [R1] Rieffel, Eleanor G., Ata Akbari Asanjan, M. Sohaib Alam, Namit Anand, David E. Bernal Neira, Sophie Block, Lucas T. Brady et al. "Assessing and advancing the potential of quantum computing: A NASA case study." Future Generation Computer Systems (2024). [R2] Yu, X., Serrall s, J.E., Giannakopoulos, I.I., Liu, Z., Daniel, L., Lattanzi, R. and Zhang, Z., 2023. Pifon-ept: Mr-based electrical property tomography using physics-informed fourier networks. IEEE Journal on Multiscale and Multiphysics Computational Techniques. [R3] Wudarski, Filip, Daniel OConnor, Shaun Geaney, Ata Akbari Asanjan, Max Wilson, Elena Strbac, P. Aaron Lott, and Davide Venturelli. "Hybrid quantum-classical reservoir computing for simulating chaotic systems." arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.14105 (2023). [R4] Higgins, Gerard, Saarik Kalia, and Zhen Liu. "Maglev for dark matter: Dark-photon and axion dark matter sensing with levitated superconductors." Physical Review D 109.5 (2024): 055024.

Venturelli, Davide↗

DOE OSTI2024

Directed Flow and the Chiral Magnetic Effect in Ultrarelativistic Collisions with CMS at the LHC (Final Technical Report for DOE Grant # DE-SC0021080)

This Final Technical Report covers the years of activity for the Grant DE-SC0021080. It reflects the efforts of Alice Mignerey, the PI, Timothy Koeth, the co-PI, graduate students Eric Adams and Samuel Lascio, and undergraduates Alyssa Marinelli and Max Bernard. Results from three separate aspects of the project are presented: 1) understanding the radiation damage of the positive and negative sides of the Spectator Reaction Plane detector (SRPD) for data from the 2018 PbPb run at the CERN LHC. 2) Results of the directed flow in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{SNN}$ = 5.02 TeV. 3) Activation studies of the sectors of the positive side of the SRPD and radiation damage studies on fused quartz using the Maryland 4-MeV electron accelerator. The most significant result is that the reaction plane derived directed flow for both participant and spectator reaction planes is many times larger than that obtained by ALICE.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Directed Flow and the Chiral Magnetic Effect in Ultrarelativistic Collisions with CMS at the LHC (Final Technical Report for DOE Grant # DE-SC0021080)

This Final Technical Report covers the years of activity for the Grant DE-SC0021080. It reflects the efforts of Alice Mignerey, the PI, Timothy Koeth, the co-PI, graduate students Eric Adams and Samuel Lascio, and undergraduates Alyssa Marinelli and Max Bernard. Results from three separate aspects of the project are presented: 1) understanding the radiation damage of the positive and negative sides of the Spectator Reaction Plane Detector (SRPD) for data from the 2018 PbPb run at the CERN LHC. 2) Results of the directed flow in PbPb collisions at √sN N = 5.02 TeV. 3) Activation studies of the sectors of the positive side of the SRPD and radiation damage studies on fused quartz using the Maryland 4-MeV electron accelerator. The most significant result is that the reaction plane derived directed flow for both participant and spectator reaction planes is many times larger than that obtained by ALICE.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Peer-to-peer communication control for resilient operations of networked cyberphysical systems

This report includes two main accomplishments of the peer-to-peer communication control for resilient operation of networked microgrids project in FY24, which include a scheme for cyberattack-aware coordination of networked microgrids for supporting voltages of bulk power systems and a scheme for price signal-based operations of EV-rich networked microgrids with mixed ownership. First, the cyberattack-aware scheme enables networked microgrids to distributedly determine the amount of reactive power injection to support the voltage of bulk power system (BPS) in a fair manner. In this scheme, a risk-informed algorithm is presented to generate the peer-to- peer (P2P) communication graph with minimal risk of attack on communication links. To deal with cyberattacks on MG controllers, the resilient consensus algorithm (CA) is utilized for MG controllers to robustly estimate the total reactive power headroom, from which the MGs can accurately provide the needed amount of reactive power injection for supporting the voltage of BPS. The CA implementation and performance within the P2P communication framework are demonstrated on the IEEE 39-bus system with 6 microgrids contained in the distribution feeder under different cyberattack scenarios. Second, the price-based scheme enables the usage of the real-time price signal for the operations of electric vehicle (EV)-rich networked-microgrids with mixed ownership, in which not all the microgrids can communicate with the distribution system operator (DSO). In this scheme, a max consensus is introduced to enable the real-time price signal to be propagated from the DSO to all the microgrids, from which each microgrid controller will manage the DERs to balance the load demand and the power injection from the EV charging stations within its microgrid. Numerical results over one day with 288 slots of 5-minute intervals on the modified 123-node test feeder including 3 microgrids with high penetration of EV are presented to evaluate how the price signal affects the operations of networked microgrids under different charging strategies of the EV charging stations. The result indicates that our proposed EVCS (dis)charging strategy, which leverages the flexibility of EVs to support the grid through discharging during peak demand, proves to be a cost-effective solution that reduces operational costs while improving the social welfare of EV charging.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2025

Experimental Measurements of Soot and Soot Precursors of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) are promising for decarbonizing the challenging-to-electrify aerospace sector and reducing yearly greenhouse gas emissions by thousands of tons. Developing predictive detailed chemical kinetic models for SAF (and traditional) fuel mixtures necessitates a robust experimental database to elucidate the intricate pyrolysis and oxidation chemistry of SAF fuel blend components. Two critical components of SAF surrogate mixtures are iso-dodecane isomers and trans-decalin. This report characterizes the structure of three slightly sooting, laminar, non-premixed, nitrogen-diluted Planar Mixing Layer Flames (PMLFs) fueled by either pure ethylene, ethylene doped with 1500ppm of either 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl-heptane or trans-decalin. The flames have the same stoichiometric mixture fraction and total mole fraction of fuels in the fuel stream (X F,F = X C2H4,F + X Dopant,F = 0.26), resulting in approximately the same maximum temperature (T max ≈ 1800 K) to highlight the effect of doping on soot and its gaseous precursors. The PMLF is unconfined and established between adjacent planar jets of the fuel and oxidizer streams surrounded by annular shielding nitrogen. The flow is stabilized by exhausting the hot buoyant flame products through a slot in a downstream plate onto which the cold flow impinges. Importantly, any horizontal cross-section of the PMLF has a self-similar thermochemical structure of a reactive boundary layer that grows at increasing Height Above the Burner (HAB). Therefore, the horizontal cross-sections of a PMLF can be modeled as a One-Dimensional Counterflow Flame (1D-CF) with very low strain rates which are unachievable in traditional CFs and yield a structure that is several millimeters thick. In brief, the PMLF is ideal for performing spatially resolved measurements with minimal effects of the sampling-induced perturbations, to develop and validate detailed chemical kinetic models on time scales of a few tens of milliseconds that are relevant in aviation applications. The horizontal profiles of C0-C18 gaseous species at HAB = 50 mm and soot volume fraction at 25 and 50 mm are measured using capillary sampling followed by GC-MS analyses and Laser Induced Emission Spectroscopy (LIES), respectively. Additionally, the Elastic Laser Light Scattering (E-LLS) coefficient is measured at HAB = 50 mm and 25 mm to determine the strain rates of the 1D-CFs equivalent to the characterized PMLF horizontal cross sections and the profile of the E-LLS equivalent diameter of soot. The comparison of the results in the base PMLF fueled only by ethylene with those in either doped PMLF in which 1500 ppm of ethylene are replaced with 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl-heptane or trans-decalin, reveals that the doping increases the mole fraction of several Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) at both HABs by a factor of approximately 2.5, and the soot volume fraction at both HABs by factors of ~1.5 for 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl-heptane and ~1.25 for trans-decalin doping, respectively. Conversely, doping causes a near doubling of the soot equivalent diameter only at HAB = 50 mm, without significant effects at 25 mm. The experimental results partially validate the tested state-of-the-art detailed chemical kinetic model and also point toward the further improvement of its predictive capabilities.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Low-Cost, High-Performance Carbon Fiber for Compressed Natural Gas Storage Tanks (Final Technical Report – Down Select Report)

The aim of this project is to reduce the cost of Type IV, carbon fiber (CF) composite overwrap compressed gas storage tanks by reducing the cost of CF and CF composites. The project team worked to reduce the cost of CF by exploring and testing opportunities for a low-cost alternative precursor material for CF production to supplant market-dominant and costly polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Concurrently, the team aimed to reduce the cost of the tanks at the composite level by improving the interfacial adhesion between the fibers and the matrix resin through the incorporation of low-cost nanoparticles recycled from waste materials, which would reduce the volume of costly CF required to achieve the same tank performance. At the end of the first year, the project team selected mesophase pitch as the primary precursor candidate from a field of materials based on the superior mechanical performance and cost-saving potential. During the second year, the team produced CFs derived from mesophase pitch achieving an average tensile strength of 365.6 ksi and average tensile modulus of 40.74 Msi. Facility availability for spinning and converting these fibers at greater scale has hindered scale-up demonstration, but the team has identified opportunities to conduct this work in the near term. Cost modeling shows that these mesophase pitch-derived CFs can be up to 40% less expensive than PAN-derived CFs due to the lower cost of the feedstock material, higher throughput, greater conversion yield, and lower cost spinning method and compared to PAN. Additionally, the team has demonstrated at lab-scale that nanoparticle coating CFs can significantly increase the interfacial shear strength and load transfer efficiency of CFs in a matrix. Single filament pull-out testing showed a 27% average increase in max interfacial shear strength due to this coating. A continuous method of applying these coatings to a tow of CF has been developed for scale-up. 26 m tows of coated CFs were produced using this system and formed into composite ring samples for ASTM ring burst testing. Issues with the testing protocol have limited assessment of these results. A prototype Type IV tank was designed to meet ANSI HGV2 standards, and the design criteria set out by DOE, using the CF properties developed by the team paired with a proprietary resin matrix, a polyamide liner, and aluminum end bosses. The tank weighs 153.1 kg and with a total capacity of 5.8 kg H2 (5.6 kg usable), which yields a gravimetric capacity of 1.17 kWh/kg. Cost modeling predicts that the tank will have a projected cost of $15.73/kWh. Tank performance modeling does not include considerations for fiber-matrix load transfer efficiency improvements offered by nanoparticle coating method.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Combined TDLAS and chemiluminescence imaging in a flat flame burner operated with NH3/H2 blends

Ammonia is viewed as a viable hydrogen carrier due to favorable storage and transport characteristics. While it can be re-converted to hydrogen at point-of-use via thermal catalytic cracking, direct utilization in combustion systems can result in reduced costs and improved efficiency. A major barrier to this approach is the low flammability and potential for high nitrogen oxide emissions, driven by fuel-bound nitrogen and complex kinetic pathways. While a number of kinetic mechanisms currently exist for simulating ammonia combustion, a major need continues to be direct information about species profiles in easy-to-model systems capable of isolating chemical kinetics from multi-dimensional fluid dynamic effects. This paper reports on recent species measurements made in a flat flame burner using a combined tunable-diode-laser-absorption-spectroscopy (TDLAS) and chemiluminescence imaging approach. Three flame conditions were included representative of NH3/H2 blends, partially cracked NH3 (inc. N2), and 100% NH3 with enhanced air (30% oxygen). Two NIR distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes were used to determine H2O concentration and temperature (via ratio thermometry) at various radial and axial positions, after which an inverse Abel transform was used to infer centerline values. Companion images were collected using a Princeton Instrument PI-MAX intensified camera equipped with a 105mm UV lens and multiple filter sets targeting OH*, NH*, and NH2* emission. Results were compared to companion Cantera burner-stabilized flame simulations using various kinetic mechanisms. A recent mechanism including excited species chemistry was also included, to investigate whether excited and ground state profiles exhibit significant differences.

ammonia combustion↗

DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of Hanford Supernatant Waste Evaporation

• Hanford site in Washington has 27 underground “double-shell” storage tanks containing radioactive waste. Storage space is utilized to max capacity. • Construction of new tanks is undesirable, but volume reduction is still possible by vacuum evaporation of liquid waste. • Excess evaporation may create additional problems in solids precipitation, waste density and corrosivity. • Evaporation of liquid waste was simulated to determine possible outcomes.

Barkai, Benjamin [Savannah River National Laborato↗

DOE OSTI2025

DARHT Axis 1 Bremsstrahlung Dose Measurements

he Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility provides flash radiography ca pabilities using two electron Linear Induction Accelerators (LIA’s). Axis-1 of DARHT produces, nominally, a 20-MeV, 1.5-kA, 80-ns-Full Width at Half Max (FWHM) electron beam. The elec tron beam is focused on to a tantalum target to produce a Bremsstrahlung x-ray dose for flash radiography of dynamic systems. This paper will describe and compare a variety of techniques for determining the x-ray dose for two different beam currents produced by a 55mm and 70mm diameter cathode. The data was taken in November of 2022 on DARHT Axis 1. The experimen tal measurement techniques include a platinum calorimeter, a diamond radiation detector (DRD), and a Compton diode (CD). Gafchromic EBT3 self-developing dosimetry film was also used, but no useful results were obtained. Beam charge and energy were recorded and dose was calculated with this information using xtr with Dosecalcx, and simple dose charge-energy scaling. In this pa per, we will discuss the target geometry and experimental layout, the methods of measuring dose, dose diagnostics and measurement of beam charge and energy, and the comparisons of data and calculations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Current-Activated Reactive Ultrafast Joining (CARUJ)

We have demonstrated Current Activated Reactive Ultrafast Joining (CARUJ) as a novel approach for rapid fabrication of similar and dissimilar materials, such as ceramic-ceramic and ceramic-metal joint assemblies. The CARUJ technology utilizes resistive heating of carbon-based materials to apply localized heat at, (through or around) joint zones at rates of 10 1 -10 2 ˚C/min, enabling joining at time scales considerably shorter (several minutes as opposed to hours) than conventional approaches for similar systems. Herein, we present our findings while evaluating the CARUJ concept. Three methods of heat application were evaluated: (i) using carbon joule heating elements to apply heat directly through the joint interface; (ii) using flexible joule heating elements to locally apply heat around the assembly interface; and (iii) non-contact heating of the joint assembly using inductive power. Schemes (ii) and (iii) proved to be the most effective in producing mechanically sound reliable joints. We demonstrated single-step fabrication of dense SiC-SiC joints with a Si- SiC interface using minimal pressure (1–2 MPa) in under 30 minutes. Measured average joint strengths of about 15 MPa are initially achieved for joined bodies when tested in single lap offset (SLO) compressive shear, while tuning of the interfacial composition along with a reduction in interlayer thickness, results in improved joint strengths of approximately 43 MPa. We further demonstrated SiC-SiC joining using Active Brazing Alloys (ABAs) proof of concept joining of tubular geometries. The versatility of CARUJ is demonstrated by utilizing non-contact heating via induction, to join dissimilar materials systems of SiC, SS316 and MAX phase ceramics with ABA interlayers. The localized and rapid heat application realizes a versatile material joining technique that can be extended for joining components at the plant site.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

AI-Assisted Conceptual Development of a Pre-Geometric Cosmological Model - An Exercise in AI-Assisted Conceptual Framework Generation, Paper I: Foundations and Replication Dynamics

We develop a pre-geometric cosmological framework in which existence is identified with a finite amount of unstructured energy possessing vibration as its only intrinsic property. This vibrational substrate occupies an open, bounded spectral interval $(\omega_{\min},\omega_{\max})$, ensuring finiteness of total energy and excluding infinitely stable configurations. The substrate evolves under two fundamental and competing tendencies---excitation, which amplifies coherence, and randomization, which scrambles it. Their balance produces a metastable unstructured regime in which rare fluctuations may form long-lived self-consistent spectral configurations. Because the substrate is finite and subject to competing order--disorder dynamics, no coherent configuration can be perpetually stable. We show that the only mechanism capable of sustaining long-lived organization is a replication instability: a coherent unit may reproduce into multiple offspring according to a general $1\!\to n$ rule. Replication consumes energy from the finite substrate, breaks the metastable symmetry, and induces a discrete notion of event time through the replication tick $\Delta\tau$. Temporal succession is defined through correlation ordering of spectral microstates, producing an intrinsic pre-causal structure. The compactness of the spectral domain imposes minimal and maximal timescales, bounds the internal coherence of emergent units, and limits their proliferation. These spectral constraints serve as precursors for the emergence of geometry, adjacency, and a limiting propagation speed, developed in subsequent papers of this series. Paper I provides the foundational axioms (PG1--PG9) governing the spectral substrate, its metastable dynamics, the formation of coherent units, and the necessity of replication, establishing a fully pre-geometric stage from which causal and geometric structure naturally emerge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sodar - PNNL Scintec MFAS, Oregon Raceway Park - Reviewed Data

These data provide measurements of wind speed and direction up to 400 m above ground level (AGL) (max). The data are stored in two forms: ASCII and raw (binary). ASCII files contain averaged data (currently: 15 min time step and 10 m range gate). Raw files can be reprocessed with sodar software (APRun by Scintec) to produce ASCII files with different time and/or height averaging settings (highest resolution is approximately 90 sec and 10 m). NOTE: Wind direction is reported with respect to magnetic North.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Front-of-Meter Model Results

These files contains aggregations of key variables from the NREL Distributed Wind Futures Study using full parcel level data. These variables describe total technical and economic potential for distributed wind turbine deployment. Aggregations are available at the (1) county, (2) zipcode (zip code tabulation area or zcta), and (3) US Census block group level. Each scenario is coded with the scenario name (e.g., baseline) and year (e.g., 2022). Those files postfixed with 'econpot' contain results for only those parcels that are economically viable while the files postfixed with 'techpot' include results for all parcels that are technically feasible. Hence these correspond to technoeconomic and technical potential respectively. The data are available as CSV or Geopackage. Columns in the files are as follows: * geoid: geographic identifier (FIPS code or similar) * min_techpot_sum_kw: technical potential for all parcels in kW using turbines downsized to demand when appropriate * max_techpot_sum_kw: technical potential for all parcels in kW without downsizing turbines * aep_sum_kwh: annual energy production estimate in kWh * cf_mean_ratio: mean capacity factor * lcoe_mean_cents_per_kwh: mean levelized cost of energy for parcels in geography in cents per kWh * lcoe_std_cents_per_kwh: standard deviation of the above * parcel_area_sum_acres: total area of viable parcels in acres * n_turbines: number of cited turbines (one per viable parcel currently) Note: These are preliminary results from the full-parcel 2024 update of the Distributed Wind Energy Futures study. Please take care when making use of the data, and feel free to contact the team with any questions. Full documentation in support of these data is in progress and will follow.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Behind-the-Meter Model Results

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for approximate graph coloring

We show how to apply the recursive quantum approximate optimization algorithm (RQAOA) to MAX- k -CUT, the problem of finding an approximate k -vertex coloring of a graph. We compare this proposal to the best known classical and hybrid classical-quantum algorithms. First, we show that the standard (non-recursive) QAOA fails to solve this optimization problem for most regular bipartite graphs at any constant level p : the approximation ratio achieved by QAOA is hardly better than assigning colors to vertices at random. Second, we construct an efficient classical simulation algorithm which simulates level- 1 QAOA and level- 1 RQAOA for arbitrary graphs. In particular, these hybrid algorithms give rise to efficient classical algorithms, and no benefit arising from the use of quantum mechanics is to be expected. Nevertheless, they provide a suitable testbed for assessing the potential benefit of hybrid algorithm: We use the simulation algorithm to perform large-scale simulation of level- 1 QAOA and RQAOA with up to 300 qutrits applied to ensembles of randomly generated 3 -colorable constant-degree graphs. We find that level- 1 RQAOA is surprisingly competitive: for the ensembles considered, its approximation ratios are often higher than those achieved by the best known generic classical algorithm based on rounding an SDP relaxation. This suggests the intriguing possibility that higher-level RQAOA may be a potentially useful algorithm for NISQ devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗