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At least 955 records · Page 53

#COVIDisAirborne: AI-enabled multiscale computational microscopy of delta SARS-CoV-2 in a respiratory aerosol

We seek to completely revise current models of airborne transmission of respiratory viruses by providing never-before-seen atomic-level views of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within a respiratory aerosol. Our work dramatically extends the capabilities of multiscale computational microscopy to address the significant gaps that exist in current experimental methods, which are limited in their ability to interrogate aerosols at the atomic/molecular level and thus obscure our understanding of airborne transmission. We demonstrate how our integrated data-driven platform provides a new way of exploring the composition, structure, and dynamics of aerosols and aerosolized viruses, while driving simulation method development along several important axes. We present a series of initial scientific discoveries for the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, noting that the full scientific impact of this work has yet to be realized.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Star Formation Rates for Elliptical Galaxies Derived from the Wise 12- and 22-µm Emission

We investigated the star formation rates (SFRs) of selected elliptical galaxies using the infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The elliptical galaxies were selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) MPA-JHU catalog and morphology classified by Galaxy Zoo catalog. We used the 3.4-µm emission (W1) of WISE to represent the stellar mass of the galaxies and the 12- and 22-µm emission (W3 and W4) of WISE to represent the star formation activity of the galaxies. The W3- and W4-based star formation rates are usually overestimated due to the star emission in low star-forming galaxies. Stellar continuum emission could contribute to MIR fluxes of elliptical galaxies with an average overestimation of ~ 13.95 and ~ 0.77% from the observed fluxes of WISE W3 and W4-bands, which determined by using the estimated WISE W3 and W4 flux correction factors. Better SFRs can be obtained by subtracting the stellar contribution of the sources. Our result highlights the possibility of the existence of unknown mechanisms triggering the continuous star formation activities in elliptical galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Monitoring Operational States of a Nuclear Reactor Using Seismoacoustic Signatures and Machine Learning

Monitoring nuclear reactors is an important safety and security task with growing requirements. We explore the possibility of using seismic and acoustic data for inferring the power level of an operating reactor. Continuous data recorded at a single seismoacoustic station that is located about 50 m away from a research reactor was visualized and analyzed. The data show a clear correlation between seismoacoustic features and reactor main operational states. We designed a workflow that includes two machine learning (ML) models to classify the reactor operational states (OFF, transition, and ON) and estimate reactor power levels (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%). We applied and compared five ML algorithms for the reactor OFF-transition-ON and four approaches for the power level classification. We also compared the performance of ML models trained with seismic-only, acoustic-only, and both types of data. Five-fold cross validations were implemented to assure a thorough evaluation of the model performances. Additionally, the results show the extreme boosting gradient algorithm worked best for the first model, whereas random forests performed best for the second model. Combining seismic and acoustic data leads to better performance than using a single type of data. Seismic data contributed more than acoustic data for both models. We reached an accuracy of 0.98 for reactor OFF and ON. The accuracies for the transition state and power levels are less optimal with a minimum accuracy of 0.66. However, our results suggest seismic and acoustic data contain useful information about the transition state as well as power levels. Seismic and acoustic data could be integrated with other observations to improve monitoring performance.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Geologic Characterization of the South Georgia Rift Basin for Source Proximal CO2 Storage

The project Geologic Characterization of the South Georgia Rift Basin for Source Proximal CO2 Storage is one of 9 site characterization projects that were implemented as part of ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Data from this project was used to improve resolution of data in NATCARB in the area of study. Data related to this study has already been incorporated in NATCARB Atlas. The South Carolina Research Foundation and partners evaluated the feasibility of CCS in the Jurassic/ Triassic (J / TR) saline formations of the buried Mesozoic South Georgia Rift (SGR) Basin that extends from South Carolina into Georgia. The J / TR sequence, based on preliminary assessment of limited geologic and geophysical data, appears to have both the appropriate areal extent and multiple horizons to permanently and safely store CO2 The presence of several igneous rock layers within the sequence may potentially provide adequate seals to prevent upward CO2 migration into the Coastal Plain aquifer systems. Approximately 81 kilometers of 2-D seismic reflection data were collected by Bay Geophysical, Inc. to explore a portion of the SGR located in southern Georgia. The 81 kilometers were divided into two lines approximately 40.5 kilometers each, with Line 1 intersecting Georgia well GGS 3457. Line 2 intersects Line 1 at the southern portion of Line 1 to maximize the extent of coverage away from GGS-3457 (a deep well drilled in the 1980s for oil and gas exploration). This well had a set of usable logs, including gamma and neutron logs that provided promising results related to CO2 storage. Results showed sandstone with porosity values greater than 10 percent and a thickness of 120 meters. The design of the seismic shot was to extrapolate information away from the well and to better define the extent of the SGR and the necessary reservoir and caprock for a successful CO2 injection. A numerical simulation model of CO2 Injection and migration was developed based on the geology log for the GGS-3457 well. The simulation model was used to investigate the feasibility of injecting 30 million metric tons of CO2 into SGR J / TA sediments and integrity of the diabase layers as seals to prevent CO2 migration.

2-D seismic↗

Understanding machine learning approaches for partial differential equations

Recent works in computational physics have been successful in the super-resolution of numerical solutions of partial differential equations (PDEs) via neural networks. In this paper we explore the possibilities and limitations of the data-driven discretization approach implemented by Bar-Sinai et. al., while contrasting it with a simpler yet weaker approach utilizing the nangs Python library. The results demonstrate what neural network parameters optimize accuracy and performance, as well as what conditions on PDEs are necessary to maintain convergence.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

LANL Data Sprint 2022 - STEM Santa Fe

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Data Sprint took place virtually on July 25-29, 2022. Our team worked with data from the STEM Santa Fe (SSF) organization (https://stemsantafe.org) whose mission can be summarized as devoted to “[creating] a world filled with analytical citizens exploring complex issues for the betterment of society”. We worked with SSF data exported from Google Forms with information on (pre/post) participant surveys and registration demographics.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Theoretical Particle Physics in the Data-Driven Era (Final Report)

DOE award DE-SC0021447 supports theoretical research in high energy physics. PI and students are not a part of any experimental collaboration, even if some works were done in collaboration with experimental colleagues. All research products are in the form of research articles and they are publicly available under inspirehep.net and arxiv.org, which are typical publication methods in high energy physics. No invention or patent is involved with this research. No equipment or hardware is involved with the research under this award. Research outcomes are used by colleagues in high energy physics, including both theorists and experimentalists. Therefore the outcome of research topics under this award supported the High Energy Physics experimental research program, both in understanding the data and in finding new directions for experimental exploration. The research materials are used to train undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. We summarize research activity under this award in the following section and major products are listed in section 3. Section 4 contains professional presentations given by PI. Other products developed during the award period are in section 5. Students’ activities are summarized in section 6.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Cosmic Algorithms: Unveiling Mysteries of the Universe with Artificial Intelligence

In the boundless expanse of the cosmos lies a tapestry of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. In this talk, we delve into the realm of "Cosmic Algorithms," where the marriage of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and astrophysical inquiry paves the way for unprecedented discoveries. One of the foremost challenges we face in contemporary astrophysics is the staggering size and complexity of astronomical datasets. I will discuss how AI provides a transformative solution to these challenges, enabling us to efficiently sift through vast amounts of data to extract meaningful insights. Moreover, I will explore the fascinating realm of gravitationally lensed galaxies and merging galaxies, showcasing how AI algorithms play a pivotal role in identifying, characterizing, and understanding these phenomena. Today we stand at the threshold of unprecedented discovery, inspired by the boundless potential of Cosmic Algorithms to illuminate the darkest corners of space. The remarkable synergy between AI and astrophysics will continue to push the boundaries of human knowledge and open new roads to discovery.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

RARE EARTH AND CRITICAL ELEMENT RELATIONSHIPS TO COAL DEPOSIT LITHOLOGIES IN SOUTHWEST WYOMING AND NORTHWEST COLORADO

Rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals (CM) are vital components in a wide variety of applications, not only in the renewable energy sector but also in military, telecommunication, and other civilian uses. The association of REE and CM with coal deposits is widely known but not thoroughly understood. While individual coal samples or beds themselves might not host significant concentrations of REE, recent studies indicate temporal relationships among some REE with coal beds and their immediately adjacent non-coal bounding strata, including interbeds. These strata most commonly include clays, carbonaceous shales, and ash beds, but other related strata are possible in different coal-bearing settings. Variations in REE and CM concentrations and their direct or indirect association with coal beds are not always predictable. This study presents recent findings from studying different associations between coal beds and adjacent rocks to identify possible relationships between REE-CM concentrations and the coals and adjacent rocks. For this study we collected and analyzed several dozen samples from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Core Research Center (CRC). Additionally, a small number of coal mine outcrops and their adjacent non-coal rocks were included. Most samples are of Cretaceous age. Previous work has shown a potential link between coals in the Upper Cretaceous Williams Fork Formation and REE occurrences in the Yampa ash bed in northwest Colorado. While data are uncommon and sparse, this possible link may suggest REE or CM enrichment from leaching or reworking of the ash bed. Trace element geochemistry, whole rock data, and microscopic examinations are used here to explore these relationships and guide future studies.

REE, CM, ash, volcanic ash, coal↗

Fermilab Booster loss modelling and rebalancing using Bayesian methods

Fermilab Booster is being upgraded for the PIP-II project to support 20Hz ramp rate at higher intensities. Loss trip limits determine the achievable peak power. To meet PIP-II requirements, losses need to be halved as compared to current levels. Losses primarily occur at injection and transition crossing, with both gradually increasing and threshold-like intensity-dependent behaviors. The existing simulation models are not yet good enough for quantitative loss predictions. In practice, it will be necessary to tune up the Booster using iterative methods and operator intuition. In this paper we present an effort to systematically model Booster losses using active learning (Bayesian exploration) techniques, and subsequently to rebalance them for higher trip limit margins. We first created several sets of spatially and temporally isolated orbit and optics knobs, and trained Gaussian process models for each beam loss monitor as well as beam current. This is a complex task due to safety and timing requirements – we discuss mitigations such as uncertainty constraints and approximate fitting. Once models are stable, we perform large-scale single and multi-objective tuning using scalarized objectives made up of critical beam loss locations. Our results demonstrate significant rebalancing of losses, increasing trip margins, as well as an overall improvement in beam transmission efficiency. We are exploring how to combine existing simulations with experimental data and automate the collection procedure so that more advanced surrogate models can be created over time.

Kuklev, Nikita [Fermilab]↗

Fixed-Site KAZR b1 Data Processing Report: 2025

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility has been operating Ka-band ARM Zenith Radars (KAZRs) at each of its permanent observatories for at least the past 10 years. Data collected by the KAZRs is used to explore various cloud processes in different climatological regimes including marine stratocumulus clouds at the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site, arctic clouds at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site, and mid-latitude continental clouds at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Understanding neutrinos with accelerator beams and liquid argon time-projection chambers: ICARUS and DUNE

A global program of experiments has worked towards characterizing neutrino oscillation over the past few decades. However, important parameters remain to be measured, and mysteries remain to be elucidated. Current and upcoming experiments are targeting the open questions and probing the consistency of the neutrino oscillation paradigm. Likewise, the liquid argon (LAr) time-projection chamber (TPC) has emerged as a sensitive particle detection technology for neutrino experiments. A current generation of LAr TPC detectors are being used to study neutrinos while also gaining important experience in operating and analyzing with this technology. SBND, MicroBooNE, and ICARUS have collected or are collecting data from beams at Fermilab (near Chicago) to explore the possibility of a sterile neutrino and/or other beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics. SBND and ICARUS will be used to conduct a two-detector analysis as part of the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) Program. Additionally, these detectors are enabling important neutrino interaction studies necessary to prepare for the next generation of oscillation experiments. One such oscillation experiment that will come online over the next years is the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will install multiple 10 kiloton LAr TPCs underground in South Dakota (south of Saskatchewan) to conduct oscillation measurements with neutrinos originating in a beamline at Fermilab. A detector complex will be installed at Fermilab as well, to study the beam before the expected flavour oscillations. This “near detector” will also employ a LAr TPC, with a segmented and pixel-based design, as well as other technologies to constrain uncertainties in the oscillation measurement by characterizing the beam and neutrino interactions. This talk will discuss the ICARUS and DUNE experiments, the LAr TPC detector technology, and the efforts to realize and leverage these experiments to better understand the properties of neutrinos.

Howard, Bruce L. [Fermilab]↗

Enabling real-time adaptation of machine learning models at x-ray Free Electron Laser facilities with high-speed training optimized computational hardware

The emergence of novel computational hardware is enabling a new paradigm for rapid machine learning model training. For the Department of Energy’s major research facilities, this developing technology will enable a highly adaptive approach to experimental sciences. In this manuscript we present the per-epoch and end-to-end training times for an example of a streaming diagnostic that is planned for the upcoming high-repetition rate x-ray Free Electron Laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source-II. We explore the parameter space of batch size and data parallel training across multiple Graphics Processing Units and Reconfigurable Dataflow Units. We show the landscape of training times with a goal of full model retraining in under 15 min. Although a full from scratch retraining of a model may not be required in all cases, we nevertheless present an example of the application of emerging computational hardware for adapting machine learning models to changing environments in real-time, during streaming data acquisition, at the rates expected for the data fire hoses of accelerator-based user facilities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Linear Theory of Electromagnetic Ion Beam Instabilities in the Earth’s Forshock: Peter Gary’s Contributions (1981–1991)

We discuss Peter Gary’s contributions to the understanding of the origin and properties of ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the Earth’s foreshock during the period when the International Sun Earth Explorer spacecraft (ISEE-1 and -2) provided unique data about the plasma and wave environment in this region. Peter’s work concerning the linear theory of electromagnetic ion beam instabilities is contained in five journal articles and then summarized in a review article, all of which are discussed here. Brief summaries of observations and theory prior to ISEE as well as to later work are also included.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Biofuels Induced Land Use Change Emissions: The Role of Implemented Land Use Emission Factors

Biofuels’ induced land-use change (ILUC) emissions have been widely studied over the past 15 years. Many studies have addressed uncertainties associated with these estimates. These studies have broadly examined uncertainties associated with the choice of economic models, their assumptions and parameters, and a few bio-physical variables. However, uncertainties in land-use emission factors that represent the soil and vegetation carbon contents of various land types across the world and are used to estimate carbon fluxes due to land conversions are mostly overlooked. This paper calls attention to this important omission. It highlights some important sources of uncertainty in land-use emissions factors, explores the range in these factors from established data sources, and compares the influence of their variability on ILUC emissions for several sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pathways. The estimated land-use changes for each pathway are taken from a well-known computable general equilibrium model, GTAP-BIO. Two well-known carbon calculator models (CCLUB and AEZ-EF) that represent two different sets of emissions factors are used to convert the GTAP-BIO estimated land-use changes to ILUC emissions. The results show that the calculated ILUC emissions obtained from these carbon calculators for each examined SAF pathway are largely different, even for the same amortization time horizon. For example, the ILUC emissions values obtained from the AEZ-EF and CCLUB models for producing jet fuel from corn ethanol for a 25-year amortization period are 24.9 gCO 2 e/MJ and 15.96 gCO 2 e/MJ, respectively. This represents a 60% difference between the results of these two carbon calculators for the same set of land-use changes. The results show larger differences for other pathways as well.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

A New Infrared Criterion for Selecting Active Galactic Nuclei to Lower Luminosities

We present a spectroscopic and photometric analysis of a sample of 416,288 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) matched to mid-infrared (mid-IR) data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). By using a new spectroscopic fitting package, GELATO (Galaxy/AGN Emission Line Analysis TOol), we are able to retrieve emission line fluxes and uncertainties for SDSS spectra and robustly determine the presence of broad lines and outflowing components, enabling us to investigate WISE color space as a function of optical spectroscopic properties. In addition, we pursue spectral energy distribution template fitting to assess the relative active galactic nucleus (AGN) contribution and nuclear obscuration to compare to existing mid-IR selection criteria with WISE. We present a selection criterion in mid-IR color space to select AGNs with an ~80% accuracy and a completeness of ~16%. This is the first mid-IR color selection defined by solely using the distribution of Type I and Type II optical spectroscopic AGNs in WISE mid-IR color space. Our selection is an improvement of ~50% in the completeness of targeting spectroscopic AGNs with WISE down to an SDSS r < 17.77 mag. In addition, our new criterion targets a less-luminous population of AGNs, with on average lower [O ιιι] luminosities by~30% ( > 0.1 dex) compared to typical WISE color–color selections. With upcoming large photometric surveys without corresponding spectroscopy, our method presents a way to select larger populations of AGNs at lower AGN luminosities and higher nuclear obscuration levels than traditional mid-IR color selections.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Core States of Neutron Stars from Anatomizing Their Scaled Structure Equations

Given an Equation of State (EOS) for neutron star (NS) matter, there is a unique mass–radius sequence characterized by a maximum mass ${M}_{\mathrm{NS}}^{\max}$ at radius $R$ max . We first show analytically that the ${M}_{\mathrm{NS}}^{\max}$ and $R$ max scale linearly with two different combinations of the NS central pressure $P$ $c$ and energy density $ε$ $c$ , by dissecting perturbatively the dimensionless Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff (TOV) equations governing NS internal variables. The scaling relations are then verified via 87 widely used and rather diverse phenomenological as well as 17 microscopic NS EOSs with/without considering hadron–quark phase transitions and hyperons, by solving numerically the original TOV equations. The EOS of the densest NS matter allowed before it collapses into a black hole is then obtained. Using the universal ${M}_{\mathrm{NS}}^{\max}$ and $R$ max scalings and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer and XMM-Newton mass–radius observational data for PSR J0740+6620, a very narrow constraining band on the NS central EOS is extracted directly from the data for the first time, without using any specific input EOS model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

BACCHUS Analysis of Weak Lines in APOGEE Spectra (BAWLAS)

Elements with weak and blended spectral features in stellar spectra are challenging to measure and require specialized analysis methods to precisely measure their chemical abundances. In this work, we have created a catalog of approximately 120,000 giants with high signal-to-noise Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Data Release 17 (DR17) spectra, for which we explore weak and blended species to measure Na, P, S, V, Cu, Ce, and Nd abundances and 12 C/ 13 C isotopic ratios. We employ an updated version of the Brussels Automatic Code for Characterizing High-accuracy Spectra (BACCHUS) code to derive these abundances using the stellar parameters measured by APOGEE's DR17 Stellar Parameters and Chemical Abundances Pipeline, quality flagging to identify suspect spectral lines, and a prescription for upper limits. Combined, these allow us to provide our BACCHUS Analysis of Weak Lines in APOGEE Spectra catalog of precise chemical abundances for these weak and blended species, which agrees well with the literature and improves upon APOGEE abundances for these elements, some of which are unable to be measured with APOGEE's current, grid-based approach without computationally expensive expansions. This new catalog can be used alongside APOGEE and provides measurements for many scientific applications ranging from nuclear physics to Galactic chemical evolution and Milky Way population studies. To illustrate this we show some examples of uses for this catalog, such as showing that we observe stars with enhanced s-process abundances or that we can use the 12 C/ 13 C ratios to explore extra mixing along the red giant branch.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗