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At least 1,027 records · Page 57

Normalizing flows for high-dimensional detector simulations

Whenever invertible generative networks are needed for LHC physics, normalizing flows show excellent performance. In this work, we investigate their performance for fast calorimeter shower simulations with increasing phase space dimension. We use fast and expressive coupling spline transformations applied to the CaloChallenge datasets. In addition to the base flow architecture we also employ a VAE to compress the dimensionality and train a generative network in the latent space. We evaluate our networks on several metrics, including high-level features, classifiers, and generation timing. Our findings demonstrate that invertible neural networks have competitive performance when compared to autoregressive flows, while being substantially faster during generation.

Ernst, Florian↗

Combinatorial Evaluation of Physical Feature Engineering, Classical Machine Learning, and Deep Learning Models for Synchrophasor Data at Scale

A major objective of the project was to train and evaluate the effectiveness of multiple event and anomaly detection, identification and classification deep temporal learning models for processing of real-time phasor measurement unit (PMU) data streams. A vast dataset, consisting of two years of phasor measurements from all three U.S. Interconnections, was curated and released by the Department of Energy (DOE) through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The dataset also included an event log that provided event times and types (e.g. generator trips, line trips, planned service events, transformer operations, etc.). Our analysis of this dataset addressed six (6) of the eleven (11) research priorities identified in Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001861 “Big Data Analysis of Synchrophasor Data” (FOA 1861). Rather than being limited to pre-determined specific algorithms, this project relied on the uniquely structured, highly performant underlying time series database capabilities of the PredictiveGrid platform to assess the vast dataset utilizing a wide variety of algorithms.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

wa-hls4ml: A GNN Surrogate Model for hls4ml

Recent advancements in use of machine learning techniques on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have allowed for implementation of embedded neural networks with extremely low latency. This is invaluable for particle detectors at the Large Hadron Collider, where latency and used area must be strictly bounded. The hls4ml framework is a procedure for converting from trained machine learning model software, to a synthesis result that can be used on an FPGA. However, running the pipeline is a time-consuming procedure, and there is a strong risk of failure. In particular, it is possible that the model is unable to be converted into a synthesis result, or that the resource consumption of the model will exceed the resources of the target FPGA. To aid with this development, we introduce wa-hls4ml, a surrogate model which uses a graph neural network to emulate the structure of the source models. The goal is to estimate the chance of success and resource consumption of an arbitrary model when passed through the hls4ml procedure, without the time consumption of actually running the pipeline.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

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]↗

Enhancing Autonomous Control of Microreactors Using Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning

In order for microreactors to be economically competitive, operation costs will need to be minimized through some degree of autonomous control. Previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of reinforcement learning (RL) for load-following control in a drum-controlled microreactor. This study extends that work by exploring the potential of RL to independently control each of the reactor’s drums. We compare a single-agent RL approach with a multi-agent RL (MARL) framework, testing them for generalization across different load-following power profiles and control timescales, and for robustness in cases of randomly disabled control drums. Since the point kinetics simulation environment used in this study cannot resolve spatial effects, we assume that in the absence of spatially localized disturbances, optimal drum movements should be symmetrical. We demonstrate that single-agent RL is able to achieve accurate performance only when symmetric actions are ignored; otherwise, it fails to train a useful controller. Meanwhile, the MARL framework performs symmetric actions by design and trains a robust, accurate agent, as evidenced by mean absolute errors in power matching of 0.41% for the training power profile, 0.68% for a profile with half the drums disabled, and 0.21% for a profile on a realistic load-following time horizon.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Parallel-in-Time Solution of Allen-Cahn Equations by Integrating Operator Learning into the Parareal Method

While recent advances in deep learning have shown promising efficiency gains in solving time-dependent partial differential equations (PDEs), matching the accuracy of conventional numerical solvers still remains a challenge. One strategy to improve the accuracy of deep learning-based solutions for time-dependent PDEs is to use the learned model as the coarse propagator in the Parareal method and a traditional numerical method as the fine solver. However, successful integration of deep learning into the Parareal method requires consistency between the coarse and fine solvers, particularly for PDEs exhibiting rapid changes such as sharp transitions. Here, to ensure this consistency, we propose using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to learn the fully discrete time-stepping operator defined by the same numerical scheme employed as the fine solver. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in solving the classical and mass-conservative Allen–Cahn (AC) equations. Through iterative updates in the Parareal algorithm, our approach achieves a significant computational speedup compared to traditional fine solvers while converging to high-accuracy solutions. Our results highlight that the proposed hybrid Parareal algorithm effectively accelerates simulations, particularly when implemented on multiple GPUs, and converges to the desired accuracy in only a few iterations. Another advantage of our method is that the CNN model is trained on trajectory-based data generated from random initial conditions, such that the trained model can be used to solve the AC equations with various initial conditions without retraining. This work demonstrates the potential of integrating neural network methods into parallel-in-time frameworks for efficient and accurate simulations of time-dependent PDEs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Machine Learning Model for Predicting Composition of Catalytic Coprocessing Products from Molecular Beam Mass Spectra

Demand for the development of an automated and integrated refining process for biofuels has increased in recent years due to the lack of generalized process inspection tools. In bio-oil upgrading processes, all process variables are maintained based on the offline specification of intermediates and products. A lack of real-time product specifications in batch-wise monitoring can cause process failure and wasted resources. Therefore, there is a need for a fast and accurate intermediates/product specification tool that can be used for real-time specification to reduce waste and mitigate the risk of process failure. Here, to address this gap, we developed a machine learning (ML) model for predicting speciated bio-oil composition, including paraffin, iso-paraffins, olefins, naphthene, and aromatics. The model is trained using the mass spectra from upgraded products collected in the vapor phase before condensation and predicts the composition of the condensed product. Training ML models using raw mass spectra is challenging due to numerous overlapped peaks originating from different parent compounds. With this in mind, we propose a protocol that (i) transforms raw mass spectra to chemistry-inspired predefined features and (ii) trains decision tree-based models using these features. Our results show that the random forest model was robust against overfitting and had the highest accuracy compared to other models. Moreover, a stochastic ablation method determined the eight most significant features while maximizing the accuracy. Our protocol facilitates real-time compositional analysis of upgraded bio-oils and thus real-time process monitoring. Additionally, this protocol enables the rational design of efficient catalysts and the determination of optimal process conditions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Adaptive PV Frequency Control Strategy Based on Real-time Inertia Estimation

The declining cost of solar Photovoltaics (PV) generation is driving its worldwide deployment. As conventional generation with large rotating masses is being replaced by renewable energy such as PV, the power system’s inertia will be affected. As a result, the system’s frequency may vary more dramatically in the case of a disturbance, and the frequency nadir may be low enough to trigger protection relays such as under-frequency load shedding. The existing frequency-watt function mandated in power inverters cannot provide grid frequency support in a loss-of-generation event, as PV plants usually do not have power reserves. Here, a novel adaptive PV frequency control strategy is proposed to reserve the minimum power required for grid frequency support. A machine learning model is trained to predict system frequency response under varying system conditions, and an adaptive allocation of PV headroom reserves is made based on the machine learning model as well as real-time system conditions including inertia. Case studies show the proposed control method meets the frequency nadir requirements using minimal power reserves compared to a fixed headroom control approach.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Machine Learning–Based Condition Monitoring of a Circulating Water System of a Canadian Nuclear Plant

With the need to maintain long-term reliable energy using nuclear power plants, there is an underlying demand to ensure that the maintenance of plant components and systems is also done in an efficient and cost-effective manner. One way to achieve this is by moving from time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance. The research presented in this paper focuses on applying statistical and machine-learning-based methods to capture anomalies within data for fault detection to further develop into condition monitoring. This paper focuses on system data for a circulating water system (CWS) of a pressurized heavy-water reactor for detecting anomalies. The different methodologies used for detecting and capturing anomalies in the CWS data are matrix profile, density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), and support vector machines (SVMs). Matrix profile and DBSCAN are used to distinguish between normal data and anomalous data. This paper presents a hybrid method using DBSCAN and SVM when a portion of the data is used for DBSCAN to generate clusters. This portion of data is then used to train the SVM along with the clusters generated by DBSCAN as output. SVM is then tested on unseen data as a predictive tool, which can work in real time to categorize data points as either normal or anomalous. This paper presents results that show the high accuracies of DBSCAN and SVM in capturing anomalies within the data for a CWS for fault detection. Thus, the maintenance plan would be focused on component condition rather than a time-based schedule by switching to an automated system to identify and predict faults within a CWS.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Developing ML/AI Methods for High-Throughput Characterization of Multiple-Sensor Streams of Tokamak Dynamics for High-Speed Control (Final Report)

This project evaluated and developed new mathematical and algorithmic techniques capable of handling (in real-time) the growing amounts of data generated by modern fusion research. While existing numerical linear algebra (NLA) methods provide the backbone to classical data analysis and algorithms, these methods fundamentally do not port to distributed architectures nor do they allow low-latency data reduction for control. Motivated by the needs for modern fusion reactors, this project explored and implemented new numerical methods to characterize plasma dynamics, respond in real-time to discharge evolution, and to process massive-scale data accurately and rapidly more fully. This project links expertise in multiple-sensor diagnostics of tokamak plasma dynamics from Columbia University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory with expertise in massive-scale data reduction and extreme data control algorithms at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute. This interdisciplinary project (i) applied machine learning methods, (ii) implemented a properly-trained neural-network for very fast processing of high-speed plasma videography, and (ii) developed the applied mathematical methods, based on randomized-NLA (rNLA) routines, for data analysis, reduction, and real-time control. The Columbia University High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) facility provided data to test new algorithms and partnership with Columbia University's Data Sciences Institute evaluated the broader use of new algorithms for many challenging control applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

bnl/pub-Maffettone_2020_08

The application of the XCA package as first demonstrated in aXiv:2008.00283. ABSTRACT: The discovery of new structural and functional materials is driven by phase identification, often using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Automation has accelerated the rate of XRD measurements, greatly outpacing XRD analysis techniques that remain manual, time consuming, error prone, and impossible to scale. With the advent of autonomous robotic scientists or self-driving labs, contemporary techniques prohibit the integration of XRD. Here, we describe a computer program for the autonomous characterization of XRD data, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), for the discovery of new materials. Starting from structural databases, we train an ensemble model using a physically accurate synthetic dataset, which output probabilistic classifications --- rather than absolutes --- to overcome the overconfidence in traditional neural networks. This AI agent behaves as a companion to the researcher, improving accuracy and offering unprecedented time savings, and is demonstrated on a diverse set of organic and inorganic materials challenges. This innovation is directly applicable to inverse design approaches, robotic discovery systems, and can be immediately considered for other forms of characterization such as spectroscopy and the pair distribution function.

Maffettone, PhillipM [Brookhaven National Lab. (BN↗

Crystallography companion agent for high-throughput materials discovery

The discovery of new structural and functional materials is driven by phase identification, often using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Automation has accelerated the rate of XRD measurements, greatly outpacing XRD analysis techniques that remain manual, time-consuming, error-prone and impossible to scale. With the advent of autonomous robotic scientists or self-driving laboratories, contemporary techniques prohibit the integration of XRD. Here, we describe a computer program for the autonomous characterization of XRD data, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), for the discovery of new materials. Starting from structural databases, we train an ensemble model using a physically accurate synthetic dataset, which outputs probabilistic classifications—rather than absolutes—to overcome the overconfidence in traditional neural networks. This AI agent behaves as a companion to the researcher, improving accuracy and offering substantial time savings. It is demonstrated on a diverse set of organic and inorganic materials characterization challenges. This method is directly applicable to inverse design approaches and robotic discovery systems, and can be immediately considered for other forms of characterization such as spectroscopy and the pair distribution function.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer (KOGUT) v0.1

KOGUT — Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer KOGUT implements the Relational Graph Transformer (RelGT) architecture for knowledge graph link prediction in biological domains, with a primary focus on microbial growth media prediction. While the original RelGT (arXiv:2505.10960) targets relational tables, time series, and multi-table databases, KOGUT adapts this architecture for heterogeneous biological knowledge graphs, providing first-in-class AI predictive models for microbial cultivation. Key Adaptations Beyond Original RelGT: - Knowledge Graph Focus: Applied to biological KGs with semantic node types (taxa, chemicals, media, phenotypes, environments) versus generic relational database tables, trained on the KG-Microbe knowledge graph (1.3M entities, 2.9M edges, 24 relation types). - Multimodal Node Encoding: Integrates node labels, categories, descriptions, and synonyms from KG metadata through learned embedding layers—adapting relational column features to graph node attributes with textual semantics. - Extended K-Hop Subgraph Strategy: Optimized neighborhood sampling (3-hop default, configurable up to 200 nodes) tuned for sparse biological networks, building on the original local-global attention framework with biological relation preservation. - Biolink Predicate Preservation: Type-specific transformations for 24 biological edge semantics (occurs_in, consumes, produces, has_phenotype, subclass_of) beyond standard relational foreign keys, enabling multi-relation link prediction. - Inductive Learning Support: Enables zero-shot predictions for novel taxa through feature-based embeddings (temperature, oxygen requirements, gram stain, cell shape), extending the original transductive relational benchmark scope to uncultured microorganisms. CheapSOTA Performance Optimizations (This Distribution): - VQ-EMA Centroid Attention: Vector quantization with exponential moving average for improved global context modeling (+5-10% MRR improvement). - HDF5 Precomputed Data Loading: One-time preprocessing of k-hop subgraphs to eliminate redundant graph traversals (2-5× training speedup). - Distributed Data Parallel Training: Multi-GPU support for scaling to larger knowledge graphs (tested on 4× NVIDIA A100 GPUs at NERSC Perlmutter). - Mixed Precision Training: Automatic mixed precision (AMP) for memory efficiency and faster training. Advantages Over Standard Knowledge Graph Embedding Models: Combines RelGT's proven multi-element tokenization (features, type, hop, structure) with graph-native biological representations, enabling interpretable link prediction across heterogeneous entities that standard embedding models (TransE, RotatE, ComplEx) and table-based transformers cannot directly model. Achieves near-perfect performance on microbial growth media prediction (MRR: 0.9966, Precision@1: 0.9932, Hit@10: 1.0000) while maintaining explainability through attention-based reasoning over biological pathways. Training Data: - KG-Microbe merged knowledge graph: 1,379,337 nodes, 2,960,472 edges - 24 biological relation types including taxonomic hierarchies, metabolic interactions, phenotype associations, and environmental relationships - Primary prediction task: Growth media suitability for microbial taxa (biolink:occurs_in, 50K edges) - Multi-relation capability: Predicts links for any of the 24 relation types, including chemical consumption/production, phenotype associations, and taxonomic classification Citation: Original RelGT Architecture: Dwivedi et al., "Relational Graph Transformer", arXiv:2505.10960, 2025 KOGUT Implementation: Knowledge Oriented Graph Unified Transformer for Microbial Growth Media Prediction Developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Trained on NERSC Perlmutter supercomputer

Joachimiak, Marcin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab↗

15-minute Parker River gap-filled tide height and salinity data, PIE LTER, Plum Island Sound, MA (2014–2023), for ELM PFLOTRAN modeling

This dataset contains 15-minute tide height and salinity data from the Typha site along the Parker River, part of the Plum Island Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research (PIE LTER) site in Plum Island Sound, Massachusetts (MA) 2014-2023. Tide height (in NAVD88) was compiled from measurements conducted at the mouth of Plum Island Sound and corrected for time lags. Gap-filling of missing periods were done by fitting tidal constituents to the time series. Salinity was measured (and is stored on ESS DIVE ) in 2022 and 2023 using HOBO U24-002 conductivity loggers. River discharge is the most important control on tidal river water salinity at the location (Vallino & Hopkinson, 1998). An artificial neural network was trained to predict river water salinity at the location using Parker River discharge (USGS station 01101000, Parker River at Byfield, MA) and gap-filled salinity observations from a long-term monitoring station ca. 3km downstream from the Typha site (LTER station ‘Middle Road’) as input variables to create continuous time series information. The data set was used in the spin up and simulations of a land surface model coupled to a biogeochemical reaction network (ELM PFLOTRAN) assessing impacts of hydrology and salinity input on methane fluxes in 2022 and 2023 (Sulman et al., 2024). Metadata files ELMPFLOTRAN_tide_salinity_dd.csv and ELMPFLOTRAN_tide_salinity_flmd.csv provide details on site location, data variables, and QA/QC methods .

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Biopolymer-Templated Titania Film Formation for Nanostructured Coatings Revealed by Machine Learning-Supported Time-Resolved Analysis

This study presents a machine learning approach to derive the film formation of biopolymer-templated titania nanostructures during spray deposition, in combination with in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). A neural network trained on synthetic GISAXS data directly predicts domain-size distributions from experimental two-dimensional scattering patterns, capturing the full kinetics of nanostructure evolution with high temporal resolution. The predictions reveal hierarchical size distributions and periodic growth features, consistent with layer-by-layer spray deposition and validated by complementary scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Quantitative comparison with conventional parametric GISAXS fits shows good qualitative agreement, with systematic differences explained by domain-shape assumptions and resolved by applying a geometric scaling factor. Simulated SEM-like surfaces derived from neural network outputs reproduce the porous, foam-like nanoscale morphology observed experimentally, reinforcing the method’s credibility. This integrated approach enables real-time, nondestructive, statistically averaged monitoring of bulk nanostructure development in functional coatings, offering a scalable methodology to accelerate the characterization and process control of sustainably manufactured nanostructured titania films for energy-related applications such as photocatalysis and photovoltaics.

Heger, JulianEliah↗

Reconstruction of Large Radius Tracks with the Exa.TrkX pipeline

Particle tracking is a challenging pattern recognition task at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the High Luminosity-LHC. Conventional algorithms, such as those based on the Kalman Filter, achieve excellent performance in reconstructing the prompt tracks from the collision points. However, they require dedicated configuration and additional computing time to efficiently reconstruct the large radius tracks created away from the collision points. We developed an end-to-end machine learning-based track finding algorithm for the HL-LHC, the Exa.TrkX pipeline. The pipeline is designed so as to be agnostic about global track positions. In this work, we study the performance of the Exa.TrkX pipeline for finding large radius tracks. Trained with all tracks in the event, the pipeline simultaneously reconstructs prompt tracks and large radius tracks with high efficiencies. This new capability offered by the Exa.TrkX pipeline may enable us to search for new physics in real time.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Dynamic flux surrogate-based partitioned methods for interface problems

Loosely coupled partitioned methods for multiphysics problems treat each subproblem as a separate entity and advance them independently in time. In so doing these methods enable code reuse, increase concurrency and provide a convenient framework for plug-and-play multiphysics simulations. However, mathematically loosely coupled schemes are equivalent to a single step of an iterative solution method, which can compromise their accuracy and stability. We present a new data-driven partitioned method for coupled parametric PDEs that can improve upon the accuracy of traditional loosely coupled methods without incurring a performance penalty. To that end, we replace conventional field transfers across the interface by a surrogate for the dynamics of the interface flux exchanged between the subdomains. To develop this surrogate we apply dynamic mode decomposition to a non-standard staggered-in-time state, comprising the interface flux and small solution patches near the interface. The new approach shifts the main computational burden to an offline training phase, whereas application of the surrogate in the online phase amounts to a single matrix–vector multiplication. In conclusion, we provide stability analysis of the surrogate-based partitioned scheme and include numerical results that demonstrate its potential.

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD)↗

A deep learning-based workflow for fast prediction of 3D state variables in geological carbon storage: A dimension reduction approach

Deep learning (DL) models are extensively used as surrogate models for high-fidelity simulations of multiphase fluid flow in porous media at large scales, enabling fast forecasts of the spatial–temporal evolution of three-dimensional (3D) state variables in geological carbon storage (GCS). However, training these models in high-dimensional space remains computationally demanding and prone to overfitting because of limited training data. This paper presents a novel workflow to address these challenges by integrating dimension reduction (DR) methods. Here, the proposed workflow employed pre-trained DR models to extract the latent variables of geological models and state variables and utilized the multi-layer perceptron (MLP) for constructing mapping functions between the input and output variables in latent spaces. Subsequently, the pre-trained reconstruction models converted the MLP-predicted latent state variables to their original high-dimensional form. Furthermore, we proposed a novel strategy for the DR and reconstruction of 3D saturation fields to account for the unique data characteristics of sparsity, nonuniformity, and discontinuity. The proposed strategy applied PCA and inverse PCA for 2D average saturation fields and developed a DL-based 3D reconstruction model, leveraging three 2D average saturation fields as input to produce a 3D saturation field as output. The pre-training of DR and reconstruction models and training of MLP models were conducted on 84 Gulf of Mexico (GoM) simulations and evaluated on 12 testing simulations. Each simulation contained 720 monthly time steps, with the first 360 months as the injection period and the rest as the post-injection period. The proposed workflow, incorporating DR and DL models, accurately predicts the normalized 3D pressure fields, achieving mean square error (MSE) of 2.92 × 10 -7 compared to the ground truth obtained from a full-physics simulator. Furthermore, the proposed strategy outperformed PCA and convolutional autoencoder (CAE) models on 3D saturation fields, resulting in minor workflow prediction errors with an MSE of 2.93 × 10 -5 . The results suggest the proposed workflow provides sufficient predictive fidelity across temporal and spatial scales, and enables a speedup of 160 times compared to the full-physics simulator, facilitating improved decision-making and risk assessment for large-scale GCS management in real-time scenarios.

3D reconstruction model↗