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

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105 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Optical Forces on an Oscillating Dipole Near VO2 Phase Transition

We investigate optical forces on oscillating dipoles close to a phase change vanadium dioxide (VO2) film, which exhibits a metal-insulator transition around 340 K and low thermal hysteresis. This configuration emulates the interaction between an illuminated nanosphere and an interface and we employ a classical description to capture its important aspects. We consider both electric and magnetic dipoles for two different configurations, namely with the dipole moments parallel and perpendicular to the VO2 film. By using Bruggeman theory to describe the effective optical response of the material, we show that the thermal hysteresis present in the VO2 transition clearly shows up in the behavior of optical forces. In the near-field regime, the force on both dipoles can change from attractive to repulsive just by heating (or cooling) the film for a selected frequency range. We also verified that the optical forces are comparable to the Casimir-Polder force in a similar system, revealing the possibility of modulating or even changing the sign of the resultant force on an illuminated nano-object due to the presence of a thermochromic material. We hope that this work contributes to set the grounds for alternative approaches to control light-matter interactions using phase-change materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Light Microscopy Module A Facility Overview-History and Science

We will share a brief history and provide a science overview of the many accomplishments of the Light Microscopy Module (LMM), a microscope that has been operating in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS) since 2010. It will be removed in October 2021. It was initially outfitted for the Constrained Vapor Bubble – Wickless Heat Pipe experiment. It was later reconfigured and upgraded many times to support a broad portfolio of Physical science and Biological experiments including: Complex Fluids, Colloids, Macro-Molecular Biophysics, Protein Crystals, and Plant Biology. The LMM has enabled many significant studies and discoveries and has seen its fair share of pleasant surprises. These include recording order arising out of disorder, e.g., systems of colloids that were glasses on Earth crystallizing to form large defect-free crystals, nematic ordering of elliptical colloids, and colloidal-polymer systems crystallizing. The LMM science teams have also seen how to improve product stabilizers once the effects of sedimentation on Earth were removed; they were able to see which tagged genes express in plants when gravity is removed, telling them which genes are essential for growing plants in space; they’ve tested protein crystal growth models; checked models for creating bijel electrodes that turn batteries into fast-charging supercapacitors; tested many forms of colloidal self-assembly: including those using depletion attraction, magnetic fields, and critical Casimir forces; they’ve observed explosive bubble nucleation in a wickless heat pipe, and much more. This work has been supported by the NASA Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division and the ISS Program Office, Johnson Space Center Code OZ and Code OB, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) / ISS National Lab, EPSCoR, and ISS international partners from ESA – the Netherlands and Italy, CSA, JAXA and S. Korea, and by Space Act Agreements with Procter and Gamble (P&G).

Colloids↗
DOE OSTI2020

A more attractive scheme for radion stabilization and supercooled phase transition

We propose a new radion stabilization mechanism in the Randall-Sundrum spacetime, introducing a bulk SU( N H ) gauge field which confines at a TeV scale. It turns out that the radion is stabilized by the balance between a brane tension and a pressure due to the Casimir energy of the strong SU( N H ) gauge field. We investigate the phase transition between the Randall-Sundrum (compactified) spacetime and a de-compactified spacetime and determine the parameter regime in which eternal (old) inflation is avoided and the phase transition can be completed. In comparison to the Goldberger-Wise mechanism, the 5D Planck mass can be larger than the AdS curvature and a classical description of the gravity is reliable in our stabilization mechanism. We also discuss the effect of the phase transition in cosmology such as an entropy dilution and a production of gravitational waves.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-temperature asymptotics of supersymmetric partition functions

We study the supersymmetric partition function of 4d supersymmetric gauge theories with a U(1) R-symmetry on Euclidean S 3 × S β 1 , with S 3 the unit-radius squashed three-sphere, and β the circumference of the circle. For superconformal theories, this partition function coincides (up to a Casimir energy factor) with the 4d superconformal index. The partition function can be computed exactly using the supersymmetric localization of the gauge theory path-integral. It takes the form of an elliptic hypergeometric integral, which may be viewed as a matrix-integral over the moduli space of the holonomies of the gauge fields around S β 1 . At high temperatures (β → 0, corresponding to the hyperbolic limit of the elliptic hypergeometric integral) we obtain from the matrix-integral a quantum effective potential for the holonomies. The effective potential is proportional to the temperature. Therefore the high-temperature limit further localizes the matrix-integral to the locus of the minima of the potential. If the effective potential is positive semi-definite, the leading high-temperature asymptotics of the partition function is given by the formula of Di Pietro and Komargodski, and the subleading asymptotics is connected to the Coulomb branch dynamics on R 3 × S 1 . In theories where the effective potential is not positive semi-definite, the Di Pietro-Komargodski formula needs to be modified. In particular, this modification occurs in the SU(2) theory of Intriligator-Seiberg-Shenker, and the SO(N) theory of Brodie-Cho-Intriligator, both believed to exhibit “misleading” anomaly matchings, and both believed to yield interacting superconformal field theories with c < a. Lastly, two new simple tests for dualities between 4d supersymmetric gauge theories emerge as byproducts of our analysis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Non-Markovianity in atom-surface dispersion forces

Here, we discuss the failure of the Markov approximation in the description of atom-surface fluctuation-induced interactions, both in equilibrium (Casimir-Polder forces) and out of equilibrium (quantum friction). Using general theoretical arguments, we show that the Markov approximation can lead to erroneous predictions of such phenomena with regard to both strength and functional dependencies on system parameters. Particularly, we show that the long-time power-law tails of two-time dipole correlations and their corresponding low-frequency behavior, neglected in the Markovian limit, affect the prediction of the force. These findings highlight the importance of non-Markovian effects in dispersion interactions.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Interactions of particles with “continuous spin” fields

Powerful general arguments allow only a few families of long-range interactions, exemplified by gauge field theories of electromagnetism and gravity. However, all of these arguments presuppose that massless fields have zero spin scale (Casimir invariant) and hence exactly boost invariant helicity. This misses the most general behavior compatible with Lorentz symmetry. We present a Lagrangian formalism describing interactions of matter particles with bosonic “continuous spin” fields with arbitrary spin scale ρ. Remarkably, physical observables are well approximated by familiar theories at frequencies larger than ρ, with calculable deviations at low frequencies and long distances. For example, we predict specific ρ-dependent modifications to the Lorentz force law and the Larmor formula, which lay the foundation for experimental tests of the photon’s spin scale. We also reproduce known soft radiation emission amplitudes for nonzero ρ. The particles’ effective matter currents are not fully localized to their worldlines when ρ ≠ 0, which motivates investigation of manifestly local completions of our theory. Our results also motivate the development of continuous spin analogues of gravity and non-Abelian gauge theories. Given the correspondence with familiar gauge theory in the small ρ limit, we conjecture that continuous spin particles may in fact mediate known long-range forces, with testable consequences.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1988

An analytical study of the hydrogen-air reaction mechanism with application to scramjet combustion

A chemical kinetic mechanism for the combustion of hydrogen has been assembled and optimized by comparing the observed behavior as determined in shock tube and flame studies with that predicted by the mechanism. The reactions contained in the mechanism reflect the current state of knowledge of the chemistry of the hydrogen/air system, and the assigned rate coefficients are consistent with accepted values. It was determined that the mechanism is capable of satisfactorily reproducing the experimental results for a range of conditions relevant to scramjet combustion. Calculations made with the reaction mechanism for representative scramjet combustor conditions at Mach 8, 16, and 25 showed that chemical kinetic effects can be important and that combustor models which use nonequilibrium chemistry should be used in preference to models that assume equilibrium chemistry. For the conditions examined the results also showed the importance of including the HO2 chemistry in the mechanism. For Mach numbers less than 16, the studies suggest that an ignition source will most likely be required to overcome slow ignition chemistry. At Mach 25, the initial temperature and pressure was high enough that ignition was rapid and the presence of an ignition source did not significantly affect reaction rates.

Jachimowski, Casimir J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Experimental evaluation of a translating nozzle sidewall radial turbine

An experimental performance evaluation was made of two movable sidewall variable area radial turbines. The turbine designs were representative of the gas generator turbine of a variable flow capacity rotorcraft engine. The first turbine was an uncooled design while the second turbine had a cooled nozzle but an uncooled rotor. The cooled nozzle turbine was evaluated both with and without coolant flow. The test results showed that the movable nozzle wall is a viable and efficient means to effectively control the flow capacity of a radial turbine. Peak efficiencies of the second turbine with and without nozzle coolant were 86.5 and 88 percent respectively. These values are comparable to pivoting vane variable geometry turbines; however, the decrease in efficiency as the flow was varied from the design value was much less for the movable wall turbine. Several design improvements which should increase the turbine efficiency one or two more points are identified. These design improvements include reduced leakage losses and relocation of the vane coolant ejection holes to reduce mainstream disturbance.

Roelke, Richard J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum electrodynamics mediated by a photon with continuous spin

In recent work with Zhou, we studied classical interactions of matter with a “continuous spin” field, whose excitations have zero mass but nonzero spin Casimir (spin scale) ρ . We reported evidence that such theories are a calculable infrared deformation of familiar massless theories including electromagnetism. Building on the aforementioned work, this paper presents rules for computing scattering amplitudes involving charged scalar matter and continuous spin photons with nonzero spin scale. As a concrete example, we compute the pair annihilation and Compton scattering amplitudes in this theory and comment on their physical properties, including unitarity and scaling behavior at small and large ρ . Like the classical physics and soft factors studied in prior work, these amplitudes exhibit “helicity correspondence,” recovering familiar amplitudes at energy scales ≫ ρ , but with calculable deviations that could be experimentally tested. These results bolster the conjecture that continuous spin particles with a very small ρ could mediate long-range forces in nature (e.g., the photon could be a continuous spin particle), and extend the range of physical effects that could be used to test this hypothesis. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Exploring gasoline oxidation chemistry in jet stirred reactors

Recent decades have seen increasingly restrictive regulations applied to gasoline engines. Gasoline combustion chemistry must be investigated to achieve a better understanding and control of internal combustion engine efficiency and emissions. In this work, several gasoline fuels, namely the FACE (Fuel for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasolines, were selected as targets for oxidation study in jet-stirred reactors (JSR). The study is facilitated by formulating various gasoline surrogate mixtures with known hydrocarbon compositions to represent the real gasolines. Surrogates included binary mixtures of n-heptane and iso-octane, as well as more complex multi-component mixtures. Here, the oxidation characteristics of FACE gasolines and their surrogates were experimentally examined in JSR-1 and numerically simulated under the following conditions: pressure 1 bar, temperature 500–1050 K, residence time 1.0 and 2.0 s, and two equivalence ratios (Φ= 0.5 and 1.0). In the high temperature region, all real fuels and surrogates showed similar oxidation behavior, but in the low temperature region, a fuel’s octane number and composition had a significant effect on its JSR oxidation characteristics. Low octane number fuels displayed more low temperature reactivity, while fuels with similar octane number but a larger number of n-alkane components were more reactive. A gasoline surrogate kinetic model was examined with FACE gasoline experiments either measured in JSR-2, or taken from previous work under the following conditions: pressure 10 bar, temperature 530–1200 K, residence time 0.7 s, and three equivalence ratios (Φ = 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0). Comparison between FACE gasoline experimental results with surrogate model predictions showed good agreement, demonstrating considerable potential for surrogate fuel kinetic modeling in engine simulations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2017

RG flow from Φ 4 theory to the 2D Ising model

We study 1+1 dimensional Φ 4 theory using the recently proposed method of conformal truncation. Starting in the UV CFT of free field theory, we construct a complete basis of states with definite conformal Casimir, C. We use these states to express the Hamiltonian of the full interacting theory in lightcone quantization. After truncating to states with C≤C max , we numerically diagonalize the Hamiltonian at strong coupling and study the resulting IR dynamics. We compute non-perturbative spectral densities of several local operators, which are equivalent to real-time, infinite-volume correlation functions. These spectral densities, which include the Zamolodchikov C-function along the full RG flow, are calculable at any value of the coupling. Near criticality, our numerical results reproduce correlation functions in the 2D Ising model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Characterization of Salinity and Temperature Patterns in a Large River Delta to Support Tidal Wetland Habitat Restoration

Although the Snohomish River estuary remains the second largest tidal wetland complex in Puget Sound, approximately 90% of pre-settlement habitat has been disconnected from tidal exchange. This estuary is currently the focus of the largest restoration effort in Puget Sound, with opportunity to restore tidal exchange to over 50% of pre-settlement levels. The Snohomish River also currently supports populations of all anadromous Pacific salmon species, including Endangered Species Act listed Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead (O. mykiss), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). The combination of extant anadromous Pacific salmon populations, large existing tidal wetland complexes, and large restoration potential make the Snohomish River estuary a great opportunity to benefit salmon population recovery and conservation efforts. To support restoration planning and effectiveness monitoring, we developed baseline characteriza- tions of key physical attributes (salinity and temperature). Our results indicated that brackish (0.5–30 ppt) conditions extended farther upriver than previously described, with distributary channels downstream of the middle mainstem and lower Ebey Slough remaining brackish throughout most of the year. During extreme low flows (< 0.65 m3 s-1), salt water (> 0.5 ppt) can at times intrude throughout the distributaries and up to river kilometer 15.9 above the first bifurcation. We also observed temperatures exceeding stress thresholds for juvenile salmonids throughout the estuary from July through September, a period that overlaps with juvenile rearing. This research is timely with several large restoration projects scheduled for construction by 2020, and these baseline characterizations can be used to evaluate restoration responses, as well as to inform project prioritization and monitoring.

Salt intrusion, temperature, Snohomish River estua↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy-Casimir, dynamically accessible, and Lagrangian stability of extended magnetohydrodynamic equilibria

The formal stability analysis of Eulerian extended magnetohydrodynamics (XMHD) equilibria is considered within the noncanonical Hamiltonian framework by means of the energy-Casimir variational principle and the dynamically accessible stability method. Specifically, we find explicit sufficient stability conditions for axisymmetric XMHD and Hall MHD (HMHD) equilibria with toroidal flow and for equilibria with arbitrary flow under constrained perturbations. The dynamically accessible, second-order variation of the Hamiltonian, which can potentially provide explicit stability criteria for generic equilibria, is also obtained. Moreover, we examine the Lagrangian stability of the general quasineutral two-fluid model written in terms of MHD-like variables, by finding the action and the Hamiltonian functionals of the linearized dynamics, working within a mixed Lagrangian-Eulerian framework. Upon neglecting electron mass, we derive a HMHD energy principle, and in addition, the perturbed induction equation arises from Hamilton’s equations of motion in view of a consistency condition for the relation between the perturbed magnetic potential and the canonical variables.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Guarded Hot Cylinder Apparatus for Characterization of Thermal Insulation Systems and Materials at Liquid Hydrogen Temperatures

As interest in liquid hydrogen (LH2) continues to grow within the energy and mobility sectors, so does the demand for testing capabilities at deep cryogenics temperatures. However, cost-, complexity-, and safety-related challenges associated with handling LH2 effectively limit the landscape of possible options. As an alternative, LH2 temperatures can be accessed via a helium-based cryogenic refrigerator, or “cryocooler”. Recently, NASA and its partners CB&I and Shell began the development of a cryocooler-based calorimeter to characterize the thermal performance of insulations and other materials down to 20 K. Deemed the Guarded Hot Cylinder (GHC), the apparatus utilizes a small vacuum chamber in conjunction with a GM cryocooler and trim heater to control the cold boundary temperature. A sealed, cylindrical copper cup bolts to the cryocooler and houses the material specimen, with an internal, cylindrical test heater assembly to maintain the warm boundary. The steady-state heat load, traveling radially through the specimen, is measured via the electrical input power to the test heater and then used to evaluate the material’s absolute thermal performance. Initial checkout and validation of the GHC using a common bulk-fill insulation material showed close agreement with published data from standardized LN2 boiloff calorimetry testing. The instrument is now considered a lab standard, with the goal of incorporating it into the ASTM C1774 standard in the future, and it is in continuous use, examining insulation materials for next-generation LH2 applications.

Swanger, Adam (ORCID:000000021487592X)↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effective strategies for stabilizing sulfur for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries

The lithium-ion battery, with a relatively small energy density of similar to 250 W h kg(-1), has dominantly powered many devices requiring small energy demands. However, there remains a need for a cheaper and smaller type of battery with higher energy density for energy-intensive storage purposes in the automotive, aircraft, and household energy sectors. With its higher specific capacity (1675 mA h g(-1)) and lower costs, the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery represents the most promising next generation battery. The main focus of scientific inquiry surrounding Li-S batteries lies at the cathode, where sulfur chemically bonds to lithium. Current challenges pertaining to the high performance cathode such as the dissolution of sulfur into the electrolyte and electrode volume changes are highlighted. This review focuses on recent developments in the last three years of various sulfur integration methods at the cathode that result in improved electrochemical performance, increased energy density, cyclic stability, and a higher capacity over the mainstream lithium-ion battery. In particular, the most recent approaches were systematically examined and compared including the use of carbon and non-carbon composites to stabilize sulfur. Ideal material hosts for sulfur atoms in the cathode for outstanding Li-S batteries were outlined and thoroughly discussed. Critical understanding and relevant knowledge were summarized aiming to provide general guidance for rational design of high-performance cathodes for advanced Li-S batteries.

Ogoke, Ogechi↗