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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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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

All-silicon quantum light source by embedding an atomic emissive center in a nanophotonic cavity

Silicon is the most scalable optoelectronic material but has suffered from its inability to generate directly and efficiently classical or quantum light on-chip. Scaling and integration are the most fundamental challenges facing quantum science and technology. We report an all-silicon quantum light source based on a single atomic emissive center embedded in a silicon-based nanophotonic cavity. We observe a more than 30-fold enhancement of luminescence, a near-unity atom-cavity coupling efficiency, and an 8-fold acceleration of the emission from the all-silicon quantum emissive center. Our work opens immediate avenues for large-scale integrated cavity quantum electrodynamics and quantum light-matter interfaces with applications in quantum communication and networking, sensing, imaging, and computing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integrated optical frequency division for microwave and mmWave generation

Abstract The generation of ultra-low-noise microwave and mmWave in miniaturized, chip-based platforms can transform communication, radar and sensing systems 1–3 . Optical frequency division that leverages optical references and optical frequency combs has emerged as a powerful technique to generate microwaves with superior spectral purity than any other approaches 4–7 . Here we demonstrate a miniaturized optical frequency division system that can potentially transfer the approach to a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible integrated photonic platform. Phase stability is provided by a large mode volume, planar-waveguide-based optical reference coil cavity 8,9 and is divided down from optical to mmWave frequency by using soliton microcombs generated in a waveguide-coupled microresonator 10–12 . Besides achieving record-low phase noise for integrated photonic mmWave oscillators, these devices can be heterogeneously integrated with semiconductor lasers, amplifiers and photodiodes, holding the potential of large-volume, low-cost manufacturing for fundamental and mass-market applications 13 .

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantum networks based on color centers in diamond

With the ability to transfer and process quantum information, large-scale quantum networks will enable a suite of fundamentally new applications, from quantum communications to distributed sensing, metrology, and computing. This Perspective reviews requirements for quantum network nodes and color centers in diamond as suitable node candidates. We give a brief overview of state-of-the-art quantum network experiments employing color centers in diamond and discuss future research directions, focusing, in particular, on the control and coherence of qubits that distribute and store entangled states, and on efficient spin–photon interfaces. We discuss a route toward large-scale integrated devices combining color centers in diamond with other photonic materials and give an outlook toward realistic future quantum network protocol implementations and applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Open hardware solutions in quantum technology

Quantum technologies, such as communication, computing, and sensing, offer vast opportunities for advanced research and development. While an open-source ethos currently exists within some quantum technologies, especially in quantum computer programming, we argue that there are additional advantages in developing open quantum hardware (OQH). Open quantum hardware encompasses open-source software for the control of quantum devices in labs, blueprints, and open-source toolkits for chip design and other hardware components, as well as openly accessible testbeds and facilities that allow cloud-access to a wider scientific community. We provide an overview of current projects in the OQH ecosystem, identify gaps, and make recommendations on how to close them at present. More open quantum hardware would accelerate technology transfer to and growth of the quantum industry and increase accessibility in science.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Continuous variable port-based teleportation

Abstract Port-based teleportation (PBT) is a generalisation of the standard teleportation protocol which does not require unitary operations by the receiver. This comes at the price of requiring N > 1 entangled pairs, while N = 1 for the standard teleportation protocol. The lack of correction unitaries allows PBT to be used as a fundamental theoretical tool to simulate arbitrary channels with a general resource, with applications to study fundamental limits of quantum communication, cryptography and sensing, and to define general programmable quantum computers. Here we introduce a general formulation of port-based teleportation in continuous variable systems and study in detail the N = 2 case. In particular, we interpret the resulting channel as an energy truncation and analyse the kinds of channels that can be naturally simulated after this restriction.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Midgap state requirements for optically active quantum defects

Abstract Optically active quantum defects play an important role in quantum sensing, computing and communication. The electronic structure and the single-particle energy levels of these quantum defects in the semiconducting host have been used to understand their optoelectronic properties. Optical excitations that are central for their initialization and readout are linked to transitions between occupied and unoccupied single-particle states. It is commonly assumed that only quantum defects introducing levels well within the band gap and far from the band edges are of interest for quantum technologies as they mimic an isolated atom embedded in the host. In this perspective, we contradict this common assumption and show that optically active defects with energy levels close to the band edges can display similar properties. We highlight quantum defects that are excited through transitions to or from a band-like level (bound exciton) such as the T center and Se S i + in silicon. We also present how defects such as the silicon split-vacancy in diamond can involve transitions between localized levels that are above the conduction band or below the valence band. Loosening the commonly assumed requirement on the electronic structure of quantum defects offers opportunities in quantum defects design and discovery especially in smaller band gap hosts such as silicon. We discuss the challenges in terms of operating temperature for photoluminescence or radiative lifetime in this regime. We also highlight how these alternative type of defects bring their own needs in terms of theoretical developments and fundamental understanding. This perspective clarifies the electronic structure requirement for quantum defects and will facilitate the identification and design of new color centers for quantum applications especially driven by first principles computations.

Xiong, Yihuang (ORCID:0000000178096047)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Supervised Learning-Based Spatial Position Estimation with Vertical Displacement for Hovering UAV Wireless Power Transfer

This study presents a supervised learning-based spatial position estimation approach for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems supporting hovering unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) charging. Unlike stationary charging scenarios, hovering UAVs introduce continuous lateral misalignment and vertical displacement, leading to variations in magnetic coupling and reduced power transfer efficiency. To address this challenge, the proposed method estimates the relative spatial position of the receiver coil using only electrical measurements obtained at the secondary side. A supervised learning model is trained to map output voltage and current features to spatial coordinates, enabling position awareness without requiring external sensors, vision systems, or communication links. The sensing functionality is inherently integrated into the WPT system, allowing simultaneous power transfer and localization through the same magnetic interface. Experimental validation is conducted on a laboratory-scale prototype under varying lateral offsets and air-gap conditions. In addition, spline-based interpolation is employed to increase spatial data density for training. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework can capture spatial variations associated with both lateral and vertical displacement, providing reliable position estimation under hovering conditions. This work establishes a hardware-efficient, sensorless solution for UAV wireless charging and serves as a baseline for advanced data-driven position estimation methods in dynamic WPT systems.

Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Harmonics Interferometric Doppler Sensor With a Neon Lamp Detector

A cost-effective harmonic interferometric Doppler sensor has been developed to obtain both amplitude and phase of the micro-Doppler signatures of moving objects. A phase chopper is used to generate the harmonics of the interferometry signal. For cost-effectiveness, a Gunn diode source is used for signal generation and a neon lamp is employed as a broadband detector. An advanced signal processing algorithm has been developed to extract both amplitude and phase Doppler signatures. A prototype has been built to demonstrate the effectiveness of the harmonic interferometric Doppler sensor at 35 GHz, with Doppler objects such as human hand and metal objects. In addition, the broadband detection capability of the neon lamp allows the Doppler sensor to work up to the millimeter-wave regime and potentially beyond the terahertz (THz) wave regime. Due to the ruggedness of the neon lamp detector, it is expected that the Doppler sensor has important applications of sensing and wireless communication in harsh environment such as high-temperature, high-power and radioactive conditions.

Doppler sensor↗
DOE OSTI2023

Volt/VAR Optimization (VVO) Application on GridAPPS-D Platform

There is a large increment in the distributed energy resources (DERs) installation and deployments of smart sensing devices and communication infrastructure; hence, the power distribution network is swiftly evolving from a passive network to an active network. This motivates the development of advanced applications to operate power distribution systems for higher efficiency and reliability. These advanced applications are model-based and data-driven. This requires an advanced distribution management system (ADMS) to provide required data for the optimal operation of the distribution systems by coordinating various grid controllable devices. In this paper a Volt-VAR optimization (VVO) application to coordinate the grid’s legacy and new voltage control devices for conservation voltage reduction (CVR) is deployed on the GridAPPS-D platform (an open-source platform ) for ADMS application development. The VVO application is validated for various operating conditions on using modified IEEE 8500-node distribution test feeders. Further, the application is successfully deployed on the GridAPPS-D platform.

Jha, Rahul↗
DOE OSTI2023

Recursive Use of the Short-Time Fast Fourier Transform for Signature Analysis in Continuous Processes

Although a nuclear reactor is a hostile environment for sensing and electrical communications, the reactor core is amenable to acoustic communication. An acoustic measurement infrastructure (AMI) has been installed in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to record acoustic signals that can capture its different operating regimes. AMI uses coolant pumps as continuous signal sources, coolant and structural components as transmission lines, and accelerometers to capture system motion. A recursive signal processing technique based on the short-time fast Fourier transform (STFFT) for continuous processes provides unique signatures for diagnostic and prognostic analyses from the system motion data. Here this article presents a recursive STFFT methodology that processes acoustic signals from continuous industrial processes. The article first discusses the initial STFFT use with simulated data to elucidate the basic principles necessary to understand and interpret the STFFT results from actual pump vibration data. Each repetitive use of the STFFT on pump vibration data using the results from the prior STFFT processing will generate additional complimentary time-frequency-based signatures. These signatures are generated by the coolant pumps operating under different process conditions. After each use of the STFFT, the resulting signatures provide exemplary examples of the diversity and intuitive nature of recursively using the STFFT. This article focuses on recursively using the STFFT to provide numerous complimentary and diverse signatures that will ultimately be inputs for machine learning algorithms that provide predictive data analytics. The intuitive nature of the information and signatures from recursive STFFT processing will also bring intuitive interpretation capabilities to machine learning and predictive data analytic techniques.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Distributed Small-Signal Stability Conditions for Inverter-Based Unbalanced Microgrids

The proliferation of inverter-based generation and advanced sensing, controls, and communication infrastructure have facilitated accelerated deployment of microgrids. A coordinated network of microgrids can maintain reliable power delivery to critical facilities during extreme events. Low-inertia offered by the power-electronics–interfaced energy resources, however, can present significant challenges to ensuring stable operation of the microgrids. In this work, distributed small-signal stability conditions for inverter-based microgrids are developed that involve the droop-controller parameters and the network parameters (e.g. line impedances, loads). The distributed closed-form parametric stability conditions derived in this paper can be verified in a computationally efficient manner, facilitating reliable design and operations of networks of microgrids. Dynamic phasor models have been used to capture the effects of electromagnetic transients. Furthermore, numerical results are presented, along with PSCAD simulations, to validate the analytical stability conditions. Effects of design choices, such as the conductor types, and inverter sizes, on the small-signal stability of inverter-based microgrids are investigated to derive useful engineering insights.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Stochastic Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Algorithm for Dynamic Load Prioritization in Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Increasing deployment of advanced sensing, controls, and communication infrastructure enables buildings to provide services to the power grid, leading to the concept of grid-interactive efficient buildings. Since occupant activities and preferences primarily drive the availability and operational flexibility of building devices, there is a critical need to develop occupant-centric approaches that prioritize devices for providing grid services, while maintaining the desired end-use quality of service. In this paper, we present a decision-making framework that facilitates a building owner/operator to effectively prioritize loads for curtailment service under uncertainties, while minimizing any adverse impact on the occupants. The proposed framework uses a stochastic (Markov) model to represent the probabilistic behavior of device usage from power consumption data, and a load prioritization algorithm that dynamically ranks building loads using a stochastic multi-criteria decision-making algorithm. The proposed load prioritization framework is illustrated via numerical simulations in a residential building use-case, including plug-loads, air-conditioners, and plug-in electric vehicle chargers, in the context of load curtailment as a grid service. Suitable metrics are proposed to evaluate the closed-loop performance of the proposed prioritization algorithm under various scenarios and design choices. Scalability of the proposed algorithm is established via computational analysis, while time-series plots are used for intuitive explanation of the ranking choices.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Room-temperature single-photon emitters in silicon nitride

Single-photon emitters are essential in enabling several emerging applications in quantum information technology, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. Scalable photonic platforms capable of hosting intrinsic or embedded sources of single-photon emission are of particular interest for the realization of integrated quantum photonic circuits. Here, we report on the observation of room-temperature single-photon emitters in silicon nitride (SiN) films grown on silicon dioxide substrates. Photophysical analysis reveals bright (>10 5 counts/s), stable, linearly polarized, and pure quantum emitters in SiN films with a second-order autocorrelation function value at zero time delay g (2) (0) below 0.2 at room temperature. We suggest that the emission originates from a specific defect center in SiN because of the narrow wavelength distribution of the observed luminescence peak. Single-photon emitters in SiN have the potential to enable direct, scalable, and low-loss integration of quantum light sources with a well-established photonic on-chip platform.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Single-mode squeezed-light generation and tomography with an integrated optical parametric oscillator

Quantum optical technologies promise advances in sensing, computing, and communication. A key resource is squeezed light, where quantum noise is redistributed between optical quadratures. We introduce a monolithic, chip-scale platform that exploits the χ (2) nonlinearity of a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) resonator device to efficiently generate squeezed states of light. Our system integrates all essential components—except for the laser and two detectors—on a single chip with an area of one square centimeter, reducing the size, operational complexity, and power consumption associated with conventional setups. Using the balanced homodyne measurement subsystem that we implemented on the same chip, we measure a squeezing of 0.55 decibels and an anti-squeezing of 1.55 decibels. We use 20 milliwatts of input power to generate the parametric oscillator pump field by using second harmonic generation on the same chip. Our work represents a step toward compact and efficient quantum optical systems posed to leverage the rapid advances in integrated nonlinear and quantum photonics.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Landau-phonon polaritons in Dirac heterostructures

Polaritons are light-matter quasiparticles that govern the optical response of quantum materials at the nanoscale, enabling on-chip communication and local sensing. Here, we report Landau-phonon polaritons (LPPs) in magnetized charge-neutral graphene encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). These quasiparticles emerge from the interaction of Dirac magnetoexciton modes in graphene with the hyperbolic phonon polariton modes in hBN. Using infrared magneto-nanoscopy, we reveal the ability to completely halt the LPP propagation in real space at quantized magnetic fields, defying the conventional optical selection rules. The LPP-based nanoscopy also tells apart two fundamental many-body phenomena: the Fermi velocity renormalization and field-dependent magnetoexciton binding energies. Our results highlight the potential of magnetically tuned Dirac heterostructures for precise nanoscale control and sensing of light-matter interaction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

MODAQ-BB (Modular Offshore Data Acquisition System - Blackbox) [SWR-24-72]

MODAQ-BB is a compact, rapid deployment data acquisition system that can withstand water depths up to 400m. Codenamed "BlackBox" (or simply BB), since its initial purpose was to track marine assets and record vital data streams that could later be recovered in the event of a mishap - much like a traditional black box used in aviation and shipping, the name has stuck. MODAQ BlackBox is a battery-operable microcontroller platform with internal inertial sensing, GPS, satellite communications, and additional I/O (input/output) support in a depth-rated pressure enclosure. Since BB is self-contained and relatively compact, it can be quickly deployed with minimal effort. The enclosure can be clamped to a tube (such as part of a railing) or mast in a location with unobstructed view of the sky using the available clamp accessory or a common hose clamp. While BB is designed to operate unattended, users can configure what data are uploaded and the frequency of satellite transmissions. Once data are uploaded, they can be relayed to an email distribution list, the MODAQ:Web operational dashboard, or a custom destination. BB has found utility in the National Laboratory of the Rockies' (NLR's) Waterpower projects beyond its original vision and has been configured and successfully deployed in more traditional data-gathering applications where a simple, battery-operated solution was indicated. As part of the MODAQ family, BB fills a space in the spectrum of missions that can be supported that were previously impractical using the traditional MODAQ hardware architecture due to factors such as weight, size, and cost.

Raye, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrated photonic molecule Brillouin laser with a high-power sub-100-mHz fundamental linewidth

Photonic integrated lasers with an ultra-low fundamental linewidth and a high output power are important for precision atomic and quantum applications, high-capacity communications, and fiber sensing, yet wafer-scale solutions have remained elusive. Here we report an integrated stimulated Brillouin laser (SBL), based on a photonic molecule coupled resonator design, that achieves a sub-100-mHz fundamental linewidth with greater than 10-mW output power in the C band, fabricated on a 200-mm silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) CMOS-foundry compatible wafer-scale platform. The photonic molecule design is used to suppress the second-order Stokes (S2) emission, allowing the primary lasing mode to increase with the pump power without phase noise feedback from higher Stokes orders. The nested waveguide resonators have a 184 million intrinsic and 92 million loaded Q, over an order of magnitude improvement over prior photonic molecules, enabling precision resonance splitting of 198 MHz at the S2 frequency. We demonstrate S2-suppressed single-mode SBL with a minimum fundamental linewidth of 71±18 mHz, corresponding to a 23±6-mHz 2 /Hz white-frequency-noise floor, over an order of magnitude lower than prior integrated SBLs, with an ∼11-mW output power and 2.3-mW threshold power. The frequency noise reaches the resonator-intrinsic thermo-refractive noise from 2-kHz to 1-MHz offset. The laser phase noise reaches −155 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset. The performance of this chip-scale SBL shows promise not only to improve the reliability and reduce size and cost but also to enable new precision experiments that require the high-speed manipulation, control, and interrogation of atoms and qubits. Realization in the silicon nitride ultra-low loss platform is adaptable to a wide range of wavelengths from the visible to infrared and enables integration with other components for systems-on-chip solutions for a wide range of precision scientific and engineering applications including quantum sensing, gravitometers, atom interferometers, precision metrology, optical atomic clocks, and ultra-low noise microwave generation.

Liu, Kaikai (ORCID:0000000213609646)↗