Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Low Resolution”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Understanding Subsurface Fracture Evolution Dynamics Using Time‐Lapse Full Waveform Inversion of Continuous Active‐Source Seismic Monitoring Data

Abstract Predicting the behavior, geometry, and flow properties of subsurface fractures remains a challenging problem. Seismic models that can characterize fractures usually suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we develop a correlative double‐difference time‐lapse full waveform inversion of continuous active source seismic monitoring data for determining high‐spatiotemporal‐resolution time‐lapse V p models of in‐situ fracture evolution at a shallow contamination site in Wyoming, USA. Assisted by rock physics modeling, we find that (a) rapidly increasing pore pressure initializes and grows the fracture, increasing the porosity slightly (from ∼13.7% to ∼14.6%) in the tight clay formation, thus decreasing V p (∼50 m/s); (b) the fluid injection continues decreasing V p , likely through the introduction of gas bubbles in the injectate; and (c) final V p reductions reach over ∼150 m/s due to a posited ∼4.5% gas saturation. Our results demonstrate that high‐resolution V p changes are indicative of mechanical and fluid changes within the fracture zone during hydrofracturing.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Machine Learning Classification Strategy to Improve Streamflow Estimates in Diverse River Basins in the Colorado River Basin

Streamflow in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) is significantly altered by human activities including land use/cover alterations, reservoir operation, irrigation, and water exports. Climate is also highly varied across the CRB which contains snowpack-dominated watersheds and arid, precipitation-dominated basins. Recently, machine learning methods have improved the generalizability and accuracy of streamflow models. Previous successes with LSTM modeling have primarily focused on unimpacted basins, and few studies have included human impacted systems in either regional or single-basin modeling. We demonstrate that the diverse hydrological behavior of river basins in the CRB are too difficult to model with a single, regional model. We propose a method to delineate catchments into categories based on the level of predictability, hydrological characteristics, and the level of human influence. Lastly, we model streamflow in each category with climate and anthropogenic proxy data sets and use feature importance methods to assess whether model performance improves with additional relevant data. Overall, land use cover data at a low temporal resolution was not sufficient to capture the irregular patterns of reservoir releases, demonstrating the importance of having high-resolution reservoir release data sets at a global scale. On the other hand, the classification approach reduced the complexity of the data and has the potential to improve streamflow forecasts in human-altered regions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mesoscale Cellular Convection Detection and Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks: Insights From Long-Term Observations at ARM Eastern North Atlantic Site

Marine boundary layer clouds are crucial in Earth's climate system. They frequently manifest as closed or open cell mesoscale cellular convection (MCC). MCC clouds are challenging to represent accurately in current climate models, highlighting the need for detailed observational data sets and in-depth analyses. This study utilizes over 8 years of observations from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site at Graciosa Island, Azores, to investigate these clouds. We first apply a convolutional neural network with a U-Net architecture to classify open and closed cells, marking the first application of such an approach for automatically detecting MCC patterns from ground-based radar measurements. This method addresses some observational gaps in satellite data related to low temporal resolution, nighttime challenges, and limited vertical structure capture. The analysis of the MCC cases shows clear differences between closed and open MCCs: Closed MCC clouds are characterized by lower cloud tops and bases, shallower cloud geometrical depth, weaker horizontal wind speeds, stronger atmospheric stability, and a more homogeneous liquid water path than open MCCs. Finally, we demonstrate two potential applications of our radar-based MCC classifications: (a) facilitating the investigation of aerosol-cloud interactions and (b) exploring meteorological factors along with MCC's evolution by integrating satellite imagery and back-trajectory analysis. The identified MCC cases offer a valuable resource for the scientific community to study MCC processes further and improve climate model accuracy.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hayward Fault Creep From Coda Wave Interferometry

Understanding creep is essential for assessing seismic hazards along the creeping Hayward Fault, which threatens the San Francisco area. Current 1-D monitoring methods, like creepmeters and theodolites, provide limited measurements with low spatial resolution. InSAR offers higher 2-D spatial sampling but lower temporal resolution. We introduce a novel method using coda wave interferometry (CWI) to monitor creep in 2-D with high resolution. By calculating changes in ambient seismic noise travel times, we relate these measurements to creep offsets, bridging the gap between existing methods. Applied to seismic data from 2021 around the Hayward Fault, our CWI-derived offsets aligned with creepmeter measurements, revealing continuous and episodic creep. A 2-D regionalization identified a spatial boundary between these regimes, corroborating previous findings. This approach could enhance seismic monitoring and improve understanding of fault mechanics and earthquake risks.

Luckie, Thomas William [Sandia National Laboratori↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of an operando characterization stage for multi-modal synchrotron x-ray experiments

It is widely accepted that micro- and nanoscale inhomogeneities govern the performance of many thin-film solar cell absorbers. These inhomogeneities yield material properties (e.g., composition, structure, and charge collection) that are challenging to correlate across length scales and measurement modalities. The challenge is compounded if a correlation is sought during device operation or in conditions that mimic aging under particular stressors (e.g., heat and electrical bias). Correlative approaches, particularly those based on synchrotron x-ray sources, are powerful since they can access several material properties in different modes (e.g., fluorescence, diffraction, and absorption) with minimal sample preparation. Small-scale laboratory x-ray instruments have begun to offer multi-modality but are typically limited by low x-ray photon flux, low spatial resolution, or specific sample sizes. To overcome these limitations, a characterization stage was developed to enable multi-scale, multi-modal operando measurements of industrially relevant photovoltaic devices. The stage offers compatibility across synchrotron x-ray facilities, enabling correlation between nanoscale x-ray fluorescence microscopy, microscale x-ray diffraction microscopy, and x-ray beam induced current microscopy, among others. Furthermore, the stage can accommodate device sizes up to 25 × 25 mm 2 , offering access to multiple regions of interest and increasing the statistical significance of correlated properties. The stage materials can sustain humid and non-oxidizing atmospheres, and temperature ranges encountered by photovoltaic devices in operational environments (e.g., from 25 to 100 °C). As a case study, we discuss the functionality of the stage by studying Se-alloyed CdTe photovoltaic devices aged in the stage between 25 and 100 °C.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Probing multiscale dissolution dynamics in natural rocks through microfluidics and compositional analysis

Mineral dissolution significantly impacts many geological systems. Carbon released by diagenesis, carbon sequestration, and acid injection are examples where geochemical reactions, fluid flow, and solute transport are strongly coupled. The complexity in these systems involves interplay between various mechanisms that operate at timescales ranging from microseconds to years. Current experimental techniques characterize dissolution processes using static images that are acquired with long measurement times and/or low spatial resolution. These limitations prevent direct observation of how dissolution reactions progress within an intact rock with spatially heterogeneous mineralogy and morphology. We utilize microfluidic cells embedded with thin rock samples to visualize dissolution with significant temporal resolution (100 ms) in a large observation window (3 × 3 mm). Here we injected acidic fluid into eight shale samples ranging from 8 to 86 wt % carbonate. The pre- and postreaction microstructures are characterized at the scale of pores (0.1 to 1 µm) and fractures (1 to 1,000 µm). We observe that nonreactive particle exposure, fracture morphology, and loss of rock strength are strongly dependent on both the relative volume of reactive grains and their distribution. Time-resolved images of the rock unveil the spatiotemporal dynamics of dissolution, including two-phase flow effects in real time and illustrate the changes in the fracture interface across the range of compositions. Moreover, the dynamical data provide an approach for characterizing reactivity parameters of natural heterogeneous samples when porous media effects are not negligible. The platform and workflow provide real-time characterization of geochemical reactions and inform various subsurface engineering processes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multi-tracer intensity mapping: cross-correlations, line noise & decorrelation

Line intensity mapping (LIM) is a rapidly emerging technique for constraining cosmology and galaxy formation using multi-frequency, low angular resolution maps. Many LIM applications crucially rely on cross-correlations of two line intensity maps, or of intensity maps with galaxy surveys or galaxy/CMB lensing. We present a consistent halo model to predict all these cross-correlations and enable joint analyses, in 3D redshift-space and for 2D projected maps. We extend the conditional luminosity function formalism to the multi-line case, to consistently account for correlated scatter between multiple galaxy line luminosities. This allows us to model the scale-dependent decorrelation between two line intensity maps, a key input for foreground rejection and for approaches that estimate auto-spectra from cross-spectra. This also enables LIM cross-correlations to reveal astrophysical properties of the interstellar medium inacessible with LIM auto-spectra. We expose the different sources of luminosity scatter or "line noise" in LIM, and clarify their effects on the 1-halo and galaxy shot noise terms. In particular, we show that the effective number density of halos can in some cases exceed that of galaxies, counterintuitively. Using observational and simulation input, we implement this halo model for the Hα, [Oiii], Lyman-α, CO and [Cii] lines. Here, we encourage observers and simulators to measure galaxy luminosity correlation coefficients for pairs of lines whenever possible. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/EmmanuelSchaan/HaloGen/tree/LIM. In a companion paper, we use this halo model formalism and code to highlight the degeneracies between cosmology and astrophysics in LIM, and to compare the LIM observables to galaxy detection for a number of surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electronic structures and pseudogap nature of the strongly correlated Kondo semimetals and insulators CeNiSn and CeRhX(X=As, Sb)

Employing temperature (T)-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) near the Ce 4d absorption edge, we have investigated the electronic structures of the strongly correlated Kondo insulators (KIs) and/or Kondo semimetals of CeNiSn and CeRhX (X=As, Sb), which also belong to potential topological KIs (TKIs). Good agreement is found between the Fermi surfaces (FSs) measured at the Ce 4d→4f on resonance and those calculated and unfolded into the Ce-only Brillouin zone, supporting the crucial Ce 4f contribution to the Fermi-edge states in them. While the FSs of CeRhSb and CeNiSn are similar to each other, they are quite different from those of CeRhAs, which is understood to originate from the semimetallic Kondo ground states of CeNiSn and CeRhSb in contrast to the insulating Kondo ground state of CeRhAs. T-dependent ARPES demonstrates the existence of the Kondo resonance above the Fermi level (EF) and its T-driven decoherence in CeNiSn and CeRhSb, and the existence of the Ce 4f Kondo-like peak well below EF with a pseudogap in CeRhAs. With increasing T, the tail of the Kondo resonance in CeNiSn and CeRhSb loses its coherence, whereas the Ce 4f Kondo-like peak in CeRhAs persists up to T≥200 K. The Kondo temperatures (TKs) are estimated via the analysis of T-dependent ARPES, yielding TK≈80 K (CeNiSn), TK≈180 K (CeRhSb), and TK≫200 K (CeRhAs). High-resolution, low-T ARPES confirms the Kondo resonance just above EF in CeNiSn and CeRhSb Kondo semimetals and the KI ground state of CeRhAs with a pseudogap of Δ≈30 meV, demonstrating the importance of the coherent Kondo states in determining their potential topological properties. The differences in the T-dependent ARPES of CeNiSn and CeRhSb suggest the weaker f-c hybridization in CeNiSn than in CeRhSb (c: conduction electron), which is likely due to the more localized Ni 3d orbitals than the delocalized Rh 4d orbitals. The differences between the T-dependent ARPES of CeNiSn/CeRhSb Kondo semimetals and those of CeRhAs Kondo insulator are likely due to the smaller volume of CeRhAs than those of CeNiSn/CeRhSb.

Kang, J-S↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-fidelity simultaneous detection of a trapped-ion qubit register

Qubit state detection is an important part of a quantum computation. As number of qubits in a quantum register increases, it is necessary to maintain high fidelity detection to accurately measure the multi-qubit state. Here we present experimental demonstration of high-fidelity detection of a multi-qubit trapped ion register with average single qubit detection error of 4.2(1.5) ppm and a 4-qubit state detection error of 17(2) ppm, limited by the decay lifetime of the qubit, using a novel single-photon-sensitive camera with fast data collection, excellent temporal and spatial resolution, and low instrumental crosstalk.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mitigating foreground bias to the CMB lensing power spectrum for a CMB-HD survey

A promising way to measure the distribution of matter on small scales (k~10 h Mpc –1 ) is to use gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). CMB-HD, a proposed high-resolution, low-noise millimeter survey over half the sky, can measure the CMB lensing auto spectrum on such small scales enabling measurements that can distinguish between a cold dark matter (CDM) model and alternative models designed to solve problems with CDM on small scales. However, extragalactic foregrounds can bias the CMB lensing auto spectrum if left untreated. Here, we present a foreground mitigation strategy that provides a path to reduce the bias from two of the most dominant foregrounds, the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect and the cosmic infrared background. Given the level of realism included in our analysis, we find that the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich alone and the cosmic infrared background alone bias the lensing auto spectrum by 0.6σ and 1.1σ, respectively, in the lensing multipole range of Lϵ[5000,20000] for a CMB-HD survey; combined these foregrounds yield a bias of only 1.3σ. Including these foregrounds, we also find that a CMB-HD survey can distinguish between a CDM model and a 10 –22 eV fuzzy dark matter model at the 5σ level. These results provide an important step in demonstrating that foreground contamination can be sufficiently reduced to enable a robust measurement of the small-scale matter power spectrum with CMB-HD.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Disparate Exciton-Phonon Couplings for Zone-Center and Boundary Phonons in Solid-State Graphite

The exciton-phonon coupling in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite is studied using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy. With ~70 meV energy resolution, multiple low energy excitations associated with coupling to phonons can be clearly resolved in the RIXS spectra. Here, using resonance dependence and the closed form for RIXS cross section without considering the intermediate state mixing of phonon modes, the dimensionless coupling constant g is determined to be 5 and 0.35, corresponding to the coupling strength of 0.42 eV+/-20 meV and 0.20 eV+/-20 meV, for zone center and boundary phonons, respectively. The reduced g value for the zone-boundary phonon may be related to its double resonance nature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characteristics of the Diffuse Astrophysical Electron and Tau Neutrino Flux with Six Years of IceCube High Energy Cascade Data

In this work, we report on the first measurement of the astrophysical neutrino flux using particle showers (cascades) in IceCube data from 2010-2015. Assuming standard oscillations, the astrophysical neutrinos in this dedicated cascade sample are dominated (~90%) by electron and tau flavors. The flux, observed in the sensitive energy range from 16 TeV to 2.6 PeV, is consistent with a single power-law model as expected from Fermi-type acceleration of high energy particles at astrophysical sources. We find the flux spectral index to be γ=2.53±0.07 and a flux normalization for each neutrino flavor of $\phi$ astro =1.66$_{-0.27}^{+0.25}$ at E 0 =100 TeV, in agreement with IceCube's complementary muon neutrino results and with all-neutrino flavor fit results. In the measured energy range we reject spectral indices γ≤2.28 at ≥3σ significance level. Because of high neutrino energy resolution and low atmospheric neutrino backgrounds, this analysis provides the most detailed characterization of the neutrino flux at energies below ~100 TeV compared to previous IceCube results. Results from fits assuming more complex neutrino flux models suggest a flux softening at high energies and a flux hardening at low energies (p value ≥0.06). The sizable and smooth flux measured below ~100 TeV remains a puzzle. In order to not violate the isotropic diffuse gamma-ray background as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, it suggests the existence of astrophysical neutrino sources characterized by dense environments which are opaque to gamma rays.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Protein identification from electron cryomicroscopy maps by automated model building and side-chain matching

Using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM), it is possible to obtain multiple reconstructions showing the 3D structures of proteins imaged as a mixture. Here, it is shown that automatic map interpretation based on such reconstructions can be used to create atomic models of proteins as well as to match the proteins to the correct sequences and thereby to identify them. This procedure was tested using two proteins previously identified from a mixture at resolutions of 3.2 Å, as well as using 91 deposited maps with resolutions between 2 and 4.5 Å. The approach is found to be highly effective for maps obtained at resolutions of 3.5 Å and better, and to have some utility at resolutions as low as 4 Å.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving the performance of cryogenic calorimeters with nonlinear multivariate noise cancellation algorithms

Abstract State-of-the-art physics experiments require high-resolution, low-noise, and low-threshold detectors to achieve competitive scientific results. However, experimental environments invariably introduce sources of noise, such as electrical interference or microphonics. The sources of this environmental noise can often be monitored by adding specially designed “auxiliary devices” (e.g. microphones, accelerometers, seismometers, magnetometers, and antennae). A model can then be constructed to predict the detector noise based on the auxiliary device information, which can then be subtracted from the true detector signal. Here, we present a multivariate noise cancellation algorithm which can be used in a variety of settings to improve the performance of detectors using multiple auxiliary devices. To validate this approach, we apply it to simulated data to remove noise due to electromagnetic interference and microphonic vibrations. We then employ the algorithm to a cryogenic light detector in the laboratory and show an improvement in the detector performance. Finally, we motivate the use of nonlinear terms to better model vibrational contributions to the noise in thermal detectors. We show a further improvement in the performance of a particular channel of the CUORE detector when using the nonlinear algorithm in combination with optimal filtering techniques.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios of amphiboles determined by high spatial resolution single-crystal synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy

The Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios (Fe 3+ /[Fe 2+ +Fe 3+ ]) in minerals can be used to understand their crystallization and post-crystallization conditions. However, as natural minerals are often zoned and contain inclusions, bulk techniques, e.g., wet chemistry, may not provide accurate Fe 3+ /Fe T values for a single phase of interest. We determined Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios of amphiboles in different crystallographic orientations by single-crystal synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy (SMS) in energy and time domain modes from four volcanic localities (Long Valley Caldera, Mount St. Helens, Lassen Volcanic Center, U.S.A., and Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines). The high spatial resolution (as low as 12 × 12 μm spot size) and standard-free nature of SMS allow the detection of intra-grain compositional heterogeneities in Fe 3+ /Fe T with relatively low uncertainties. Here, we combine SMS with major element compositions, water contents, and hydrogen isotope compositions to document the Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios as a function of mineral composition and post-crystallization dehydrogenation. Spectra were fitted with up to five distinct sites: ferrous iron on M(1), M(2), M(3), and ferric iron on M(2) and M(3), consistent with X-ray diffraction studies on single crystals of amphibole. The Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios range from 0.14 ± 0.03 (Long Valley Caldera), 0.51 to 0.63 ± 0.02 (representing intra-grain heterogeneities, Mount St. Helens) to 0.86 ± 0.03 (Lassen Volcanic Center). The latter grain experienced post-crystallization dehydrogenation, shown by its low water content (0.6 ± 0.05 wt%) and its elevated hydrogen isotope composition (δD = +25 ± 3‰ relative to SMOW). The Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios of 0.62 ± 0.01 and 0.20 ± 0.01 of two Mt. Pinatubo grains correlate with high-Al 2 O 3 cores and low-Al 2 O 3 rims and smaller phenocrysts in the sample, respectively. This study shows that SMS is capable of distinguishing two different domains with dissimilar Fe 3+ /Fe T values formed under different crystallization conditions, demonstrating that SMS in combination with major element, water, and hydrogen isotope compositions allows the interpretation of amphibole Fe 3+ /Fe T ratios in the context of crystallization and post-crystallization processes.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multipartite edge modes and tensor networks

Holographic tensor networks model AdS/CFT, but so far they have been limited by involving only systems that are very different from gravity. Unfortunately, we cannot straightforwardly discretize gravity to incorporate it, because that would break diffeomorphism invariance. In this note, we explore a resolution. In low dimensions gravity can be written as a topological gauge theory, which can be discretized without breaking gauge-invariance. However, new problems arise. Foremost, we now need a qualitatively new kind of “area operator,” which has no relation to the number of links along the cut and is instead topological. Secondly, the inclusion of matter becomes trickier. We successfully construct a tensor network both including matter and with this new type of area. Notably, while this area is still related to the entanglement in “edge mode” degrees of freedom, the edge modes are no longer bipartite entangled pairs. Instead they are highly multipartite. Along the way, we calculate the entropy of novel subalgebras in a particular topological gauge theory. We also show that the multipartite nature of the edge modes gives rise to non-commuting area operators, a property that other tensor networks do not exhibit.

Akers, Chris (ORCID:0000000227929827)↗
DOE OSTI2021

X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging for Dynamic Material Mix Experiments, LAO-003-17, Year 3 of 3

X-ray phase contrast imaging with transmission gratings for density profile measurements has been developed and tested for dynamic experimental applications. Talbot-Lau x-ray deflectometry is a new method of measuring x-ray refraction in addition to attenuation and ultrasmall-angle scattering that has recently been developed for static imaging, primarily for medical and industrial applications. To obtain density profiles from fast-evolving systems, we must use a flash x-ray source with a spot size much larger than the continuous microfocus sources of static imaging systems, and we can obtain only a single exposure. The challenges to measuring electron density profiles of two mixed elements from a single-image, low spatial resolution system are addressed, and initial results from the first dynamic experiments with one such system, conducted on a gas launcher at the end of FY 2018 and beginning of FY 2019, are presented. In FY 2019, we designed and built a new deflectometer designed for detonator experiments to test new techniques to improve the sensitivity and reliability of the diagnostic.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quarknet Project: Simulating Double-Source Plane Lenses and Einstein Rings for Domain Adaptation

Double-Source Plane Lenses (DSPLs) are a form of strong gravitational lensing that can be used to uniquely constrain cosmological parameters like the dark energy equation of state. These objects are exceedingly rare: to date, only four have been discovered in astronomical surveys, like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the HyperSuprimeCam Survey. Additionally, the main features of these objects are typically co-located sets of arcs, which look like Einstein Rings of single-source galaxy-galaxy lenses. Larger astronomical surveys typically have low image resolution, which significantly exacerbates issues when trying to find DSPLs. Future surveys are likely to include many more of these objects and have higher image resolution. Traditional methods for finding strong lenses struggle to identify simple galaxy-galaxy lenses. Recently, neural networks have become the standard for lens identification, but these tools have not yet been used to search for DSPLs. In this work, we use the software deeplenstronomy to simulate varied images of DSPLs and Einstein Rings – with and without noise and artifacts of observational surveys, forming a comprehensive benchmark dataset of 40,000 images. We utilise this dataset to perform experiments with convolutional neural networks to discern between the two phenomena. Sofia Grimm and Jerry Zhou are co-first authors on this work.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗