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At least 1,189 records · Page 66

The first detection of ionized helium in the local ISM - EUVE and IUE spectroscopy of the hot DA white dwarf GD 246

We report observations of the extreme ultraviolet spectrum of the hot degenerate star GD 246 obtained with the EUVE. Our initial attempt at modeling the photospheric emission from the white dwarf reveals a relatively uncontaminated pure H spectrum in the range above 200 A, allowing a study of interstellar continuum absorption features in the line of sight of GD 246. Modeling of the He I autoionization transition discussed by Rumph et al. (1993), and the EUV continuum using the white dwarf as a source of background radiation provides measurements of both neutral and, for the first time, singly ionized He column densities in the local ISM (LISM). We estimate the He ionization fraction He II/(He I + He II) at roughly 25 percent with a total He column of 1.40-1.65 x 10 exp 18/sq cm. We have measured and compared H I column densities from the saturated Ly-alpha ISM absorption in IUE high-dispersion spectroscopy and from EUV continuum absorption: the two measurements are in good agreement with a total H column of 1.2-1.6 x 10 exp 19/sq cm. We discuss some implications for the nature of the LISM, particularly in the context of current models of the EUV radiation field.

Vennes, Stephane↗

Towards the first plasma-electron screening experiment

The enhancement of fusion reaction rates in a thermonuclear plasma by electron screening of the Coulomb barrier is an important plasma-nuclear effect that is present in stellar models but has not been experimentally observed. Experiments using inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions may provide a unique opportunity to observe this important plasma-nuclear effect. Herein, we show that experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have reached the relevant physical regime, with respect to the density and temperature conditions, but the estimated impacts of plasma screening on nuclear reaction rates are currently too small and need to be increased to lower the expected measurement uncertainty. Detailed radiation hydrodynamics simulations show that practical target changes, like adding readily available high-Z gases, and significantly slowing the inflight implosion velocity, while maintaining inflight kinetic energy, might be able to push these conditions to those where plasma screening effects may be measurable. We also perform synthetic data exercises to help understand where the anticipated experimental uncertainties will become important. But challenges remain, such as the detectability of the reaction products, non-thermal plasma effects, species separation, and impacts of spatial and temporal gradients. This work lays the foundation for future efforts to develop an important platform capable of the first plasma electron screening observation.

inertial confinement fusion↗

Data-driven search for promising intercalating ions and layered materials for metal-ion batteries

The rise in demand for lithium-ion batteries has led to a large-scale search for electrode materials and intercalating ion species to meet the demands of next-generation energy technologies. Recent efforts largely focus on searching for cathodes that can accommodate large amounts of intercalating ions, but similar work on anodes is relatively limited. This study utilizes machine learning methods to find alternative two-dimensional (2D) materials and intercalating ions beyond Li for metal-ion batteries with high-power efficiencies. The approach first uses density functional theory (DFT) calculations to estimate the theoretical capacities and voltages of various metal ions on 2D materials. The DFT-generated data also provide insights into the local structural accommodation upon ion intercalation on various 2D materials. Significant changes to the lattice can result in irreversible changes to the bonding environments in the anode material, resulting in poor cycling stability. Next, this study develops a binding energy and structural accommodation-based classification model to screen anode materials for next-generation batteries. The classification model selects intercalating ions and 2D material pairs suitable for batteries based on the calculated voltage and volumetric changes in the 2D material upon intercalation. Finally, this study builds a regression model to accurately predict the binding energies of the various intercalating ions on 2D materials. The approach highlights the importance of different elemental and structural features for classification and regression tasks. In conclusion, the insights gained from this study on the role of involved features, such as electronegativities of the constituent ions and the presence of unfilled electronic levels, will help to streamline further studies towards the search for future layered battery materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Designing planetary protection into the Mars observer mission

Planetary protection has been an important consideration during the process of designing the Mars Observer mission. It affected trajectory design of both the interplanetary transfer and the orbits at Mars; these in turn affected the observation strategies developed for the mission. The Project relied mainly on the strategy of collision avoidance to prevent contamination of Mars. Conservative estimates of spacecraft reliability and Martian atmosphere density were used to evaluate decisions concerning the interplanetary trajectory, the orbit insertion phase at Mars, and operations in orbit at Mars and afterwards. Changes in the trajectory design, especially in the orbit insertion phase, required a refinement of those estimates.

Sweetser, T. H.↗

Atomic oxygen density determination in the effluent of the COST reference source using in situ effective lifetime measurements in the presence of a liquid interface

Abstract Spatially resolved, absolute densities of atomic oxygen are measured for several helium-based admixtures in the effluent of the COST Reference Microplasma Jet using two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF). Admixtures investigated include a helium-only admixture, four helium/oxygen admixtures (0.1 % , 0.5 % , 0.6 % , and 1.0 % oxygen), and a helium/water admixture (2500 ppm water), chosen to coincide with previously published characterizations of plasma-treated liquid. The atomic oxygen TALIF signal is calibrated for density using the noble gas xenon, which possesses a very similar two-photon excitation and fluorescence scheme. Measurements are conducted for the jet operating in ambient air with both an open effluent and a liquid surface present, allowing for comparison with liquid phase measurements conducted under similar conditions. The presence of a water surface does not appear to alter the background chemistry in the effluent but reduces O densities close to the liquid interface when compared to a similar distance from the nozzle in an open effluent case. This may be the result of a reduction in flow velocity caused by the liquid obstructing the gas flow. Additionally, measurements near the liquid surface revealed a region of atomic oxygen well outside of where the core of the effluent impinges on the liquid. This is likely relevant for applications as it considerably expands the surface area subject to O absorption. Critically, in situ measurements of the effective lifetimes of the laser-excited 3p 3 P J state of atomic oxygen were recorded in the effluent by employing a picosecond (ps) laser and a nanosecond (ns) ICCD. By experimentally determining the contribution from collisional quenching via the in situ effective lifetime measurements, significant improvements in the accuracy of the atomic oxygen density calibration were made, with differences of approximately 30 % from existing methods of estimating quenching rates at atmospheric pressure. Finally, spatially resolved atomic oxygen densities allow for an investigation of O formation and extinction pathways in the effluent and a comparison between admixtures.

laser diagnostics↗

Requirements for improved modeling of the orbital atmosphere

Satellite accelerometer data are available for seven time periods during the period 1974 to the present. All seasons and latitudes up to 83 deg are covered. Deviations between the accelerometer data and current models are greatest for high geographic latitudes and high geomagnetic index, although about a 15 percent standard deviation persists between the models and the accelerometer data even at low latitudes and geomagnetically quiet times. Accelerometer data give density times the ballistic coefficient and it is therefore necessary to estimate the time-line of the ballistic coefficient in order to obtain density.

Marcos, Frank A.↗

All-purpose, all-sky photometric redshifts for the Legacy Imaging Surveys Data Release 8

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present photometric redshift (photo-z) estimates for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys, currently the most sensitive optical survey covering the majority of the extragalactic sky. Our photo-z methodology is based on a machine-learning approach, using sparse Gaussian processes augmented with Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) that allow regions of parameter space to be identified and trained separately in a purely data-driven way. The same GMMs are also used to calculate cost-sensitive learning weights that mitigate biases in the spectroscopic training sample. By design, this approach aims to produce reliable and unbiased predictions for all parts of the parameter space present in wide area surveys. Compared to previous literature estimates using the same underlying photometry, our photo-zs are significantly less biased and more accurate at z > 1, with negligible loss in precision or reliability for resolved galaxies at z < 1. Our photo-z estimates offer accurate predictions for rare high-value populations within the parent sample, including optically selected quasars at the highest redshifts (z > 6), as well as X-ray or radio continuum selected populations across a broad range of flux (densities) and redshift. Deriving photo-z estimates for the full Legacy Imaging Surveys Data Release 8, the catalogues provided in this work offer photo-z estimates predicted to be of high quality for ≳9 × 108 galaxies over ${\sim}19\, 400\, \text{deg}^{2}$ and spanning 0 < z ≲ 7, offering one of the most extensive samples of redshift estimates ever produced.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Shallow Rate-Redox Potential Scaling in Aqueous Molecular Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis Across a Family of Iron Macrocycles

Rate-overpotential scaling relationships have been employed widely to understand trends in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis by dissolved metal macrocycles in organic electrolytes. Similar scaling relationships remain unknown for surface-adsorbed ORR electrocatalysts in the acidic aqueous environments germane to proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Herein, we examine ORR catalysis in aqueous perchloric acid media for a structurally diverse array of iron macrocycle complexes adsorbed on Vulcan carbon black. The macrocycles encompass Fe– N 4 , Fe–N 2 N' 2 and Fe–N x C 4-x motifs bearing pyrrolic, pyridinic, and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) moieties in the primary ligation sphere, giving rise to a 670 mV range in Fe(III/II) redox potentials, E Fe(III/II) . Experimental Tafel data in the micropolarization regime were extrapolated to the E Fe(III/II) to furnish estimated per-site-normalized current density (j per-site ) values that span ~4.6 orders of magnitude across the family of compounds. Despite the structural diversity of this family of compounds, extrapolated j per-site values correlate with the Fe(III/II) redox potentials in a roughly log-linear fashion with a shallow scaling factor of approximately 145 mV/decade. Further, these findings highlight that negative shifts in E Fe(III/II) lead to diminishing returns in catalytic rate promotion and suggest that changes to the primary ligating environment in a macrocycle are insufficient to break fundamental rate-potential scaling relationships in aqueous ORR catalysis. Together these studies motivate the further development of higher-potential iron complexes that employ motifs beyond the equatorial ligation plane to enhance ORR catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Global Temperature Responses to Large Tropical Volcanic Eruptions in Paleo Data Assimilation Products and Climate Model Simulations Over the Last Millennium

Abstract Large volcanic eruptions are one of the dominant perturbations to global and regional atmospheric temperatures on timescales of years to decades. Discrepancies remain, however, in the estimated magnitude and persistence of the surface temperature cooling caused by volcanic eruptions, as characterized by paleoclimatic proxies and climate models. We investigate these discrepancies in the context of large tropical eruptions over the Last Millennium using two state‐of‐the‐art data assimilation products, the Paleo Hydrodynamics Data Assimilation product (PHYDA) and the Last Millennium Reanalysis (LMR), and simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model‐Last Millennium Ensemble (NCAR CESM‐LME). We find that PHYDA and LMR estimate mean global and hemispheric cooling that is similar in magnitude and persistence once effects from eruptions occurring in short succession are removed. The estimates also compare well to Northern‐Hemisphere reconstructions based solely or partially on tree‐ring density, which have been proposed as the most accurate proxy estimates of surface cooling due to volcanism. All proxy‐based estimates also agree well with the magnitude of the mean cooling simulated by the CESM‐LME. Differences remain, however, in the spatial patterns of the temperature responses in the PHYDA, LMR, and the CESM‐LME. The duration of cooling anomalies also persists for several years longer in the PHYDA and LMR relative to the CESM‐LME. Our results demonstrate progress in resolving discrepancies between proxy‐ and model‐based estimates of temperature responses to volcanism, but also indicate these estimates must be further reconciled to better characterize the risks of future volcanic eruptions.

Tejedor, E.↗

Forest Carbon Storage in the Western United States: Distribution, Drivers, and Trends

Abstract Forests are a large carbon sink and could serve as natural climate solutions that help moderate future warming. Thus, establishing forest carbon baselines is essential for tracking climate‐mitigation targets. Western US forests are natural climate solution hotspots but are profoundly threatened by drought and altered disturbance regimes. How these factors shape spatial patterns of carbon storage and carbon change over time is poorly resolved. Here, we estimate live and dead forest carbon density in 19 forested western US ecoregions with national inventory data (2005–2019) to determine: (a) current carbon distributions, (b) underpinning drivers, and (c) recent trends. Potential drivers of current carbon included harvest, wildfire, insect and disease, topography, and climate. Using random forests, we evaluated driver importance and relationships with current live and dead carbon within ecoregions. We assessed trends using linear models. Pacific Northwest (PNW) and Southwest (SW) ecoregions were most and least carbon dense, respectively. Climate was an important carbon driver in the SW and Lower Rockies. Fire reduced live and increased dead carbon, and was most important in the Upper Rockies and California. No ecoregion was unaffected by fire. Harvest and private ownership reduced carbon, particularly in the PNW. Since 2005, live carbon declined across much of the western US, likely from drought and fire. Carbon has increased in PNW ecoregions, likely recovering from past harvest, but recent record fire years may alter trajectories. Our results provide insight into western US forest carbon function and future vulnerabilities, which is vital for effective climate change mitigation strategies.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗

Estimating Soil Thermal Inertia Profiles From the Passive Equilibration of a Temperature Probe

Knowledge of the distribution of soil thermal properties is important for understanding subsurface hydrological and biogeochemical processes. This study describes and evaluates quick thermal profiling (QTP), a new measurement technique aimed at providing rapid, depth-resolved measurements of soil thermal inertia at numerous locations across the landscape. A cylindrical probe with temperature sensors at multiple depths is quickly inserted into the ground, and soil thermal inertia is estimated from how quickly the probe temperature equilibrates with the soil. To this end, a finite volume heat transfer model is used to generate temperature equilibration time series across combinations of controlling factors, and a gridded search inversion approach is applied to infer soil thermal inertia. Field tests in the Arctic indicate that QTP measurements have a minimum uncertainty of 0.14 J m −2 K −1 s −1/2 and covary with dual-probe heat pulse thermal analyzer measurements (concordance correlation coefficient = 0.56) with a root-mean-square error of 0.40 J m −2 K −1 s −1/2 . Besides demonstrating the value of QTP for estimating thermal inertia, this study identifies various sources of measurement uncertainty, particularly probe-soil contact resistance and frictional heating. Further, analysis of soil samples indicates that thermal inertia can be used to estimate thermal conductivity and dry bulk density in the studied area, although such inferences are highly site-specific. Overall, the QTP method holds promise to generate thermal inertia data products and to complement other characterization approaches for advancing understanding of soil properties across far more locations than is currently possible.

Lamb, J. R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory↗

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS)

In 2019, the eROSITA telescope on board the Russian-German satellite Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) began to perform a deep all-sky X-ray survey with the aim of identifying ~100 000 clusters and groups over the course of four years. As part of its performance verification phase, a ~140 deg 2 survey, called eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS), was performed. With a depth typical of the all-sky survey after four years, it allows tests of tools and methods as well as improved predictions for the all-sky survey. As part of this effort, a catalog of 542 X-ray selected galaxy group and cluster candidates was compiled. Here, in this paper, we present the optical follow-up, with the aim of providing redshifts and cluster confirmation for the full sample. Furthermore, we aim to provide additional information on the dynamical state, richness, and optical center of the clusters. Finally, we aim to evaluate the impact of optical cluster confirmation on the purity and completeness of the X-ray selected sample. We used optical imaging data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program and from the Legacy Survey to identify optical counterparts to the X-ray detected cluster candidates. We make use of the multi-component matched filter cluster confirmation tool (MCMF), as well as of the optical cluster finder CAMIRA to derive cluster redshifts and richnesses. MCMF provided the probabilities with which an optical structure would be a chance superposition with the X-ray candidate. These probabilities were used to identify the best optical counterpart as well as to confirm an X-ray candidate as a cluster. The impact of this confirmation process on catalog purity and completeness was estimated using optical to X-ray scaling relations as well as simulations. The resulting catalog was furthermore matched with public group and cluster catalogs. Optical estimators of the cluster dynamical state were constructed based on density maps of the red-sequence galaxies at the cluster redshift. By providing redshift estimates for all 542 candidates, we construct an optically confirmed sample of 477 clusters and groups with a residual contamination of 6%. Of these, 470 (98.5%) are confirmed using MCMF, and 7 systems are added through cross-matching with spectroscopic group catalogs. Using observable-to-observable scaling and the applied confirmation threshold, we predict that 8 ± 2 real systems have been excluded with the MCMF cut required to build this low-contamination sample. This number agrees well with the 7 systems found through cross-matching that were not confirmed with MCMF. The predicted redshift and mass distribution of this catalog agree well with simulations. Thus, we expect that these 477 systems include >99% of all true clusters in the candidate list. Using an MCMF-independent method, we confirm that the catalog contamination of the confirmed subsample is 6 ± 3%. Application of the same method to the full candidate list yields 17 ± 3%, consistent with estimates coming from the fraction of confirmed systems of ~17% and with expectations from simulations of ~20%. We also present a sample of merging cluster candidates based on the derived estimators of the cluster dynamical state.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Density reconstruction in convergent high-energy-density systems using x-ray radiography and Bayesian inference

X-ray radiography is a technique frequently used to diagnose convergent high-energy-density (HED) systems, such as inertial confinement fusion implosion, and provides unique information that is not available through self-emission measurements. In this work, we investigate the scope and limits of that information using a radiography simulation combined with the Bayesian inference workflow. The accuracy of density reconstruction from simulated radiographs of spherical implosions driven with 27 kJ laser energy is assessed, including the increase or decrease in accuracy due to the addition of Lagrangian marker layers, Poisson noise, and improved prior information. This work is the first to present the full uncertainty distributions inferred from radiography analysis in HED systems and demonstrates the importance of constructing the full posterior probability density, as opposed to a point estimate, due to the modal structure of the likelihood surface introduced by typical experimental noise sources. This general methodology can be used both for robust analysis of radiographic data and for an improved design of radiography experiments by modeling the full experimental system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Pore occupancy of gas hydrate

Methane hydrate deposits are one of the largest fractions of hydrocarbons in the Earth's crust. They are found mainly in ocean sediments, and the configuration of the deposits—at the largest (kilometer) and smallest (micrometer) scales—determines how and when gaseous methane is released. Here, in this work, using thermodynamic arguments, we show how the confined spaces of the sediment allow methane hydrate to coexist with both water and gas to create a three-phase region. We find that the hydrate pore occupancy changes depending on the depth of the three-phase region, due to changes in methane density of the gas phase. We estimate the thickness of three-phase regions (hydrate, gas, and water) within ocean sediments. We further show how this directly predicts how the presence of hydrate affects the flow properties of gaseous methane and water through porous media.

flows in porous media↗

Generation of shock trains in free liquid jets with a nanosecond green laser

Shock wave trains in liquid jets were previously generated only by ablation with femtosecond x-ray lasers. Here we show that shock trains in water microjets can be also generated using nanosecond green laser pulses with 1- to 10-mJ energy. Furthermore, the ablation of 15-, 20-, 30-, and 70-μm water microjets opened a gap in the jets and launched an initial shock wave. Fully developed shock trains were observed in the 30- and 70-μm jets up to 250-ns delays, and these trains were also transmitted inside the nozzles. A few tens of nanoseconds after the pulse, the shock dynamics and its pressure became similar to the ones generated by x-ray lasers, with a more rapid pressure decay in thinner jets. At time delays exceeding 100 ns in the 30-μm jets, the leading shock pressure stabilized to an approximately constant pressure of 40 MPa. The energy density deposited in the jets was estimated at 30 MJ/cm 3 by comparing the jet gaps in the green and x-ray laser experiments, and matched previous estimates for optical ablation in water. Here, the pressure decay in the 30-μm jets was modeled based on the pressure decay observed in x-ray laser experiments.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

An Assessment of Homogeneous Mixture Method Cavitation Models in Predicting Cavitation in Nozzle Flow

The homogeneous mixture method (HMM) is a popular class of models used in the computational prediction of cavitation. Several cavitation models have been developed for use with HMM to govern the development and destruction of vapor in a fluid system. Two models credited to Kunz and Schnerr–Sauer are studied in this paper. The goal of this work is to provide an assessment of the two cavitation submodels in their ability to predict cavitation in nozzle flow. Validation data were obtained via experiments which employ both passive cavitation detection, (PCD) via acoustic sensing and optical cavitation detection (OCD) via camera imaging. The experiments provide quantitative information on cavitation inception and qualitative information on the vapor in the nozzle. The results show that initial vapor formation is not predicted precisely but within reason. A sensitivity analysis of the models to input parameters shows that the Schnerr–Sauer method does not depend upon the estimation of nuclei size and number density. Small changes in the vapor formation rate but not the total vapor volume can be seen when weighting parameters are modified. In contrast, changes to the input parameters for the Kunz model greatly change the final total vapor volume prediction. The assessment also highlights the influence of vapor convection within the method. Finally, the analysis shows that if the fluid and nozzle walls do not support nuclei larger than 40 μm, the methods would still predict cavitation when indeed there would be none in practice.

Engineering↗

High Flux Isotope Reactor Low-Enriched Uranium Low Density Silicide Fuel Design Parameters

High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) conversion activities are ongoing as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s nuclear nonproliferation mission. Design activities studying the conversion of HFIR from HEU to LEU fuel explored different fuel design features and shapes with a low density uranium-silicide dispersion (U 3 Si 2 -Al) fuel, which has a uranium density of 4.8 gU/cm 3 . The goal of these studies is to generate several HFIR LEU fuel designs of varying fuel fabrication complexity that meet the current HEU performance metrics and safety requirements. The documented designs will serve as references for fuel fabrication and qualification activities. Recent advancements in modeling and simulation tools enable quick prototyping of fuel designs. Shift, a Monte Carlo neutron transport and depletion tool optimized for high-performance computing (HPC) architectures, is used for efficient fuel cycle and performance metrics calculations. The HFIR Steady State Heat Transfer Code (HSSHTC) is used to vet the thermal safety margin. Also, a new automation tool that connects all fuel design analysis steps, named Python HFIR Analysis and Measurement Engine (PHAME), has been developed to expedite the design study in an efficient and reproducible manner. Leveraging these tools, several candidate fuel designs were selected for varying fabrication complexity. This report provides design feature details for four selected HFIR LEU low density U 3 Si 2 -Al fuel designs and their corresponding performance and safety metrics. Nominal, best-estimate design parameters and irradiation conditions, including fission rate densities, power densities, heat fluxes, and cumulative fission densities are provided for candidate fuel designs relevant to framing irradiation experiments to support fuel qualification efforts. Simulations show that the low density U 3 Si 2 -Al, with design features to enhance safety, can meet HEU core performance metrics and safety requirements if the reactor power is increased from 85 MW (HEU) to 95 MW (LEU) and if the active fuel length is increased from 50.80 cm (HEU) to 55.88 cm (LEU).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Discovery of 15 A-F Main Sequence Pulsating Star Candidates

Delta Scuti stars, spanning spectral types A to F with masses between 1.5 and 2.5 solar masses, exhibit a complex mix of radial and non-radial pressure modes. This study focuses on 15 Delta Scuti, Gamma Doradus, and Hybrid candidate stars using TESS satellite photometry data with a time series of exposures ranging from 20 to 600 seconds across different sky regions. Employing the prewhitening technique via fast Fourier transforms, significant frequencies are extracted from light curves. Three approximation methods are used to estimate critical stellar parameters such as density, radius, and mass. This research also verifies the variability of these stars, which are currently not classified as variable in databases like SIMBAD.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗