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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Energy-resolved fast-neutron radiography using an event-mode neutron imaging detector

Energy-resolved fast-neutron radiography is a powerful non-destructive technique that can be used to remotely measure the quantity and distribution of elements and isotopes in a sample. This is done by comparing the energy-dependent neutron transmission of a sample with the known cross-sections of individual isotopes. The reconstruction of the composition is possible due to the unique features (e.g. resonances) in the cross-sections of individual isotopes. At short-pulsed (≲ 1 ns) neutron sources, such information is accessible via time-of-flight neutron imaging in principle, but requires a detector with nanosecond temporal resolution. Conventional neutron detectors can meet this requirement only by heavily compromising spatial resolution or efficiency. Here, we present a unique approach on fast neutron resonance radiography using a scintillator-based event-mode imaging detector at a short-pulsed neutron source, including first results on spatially mapped resonance profiles using MeV neutrons. The event mode approach applied in the presented detector allows recording of individual neutron interactions with nanosecond precision in time and sub-mm resolution in space. As a result, the entire available neutron energy spectrum can be measured for each pulse. At the same time, the use of a thick scintillator screen and lenses to focus the produced light results in a highly flexible field of view and a high interaction probability in the sensitive volume of the detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerating detector simulations with Celeritas: profiling and performance optimizations

Celeritas is a GPU-optimized MC particle transport code designed to meet the growing computational demands of next-generation HEP experiments. It provides efficient simulation of EM physics processes in complex geometries with magnetic fields, detector hit scoring, and seamless integration into Geant4-driven applications to offload EM physics to GPUs. Recent efforts have focused on performance optimizations and expanding profiling capabilities. This paper presents some key advancements, including the integration of the Perfetto system profiling tool for detailed performance analysis and the development of track-sorting methods to improve computational efficiency.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Application of Superconducting Cavities as Ultra-Sensitive RF Photon Detectors

Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities are the world’s most efficient engineered oscillators, and they have long been employed for extremely high efficiency transfer of energy to beams of charged particles. Decades of R&D for particle accelerators have led to modern treatments for SRF cavities that achieve higher performance than was previously possible. Advanced SRF cavities using particle accelerator technology are now being used to search for new physics, including dark matter and gravitational waves. The extremely high Q makes it possible to search for very small signals from photons in the radio frequency range, and the extremely high electric fields makes it possible to perform experiments that involve pumping one mode of a cavity in order to search for power transfer mediated by new physics. This talk will present novel experiments that employ SRF cavities, including searches for axions and dark photons dark matter, light-shining-through-walls, and high frequency gravitational waves. Results to be presented include searches with world record sensitivity.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

New methods and simulations for cosmogenic induced spallation removal in Super-Kamiokande-IV

Radioactivity induced by cosmic muon spallation is a dominant source of backgrounds for 𝒪⁡(10 MeV) neutrino interactions in water Cherenkov detectors. In particular, it is crucial to reduce backgrounds to measure the solar neutrino spectrum and find neutrino interactions from distant supernovae. In this paper we introduce new techniques to locate muon-induced hadronic showers and efficiently reject spallation backgrounds. Applying these techniques to the solar neutrino analysis with an exposure of 2790 × 22.5 kton · day increases the signal efficiency by 12.6%, approximately corresponding to an additional year of detector running. Furthermore, we present the first spallation simulation at Super-Kamiokande, where we model hadronic interactions using fluka. The agreement between the isotope yields and shower pattern in this simulation and in the data gives confidence in the accuracy of this simulation, and thus opens the door to use it to optimize muon spallation removal in new data with gadolinium-enhanced neutron capture detection.

muons↗
DOE OSTI2025

Introducing a Markov chain-based time calibration procedure for multi-channel particle detectors: application to the SuperFGD and ToF detectors of the T2K experiment

Inter-channel mis-synchronisation can be a limiting factor to the time resolution of high performance timing detectors with multiple readout channels and independent electronics units. In these systems, time calibration methods employed must be able to efficiently correct for minimal mis-synchronisation between channels and achieve the best detector performance. We present an iterative time calibration method based on Markov Chains, suitable for detector systems with multiple readout channels. Starting from correlated hit pairs alone, and without requiring an external reference time measurement, the method solves for fixed per-channel offsets, with precision limited only by the intrinsic single-channel resolution. A mathematical proof that the method is able to find the correct time offsets to be assigned to each detector channel in order to achieve inter-channel synchronisation is given, and it is shown that the number of iterations to reach convergence within the desired precision is controllable with a single parameter. Numerical studies are used to confirm unbiased recovery of true offsets. Finally, the application of the calibration method to the Super Fine-Grained Detector (SuperFGD) and the Time of Flight (TOF) detector at the upgraded T2K near detector (ND280) shows good improvement in overall timing resolution, demonstrating the effectiveness in a real-world scenario and scalability.

calibration and fitting methods↗
DOE OSTI2026

Beam test results of the Intermediate Silicon Tracker for sPHENIX

The Intermediate Silicon Tracker (INTT), a two-layer barrel silicon strip tracker, is a key component of the tracking system for sPHENIX at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The INTT is designed to enable the association of reconstructed tracks with individual RHIC bunch crossings. To evaluate the performance of preproduction INTT ladders and the readout chain, a beam test was conducted at the Research Center for Accelerator and Radioisotope Science, Tohoku University, Japan. This paper presents the performance of the INTT evaluated through studies of the signal-to-noise ratio, residual distribution, spatial resolution, hit-detection efficiency, and multiple track reconstruction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Industrial deposition of wavelength-shifting films for liquid argon photon detection systems

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Phase-II Far Detector is considering an approximately 2000 m 2 photon detection system to achieve a target mean light yield of 180 PE/MeV. Meeting this requirement demands scalable, cost-effective, and high-quality wavelength-shifter (WLS) coatings capable of converting 127 nm liquid-argon scintillation light into visible photons with controlled and reproducible optical performance. We report on the successful realization of an industrial physical vapor deposition (PVD) process forp-terphenyl (pTP) coatings, adapted from vacuum deposition techniques developed for OLED display manufacturing, to produce uniform WLS layers on large-area inorganic substrates, a task traditionally challenged by adhesion and uniformity issues at organic-inorganic interfaces. Surface characterization by profilometry and spectroscopic measurements demonstrates edge-region thickness variation below 10% and emission spectra consistent with high-quality pTP reference samples. The industrial process demonstrates reproducibility, scalability, and significantly reduced production time compared to laboratory-based methods, while maintaining optical characteristics consistent with established pTP reference samples. These results establish a viable pathway for mass production of high-performance pTP coatings for DUNE FD3 and future neutrino experiments, from a coating manufacturing and process standpoint. Detector-level performance validation, including quantitative VUV conversion efficiency measurements at 127 nm, is identified as future work.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-performance data format for scientific data storage and analysis

Here, in this article, we present the High-Performance Output (HiPO) data format developed at Jefferson Laboratory for storing and analyzing data from Nuclear Physics experiments. The format was designed to efficiently store large amounts of experimental data, utilizing modern fast compression algorithms. The purpose of this development was to provide organized data in the output, facilitating access to relevant information within the large data files. The HiPO data format has features that are suited for storing raw detector data, reconstruction data, and the final physics analysis data efficiently, eliminating the need to do data conversions through the lifecycle of experimental data. The HiPO data format is implemented in C++ and JAVA, and provides bindings to FORTRAN, Python, and Julia, providing users with the choice of data analysis frameworks to use. In this paper, we will present the general design and functionalities of the HiPO library and compare the performance of the library with more established data formats used in data analysis in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (such as ROOT and Parquete). In columnar data analysis, HiPO surpasses established data formats in performance and can be effectively applied to data analysis in other scientific fields.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerating detector simulations with Celeritas: Profiling and performance optimizations

Celeritas is a GPU-optimized Monte Carlo (MC) particle transport code designed to meet the growing computational demands of next-generation high energy physics (HEP) experiments. It provides efficient simulation of electromagnetic (EM) physics processes in complex geometries with magnetic fields, detector hit scoring, and seamless integration into Geant4-driven applications to offload EM physics to GPUs. Recent efforts have focused on performance optimizations and expanding profiling capabilities. This paper presents some key advancements, including the integration of the Perfetto system profiling tool for detailed performance analysis and the development of track-sorting methods to improve computational efficiency.

Lund, Amanda [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A structural analysis of ordered Cs3Sb films grown on single crystal graphene and silicon carbide substrates

Alkali antimonides are well established as high efficiency, low intrinsic emittance photocathodes for accelerators and photon detectors. However, conventionally grown alkali antimonide films are polycrystalline with surface disorder and roughness that can limit achievable beam brightness. Ordering the crystalline structure of alkali antimonides has the potential to deliver higher brightness electron beams by reducing surface disorder and enabling the engineering of material properties at the level of atomic layers. In this report, we demonstrate the growth of ordered Cs3Sb films on single crystal substrates 3C-SiC and graphene-coated 4H-SiC using pulsed laser deposition and conventional thermal evaporation growth techniques. The crystalline structures of the Cs3Sb films were examined using reflection high energy electron diffraction and x-ray diffraction diagnostics, while film thickness and roughness estimates were made using x-ray reflectivity. With these tools, we observed ordered domains in less than 10 nm thick films with quantum efficiencies greater than 1% at 530 nm. Moreover, we identify structural features such as Laue oscillations indicative of highly ordered films. We found that Cs3Sb films grew with flat, fiber-textured surfaces on 3C-SiC and with multiple ordered domains and sub-nanometer surface roughness on graphene-coated 4H-SiC under our growth conditions. We identify the crystallographic orientations of Cs3Sb grown on graphene-coated 4H-SiC substrates and discuss the significance of examining the crystal structure of these films for growing epitaxial heterostructures in future experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Doping liquid argon with xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: effects on scintillation light

Doping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 720 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. A 5.4 ppm nitrogen contamination was present during the xenon doping campaign. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non-uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Surface Trap Dynamics and Gamma‐Ray Detection Enhancement in Passivated FAPbBr 3 Perovskite Crystals

Perovskite‐based direct radiation detectors offer a compelling platform for room‐temperature gamma spectroscopy due to their high sensitivity, tunable optoelectronic properties, and compatibility with solution processing. While prior studies on formamidinium lead tribromide (FAPbBr 3 ) have shown that surface passivation mitigates deep trap state impact on the charge collection efficiency (CCE), the influence of surface‐based shallow traps on time‐resolved detector response remains largely unexplored. In this article, a digital signal processing (DSP) method is applied to analyze waveform rising edge dynamics in FAPbBr 3 single‐crystal detectors, identifying prompt and delayed charge collection components. Using the second derivative of the collected charge signal, the onset of shallow trap reemission is isolated, occurring 1.1 µs after carrier generation. Surface passivation suppressed deep trap states, shifting carrier occupancy toward shallower traps and extending the temporal window of delayed charge collection. This delayed contribution correlates with measurable changes in the temporal and amplitude distributions of detector events. By leveraging time‐domain filtering informed by these dynamics, a selective enhancement in signal quality and gamma peak‐to‐Compton ratio (PCR) is achieved, while preserving over 90% of photoelectric events. An improvement in the PCR to 1.80, from the original 1.09, is enabled by focusing on high collection efficiency events corresponding to reemitted carriers in the 1.1 to 3 µs range after the generation event. These results demonstrate a pathway for leveraging shallow trap dynamics to enhance spectral fidelity in time‐resolved perovskite detectors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Model Development and Analysis of a High-Fidelity Neutron Transport Sensor: The Quadrupole Detector Concept for Measurement of the Neutron Flux Gradient

Accurate reconstruction of the neutron flux distribution within a reactor core is essential for safe and efficient reactor operation. Traditional power shape synthesis in Light Water Reactors relies on hundreds of in-core detectors. However, this approach becomes impractical for Advanced Reactors and Microreactors due to limited space and harsh environments. To address this challenge, we propose a data-driven methodology that combines high-fidelity modeling with real-time ex-core sensor measurements, enabling the reconstruction of core power distribution while minimizing the reliance on intrusive in-core instrumentation. This project began in FY24 and achieved two initial milestones: (1) the definition of a three-year development plan for a Digital Twin framework and (2) the development of high-fidelity neutronics models of the Purdue University Reactor One (PUR-1) using both MCNP6 and OpenMC. The PUR-1 reactor, a zero-power facility, was selected due to its suitability for neutronics-focused modeling and the availability of experimental data for validation. Both models were benchmarked using neutron flux measurements obtained from irradiated gold foils, which were strategically placed within the core during a dedicated campaign in July 2024. This report marks the continuation and completion of those foundational tasks. The OpenMC model has been refined (improved geometric accuracy, expanded cross-section libraries, and refined sampling) and validated using additional experimental data. An updated sensor design—based on quadrupole configuration—was designed to measure both ex-core flux and its spatial gradient. These measurements will serve as inputs to a neural network-based reconstruction algorithm. Finally, the methodology was demonstrated on a two-dimensional test case representative of the heterogeneous material composition of the PUR-1 reactor core. A neural network implementation of the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral equation was employed to solve the boundary value problem using peripheral sensor measurements. The preliminary results confirm the strong potential of the proposed approach for accurate and minimally invasive neutron flux reconstruction.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The STAR Forward Silicon Tracker

The Forward Silicon Tracker (FST) is a pivotal component of the forward upgrade of the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR), designed to discern hadron charge signs with a momentum resolution better than 30% for 0.2 < p T < 2GeV/c in the 2.5 < η < 4 pseudorapidity range. Its compact design features three disks along the beam direction, minimized material budget, and scattering effects. The FST uses Hamamatsu’s p-in-n silicon strip sensors with a double metal layer that enables efficient signal routing to the readout electronics, enhancing overall detector performance. The flexible hybrid boards, essential for the readout system, are constructed with Kapton and copper layers to optimize signal handling and power distribution. These boards connect silicon strips to analogue pipeline ASIC APV25-S1 chips, which read up to 128 channels each. A cooling system with nonconducting, volatile NOVEC 7200 coolant at 22.2 °C mitigates ASIC-generated heat. Furthermore, the FST enhances forward tracking performance at STAR as an integral part of the forward upgrade.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

X-ray Response of the Fully-Depleted, p-Channel SiSeRO-CCD

We present an X-ray characterization of a fully depleted, 725 $μ$m thick p-channel SiSeRO CCD. Measurements with a $^{55}$Fe source yield an energy resolution of $54 \pm 0.9$ eV ($14.6 \pm 0.25 e^{-}$) at 5.9 keV for single-pixel events, demonstrating that the SiSeRO amplifier preserves the intrinsic charge resolution of the CCD under multi-sample non-destructive readout. Characterization with a $^{241}$Am source extends the response to higher-energy photons, with reconstructed spectral features observed between 9-26 keV and the 59.5 keV $γ$ emission. These measurements, together with a muon-derived diffusion calibration, show that charge transport and diffusion are consistent with interactions spanning the full sensor depth. These results demonstrate that the SiSeRO CCD simultaneously achieves sub-electron noise performance and efficient charge collection in a thick, fully depleted silicon detector. This combination enables X-ray spectroscopy across a broad energy range while maintaining sensitivity to faint signals.

Cuevas-Zepeda, Julian↗
DOE OSTI2025

Variational autoencoders for at-source data reduction and anomaly detection in high energy particle detectors

Detectors in next-generation high-energy physics experiments face several daunting requirements, such as high data rates, damaging radiation exposure, and stringent constraints on power, space, and latency. To address these challenges, machine learning in readout electronics can be leveraged for smart detector designs, enabling intelligent inference and data reduction at-source. Variational autoencoders (VAEs) offer a variety of benefits for front-end readout; an on-sensor encoder can perform efficient lossy data compression while simultaneously providing a latent space representation that can be used for anomaly detection. Results are presented from low-latency and resource-efficient VAEs for front-end data processing in a futuristic silicon pixel detector. Encoder-based data compression is found to preserve good performance of off-detector analysis while significantly reducing the off-detector data rate as compared to a similarly sized data filtering approach. Furthermore, the latent space information is found to be a useful discriminator in the context of real-time sensor defect monitoring. Together, these results highlight the multifaceted utility of autoencoder-based front-end readout schemes and motivate their consideration in future detector designs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid Inference of Logic Gate Neural Networks for Anomaly Detection in High Energy Physics

The increasing data rates and complexity of detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) necessitate fast and efficient machine learning models, particularly for rapid selection of what data to store, known as triggering. Building on recent work in differentiable logic gates, we present a public implementation of a Convolutional Differentiable Logic Gate Neural Network (CLGN). We apply this to detecting anomalies at the Level-1 Trigger at CMS using public data from the CICADA project. We demonstrate that the CLGN achieves physics performance on par with or superior to conventional quantized neural networks. We also synthesize an LGN for a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and show highly promising FPGA characteristics, notably zero Digital Signal Processor (DSP) resource usage. This work highlights the potential of logic gate networks for high-speed, on-detector inference in High Energy Physics and beyond.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2026

A compact, low-power epithermal neutron counter for lunar water detection

The detection and characterization of lunar water are critical for enabling sustainable human and robotic exploration of the Moon. Orbital neutron spectrometers, such as instruments on Lunar Prospector and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, have revealed hydrogen-rich regions near the poles but are limited by coarse spatial resolution and low counting efficiency. We present a compact, lightweight, and low-power epithermal neutron detector based on boron-coated silicon imagers, designed to probe subsurface hydrogen at decimeter scales from mobile platforms such as lunar rovers. This instrument leverages the high neutron capture cross-section of 10 B to convert epithermal neutrons into detectable α and 7 Li ions in a fully-depleted silicon imager, providing a unique event topology to identify neutrons while suppressing backgrounds. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that a 3 μm boron layer achieves optimal neutron detection efficiency, further enhanced with polyethylene moderation to improve sensitivity to the 0.4 eV–500 keV epithermal energy range. For a 10 cm 2 active area, the detector achieves sensitivity to H 2 O weight fractions as low as 0.01 wt% in a 15 minute measurement. This scalable, portable, low-mass design is well-suited for integration into upcoming Artemis and commercial lunar rovers, providing a transformative capability for in-situ resource prospecting and ground-truth validation of orbital measurements.

Detector modelling and simulations I (interaction ↗