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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
NASA NTRS2003

Nonlinear Dynamics of the Superfluid Transition: What may We learn on orbit?

Linear response (specifically, Fourier's Law) in He-4 has been observed to fail in heat flow experiments near the superfluid transition. A detailed analysis of the data suggests that the hydrostatic pressure gradient across the helium column limits the divergence of the correlation length in our earth-based experiments. This is consistent with other observations, such as the surprising lack of mutual friction and hysteresis near the superfluid transition, and a 'rounding' of the transition that appears to be independent of heat flux in the low heat flux limit. I will discuss these unusual results from earth-based measurements, and will show predictions for the very different results that may result when we make our measurements on orbit as part of the M1 Mission of the Low- Temperature, Microgravity Physics Facility. This work has been funded by the Fundamental Physics Discipline within the Physical Sciences Research Office of NASA, and is conducted by the DYNAMX (UNM) and CQ (Caltech) Groups, with assistance from the Low Temperature Science and Quantum Sensors Group at JPL.

Duncan, Rob↗
NASA NTRS2000

Microgravity Platforms

The world's space agencies have been conducting microgravity research since the beginning of space flight. Initially driven by the need to understand the impact of less than- earth gravity physics on manned space flight, microgravity research has evolved into a broad class of scientific experimentation that utilizes extreme low acceleration environments. The U.S. NASA microgravity research program supports both basic and applied research in five key areas: biotechnology - focusing on macro-molecular crystal growth as well as the use of the unique space environment to assemble and grow mammalian tissue; combustion science - focusing on the process of ignition, flame propagation, and extinction of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels; fluid physics - including aspects of fluid dynamics and transport phenomena; fundamental physics - including the study of critical phenomena, low-temperature, atomic, and gravitational physics; and materials science - including electronic and photonic materials, glasses and ceramics, polymers, and metals and alloys. Similar activities prevail within the Chinese, European, Japanese, and Russian agencies with participation from additional international organizations as well. While scientific research remains the principal objective behind these program, all hope to drive toward commercialization to sustain a long range infrastructure which .benefits the national technology and economy. In the 1997 International Space Station Commercialization Study, conducted by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, some viable microgravity commercial ventures were identified, however, none appeared sufficiently robust to privately fund space access at that time. Thus, government funded micro gravity research continues on an evolutionary path with revolutionary potential.

Del Basso, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2008

Playful Physics

Effectively communicate qualitative and quantitative information orally and in writing. Explain the application of fundamental physical principles to various physical phenomena. Apply appropriate problem-solving techniques to practical and meaningful problems using graphical, mathematical, and written modeling tools. Work effectively in collaborative groups.

Weaver, David↗
NASA NTRS2006

An Overview of the Role of Systems Analysis in NASA's Hypersonics Project

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate recently restructured its Vehicle Systems Program, refocusing it towards understanding the fundamental physics that govern flight in all speed regimes. Now called the Fundamental Aeronautics Program, it is comprised of four new projects, Subsonic Fixed Wing, Subsonic Rotary Wing, Supersonics, and Hypersonics. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has charged the Hypersonics Project with having a basic understanding of all systems that travel at hypersonic speeds within the Earth's and other planets atmospheres. This includes both powered and unpowered systems, such as re-entry vehicles and vehicles powered by rocket or airbreathing propulsion that cruise in and accelerate through the atmosphere. The primary objective of the Hypersonics Project is to develop physics-based predictive tools that enable the design, analysis and optimization of such systems. The Hypersonics Project charges the systems analysis discipline team with providing it the decision-making information it needs to properly guide research and technology development. Credible, rapid, and robust multi-disciplinary system analysis processes and design tools are required in order to generate this information. To this end, the principal challenges for the systems analysis team are the introduction of high fidelity physics into the analysis process and integration into a design environment, quantification of design uncertainty through the use of probabilistic methods, reduction in design cycle time, and the development and implementation of robust processes and tools enabling a wide design space and associated technology assessment capability. This paper will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the systems analysis discipline team within the Hypersonics Project as well as the tools, methods, processes, and approach that the team will undertake in order to perform its project designated functions.

Robinson, Jeffrey S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Prospects for Interdisciplinary Science Aboard the International Space Station

The assembly of the International Space Station was completed in early 2011, and is now embarking on its first year of the coming decade of use as a laboratory. Two key types of physical science research are enabled by ISS: studies of processes that are normally masked by gravity, and instruments that take advantage of its position as a powerful platform in orbit. The absence of buoyancy-driven convection enables experiments in diverse areas such as fluids near the critical point, Marangoni convection, combustion, and coarsening of metal alloys. The positioning of such a powerful platform in orbit with robotic transfer and instrument support also provides a unique alternative platform for astronomy and physics instruments. Some of the operating or planned instruments related to fundamental physics on the International Space Station include MAXI (Monitoring all-sky X-ray Instrument for ISS), the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, CALET (Calorimetric Electron Telescope), and ACES (Atomic Clock Experiment in Space). The presentation will conclude with an overview of pathways for funding different types of experiments from NASA funding to the ISS National Laboratory, and highlights of the streamlining of services to help scientists implement their experiments on ISS.

Robinson, Julie A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterizing gravitational wave detector networks: from A # to cosmic explorer

Gravitational-wave observations by the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory (LIGO) and Virgo have provided us a new tool to explore the Universe on all scales from nuclear physics to the cosmos and have the massive potential to further impact fundamental physics, astrophysics, and cosmology for decades to come. In this paper we have studied the science capabilities of a network of LIGO detectors when they reach their best possible sensitivity, called A # , given the infrastructure in which they exist and a new generation of observatories that are factor of 10 to 100 times more sensitive (depending on the frequency), in particular a pair of L-shaped cosmic explorer (CE) observatories (one 40 km and one 20 km arm length) in the US and the triangular Einstein telescope with 10 km arms in Europe. We use a set of science metrics derived from the top priorities of several funding agencies to characterize the science capabilities of different networks. The presence of one or two A # observatories in a network containing two or one next generation observatories, respectively, will provide good localization capabilities for facilitating multimessenger astronomy (MMA) and precision measurement of the Hubble parameter. Two CE observatories are indispensable for achieving precise localization of binary neutron star events, facilitating detection of electromagnetic counterparts and transforming MMA. Their combined operation is even more important in the detection and localization of high-redshift sources, such as binary neutron stars, beyond the star-formation peak, and primordial black hole mergers, which may occur roughly 100 million years after the Big Bang. The addition of the Einstein Telescope to a network of two CE observatories is critical for accomplishing all the identified science metrics including the nuclear equation of state, cosmological parameters, the growth of black holes through cosmic history, but also make new discoveries such as the presence of dark matter within or around neutron stars and black holes, continuous gravitational waves from rotating neutron stars, transient signals from supernovae, and the production of stellar-mass black holes in the early Universe. For most metrics the triple network of next generation terrestrial observatories are a factor 100 better than what can be accomplished by a network of three A # observatories.

Einstein telescope↗
DOE OSTI2026

Artificial Intelligence Research at Fermilab

The unique challenges of high-energy physics research present opportunities for advancing AI technologies. From the principles of fundamental physics underlying massive and rich data sets to building and operating some of the world’s most complex detector and accelerator systems, the technologies we are developing have potential connections to a broad domain of cutting-edge AI research.

Fermilab, Fermilab↗
NASA NTRS1987

Data analysis and interpretation of UVSP and other experiments on board solar maximum mission

During the period of this contract (February 1 1980 to February 1987) there were two separate efforts involved: one was programmetric, i.e., the coordination of scientific working groups and the organization of workshops in the solar physics discipline; the second was scientific, i.e., to perform research to investigate the fundamental physical mechanisms of the energy and momentum transport from the solar surface to interplanetary space. In the former, 19 workshops, involving 88 scientists were organized. In the latter aspect, the following were investigated: solar flare energy buildup and release, coronal dynamics, energy and momentum transport from lower solar atmosphere to interplanetary space, numerical methods for the calculation of the nonlinear force-free field, and the evolution of the solar magnetic field.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Nuclear physics and cosmology

Nuclear physics has provided one of two critical observational tests of all Big Bang cosmology, namely Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Furthermore, this same nuclear physics input enables a prediction to be made about one of the most fundamental physics questions of all, the number of elementary particle families. The standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis arguments are reviewed. The primordial He abundance is inferred from He-C and He-N and He-O correlations. The strengthened Li constraint as well as D-2 plus He-3 are used to limit the baryon density. This limit is the key argument behind the need for non-baryonic dark matter. The allowed number of neutrino families, N(nu), is delineated using the new neutron lifetime value of tau(n) = 890 + or - 4s (tau(1/2) = 10.3 min). The formal statistical result is N(nu) = 2.6 + or - 0.3 (1 sigma), providing a reasonable fit (1.3 sigma) to three families but making a fourth light (m(nu) less than or equal to 10 MeV) neutrino family exceedly unlikely (approx. greater than 4.7 sigma). It is also shown that uncertainties induced by postulating a first-order quark-baryon phase transition do not seriously affect the conclusions.

Schramm, David N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Physical origin of the frequency shifts in cesium beam frequency standards: Related environmental sensitivity

When observed in a cesium beam frequency standard, the hyperfine transition frequency of the atoms differs slightly from the invariant transition frequency of the unperturbed atoms at rest. The various physical and technical origins of the frequency offsets are stated. They relate to fundamental physical effects, to the method of probing the atomic resonance and to the frequency control of the slaved oscillator. The variation of the frequency offsets under a change of the value of the internal operating characteristics is considered. The sensitivity to a change of the magnetic induction, the microwave power, and the temperature is given. A comparison is made of the sensitivity of cesium beam frequency standards of the commercially available type, making use of magnetic state selection, and of devices under study, in which the state preparation and detection is accomplished optically. The pathways between the external stimuli and the physical origin of the frequency offsets are specified.

Audoin, Claude↗
NASA NTRS2015

Analysis of Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Their Functional Limits

The world's demand for energy is increasing dramatically, but the best energy conversion systems operate at approximately 30% efficiency. One way to decrease energy loss is in the recovery of waste heat using thermoelectric (TE) generators. A TE generator is device that generates electricity by exploiting heat flow across a thermal gradient. The efficiency of a TE material for power generation and cooling is determined by the dimensionless Figure of Merit (ZT): ZT = S(exp. 2)sigmaT/κ: where S is the Seebeck coefficient, sigma is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity. The parameters are not physically independent, but intrinsically coupled since they are a function of the transport properties of electrons. Traditional research on TE materials has focused on synthesizing bulk semiconductor-type materials that have low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity affording ZT values of 1. The optimization of the σ/κ ratio is difficult to achieve using current material formats, as these material constants are complementary. Recent areas of research are focusing on using nanostructural artifacts that introduce specific dislocations and boundary conditions that scatter the phonons. This disrupts the physical link between thermal (phonon) and electrical (electron) transport. The result is that κ is decreased without decreasing σ. These material formats give ZT values of up to 2 which represent approximately 18% energy gain from waste heat recovery. The next challenge in developing the next generation of TE materials with superior performance is to tailor the interconnected thermoelectric physical parameters of the material system. In order to approach this problem, the fundamental physics of each parameter S, sigma, and κ need to be physically understood in their context of electron/phonon interaction for the construction of new high ZT thermoelectric devices. Is it possible to overcome the physical limit imposed by of the effect of phonon lattice oscillation and energetic electrons towards thermal conductivity? Is the Seebeck coefficient, based on the difference in voltage over temperature gradient ( deltaV/deltaT), an intrinsic parameter of each material? All these parameters were manipulated using nano-bridge and twin-lattice structural concepts at the NASA Langley Research Center. This talk will review the current trend of TE research to optimize the ZT and discuss about new approaches on increasing ZT within functional limits of each parameter.

Kim, Hyun Jung↗
NASA NTRS1999

Overview of the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)

MSG is a third generation glovebox for Microgravity Science investigations: SpaceLab Glovebox (GBX); Middeck/MIR Gloveboxes (M/MGBX); and GBX and M/MGBX developed by Bradford Engineering (NL). Previous flights have demonstrated utility of glovebox facilities: Contained environment enables broader range of science experiments; Affords better control of video and photographic imaging (a prime data source); Provides better environmental control than cabin atmosphere; and Useful for contingency operations. MSG developed in response to demands for increased work volume, increased capabilities and additional resources. MSG is multi-user facility to support a wide range of small science and technology investigations: Fluid physics; Combustion science; Material science; Biotechnology (cell culturing and protein crystal growth); Space processing; Fundamental physics; and Technology demonstrations. Topics included in this viewgraph are: MSG capabilities; MSG hardware items; MSG, GSE, and OSE items; MSG development approach; and Science utilization.

Wright, Mary Etta↗
NASA NTRS2018

PICO - the Probe of Inflation and Cosmic Origins

The Probe of Inflation and Cosmic Origins (PICO) is a NASA-funded study of a Probe-class mission concept. The top-level science objectives are to probe the physics of the Big Bang by measuring or constraining the energy scale of inflation, probe fundamental physics by measuring the number of light particles in the Universe and the sum of neutrino masses, to measure the reionization history of the Universe, and to understand the mechanisms driving the cosmic star formation history, and the physics of the galactic magnetic field. PICO would have multiple frequency bands between 21 and 799 GHz, and would survey the entire sky, producing maps of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation, of galactic dust, of synchrotron radiation, and of various populations of point sources. Several instrument configurations, optical systems, cooling architectures, and detector and readout technologies have been and continue to be considered in the development of the mission concept. We will present a snapshot of the baseline mission concept currently under development.

Bonato, Matteo↗
DOE OSTI2026

Intrinsic nonlocality of spin- and polarization-resolved probabilities in strong-field quantum electrodynamics

Spin and polarization are central to precision tests of fundamental physics and for interpreting radiation from astrophysical sources and ultraintense laser-matter experiments. Here, focusing on the fundamental process of nonlinear Compton scattering, we demonstrate that a key assumption underlying current strong-field quantum electrodynamics models, i.e., that emission can be treated as an instantaneous random event sampled from a local differential rate, is inconsistent once emission angles, electron spin, and/or photon polarization are resolved. Namely, even in strictly constant and uniform fields , the resulting fully differential distribution is sign indefinite, yielding negative inferred probabilities. The physical reason is that the photon emission probability builds up over a finite length of the electron trajectory, the formation region, during which the electron direction changes by roughly the same small angle that defines the radiation cone. Therefore, we put forward a new method where we integrate over this formation region analytically to obtain a physically consistent electron spin and photon polarization model. We show that the implementation of our model is compatible with existing Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell workflows. Simulations of a GeV-class electron-laser collision accessible at current petawatt facilities and of emission in a pulsarlike magnetic field are shown to reveal spin and polarization patterns that differ even qualitatively from state-of-the-art local models. In particular, our new model predicts substantial angle-dependent circular photon polarization where the well-known collinear-emission approach yields none, and a pronounced helicity bias in the recoiling electrons absent from current predictions. These findings have direct implications for upcoming strong-field QED experiments and for interpreting polarized radiation from extreme astrophysical environments.

astrophysical electromagnetic fields↗
DOE OSTI2025

Direct measurement of the quantum metric tensor in solids

The quantum metric tensor is a central geometric quantity in modern physics that is defined as the distance between nearby quantum states. Despite numerous studies highlighting its relevance to fundamental physical phenomena in solids, measuring the complete quantum metric tensors in real solid-state materials is challenging. In this work, we report a direct measurement of the full quantum metric tensors of Bloch electrons in solids using black phosphorus as a representative material. We extracted the momentum space distribution of the pseudospin texture of the valence band from the polarization dependence of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurement. Our approach is poised to advance our understanding of quantum geometric responses in a wide class of crystalline systems.

Kim, Sunje↗
DOE OSTI2026

Laser Spectroscopy of Exotic Atoms and Molecules Containing Octupole-Deformed Nuclei

This project investigated the nuclear, atomic, and molecular structure of exotic atoms and molecules containing actinide isotopes. These short-lived radioactive systems are challenging to produce and study in the laboratory, yet they offer unique opportunities for fundamental science. These nuclei are predicted to exhibit pear-shaped (octupole) deformation, a rare collective nuclear behavior that dramatically enhances their sensitivity to fundamental physics phenomena such as time-reversal- and parity-violating effects. Such enhancements make them ideal probes for exploring open questions in our understanding of the universe such as the origin of the matter–antimatter asymmetry of the universe. To realize these measurements, the project led the development of a new laser spectroscopy experiment at MIT, and later commissioned at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University: the Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy Experiment (RISE). RISE combines the spectroscopic precision of collinear laser spectroscopy with the sensitivity of particle-detection techniques, enabling measurements of rare isotopes produced at rates as low as a few ions per second. The beamline was designed, built, and installed, and was successfully commissioned at FRIB during the grant period. RISE is now a permanent capability of the FRIB facility, and has produced several results on the study of rare atoms and molecules for nuclear structure and fundamental symmetries. In parallel with the FRIB program, the project contributed to the first precision laser-spectroscopy measurements of short-lived radioactive molecules. Working with international collaborators at CERN's ISOLDE facility, the team conducted pioneering experiments on radium monofluoride (RaF) and actinium monofluoride (AcF). The results from this work have been published in major journals of science, including Nature, Science, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, and Physical Review Letters. These findings have guided future experiments on the laser cooling of radioactive molecules, opening a new platform for precision tests of fundamental symmetries.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
NASA NTRS2018

Ice Crystal Icing Physics Study using a NACA 0012 Airfoil at the National Research Council of Canada's Research Altitude Test Facility

This paper presents results from a study of the fundamental physics of ice-crystal ice accretion using a NACA 0012 airfoil at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Research Altitude Test Facility in August 2017. These tests were a continuation of work which began in 2010 as part of a joint collaboration between NASA and NRC. The research seeks to generate icing conditions representative of those that occur inside a jet engine when ingesting ice crystals. In this test, an airfoil was exposed to mixed-phase icing conditions and the resulting ice accretions were recorded and analyzed. This paper details the specific objectives, procedures, and measurements which included the aero-thermal and cloud measurements. The objectives were built upon observations and hypothesis generated from several previous test campaigns regarding mixed-phase ice-crystal icing. The specific objectives included (A) ice accretions under different wet-bulb temperatures, (B) investigations of steady-state ice shapes previously reported in the literature, (C) total water content variations in search of a threshold for accretion, and (D) probe characterization related to measuring melt fraction which is important to characterize the mixed-phase condition. The resulting ice accretions and conditions leading to such accretions are intended to help extend NASA’s predictive ice-accretion codes to include conditions occurring in engine ice-crystal icing.

Icing↗
DOE OSTI2026

Widen the resonance at ultra-high energies: novel probes of neutrino self-interactions in the high-mass regime

Neutrino self-interactions beyond the Standard Model are well motivated by the nonzero masses of neutrinos, which are the only known particles guaranteed to have new physics. Meanwhile, cosmic messengers, especially neutrinos, play a central role in probing new physics, as they provide experimental conditions far beyond the reach of laboratories and serve as the link between laboratory fundamental-physics discoveries and their roles in the Universe, where many new physics motivations originate.In this work, we propose a novel probe of neutrino self-interactions through ultrahigh-energy neutrinos scattering off the cosmic neutrino background when the lightest neutrino species remains relativistic today.This allows us to “Widen the Resonance” of such scattering [1].In addition, we also provide a semi-analytic framework for cosmogenic ultrahigh-energy neutrino production, avoiding computationally intensive simulations and yielding results precise enough for beyond-the-standard-model studies.The widened resonance enables future ultrahigh-energy neutrino telescopes,in particular GRAND, to probe mediator masses from MeV to GeV, reaching couplings down to g ∼ 10$^{-3}$ — up to two orders of magnitude beyond current bounds.Our results enhance the discovery potential of neutrino self-interactions in the high-mass regime, potentially offering crucial insights into the connections between the neutrino sector and dark sector.

Machado, Pedro A.N. [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000029118↗