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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 1,279 records · Page 71
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Multimodal interference-based imaging of nanoscale structure and macromolecular motion uncovers UV induced cellular paroxysm

Understanding the relationship between intracellular motion and macromolecular structure remains a challenge in biology. Macromolecular structures are assembled from numerous molecules, some of which cannot be labeled. Most techniques to study motion require potentially cytotoxic dyes or transfection, which can alter cellular behavior and are susceptible to photobleaching. Here in this paper, we present a multimodal label-free imaging platform for measuring intracellular structure and macromolecular dynamics in living cells with a sensitivity to macromolecular structure as small as 20 nm and millisecond temporal resolution. We develop and validate a theory for temporal measurements of light interference. In vitro, we study how higher-order chromatin structure and dynamics change during cell differentiation and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Finally, we discover cellular paroxysms, a near-instantaneous burst of macromolecular motion that occurs during UV induced cell death. With nanoscale sensitive, millisecond resolved capabilities, this platform could address critical questions about macromolecular behavior in live cells.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Learning earthquake ground motions via conditional generative modeling

Predicting high-fidelity ground motions for future earthquakes is crucial for seismic hazard assessment and infrastructure resilience. Conventional empirical simulations suffer from sparse sensor distribution and geographically localized earthquake locations, while physics-based methods are computationally intensive and require accurate representations of Earth structures and earthquake sources. We propose an artificial intelligence (AI) spectrogram generator, Conditional Generative Modeling for Ground Motion (CGM-GM). CGM-GM leverages earthquake magnitudes and geographic coordinates of earthquakes and sensors as inputs, when postprocessed with phase information, capturing spatially continuous Fourier amplitude spectra (FAS) as well as properties such as P and S arrivals, and waveform durations, without explicit physics constraints. This is achieved through a probabilistic autoencoder that extracts latent distributions in the time-frequency domain and variational sequential models for prior and posterior distributions. We evaluate the performance of CGM-GM using small-magnitude earthquake records from the San Francisco Bay Area, a region with high seismic risks. Here, we report that CGM-GM demonstrates potential for complementing physics-based simulations and non-ergodic empirical ground motion models, as well as shows promise in seismology and beyond.

geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Study of wrap mode impact on Pseudomonas aeruginosa motion in the chemotactic field of fungi

An agent-based discrete computational model biologically calibrated to Pseudomonas aeruginosa migration is used to explore the impacts of bacterial reversals and wrap mode on the efficiency of motion in different environments, both with and without chemotaxis. It is first shown that wrap mode increases the exploration of continuous multimodal chemotactic profiles such as those produced by biologically relevant fungal networks. For cells undergoing a run-reverse pattern, it is shown that the bacteria are likely to remain at the first local chemoattractant maximal production site on a hypha they find. However, with wrap mode, the bacteria can more easily escape these local sites to further explore their neighboring environment along the fungi, suggesting that wrap mode may be beneficial for migration along the fungi in liquid. In a different set of simulations of bacterial motion close to an isolated chemotactic source, wrap mode is shown to increase the ability of a bacterium to reorient toward the source while reducing the overall motion required for similar chemotactic efficiency as a run-reverse strategy, suggesting a potential metabolic benefit. In contrast, model simulations show that wrap mode can increase the rate of dispersal of P. aeruginosa in a nonchemotactic environment.

Hansen, Austin [University of California, Riversid↗
DOE OSTI2019

Temperature-jump solution X-ray scattering reveals distinct motions in a dynamic enzyme

Correlated motions of proteins are critical to function, but these features are difficult to resolve using traditional structure determination techniques. Time-resolved X-ray methods hold promise for addressing this challenge, but have relied on the exploitation of exotic protein photoactivity, and are therefore not generalizable. Temperature jumps, through thermal excitation of the solvent, have been utilized to study protein dynamics using spectroscopic techniques, but their implementation in X-ray scattering experiments has been limited. Here, we perform temperature-jump small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements on a dynamic enzyme, cyclophilin A, demonstrating that these experiments are able to capture functional intramolecular protein dynamics on the microsecond timescale. We show that cyclophilin A displays rich dynamics following a temperature jump, and use the resulting time-resolved signal to assess the kinetics of conformational changes. Furthermore, two relaxation processes are resolved: a fast process is related to surface loop motions, and a slower process is related to motions in the core of the protein that are critical for catalytic turnover.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

The bulk motion of gas in the core of the Centaurus galaxy cluster

Galaxy clusters contain vast amounts of hot ionized gas known as the intracluster medium (ICM). In relaxed cluster cores, the radiative cooling time of the ICM is shorter than the age of the cluster. However, the absence of line emission associated with cooling suggests heating mechanisms that offset the cooling, with feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) being the most likely source. Turbulence and bulk motions, such as the oscillating (‘sloshing’) motion of the core gas in the cluster potential well, have also been proposed as mechanisms for heat distribution from the outside of the core. Here we present X-ray spectroscopic observations of the Centaurus galaxy cluster with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission satellite. We find that the hot gas flows along the line of sight relative to the central galaxy, with velocities from 130 km s −1 to 310 km s −1 within about 30 kpc of the centre. This indicates bulk flow consistent with core gas sloshing. Although the bulk flow may prevent excessive accumulation of cooled gas at the centre, it could distribute the heat injected by the AGN and bring in thermal energy from the surrounding ICM. The velocity dispersion of the gas is found to be only ≲120 km s −1 in the core, even within about 10 kpc of the AGN. This suggests that the influence of the AGN on the surrounding ICM motion is limited in the cluster.

galaxies and clusters↗
DOE OSTI2021

Emergence of Lanes and Turbulent-like Motion in Active Spinner Fluid

Assemblies of self-rotating particles are gaining interest as a novel realization of active matter with unique collective behaviors such as edge currents and non-trivial dynamic states. Here, we develop a continuum model for a system of fluid-embedded spinners by coarse-graining the equations of motion of the discrete particles. We apply the model to explore mixtures of clockwise and counterclockwise rotating spinners. We find that the dynamics is sensitive to fluid inertia: in the inertialess system, after transient turbulent-like motion the spinners segregate and form steady traffic lanes. At small but finite Reynolds number instead, the turbulent-like motion persists and the system exhibits a chirality breaking transition leading to a single rotation sense state. Our results shed light on the dynamic behavior of non-equilibrium materials exemplified by active spinners.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effects of water on the stochastic motions of propane confined in MCM-41-S pores

Hydrocarbons confined in porous media find applications in a wide variety of industries and therefore their diffusive behavior is widely studied. Most of the porous media found in natural environments are laden with water, which might affect the confined hydrocarbons. To quantify the effect of hydration, we report here a combined quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study on the dynamics of propane confined in the 1.5 nm-wide micropores of MCM-41-S in the presence of water at 230 and 250 K. To eliminate the strong incoherent signal from water and emphasize the propane signal we have used heavy water (D 2 O). QENS data show two dynamically different populations of propane in MCM-41-S and suggest that the presence of water hinders the diffusion of propane. Weak elastic contributions to the QENS spectra suggest that only long-range translational motion of propane molecules contributes to the quasielastic broadening. MD simulations carried out using a model cylindrical silica pore of 1.6 nm diameter filled with water and propane agree with the experimental finding of water hindering the diffusion of propane. Further, the simulation results suggest that the slowing down of propane motions is a function of the water content within the pore and is stronger at higher water contents. At high water content, the structure and the dynamics, both translational and rotational, of propane are severely impacted. Simulation data suggest that the rotational motion of the propane molecule occurs on time scales much faster than those accessible with the QENS instrument used, and thus explain the weak elastic contribution to the QENS spectra measured in the experiments. This study shows the effects of hydration on the structure and dynamics of volatiles in porous media, which are of interest for fundamental understanding and applied studies of confined fluids.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Substructure in the stellar halo near the Sun: I. Data-driven clustering in integrals-of-motion space

Context. Merger debris is expected to populate the stellar haloes of galaxies. In the case of the Milky Way, this debris should be apparent as clumps in a space defined by the orbital integrals of motion of the stars. Aims. Our aim is to develop a data-driven and statistics-based method for finding these clumps in integrals-of-motion space for nearby halo stars and to evaluate their significance robustly. Methods. We used data from Gaia EDR3, extended with radial velocities from ground-based spectroscopic surveys, to construct a sample of halo stars within 2.5 kpc from the Sun. We applied a hierarchical clustering method that makes exhaustive use of the single linkage algorithm in three-dimensional space defined by the commonly used integrals of motion energy E, together with two components of the angular momentum, L z and L ⊥ . To evaluate the statistical significance of the clusters, we compared the density within an ellipsoidal region centred on the cluster to that of random sets with similar global dynamical properties. By selecting the signal at the location of their maximum statistical significance in the hierarchical tree, we extracted a set of significant unique clusters. By describing these clusters with ellipsoids, we estimated the proximity of a star to the cluster centre using the Mahalanobis distance. Additionally, we applied the HDBSCAN clustering algorithm in velocity space to each cluster to extract subgroups representing debris with different orbital phases. Results. Our procedure identifies 67 highly significant clusters (> 3σ), containing 12% of the sources in our halo set, and 232 subgroups or individual streams in velocity space. In total, 13.8% of the stars in our data set can be confidently associated with a significant cluster based on their Mahalanobis distance. Inspection of the hierarchical tree describing our data set reveals a complex web of relations between the significant clusters, suggesting that they can be tentatively grouped into at least six main large structures, many of which can be associated with previously identified halo substructures, and a number of independent substructures. This preliminary conclusion is further explored in a companion paper, in which we also characterise the substructures in terms of their stellar populations. Conclusions. Our method allows us to systematically detect kinematic substructures in the Galactic stellar halo with a data-driven and interpretable algorithm. The list of the clusters and the associated star catalogue are provided in two tables available at the CDS.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

The influence of finite Larmor radius effects on the radial interchange motions of plasma filaments

The influence of finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects on the perpendicular convection of isolated particle density filaments driven by interchange motions in magnetized plasmas is investigated using a two-moment gyrofluid model. By means of numerical simulations on a two-dimensional, bi-periodic domain perpendicular to the magnetic field, it is demonstrated that the radial velocities of the blob-like filaments are roughly described by the inertial scaling, which prescribes a velocity proportional to the square root of the summed electron and ion pressures times the square root of the blob width. Due to FLR effects, the poloidal up-down symmetry in the particle density field observed in the zero Larmor radius limit is broken. The symmetry breaking implies a poloidal motion of the blobs in the Bx{nabla}B direction. At later times, the direction of the poloidal motion is reversed when the blob is decelerated. It is shown that the spatial structure of the blobs depends on the ratio of the ion gyroradius to the initial filament size {rho}{sub i}/{sigma}. Blobs with {rho}{sub i}/{sigma} > or approx. 0.2 remain coherent as they move through the scrape-off layer, whereas blobs with {rho}{sub i}/{sigma} < or approx. 0.1 form plume-like structures that loose their coherence and eventually become fragmented. After having traveled approximately five times their initial widths, coherent blobs carry {approx}2-3 times the particle density of fragmented blobs. It is shown that FLR effects reduce mixing, stretching, and generation of small spatial scales in the particle density field by setting up a sheared flow surrounding the blob.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Convective motion in collisionless trapped electron mode turbulence

Global gyrokinetic particle simulation of collisionless trapped electron mode turbulence in toroidal plasmas finds both diffusive and convective electron motion using a Lagrangian analysis. The convective motion is identified using simulation and analytic theory to arise from the conservation of the second invariant when resonant trapped electrons lose kinetic energy to the drift wave. A resonance broadening model fits well the diffusive and convective electron motion.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Impact of anisotropic atomic motions in proteins on powder-averaged incoherent neutron scattering intensities

This paper addresses the question to which extent anisotropic atomic motions in proteins impact angular-averaged incoherent neutron scattering intensities, which are typically recorded for powder samples. For this purpose, the relevant correlation functions are represented as multipole series in which each term corresponds to a different degree of intrinsic motional anisotropy. The approach is illustrated by a simple analytical model and by a simulation-based example for lysozyme, considering in both cases the elastic incoherent structure factor. The second example shows that the motional anisotropy of the protein atoms is considerable and contributes significantly to the scattering intensity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Steady-state domain wall motion driven by adiabatic spin-transfer torque with assistance of microwave field

We have studied the current-induced displacement of a 180° Bloch wall by means of micromagnetic simulation and analytical approach. It is found that the adiabatic spin-transfer torque can sustain a steady-state domain wall (DW) motion in the direction opposite to that of the electron flow without Walker Breakdown when a transverse microwave field is applied. This kind of motion is very sensitive to the microwave frequency and can be resonantly enhanced by exciting the domain wall thickness oscillation mode. A one-dimensional analytical model was established to account for the microwave-assisted wall motion. These findings may be helpful for reducing the critical spin-polarized current density and designing DW-based spintronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Communication: Oscillating charge migration between lone pairs persists without significant interaction with nuclear motion in the glycine and Gly-Gly-NH-CH{sub 3} radical cations

Coupled electron-nuclear dynamics has been studied, using the Ehrenfest method, for four conformations of the glycine molecule and a single conformation of Gly-Gly-NH-CH{sub 3}. The initial electronic wavepacket was a superposition of eigenstates corresponding to ionization from the σ lone pairs associated with the carbonyl oxygens and the amine nitrogen. For glycine, oscillating charge migration (when the nuclei were frozen) was observed for the 4 conformers studied with periods ranging from 2 to 5 fs, depending on the energy gap between the lone pair cationic states. When coupled nuclear motion was allowed (which was mainly NH{sub 2} partial inversion), the oscillations hardly changed. For Gly-Gly-NH-CH{sub 3}, charge migration between the carbonyl oxygens and the NH{sub 2} lone pair can be observed with a period similar to glycine itself, also without interaction with nuclear motion. These simulations suggest that charge migration between lone pairs can occur independently of the nuclear motion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Soliton solutions and chaotic motion of the extended Zakharov-Kuznetsov equations in a magnetized two-ion-temperature dusty plasma

The extended Zakharov-Kuznetsov (eZK) equation for the magnetized two-ion-temperature dusty plasma is studied in this paper. With the help of Hirota method, bilinear forms and N-soliton solutions are given, and soliton propagation is graphically analyzed. We find that the soliton amplitude is positively related to the nonlinear coefficient A, while inversely related to the dispersion coefficients B and C. We obtain that the soliton amplitude will increase with the mass of the jth dust grain and the average charge number residing on the dust grain decreased, but the soliton amplitude will increase with the equilibrium number density of the jth dust grain increased. Upon the introduction of the periodic external forcing term, both the weak and developed chaotic motions can occur. Difference between the two chaotic motions roots in the inequality between the nonlinear coefficient l{sub 2} and perturbed term h{sub 1}. The developed chaos can be weakened with B or C decreased and A increased. Periodic motion of the perturbed eZK equation can be observed when there is a balance between l{sub 2} and h{sub 1}.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modelling non-adiabatic effects in H{sub 3}{sup +}: Solution of the rovibrational Schrödinger equation with motion-dependent masses and mass surfaces

Introducing different rotational and vibrational masses in the nuclear-motion Hamiltonian is a simple phenomenological way to model rovibrational non-adiabaticity. It is shown on the example of the molecular ion H{sub 3}{sup +}, for which a global adiabatic potential energy surface accurate to better than 0.1 cm{sup −1} exists [M. Pavanello, L. Adamowicz, A. Alijah, N. F. Zobov, I. I. Mizus, O. L. Polyansky, J. Tennyson, T. Szidarovszky, A. G. Császár, M. Berg et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 023002 (2012)], that the motion-dependent mass concept yields much more accurate rovibrational energy levels but, unusually, the results are dependent upon the choice of the embedding of the molecule-fixed frame. Correct degeneracies and an improved agreement with experimental data are obtained if an Eckart embedding corresponding to a reference structure of D{sub 3h} point-group symmetry is employed. The vibrational mass of the proton in H{sub 3}{sup +} is optimized by minimizing the root-mean-square (rms) deviation between the computed and recent high-accuracy experimental transitions. The best vibrational mass obtained is larger than the nuclear mass of the proton by approximately one third of an electron mass, m{sub opt,p}{sup (v)}=m{sub nuc,p}+0.31224 m{sub e}. This optimized vibrational mass, along with a nuclear rotational mass, reduces the rms deviation of the experimental and computed rovibrational transitions by an order of magnitude. Finally, it is shown that an extension of the algorithm allowing the use of motion-dependent masses can deal with coordinate-dependent mass surfaces in the rovibrational Hamiltonian, as well.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electron motion of an annular beam in a low-magnetic-field drift tube

Foil-less diodes and annular electron beams are widely adopted in high power microwave systems, and the electron beam is usually constrained by a guiding magnetic field to pass through the downstream drift tube and beam-wave interaction region. The electron beam, however, will present obvious radial motion when a low magnetic field is adopted, which will prominently influence the beam transmission and beam-wave interaction. This paper focuses on the radial motion of the electron beam in a low-magnetic-field drift tube. A spatial period is demonstrated with methods of theoretical analysis, single-particle calculations, particle-in-cell simulations, and experiments. The results obtained with different methods show good coherency, indicating that the real spatial period of the electron beam can be predicted by a simple formula which is based on single-particle motion regardless of space-charge effect.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

The relationship between reorientational molecular motions and phase transitions in [Mg(H{sub 2}O){sub 6}](BF{sub 4}){sub 2}, studied with the use of {sup 1}H and {sup 19}F NMR and FT-MIR

A {sup 1}H and {sup 19}F nuclear magnetic resonance study of [Mg(H{sub 2}O){sub 6}](BF{sub 4}){sub 2} has confirmed the existence of two phase transitions at T{sub c1} ≈ 257 K and T{sub c2} ≈ 142 K, detected earlier by the DSC method. These transitions were reflected by changes in the temperature dependences of both proton and fluorine of second moments M{sub 2}{sup H} and M{sub 2}{sup F} and of spin-lattice relaxation times T{sub 1}{sup H} and T{sub 1}{sup F}. The study revealed anisotropic reorientations of whole [Mg(H{sub 2}O){sub 6}]{sup 2+} cations, reorientations by 180° jumps of H{sub 2}O ligands, and aniso- and isotropic reorientations of BF{sub 4}{sup −} anions. The activation parameters for these motions were obtained. It was found that the phase transition at T{sub c1} is associated with the reorientation of the cation as a whole unit around the C{sub 3} axis and that at T{sub c2} with isotropic reorientation of the BF{sub 4}{sup −} anions. The temperature dependence of the full width at half maximum value of the infrared band of ρ{sub t}(H{sub 2}O) mode (at ∼596 cm{sup −1}) indicated that in phases I and II, all H{sub 2}O ligands in [Mg(H{sub 2}O){sub 6}]{sup 2+} perform fast reorientational motions (180° jumps) with a mean value of activation energy equal to ca 10 kJ mole{sup −1}, what is fully consistent with NMR results. The phase transition at T{sub c1} is associated with a sudden change of speed of fast (τ{sub R} ≈ 10{sup −12} s) reorientational motions of H{sub 2}O ligands. Below T{sub c2} (in phase III), the reorientations of certain part of the H{sub 2}O ligands significantly slow down, while others continue their fast reorientation with an activation energy of ca 2 kJ mole{sup −1}. This fast reorientation cannot be evidenced in NMR relaxation experiments. Splitting of certain IR bands connected with H{sub 2}O ligands at the observed phase transitions suggests a reduction of the symmetry of the octahedral [Mg(H{sub 2}O){sub 6}]{sup 2+} complex cation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Deep proton tunneling in the electronically adiabatic and non-adiabatic limits: Comparison of the quantum and classical treatment of donor-acceptor motion in a protein environment

Analytical models describing the temperature dependence of the deep tunneling rate, useful for proton, hydrogen, or hydride transfer in proteins, are developed and compared. Electronically adiabatic and non-adiabatic expressions are presented where the donor-acceptor (D-A) motion is treated either as a quantized vibration or as a classical “gating” distribution. We stress the importance of fitting experimental data on an absolute scale in the electronically adiabatic limit, which normally applies to these reactions, and find that vibrationally enhanced deep tunneling takes place on sub-ns timescales at room temperature for typical H-bonding distances. As noted previously, a small room temperature kinetic isotope effect (KIE) does not eliminate deep tunneling as a major transport channel. The quantum approach focuses on the vibrational sub-space composed of the D-A and hydrogen atom motions, where hydrogen bonding and protein restoring forces quantize the D-A vibration. A Duschinsky rotation is mandated between the normal modes of the reactant and product states and the rotation angle depends on the tunneling particle mass. This tunnel-mass dependent rotation contributes substantially to the KIE and its temperature dependence. The effect of the Duschinsky rotation is solved exactly to find the rate in the electronically non-adiabatic limit and compared to the Born-Oppenheimer (B-O) approximation approach. The B-O approximation is employed to find the rate in the electronically adiabatic limit, where we explore both harmonic and quartic double-well potentials for the hydrogen atom bound states. Both the electronically adiabatic and non-adiabatic rates are found to diverge at high temperature unless the proton coupling includes the often neglected quadratic term in the D-A displacement from equilibrium. A new expression is presented for the electronically adiabatic tunnel rate in the classical limit for D-A motion that should be useful to experimentalists working near room temperature. This expression also holds when a broad protein conformational distribution of D-A equilibrium distances dominates the spread of the D-A vibrational wavefunction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗