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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 1,297 records · Page 72
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A TTL-based Approach for Content Placement in Edge Networks

Edge networks are promising to provide better services to users by provisioning computing and storage resources at the edge of networks. However, due to the uncertainty and diversity of user interests, content popularity, distributed network structure, cache sizes, it is challenging to decide where to place the content, and how long it should be cached. In this paper, we study the utility optimization of content placement at edge networks through timer-based (TTL) policies. We propose provably optimal distributed algorithms that operate at each network cache to maximize the overall network utility. Our TTL-based optimization model provides theoretical answers to how long each content must be cached, and where it should be placed in the edge network. Extensive evaluations show that our algorithm significantly outperforms path replication with conventional caching algorithms over some network topologies.

Panigrahy, Nitish K.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Visual Systems Mapping to Define and Compare Woody Biomass LCAs for Sustainable Systems

The challenge addressed in this research centres on the need to choose between several biomass sources and energy production processes, while supporting rural economies and resilience of forest systems. A key barrier to effective decision-making for strategies using biomass is the lack of standardized and transparent life cycle assessment (LCA) baselines. These baselines are critical for assessing the impacts of biomass strategies but often vary due to regional factors and chosen simplifying assumptions of the LCAs. However, omitting key variables can mean the LCA omits key feedback and balancing loops relevant to fully assessing impacts of the change or test scenario. To address these complexities, this project employs a systems engineering approach: visual systems mapping. This technique is used to define the boundaries and dynamic behaviours of LCA baselines, enhancing transparency. By examining five literature sources and their documented baseline scenarios, the systems mapping case-studies demonstrates an approach to documenting and archiving these baselines. Recommendations are that visual systems mapping should be used to document key assumptions, such as baselines, of LCAs. Further, where possible open data repositories should hold key information about LCA baselines and reproducible workflows (e.g., using open-source tools) should be used to improve transparency and comparability in LCAs. Given the consensus within the broader scientific community on the importance of replicable data practices, this research reinforces the need for standardized frameworks and systems engineering tools in LCAs. This research demonstrates a pathway to more transparent, standardized, and comparable LCAs, that may bolster decisions for biomass systems.

Davis, Maggie [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000181319328)↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Scalable Algorithm for Radiative Heat Transfer Using Reverse Monte Carlo Ray Tracing

Radiative heat transfer is an important mechanism in a class of challenging engineering and research problems. A direct all-to-all treatment of these problems is prohibitively expensive on large core counts due to pervasive all- to-all MPI communication. The massive heat transfer problem arising from the next generation of clean coal boilers being modeled by the Uintah framework has radiation as a dominant heat transfer mode. Reverse Monte Carlo ray tracing (RMCRT) can be used to solve for the radiative-flux divergence while accounting for the effects of participating media. The ray tracing approach used here replicates the geometry of the boiler on a multi-core node and then uses an all-to-all communication phase to distribute the results globally. The cost of this all-to-all is reduced by using an adaptive mesh approach in which a fine mesh is only used locally, and a coarse mesh is used elsewhere. Here, a model for communication and computation complexity is used to predict performance of this new method. We show this model is consistent with observed results and demonstrate excellent strong scaling to 262K cores on the DOE Titan system on problem sizes that were previously computationally intractable.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Symmetries and mass degeneracies in the scalar sector

We explore some aspects of models with two and three SU(2) scalar doublets that lead to mass degeneracies among some of the physical scalars. In Higgs sectors with two scalar doublets, the exact degeneracy of scalar masses, without an artificial fine-tuning of the scalar potential parameters, is possible only in the case of the inert doublet model (IDM), where the scalar potential respects a global U(1) symmetry that is not broken by the vacuum. In the case of three doublets, we introduce and analyze the replicated inert doublet model, which possesses two inert doublets of scalars. We then generalize this model to obtain a scalar potential, first proposed by Ivanov and Silva, with a CP4 symmetry that guarantees the existence of pairwise degenerate scalar states among two pairs of neutral scalars and two pairs of charged scalars. Here, CP4 is a generalized CP symmetry with the property that (CP4) n is the identity operator only for integer n values that are multiples of 4. The form of the CP4-symmetric scalar potential is simplest when expressed in the Higgs basis, where the neutral scalar field vacuum expectation value resides entirely in one of the scalar doublet fields. The symmetries of the model permit a term in the scalar potential with a complex coefficient that cannot be removed by any redefinition of the scalar fields within the class of Higgs bases (in which case, we say that no real Higgs basis exists). A striking feature of the CP4-symmetric model is that it preserves CP even in the absence of a real Higgs basis, as illustrated by the cancellation of the contributions to the CP violating form factors of the effective ZZZ and ZWW vertices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comments on the entanglement spectrum of de Sitter space

We argue that the Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole entropy formula does not imply that the entanglement spectrum of the vacuum density matrix of de Sitter space is flat. Specifically, we show that the expectation value of a random projection operator of dimension d >> 1, on a Hilbert space of dimension D >> d and in a density matrix ρ = e –K with strictly positive spectrum, is $\frac{d}{D} \large{(}1 + o \large{(}\frac{1}{\sqrt{d}}\large{)}$, independent of the spectrum of the density matrix. In addition, for a suitable class of spectra the asymptotic estimates Tr (ρK) ~ ln D – o(1) and Tr [ρ(K – $\langle$K$\rangle$) 2 ] = a $\langle$K$\rangle$ are compatible for any order one constant a. We discuss a simple family of matrix models and projections that can replicate such modular Hamiltonians and the SdS entropy formula.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dark matter, dark radiation and gravitational waves from mirror Higgs parity

An exact parity replicates the Standard Model giving a Mirror Standard Model, SM ↔ SM ' . This “Higgs Parity” and the mirror electroweak symmetry are spontaneously broken by the mirror Higgs, ( H ' ) = v ' >> ( H ), yielding the Standard Model Higgs as a Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Boson of an approximate SU (4) symmetry, with a quartic coupling λ SM ( v ' ) ~ 10 - 3 . Mirror electromagnetism is unbroken and dark matter is composed of e ' and \( {\overline{e}}^{\prime } \) . Direct detection may be possible via the kinetic mixing portal, and in unified theories this rate is correlated with the proton decay rate. With a high reheat temperature after inflation, the e t dark matter abundance is determined by freeze-out followed by dilution from decays of mirror neutrinos, ν ' → ℓH . Remarkably, this requires v ' ~ (10 8 –10 10 ) GeV, predicting a Higgs mass of 123 ± 3 GeV at 1 σ and a Standard Model neutrino mass of (10 - 2 –10 - 1 ) eV, consistent with observed neutrino masses. The mirror QCD sector exhibits a first order phase transition producing gravitational waves that may be detected by future observations. Mirror glueballs decay to mirror photons giving dark radiation with Δ N eff ~ 0 . 03–0 . 4. With a low reheat temperature after inflation, the e ' dark matter abundance is determined by freeze-in from the SM sector by either the Higgs or kinetic mixing portal.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Celestial gluon amplitudes from the outside in

We show that, given a two-dimensional realization of the celestial OPE in self-dual Yang-Mills, we can find a scalar source around which scattering amplitudes replicate correlation functions computed from the 2D ‘gluon’ operators in a limit where a dynamic massless scalar decouples. We derive conditions on the two-dimensional three-point correlation function so that such a source exists and give two particular examples of this construction, one in which gluons are constructed from vertex operators in the semiclassical limit of Liouville theory and another in which the soft gluons arise from generalized free fields. Finally, we identify a bulk dual to the level of the boundary Kac-Moody algebra and discuss moving beyond the decoupling limit.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Higgs Parity, strong CP and dark matter

An exact spacetime parity replicates the $SU(2) \times U(1)$ electroweak interaction, the Higgs boson $H$, and the matter of the Standard Model. This "Higgs Parity" and the mirror electroweak symmetry are spontaneously broken at scale $v' = \left\langle{H'} \right\rangle \gg \left\langle{H}\right\rangle$, yielding the Standard Model below $v'$ with a quartic coupling that essentially vanishes at $v'$: $\lambda_{SM}(v') \sim 10^{-3}$. The strong CP problem is solved as Higgs parity forces the masses of mirror quarks and ordinary quarks to have opposite phases. Dark matter is composed of mirror electrons, $e'$, stabilized by unbroken mirror electromagnetism. These interact with Standard Model particles via kinetic mixing between the photon and the mirror photon, which arises at four-loop level and is a firm prediction of the theory. Physics below $v'$, including the mass and interaction of $e'$ dark matter, is described by $\textit{one fewer parameter}$ than in the Standard Model. The allowed range of $m_{e'}$ is determined by uncertainties in $(\alpha_s, m_t, m_h)$, so that future precision measurements of these will be correlated with the direct detection rate of $e'$ dark matter, which, together with the neutron electric dipole moment, will probe the entire parameter space.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effective entropy of quantum fields coupled with gravity

Entanglement entropy, or von Neumann entropy, quantifies the amount of uncertainty of a quantum state. For quantum fields in curved space, entanglement entropy of the quantum field theory degrees of freedom is well-defined for a fixed background geometry. In this paper, we propose a generalization of the quantum field theory entanglement entropy by including dynamical gravity. The generalized quantity named effective entropy, and its Renyi entropy generalizations, are defined by analytic continuation of a replica calculation. The replicated theory is defined as a gravitational path integral with multiple copies of the original boundary conditions, with a co-dimension-2 brane at the boundary of region we are studying. We discuss different approaches to define the region in a gauge invariant way, and show that the effective entropy satisfies the quantum extremal surface formula. When the quantum fields carry a significant amount of entanglement, the quantum extremal surface can have a topology transition, after which an entanglement island region appears. Our result generalizes the Hubeny-Rangamani-Takayanagi formula of holographic entropy (with quantum corrections) to general geometries without asymptotic AdS boundary, and provides a more solid framework for addressing problems such as the Page curve of evaporating black holes in asymptotic flat spacetime. We apply the formula to two example systems, a closed two-dimensional universe and a four-dimensional maximally extended Schwarzchild black hole. We discuss the analog of the effective entropy in random tensor network models, which provides more concrete understanding of quantum information properties in general dynamical geometries. We show that, in absence of a large boundary like in AdS space case, it is essential to introduce ancilla that couples to the original system, in order for correctly characterizing quantum states and correlation functions in the random tensor network. Using the superdensity operator formalism, we study the system with ancilla and show how quantum information in the entanglement island can be reconstructed in a state-dependent and observer-dependent map. We study the closed universe (without spatial boundary) case and discuss how it is related to open universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A tale of two saddles

We find a new on-shell replica wormhole in a computation of the generating functional of JT gravity coupled to matter. We show that this saddle has lower action than the disconnected one, and that it is stable under restriction to real Lorentzian sections, but can be unstable otherwise. The behavior of the classical generating functional thus may be strongly dependent on the signature of allowed perturbations. As part of our analysis, we give an LM-style construction for computing the on-shell action of replicated manifolds even as the number of boundaries approaches zero, including a type of one-step replica symmetry breaking that is necessary to capture the contribution of the new saddle. Our results are robust against quantum corrections; in fact, we find evidence that such corrections may sometimes stabilize this new saddle.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aligned yet large dipoles: a SMEFT study

We study a non-universal flavor scenario at the level of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory, according to which the matrix of Wilson coefficients cuW of an up-type electroweak quark dipole operator is aligned with the up-type Yukawa coupling. Such an alignment usually follows from the assumption of Minimal Flavor Violation (MFV), away from which we step by allowing the entries of cuW to be sizable along the first quark generations. A particular example, which we refer to as “inverse hierarchy MFV”, features Wilson coefficients inversely proportional to quark masses, and arises from BSM models respecting MFV and containing heavy fields that replicate the mass hierarchy of SM quarks. We then analyze the phenomenology driven by cuW at colliders and at lower-energy flavor experiments. We show that precision measurements of the process pp → Wh → γγℓν at FCC-hh could set an upper bound on |cuW| ≲ O (10 -2 )(Λ/TeV) 2 , with Λ the cutoff of the effective field theory. This bound is an order of magnitude stronger than the existing LHC bounds. Moreover, we estimate that Wh → b$\overline{b}$ℓν at HL-LHC could also give competitive bounds. In the low-energy regime, we consider bounds arising from rare kaon decays, which turn out to be loose, |c$_{uW}^{11}$ | < O (1)(Λ/TeV) 2 . We finally demonstrate that our flavor and operator assumptions can be derived from a weakly-coupled UV model, which we choose to simultaneously illustrate the UV origin of inverse hierarchy MFV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Glycosylation of SARS-CoV-2: structural and functional insights

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Similar to other coronaviruses, its particles are composed of four structural proteins: spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. S, E, and M proteins are glycosylated, and the N protein is phosphorylated. The S protein is involved in the interaction with the host receptor human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), which is also heavily glycosylated. Recent studies have revealed several other potential host receptors or factors that can increase or modulate the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Interestingly, most of these molecules bear carbohydrate residues. While glycans acquired by the viruses through the hijacking of the host machinery help the viruses in their infectivity, they also play roles in immune evasion or modulation. Here, glycans play complex roles in viral pathobiology, both on their own and in association with carrier biomolecules, such as proteins or glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Understanding these roles in detail can help in developing suitable strategies for prevention and therapy of COVID-19. In this review, we sought to emphasize the interplay of SARS-CoV-2 glycosylated proteins and their host receptors in viral attachment, entry, replication, and infection. Moreover, the implications for future therapeutic interventions targeting these glycosylated biomolecules are also discussed in detail.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coupling of nitric acid digestion and anion-exchange resin separation for the determination of methylmercury isotopic composition within organisms

Isotope ratios of methylmercury (MeHg) within organisms can be used to identify sources of MeHg that have accumulated in food webs, but these isotopic compositions are masked in organisms at lower trophic levels by the presence of inorganic mercury (iHg). To facilitate measurement of MeHg isotope ratios in organisms, we developed a method of extracting and isolating MeHg from fsh and aquatic invertebrates for compound-specifc isotopic analysis involving nitric acid digestion, batch anion-exchange resin separation, and pre-concentration by purge and trap. Recovery of MeHg was quantifed after each step in the procedure, and the average cumulative recovery of MeHg was 93.4±2.9% (1 SD, n=28) for biological reference materials and natural biota samples and 96.9±1.8% (1 SD, n=5) for aqueous MeHgCl standards. The amount of iHg impurities was also quantifed after each step, and the average MeHg purity was 97.8±4.3% (1 SD, n=28) across all reference materials and natural biota samples after the fnal separation step. Measured MeHg isotopic compositions of reference materials agreed with literature values obtained using other MeHg separation techniques, and MeHg isotope ratios of aqueous standards, reference materials, and natural biota samples were reproducible. On average, the reproducibility associated with reference material process replicates (2 SD) was 0.10‰ for δ 202 MeHg and 0.04‰ for Δ 199 MeHg. This new method provides a streamlined, reliable technique that utilizes a single sample aliquot for MeHg concentration and isotopic analysis. Furthermore, this promotes a tight coupling between MeHg concentration, %MeHg, and Hg isotopic composition, which may be especially benefcial for studying complex food webs with multiple isotopically distinct sources of iHg and/or MeHg.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Extracellular DNA Alters Detection of Subtle Bacterial Responses to Soil Rewetting

Microbial communities are often characterized using DNA-based sequencing, but these approaches also capture extracellular DNA (exDNA) released from dead cells, potentially altering inference about microbial responses to environmental change. This may be especially important during pulse disturbances, such as soil drying–rewetting, which can increase microbial mortality and transient necromass pools. We assessed whether exDNA altered inference about bacterial responses to drying–rewetting (an 80 mm simulated rainfall event following a 28-day drought) in conventionally tilled corn and perennial switchgrass soils. We quantified bacterial abundance (16 S rRNA gene copies), alpha diversity, and community composition in paired soil samples with exDNA included (+ exDNA) and in samples treated with propidium monoazide (PMAxx) to reduce amplification of exDNA (− exDNA). At our level of replication (n = 4), PMAxx treatment did not significantly alter overall temporal response patterns (i.e., no significant main effect of DNA treatment or DNA × time interaction). However, PMAxx treatment increased sensitivity to detect some pairwise temporal changes in bacterial abundance and community composition in corn soils following rewetting. exDNA pools were proportionally highest immediately after rewetting in corn soils, suggesting transient extracellular DNA may contribute to masking during disturbance recovery. In contrast, PMAxx treatment had comparatively small effects in switchgrass soils, which exhibited weaker temporal responses overall. Inclusion of exDNA also changed which taxa appeared most responsive to rewetting. Together, our results suggest that exDNA does not uniformly bias soil microbial inference, but may reduce detectability of subtle disturbance-driven shifts in certain soils. Future studies should advance knowledge of microbial turnover and necromass dynamics, particularly using multiple complementary methods, to help predict when exDNA is most likely to influence ecological inference.

drying-rewetting↗
DOE OSTI2015

Understanding the El Niño-like Oceanic Response in the Tropical Pacific to Global Warming

The enhanced central and eastern Pacific SST warming and the associated ocean processes under global warming are investigated using the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM), Parallel Ocean Program version 2 (POP2). The tropical SST warming pattern in the coupled CESM can be faithfully reproduced by the POP2 forced with surface fluxes computed using the aerodynamic bulk formula. By prescribing the wind stress and/or wind speed through the bulk formula, the effects of wind stress change and/or the wind-evaporation-SST (WES) feedback are isolated and their linearity is evaluated in this ocean-alone setting. Result shows that, although the weakening of the equatorial easterlies contributes positively to the El Niño-like SST warming, 80% of which can be simulated by the POP2 without considering the effects of wind change in both mechanical and thermodynamic fluxes. This result points to the importance of the air-sea thermal interaction and the relative feebleness of the ocean dynamical process in the El Niño-like equatorial Pacific SST response to global warming. On the other hand, the wind stress change is found to play a dominant role in the oceanic response in the tropical Pacific, accounting for most of the changes in the equatorial ocean current system and thermal structures, including the weakening of the surface westward currents, the enhancement of the near-surface stratification and the shoaling of the equatorial thermocline. Interestingly, greenhouse gas warming in the absence of wind stress change and WES feedback also contributes substantially to the changes at the subsurface equatorial Pacific. Further, this warming impact can be largely replicated by an idealized ocean experiment forced by a uniform surface heat flux, whereby, arguably, a purest form of oceanic dynamical thermostat is revealed.

El Niño-like response↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ascent and emplacement dynamics of obsidian lavas inferred from microlite textures

Here, to assess the eruption and emplacement of volumetrically diverse rhyolite lavas, we measured microlite number densities and orientations from samples collected from nine lavas in Yellowstone Caldera and two from Mono Craters, USA. Microlite populations are composed of Fe-Ti oxides ± alkali feldspar ± clinopyroxene. Number densities range from 10 8.11 ± 0.03 to 10 9.45 ± 0.15 cm -3 and do not correlate with distance from the vent across individual flows and are remarkably similar between large- and small-volume lavas. Together, those observations suggest that number densities are unmodified during emplacement and that ascent rates in the conduit are similar between small domes and large lava flows. Microtextures produced by continuous decompression experiments best replicate natural textures at decompression rates of 1–2 MPa hr -1 . Acicular microlites have a preferred orientation in all natural samples. Because the standard deviation of microlite orientation does not become better aligned with distance travelled, we conclude that microlites exit the conduit aligned and that strain during subaerial flow was insufficient to further align microlites. The orientations of microlite trend and plunge in near-vent samples indicate that pure shear was the dominant style of deformation in the conduit. In conclusion, we speculate that collapsing permeable foam(s) provides a mechanism to concurrently allow microlite formation and alignment in response to the combination of degassing and flattening by pure shear.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

TRACC: An open source software for processing sap flux data from thermal dissipation probes

Here, thermal dissipation probes (TDPs) have become a widely used method of monitoring plant water use in recent years. The use of TDPs requires calibration to a theoretical zero-flow value (ΔT0); usually based upon the assumption that at least some nighttime measurements represent zero-flow conditions. Fully automating the processing of data from TDPs is made exceedingly difficult due to errors arising from many sources. However, it is desirable to minimize variation arising from different researchers’ processing data, and thus, a common platform for processing data, including editing raw data and determination of ΔT0, is useful and increases the transparency and replicability of TDP-based research. Here, we present the TDP data processing software TRACC (Thermal dissipation Review Assessment Cleaning and Conversion) to serve this purpose. TRACC is an open-source software written in the language R, using graphical presentation of data and on screen prompts with yes/no or simple numerical responses. It allows the user to select several important options, such as calibration coefficients and the exclusion of nights when vapor pressure deficit does not approach zero. Although it is designed for users with no coding experience, the outputs of TRACC could be easily incorporated into more complex models or software.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Little vertical and circumferential variations in stem xylem water Δ 2 H and Δ 18 O in three tree species

Vertical and circumferential patterns of xylem water isotope signatures in large trees are rarely characterized but may influence interpretation of water source investigations and soil/xylem water isotope offsets. Furthermore, to examine vertical and circumferential variation in xylem water δ 2 H and δ 18 O, we collected xylem tissue at 5 heights (0, 1, 4, 7 and 10 m) from three replicate trees of three species with contrasting xylem anatomy, two angiosperms (Liquidambar styraciflua and Quercus nigra) and one gymnosperm (Pinus taeda). Concurrently, we also determined δ 2 H and δ 18 O of groundwater, soil water, and recent precipitation. On a different day, we collected circumferential samples at 1 m from the same trees to test for sectorality effects. Water from stem and soil samples were cryogenically extracted and analyzed for δ 2 H and δ 18 O. Mean xylem water δ 2 H and δ 18 O were significantly different between species, both vertically and circumferentially. We did not find significant (p = 0.05) systematic variation in δ 2 H or δ 18 O with height. We found no significant evidence for sectorality effects on δ 2 H, δ 18 O. Variances of vertical synoptic xylem water δ 2 H or δ 18 O were similar between species, 7.2–10.4‰ for δ 2 H and 0.58–0.81‰ for δ 18 O. Circumferential variances were also similar between species, 4.0–6.0 for δ 2 H and 0.37–0.44 for δ 18 O. A mixing model showed that sweetgum, water oak and loblolly pine, were drawing most of their water from deep soil from 45 to 190 cm (84.7, 68.4 and 53.2%, respectively) however, soil water-excess values indicate δ 2 H fractionation effects on these estimates. Dual isotope mixing model evaluation with single and multiple sample configurations showed that source water estimates were not affected by within tree variability of xylem water signatures. Xylem water δ 2 H and δ 18 O variability with height or circumference, was 3.2 and 2.7 times less than between tree variation because of transient temporal and spatial processes and is, therefore, not likely to affect interpretations of water sourcing in these three species.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗