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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 1,351 records · Page 75
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Quantifying (dis)agreement between direct detection experiments in a halo-independent way

We propose an improved method to study recent and near-future dark matter direct detection experiments with small numbers of observed events. Our method determines in a quantitative and halo-independent way whether the experiments point towards a consistent dark matter signal and identifies the best-fit dark matter parameters. To achieve true halo independence, we apply a recently developed method based on finding the velocity distribution that best describes a given set of data. For a quantitative global analysis we construct a likelihood function suitable for small numbers of events, which allows us to determine the best-fit particle physics properties of dark matter considering all experiments simultaneously. Based on this likelihood function we propose a new test statistic that quantifies how well the proposed model fits the data and how large the tension between different direct detection experiments is. We perform Monte Carlo simulations in order to determine the probability distribution function of this test statistic and to calculate the p-value for both the dark matter hypothesis and the background-only hypothesis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Zoomed high-resolution simulations of Multi-coupled Dark Energy: cored galaxy density profiles at high redshift

We perform for the first time high-resolution zoom-in re-simulations of individual halos in the context of the Multi-coupled Dark Energy (McDE) scenario, which is characterised by the existence of two distinct Dark Matter particle species with opposite couplings to a Dark Energy scalar field. We compare the structural properties of the simulated halos to the standard ΛCDM results. The zoomed-in initial conditions are set up using a specifically designed code called ZInCo that we publicly release along with the present paper. Our numerical results allow to investigate in detail and with unprecedented resolution the halo segregation process that characterises McDE cosmologies from its very early stages. In particular, we find that in contrast to what could be inferred from previous numerical analysis at lower resolution, the segregation process is already in place at redshifts as high as z ∼ 7. Most remarkably, we find that the subsequent evolution of the segregation leads to the formation of cored total matter density profiles with a core size that progressively increases in time. The shape of the cored profiles can be accurately predicted as the superposition of two NFW profiles with an increasing offset, thereby confirming the interpretation of the simulations results in terms of the segregation of the two dark matter components of the halo as a consequence of their different coupling to the Dark Energy field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Web-based, GPU-accelerated, Monte Carlo simulation and visualization of indirect radiation imaging detector performance

Purpose: Monte Carlo simulations play a vital role in the understanding of the fundamental limitations, design, and optimization of existing and emerging medical imaging systems. Efforts in this area have resulted in the development of a wide variety of open-source software packages. One such package, hybridMANTIS, uses a novel hybrid concept to model indirect scintillator detectors by balancing the computational load using dual CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) processors, obtaining computational efficiency with reasonable accuracy. In this work, the authors describe two open-source visualization interfaces, webMANTIS and visualMANTIS to facilitate the setup of computational experiments via hybridMANTIS. Methods: The visualization tools visualMANTIS and webMANTIS enable the user to control simulation properties through a user interface. In the case of webMANTIS, control via a web browser allows access through mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. webMANTIS acts as a server back-end and communicates with an NVIDIA GPU computing cluster that can support multiuser environments where users can execute different experiments in parallel. Results: The output consists of point response and pulse-height spectrum, and optical transport statistics generated by hybridMANTIS. The users can download the output images and statistics through a zip file for future reference. In addition, webMANTIS provides a visualization window that displays a few selected optical photon path as they get transported through the detector columns and allows the user to trace the history of the optical photons. Conclusions: The visualization tools visualMANTIS and webMANTIS provide features such as on the fly generation of pulse-height spectra and response functions for microcolumnar x-ray imagers while allowing users to save simulation parameters and results from prior experiments. The graphical interfaces simplify the simulation setup and allow the user to go directly from specifying input parameters to receiving visual feedback for the model predictions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monte Carlo simulation of PET and SPECT imaging of {sup 90}Y

Purpose: Yittrium-90 ({sup 90}Y) is traditionally thought of as a pure beta emitter, and is used in targeted radionuclide therapy, with imaging performed using bremsstrahlung single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). However, because {sup 90}Y also emits positrons through internal pair production with a very small branching ratio, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is also available. Because of the insufficient image quality of {sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung SPECT, PET imaging has been suggested as an alternative. In this paper, the authors present the Monte Carlo-based simulation–reconstruction framework for {sup 90}Y to comprehensively analyze the PET and SPECT imaging techniques and to quantitatively consider the disadvantages associated with them. Methods: Our PET and SPECT simulation modules were developed using Monte Carlo simulation of Electrons and Photons (MCEP), developed by Dr. S. Uehara. PET code (MCEP-PET) generates a sinogram, and reconstructs the tomography image using a time-of-flight ordered subset expectation maximization (TOF-OSEM) algorithm with attenuation compensation. To evaluate MCEP-PET, simulated results of {sup 18}F PET imaging were compared with the experimental results. The results confirmed that MCEP-PET can simulate the experimental results very well. The SPECT code (MCEP-SPECT) models the collimator and NaI detector system, and generates the projection images and projection data. To save the computational time, the authors adopt the prerecorded {sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung photon data calculated by MCEP. The projection data are also reconstructed using the OSEM algorithm. The authors simulated PET and SPECT images of a water phantom containing six hot spheres filled with different concentrations of {sup 90}Y without background activity. The amount of activity was 163 MBq, with an acquisition time of 40 min. Results: The simulated {sup 90}Y-PET image accurately simulated the experimental results. PET image is visually superior to SPECT image because of the low background noise. The simulation reveals that the detected photon number in SPECT is comparable to that of PET, but the large fraction (approximately 75%) of scattered and penetration photons contaminates SPECT image. The lower limit of {sup 90}Y detection in SPECT image was approximately 200 kBq/ml, while that in PET image was approximately 100 kBq/ml. Conclusions: By comparing the background noise level and the image concentration profile of both the techniques, PET image quality was determined to be superior to that of bremsstrahlung SPECT. The developed simulation codes will be very useful in the future investigations of PET and bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging of {sup 90}Y.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Fiber-Optic System Generating Pulses of High Spectral Density

A cascade fiber-optic system that generates pulses of high spectral density by using the effect of nonlinear spectral compression is proposed. It is demonstrated that the shape of the pulse envelope substantially influences the degree of compression of its spectrum. In so doing, maximum compression is achieved for parabolic pulses. The cascade system includes an optical fiber exhibiting normal dispersion that decreases along the fiber length, thereby ensuring that the pulse envelope evolves toward a parabolic shape, along with diffraction gratings and a fiber spectral compressor. Based on computer simulation, we determined parameters of cascade elements leading to maximum spectral density of radiation originating from a subpicosecond laser pulse of medium energy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Transition micromagnetic structures in asymmetric vortexlike domain walls (Static solutions and dynamic reconstructions)

The possible types of transition structures with a three-dimensional magnetization distribution over regions in the vortex asymmetric domain walls that exist in magnetically uniaxial soft magnetic films with in-plane anisotropy are studied by computer simulation in terms of a micromagnetic approach. It is shown that the possible structure types include both the type of vertical Bloch lines that was discussed earlier in other works and new types, namely, singular (Bloch) points and clusters consisting of vertical Bloch lines and Bloch points. The spatial configurations of the transition structures are calculated and their topological properties are found. The numerical simulation of the dynamics of closely spaced substructure regions reveals various scenarios of their interaction, including annihilation accompanied by energy release and the excitation of nonlinear waves.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Emittance growth in the DARHT Axis-II Downstream Transport

Using a particle-in-cell (PIC) code, we investigated the possibilities for emittance growth through the quadrupole magnets of the system used to transport the high-current electron beam from an induction accelerator to the bremsstrahlung converter target used for flash radiography. We found that even highly mismatched beams exhibited little emittance growth (< 6%), which we attribute to softening of their initial hard edge current distributions. We also used this PIC code to evaluate the accuracy of emittance measurements using a solenoid focal scan following the quadrupole magnets. If the beam is round after the solenoids, the simulations indicate that the measurement is highly accurate, but it is substantially inaccurate for elliptical beams

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Validation of MCNP6 Version 1.0 with the ENDF/B-VII.1 Cross Section Library for Uranium Metal, Oxide, and Solution Systems on the High Performance Computing Platform Moonlight

In this document, the code MCNP is validated with ENDF/B-VII.1 cross section data under the purview of ANSI/ANS-8.24-2007, for use with uranium systems. MCNP is a computer code based on Monte Carlo transport methods. While MCNP has wide reading capability in nuclear transport simulation, this validation is limited to the functionality related to neutron transport and calculation of criticality parameters such as k eff .

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

eRHIC ERL modeling in Zgoubi

This Note discusses on-going work regarding the modeling of eRHIC ERL in the ray-tracing code Zgoubi. The various pieces of the recirculator puzzle, their optical properties and their assemblage into an operational input data file in are addressed. The Note reports in particular on preparatory stages toward extensive end-to-end 6D polarized electron bunch transport simulations, which yield methods, as well a series of preliminary qualitative outcomes, discussed as well.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Formation of massive primordial stars: intermittent UV feedback with episodic mass accretion

We present coupled stellar evolution (SE) and 3D radiation-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of the evolution of primordial protostars, their immediate environment, and the dynamic accretion history under the influence of stellar ionizing and dissociating UV feedback. Our coupled SE RHD calculations result in a wide diversity of final stellar masses covering 10 M{sub ⊙} ≲ M {sub *} ≲ 10{sup 3} M{sub ⊙}. The formation of very massive (≳250 M{sub ⊙}) stars is possible under weak UV feedback, whereas ordinary massive (a few ×10 M{sub ⊙}) stars form when UV feedback can efficiently halt the accretion. This may explain the peculiar abundance pattern of a Galactic metal-poor star recently reported by Aoki et al., possibly the observational signature of very massive precursor primordial stars. Weak UV feedback occurs in cases of variable accretion, in particular when repeated short accretion bursts temporarily exceed 0.01 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, causing the protostar to inflate. In the bloated state, the protostar has low surface temperature and UV feedback is suppressed until the star eventually contracts, on a thermal adjustment timescale, to create an H ii region. If the delay time between successive accretion bursts is sufficiently short, the protostar remains bloated for extended periods, initiating at most only short periods of UV feedback. Disk fragmentation does not necessarily reduce the final stellar mass. Quite the contrary, we find that disk fragmentation enhances episodic accretion as many fragments migrate inward and are accreted onto the star, thus allowing continued stellar mass growth under conditions of intermittent UV feedback. This trend becomes more prominent as we improve the resolution of our simulations. We argue that simulations with significantly higher resolution than reported previously are needed to derive accurate gas mass accretion rates onto primordial protostars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A COMPARISON OF GALAXY COUNTING TECHNIQUES IN SPECTROSCOPICALLY UNDERSAMPLED REGIONS

Accurate measures of galactic overdensities are invaluable for precision cosmology. Obtaining these measurements is complicated when members of one’s galaxy sample lack radial depths, most commonly derived via spectroscopic redshifts. In this paper, we utilize the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s Main Galaxy Sample to compare seven methods of counting galaxies in cells when many of those galaxies lack redshifts. These methods fall into three categories: assigning galaxies discrete redshifts, scaling the numbers counted using regions’ spectroscopic completeness properties, and employing probabilistic techniques. We split spectroscopically undersampled regions into three types—those inside the spectroscopic footprint, those outside but adjacent to it, and those distant from it. Through Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the preferred counting techniques are a function of region type, cell size, and redshift. We conclude by reporting optimal counting strategies under a variety of conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

HELIOS: AN OPEN-SOURCE, GPU-ACCELERATED RADIATIVE TRANSFER CODE FOR SELF-CONSISTENT EXOPLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

We present the open-source radiative transfer code named HELIOS, which is constructed for studying exoplanetary atmospheres. In its initial version, the model atmospheres of HELIOS are one-dimensional and plane-parallel, and the equation of radiative transfer is solved in the two-stream approximation with nonisotropic scattering. A small set of the main infrared absorbers is employed, computed with the opacity calculator HELIOS-K and combined using a correlated-k approximation. The molecular abundances originate from validated analytical formulae for equilibrium chemistry. We compare HELIOS with the work of Miller-Ricci and Fortney using a model of GJ 1214b, and perform several tests, where we find: model atmospheres with single-temperature layers struggle to converge to radiative equilibrium; k-distribution tables constructed with ≳0.01 cm{sup −1} resolution in the opacity function (≲10{sup 3} points per wavenumber bin) may result in errors ≳1%–10% in the synthetic spectra; and a diffusivity factor of 2 approximates well the exact radiative transfer solution in the limit of pure absorption. We construct “null-hypothesis” models (chemical equilibrium, radiative equilibrium, and solar elemental abundances) for six hot Jupiters. We find that the dayside emission spectra of HD 189733b and WASP-43b are consistent with the null hypothesis, while the latter consistently underpredicts the observed fluxes of WASP-8b, WASP-12b, WASP-14b, and WASP-33b. We demonstrate that our results are somewhat insensitive to the choice of stellar models (blackbody, Kurucz, or PHOENIX) and metallicity, but are strongly affected by higher carbon-to-oxygen ratios. The code is publicly available as part of the Exoclimes Simulation Platform (exoclime.net).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The long-term centimeter variability of active galactic nuclei: a new relation between variability timescale and accretion rate

We study the long-term (≈30 years) radio variability of 43 radio-bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by exploiting the database of the University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory monitoring program. We model the periodograms (temporal power spectra) of the observed light curves as simple power-law noise (red noise, spectral power P(f)∝f{sup −β}) using Monte Carlo simulations, taking into account windowing effects (red-noise leak, aliasing). The power spectra of 39 (out of 43) sources are in good agreement with the models, yielding a range in power spectral index (β) from ≈1 to ≈3. We fit a Gaussian function to each flare in a given light curve to obtain the flare duration. We discover a correlation between β and the median duration of the flares. We use the derivative of a light curve to obtain a characteristic variability timescale, which does not depend on the assumed functional form of the flares, incomplete fitting, and so on. We find that, once the effects of relativistic Doppler boosting are corrected for, the variability timescales of our sources are proportional to the accretion rate to the power of 0.25 ± 0.03 over five orders of magnitude in accretion rate, regardless of source type. We further find that modeling the periodograms of four of our sources requires the assumption of broken power-law spectra. From simulating light curves as superpositions of exponential flares, we conclude that strong overlap of flares leads to featureless simple power-law periodograms of AGNs at radio wavelengths in most cases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Unifying the Micro and Macro Properties of AGN Feeding and Feedback

We unify the feeding and feedback of supermassive black holes with the global properties of galaxies, groups, and clusters by linking for the first time the physical mechanical efficiency at the horizon and megaparsec scale. The macro hot halo is tightly constrained by the absence of overheating and overcooling as probed by X-ray data and hydrodynamic simulations (ε{sub BH}≃10{sup −3} T{sub x,7.4}). The micro flow is shaped by general-relativistic effects tracked by state-of-the-art GR-RMHD simulations (ε{sub ∙}≃0.03). The supermassive black hole properties are tied to the X-ray halo temperature T{sub x}, or related cosmic scaling relation (as L{sub x}). The model is minimally based on first principles, such as conservation of energy and mass recycling. The inflow occurs via chaotic cold accretion (CCA), the rain of cold clouds condensing out of the quenched cooling flow and then recurrently funneled via inelastic collisions. Within 100s gravitational radii, the accretion energy is transformed into ultrafast 10{sup 4} km s{sup −1} outflows (UFOs) ejecting most of the inflowing mass. At larger radii, the energy-driven outflow entrains progressively more mass: at roughly kiloparsec scale, the velocities of the hot/warm/cold outflows are a few 10{sup 3}, 1000, and 500 km s{sup −1}, with median mass rates ∼ 10, 100, and several 100 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, respectively. The unified CCA model is consistent with the observations of nuclear UFOs and ionized, neutral, and molecular macro outflows. We provide step-by-step implementation for subgrid simulations, (semi)analytic works, or observational interpretations that require self-regulated AGN feedback at coarse scales, avoiding the a-posteriori fine-tuning of efficiencies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Stellar Mass Function of Active and Quiescent Galaxies via the Continuity Equation

The continuity equation is developed for the stellar mass content of galaxies and exploited to derive the stellar mass function of active and quiescent galaxies over the redshift range z∼0--8. The continuity equation requires two specific inputs gauged from observations: (i) the star formation rate functions determined on the basis of the latest UV+far-IR/submillimeter/radio measurements and (ii) average star formation histories for individual galaxies, with different prescriptions for disks and spheroids. The continuity equation also includes a source term taking into account (dry) mergers, based on recent numerical simulations and consistent with observations. The stellar mass function derived from the continuity equation is coupled with the halo mass function and with the SFR functions to derive the star formation efficiency and the main sequence of star-forming galaxies via the abundance-matching technique. A remarkable agreement of the resulting stellar mass functions for active and quiescent galaxies of the galaxy main sequence, and of the star formation efficiency with current observations is found; the comparison with data also allows the characteristic timescales for star formation and quiescence of massive galaxies, the star formation history of their progenitors, and the amount of stellar mass added by in situ star formation versus that contributed by external merger events to be robustly constrained. The continuity equation is shown to yield quantitative outcomes that detailed physical models must comply with, that can provide a basis for improving the (subgrid) physical recipes implemented in theoretical approaches and numerical simulations, and that can offer a benchmark for forecasts on future observations with multiband coverage, as will become routinely achievable in the era of JWST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Demonstration of fully coupled simplified extended station black-out accident simulation with RELAP-7

The RELAP-7 code is the next generation nuclear reactor system safety analysis code being developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The RELAP-7 code develop-ment effort started in October of 2011 and by the end of the second development year, a number of physical components with simplified two phase flow capability have been de-veloped to support the simplified boiling water reactor (BWR) extended station blackout (SBO) analyses. The demonstration case includes the major components for the primary system of a BWR, as well as the safety system components for the safety relief valve (SRV), the reactor core isolation cooling (RCIC) system, and the wet well. Three scenar-ios for the SBO simulations have been considered. Since RELAP-7 is not a severe acci-dent analysis code, the simulation stops when fuel clad temperature reaches damage point. Scenario I represents an extreme station blackout accident without any external cooling and cooling water injection. The system pressure is controlled by automatically releasing steam through SRVs. Scenario II includes the RCIC system but without SRV. The RCIC system is fully coupled with the reactor primary system and all the major components are dynamically simulated. The third scenario includes both the RCIC system and the SRV to provide a more realistic simulation. This paper will describe the major models and dis-cuss the results for the three scenarios. The RELAP-7 simulations for the three simplified SBO scenarios show the importance of dynamically simulating the SRVs, the RCIC sys-tem, and the wet well system to the reactor safety during extended SBO accidents.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Preliminary study of nuclear fuel element testing based on coded source neutron imaging

Neutron radiography (NR) is one of the most important nondestructive testing methods, which is sensitive to low density materials. Especially, Neutron transfer imaging method could be used to test radioactivity materials refraining from γ effect, but it is difficult to realize tomography. Coded source neutron imaging (CSNI) is a newly NR method developed fast in the last several years. The distance between object and detector is much longer than traditional NR, which could be used to test radioactivity materials. With pre-reconstruction process from fold-cover projections, CSNI could easily realize tomography. This thesis carries out preliminary study on the nuclear fuel element testing by coded source neutron imaging. We calculate different enrichment, flaws and activity in nuclear fuel elements tested by CSNI with Monte-Carlo simulation. The results show that CSNI could be a useful testing method for nuclear fuel element testing. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Modeling thermochemistry of fuel and coupling to fuel performance codes

A thermochemical library, Thermochimica, utilizes new algorithms and solvers designed for calculating equilibria of multicomponent and multiphase systems and has been coupled to the nuclear fuel performance code BISON. Thermochimica utilizes a generalized thermochemical database for urania-based fuels that has been under development for a number of years and continues to be expanded. One of the key motivations for use of thermodynamic models is that they can better represent the physics of oxygen migration. The coupling of the BISON code with Thermochimica and examples of its use in representing fuel phenomena are described. In the current implementation in BISON, fluxes are driven by the elemental concentration gradient. However, equilibrium is characterized by the absence of spatial variations of chemical potentials of the system species/components. The driving force to equilibrium (species flux) is proportional to the deviation from equilibrium, i.e., the gradient in chemical potential. It is therefore necessary to integrate chemical potential driven diffusion in the BISON representation of oxygen transport. The diffusion kernels based on thermodynamic models have been developed to simulate multicomponent transport in light water reactor (LWR) materials. The Thermochimica library was used to calculate various thermodynamics properties needed for transport calculations. The library also can calculate properties that are specific to various transport mechanisms for different fuel materials. For example, it can calculate defect site fractions among the sublattices in oxide fuels as a function of temperature, burnup, and stoichiometry. The transport and thermodynamic models are being integrated with other simulation efforts such as calculation of mobility functions that couple fluxes and chemical gradients. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗