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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

LAMP Technical Readiness Evaluation Report

An internal preliminary evaluation of Critical Technology Elements (CTEs) for the LANSCE Modernization Project (LAMP) was completed in 2023. This included determining corresponding Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) for all subsystems using the criteria of DOE G 413.3-4A, Technical Readiness Assessment Guide. This revised report includes a summary of the recent design modifications required to meet the project Key Performance Requirements (KPPs), some of which may reduce technical risk to the project. These recent design modifications include: • Further optimization of the low-energy and medium-energy beam transport regions (LEBT and MEBT, respectively), including relocation of various functional elements (ie choppers, kickers, and bunchers). • An additional H - ion source to separate ion-source function based on beam delivery requirements. • A high-repetition-rate pulsed kicker magnet to select/merge the two H ion beams into a common low-energy beam transport. • Modification and further optimization to a more conventional RFQ design. Performance of the RFQ has been optimized to deliver the required three types of beams while meeting the project KPPs. • The addition of a second chopper in the medium-energy beam transport (MEBT) line to reduce the required pulser voltages. The scope of the evaluation was limited to the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements as defined for the RFQ Injector and Drift Tube Linac (DTL) systems only. Integration of Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) and Safety Systems was not considered, although specific technologies as related to the RFQ and DTL systems were included. Other elements of the project such as Shielding, System Design, Technical Management, and additional facility integration needed to enable off-line testing and pre-installation commissioning were also not evaluated. Each technical subsystem element was evaluated for technical readiness, however, not all were found to meet the criteria for a CTE. Three subsystem elements were determined to meet the CTE criteria. Their associated TRLs are summarized in the table below. These subsystem elements of the project have the lowest technical readiness due to either being new, novel or modified, requiring additional R&D before being capable of meeting the project Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and subsystem requirements, or present technology exists but has not yet been demonstrated in a relevant environment. All other subsystems were determined to have a TRL of 8, indicating that actual operating systems exist having similar performance requirements as needed for LAMP. Details of the technical readiness evaluation for each subsystem is given in the following sections of this report.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Closeout Report of BNL LDRD 23-050 A Second EIC Detector: Physics Case and Conceptual Design

This document is the closeout report for LDRD 23-050, a type-A LDRD project awarded in FY2022 under the title “ A Second EIC Detector: Physics Case and Conceptual Design ”. The project was motivated by the strong interest within the EIC community in a second general-purpose detector and interaction region, and by the recognition that such a detector is essential to fully exploit the scientific potential of the EIC over its multi-decade lifetime. The key goals of the LDRD were to (i) strengthen the case for a second EIC detector, building on the arguments already articulated in the community Yellow Report, (ii) provide a realistic detector concept that is complementary to the current project detector, ePIC, in terms of physics reach, precision, and control of systematics, and (iii) broaden the overall physics program of the EIC facility. Since a possible second detector is expected to be realized with a delay of several years relative to the first detector, the project explicitly aimed at identifying technologies that are not yet sufficiently mature for ePIC but could be deployed on the later timescale of a second detector, thereby providing genuine complementarity and room for innovation. LDRD 23-050 provided support for two postdoctoral researchers and partial support for several BNL staff members, and the effort ramped up in mid-2023. Work was carried out in close collaboration with colleagues from the EIC project, the Cold QCD and STAR groups at BNL, and with substantial input from members of the EIC User Group and the ePIC Collaboration as reflected in the author list. Over the period from October 2022 through September 2025, this team developed and refined a physics program tailored to a second detector, translated the resulting physics requirements into detector-level performance targets, and explored multiple conceptual detector layouts capable of meeting these targets within the constraints of the second interaction region. The expected outcome, as stated in the original proposal, was a document detailing the physics potential and requirements of a second EIC detector, accompanied by a comprehensive conceptual detector design and an outline of the remaining R&D needed to bring the relevant technologies to maturity. The present report summarizes the progress that has been achieved toward these goals. It consolidates the physics studies, detector concepts, and technology assessments developed under this LDRD and places them in the broader context of worldwide detector R&D. While the evolving priorities of the EIC project and the substantial community effort required to design and construct ePIC naturally limited the scope of EIC-wide activities toward a second detector during this period, the work documented here is intended to provide a foundation and a point of reference for future efforts. Whatever form a second EIC detector may ultimately take, we hope that this report will serve as a useful guide for colleagues who continue to advance this program in the near- and mid-term future.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering of niobium surfaces through accelerated neutral atom beam technology for quantum applications

A major roadblock to scalable quantum computing is phase decoherence and energy relaxation caused by qubits interacting with defect-related two-level systems (TLSs). Native oxides present on the surfaces of superconducting metals used in quantum devices are acknowledged to be a source of TLS that decrease qubit coherence times. Reducing microwave loss by “surface engineering” (i.e., replacing the uncontrolled native oxide of superconducting metals with a thin, stable surface with predictable characteristics) can be a key enabler for pushing performance forward with devices of higher intrinsic quality factor. In this work, we present a novel approach to replace the native oxide of niobium (typically formed in an uncontrolled fashion when its pristine surface is exposed to air) with an engineered oxide, using a room-temperature process that leverages accelerated neutral atom beam (ANAB) technology at 300 mm wafer scale. This ANAB is composed of a mixture of argon and oxygen, with tunable energy per atom, which is rastered across the wafer surface. The ANAB-engineered Nb-oxide thickness was found to vary from 2 to 6 nm depending on ANAB process parameters. The modeling of variable-energy x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data confirms the thickness and compositional control of Nb surface oxide by the ANAB process. Furthermore, these results correlate well with those from transmission electron microscopy and x-ray reflectometry. Since ANAB is broadly applicable to material surfaces, the present study indicates its promise for modification of the surfaces of superconducting quantum circuits to achieve longer coherence times.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1983

Active control technology development at NASA

It is noted that the large space systems deployable by means of the Space Shuttle will have increased flexibility, and therefore unprecedented interaction between control and other subsystems. Open loop performance in such systems would be grossly inadequate, prompting active control method development to achieve the required performance levels. The structures in question encompass those of projected science and communications platforms, interplanetary space transportation systems, and manned permanent space stations.

Dahlgren, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS2000

HTMT-class Latency Tolerant Parallel Architecture for Petaflops Scale Computation

Computational Aero Sciences and other numeric intensive computation disciplines demand computing throughputs substantially greater than the Teraflops scale systems only now becoming available. The related fields of fluids, structures, thermal, combustion, and dynamic controls are among the interdisciplinary areas that in combination with sufficient resolution and advanced adaptive techniques may force performance requirements towards Petaflops. This will be especially true for compute intensive models such as Navier-Stokes are or when such system models are only part of a larger design optimization computation involving many design points. Yet recent experience with conventional MPP configurations comprising commodity processing and memory components has shown that larger scale frequently results in higher programming difficulty and lower system efficiency. While important advances in system software and algorithms techniques have had some impact on efficiency and programmability for certain classes of problems, in general it is unlikely that software alone will resolve the challenges to higher scalability. As in the past, future generations of high-end computers may require a combination of hardware architecture and system software advances to enable efficient operation at a Petaflops level. The NASA led HTMT project has engaged the talents of a broad interdisciplinary team to develop a new strategy in high-end system architecture to deliver petaflops scale computing in the 2004/5 timeframe. The Hybrid-Technology, MultiThreaded parallel computer architecture incorporates several advanced technologies in combination with an innovative dynamic adaptive scheduling mechanism to provide unprecedented performance and efficiency within practical constraints of cost, complexity, and power consumption. The emerging superconductor Rapid Single Flux Quantum electronics can operate at 100 GHz (the record is 770 GHz) and one percent of the power required by convention semiconductor logic. Wave Division Multiplexing optical communications can approach a peak per fiber bandwidth of 1 Tbps and the new Data Vortex network topology employing this technology can connect tens of thousands of ports providing a bi-section bandwidth on the order of a Petabyte per second with latencies well below 100 nanoseconds, even under heavy loads. Processor-in-Memory (PIM) technology combines logic and memory on the same chip exposing the internal bandwidth of the memory row buffers at low latency. And holographic storage photorefractive storage technologies provide high-density memory with access a thousand times faster than conventional disk technologies. Together these technologies enable a new class of shared memory system architecture with a peak performance in the range of a Petaflops but size and power requirements comparable to today's largest Teraflops scale systems. To achieve high-sustained performance, HTMT combines an advanced multithreading processor architecture with a memory-driven coarse-grained latency management strategy called "percolation", yielding high efficiency while reducing the much of the parallel programming burden. This paper will present the basic system architecture characteristics made possible through this series of advanced technologies and then give a detailed description of the new percolation approach to runtime latency management.

Sterling, Thomas↗
DOE OSTI2026

Asynchronous Grid Connections Providing Fast-Frequency Response: System Integration Study

This paper presents an integration study for the recent power electronic-based fast-frequency response technology, "asynchronous grid connection" which operates as an aggregator for behind-the-meter resources and distributed generators. Both technical feasibility and techno-economic viability studies are presented. The fast-frequency response characteristics, validated against Power Hardware-in-the-Loop experiments, are integrated into an IEEE 9- bus system in DigSilent PowerFactory for system-level dynamic analysis. It demonstrates that droop-based control enhancements to local distributed generators allow their aggregation to provide grid-supporting functionalities and participate in the ancillary service markets. To this end, a long-term simulation embedding the system within the ancillary service market framework of PJM has been performed. The fast-frequency response regulation is subsequently used to calculate the potential revenue and project the results on a 15-year investment horizon. Finally, the techno-economic analysis provides recommendations for enhancements to access the full potential of distributed generators on a technical and regulatory level.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Comprehensive Simulation Study to Evaluate Future Vehicle Energy and Cost Reduction Potential

Under the umbrella of EERE’s Office of Sustainable Transportation, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) seek to develop sustainable, affordable, and efficient technologies for transportation of goods and people. Translating investments in advanced transportation component technologies and powertrains to estimate the potential for vehicle-level fuel savings is critical to understanding DOE’s impact and success in this mission For this study, Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) simulated technologies funded by VTO and HFTO for light-duty vehicles across the following: Powertrain configurations (conventional, power-split hybrid electric vehicle, extended-range electric vehicle, battery electric drive, and fuel-cell vehicles); Vehicle classes (compact car, mid-size car, small sport utility vehicle [SUV], mid-size SUV, and pickup truck); Fuels (gasoline, diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, and battery electricity). We assessed each technology for five different timeframes: laboratory years 2015 (reference), 2020, 2025, 2030, and 2045. We assumed a delay of 5 years between laboratory year and model year (i.e., the year the technology is introduced into production). Finally, we included uncertainties for both technology performance and cost by considering two cases (note that these cases are not intended as predictions of future performance): Low case , aligned with DOE technology manager estimates of expected original equipment manufacturer (OEM) improvements based on business as usual regulatory and market environments; High case , aligned with aggressive technology advancements based on research and development (R&D) targets developed through support by VTO and HFTO. We estimated the energy and cost impact of different technologies using Autonomie (Argonne undated), a state-of-the-art vehicle system simulation tool developed by Argonne and used to assess the energy consumption, performance, and cost of multiple advanced vehicle technologies. The tool comprises a complete set of vehicle models to assess impacts across a wide range of classes (from light- to heavy-duty), powertrain configurations (from conventional to hybrid electric vehicles [HEVs], fuel cell electric vehicles [FCEVs], plug-in hybrid electric vehicles [PHEVs], and battery electric vehicles [BEVs]), components, and control strategies, including vehicle-level and component-level controls developed and calibrated using dynamometer test data. Autonomie has been used to support a wide range of studies: analyzing various component technologies, sizing powertrain components to meet different vehicle requirements, comparing the benefits of powertrain configurations, optimizing both heuristic and route-based vehicle energy control, and predicting transportation energy use when paired with a traffic modeling tool such as POLARIS. This report documents the assumptions made and the vehicle-level energy consumption benefits and associated technology costs estimated for various types of light-duty vehicles. Details regarding vehicle assumptions and simulation results are available in the spreadsheets accompanying this report.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Research and Development on Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices Enabling a Spectrum of Electrified Vehicles

The USABC Advanced Battery development plan had the following three focus areas: 1. Existing technology validation, implementation, and cost reduction 2. Identification of the next viable technology with emphasis on the potential to meet USABC cost and energy density goals. 3. Support high-risk, high-reward battery technology R&D The primary aim of this project was focused on the barriers that most impede wider public adoption of electrification in vehicles-cost, energy density, low-temp performance, calendar life, and improvements in abuse tolerance. The specific objectives are as follows: Cost Reduction: drive to significantly reduce battery cost to be in-line with the $\$$100/kWh or less (by the end of calendar year 2020) DOE cost goals. Additionally, goals of $\$$75/KWh were set for 2023 aligned with fast charge and some offset of energy density. Energy Density Increase: focus on improving the cell-level specific energy and energy densities to >350 watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) and >750Wh/L. Low Temperature Performance Increase: strive toward developments that improve the discharge power and eliminate or dramatically reduce the life limiting lithium plating associated with regenerative braking at low temperatures, during the program. Calendar Life Increase: drive to achieve a 15-year calendar life. Abuse Tolerance Improvement: strive to develop improvements in Li-ion abuse tolerance and/or development of electrochemical energy storage technologies with inherently better response to abuse circumstances. Emerging Areas: initiate new programs that address emerging technologies that arise during the contract period.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Annual simulation of photovoltaic retrofits within existing parabolic trough concentrating solar powerplants

Solar power for electricity production comes from either photovoltaics or concentrating solar power plants. The former has seen rapid growth and expansion due to the rapid fall in global prices, while the latter has seen moderate growth due to ability to cheaply store thermal energy for later use. Hybridization, or combining photovoltaics with concentrating solar power represents a potential way for lowering cost while enabling long term storage. Over 5 GW of capacity exist worldwide using parabolic trough style technology for concentrating solar power which presents a unique option for optimization in the form of a photovoltaic retrofit. While it is possible to analyze the performance with detailed physics models, it is necessary to create a model that can handle simulating the plant level performance to fully understand the potential performance. Here, the first utility scale plant level model of a hybrid photovoltaic-concentrating solar power plant is developed. The model is applied to existing concentrating solar power plants around the world utilizing RP-3 mirrors without thermal energy storage to understand the impact on electricity production. Model results indicate that the photovoltaic retrofit can increase yearly electricity production by up to 30% for plants with solar multiples exceeding 1.5, and that increasing the fraction of solar energy reflected further increases the yield. The increased electrical production declines as the plant solar multiple is decreased. The minimum LCOE observed was $0.07/kWh for plants with larger solar multiple and fraction of solar energy reflected to the PV is 50% of the total aperture.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Relation between interfacial shear and friction force in 2D materials

Understanding the interfacial properties between an atomic layer and its substrate is of key interest at both the fundamental and technological levels. From Fermi level pinning to strain engineering and superlubricity, the interaction between a single atomic layer and its substrate governs electronic, mechanical and chemical properties. Here, we measure the hardly accessible interfacial transverse shear modulus of an atomic layer on a substrate. By performing measurements on bulk graphite, and on epitaxial graphene films on SiC with different stacking orders and twisting, as well as in the presence of intercalated hydrogen, we find that the interfacial transverse shear modulus is critically controlled by the stacking order and the atomic layer–substrate interaction. Importantly, we demonstrate that this modulus is a pivotal measurable property to control and predict sliding friction in supported two-dimensional materials. The experiments demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between friction force per unit contact area and interfacial shear modulus. As a result, the same relationship emerges from simulations with simple friction models, where the atomic layer– substrate interaction controls the shear stiffness and therefore the resulting friction dissipation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Are there differences in public interest toward automated vehicles’ ownership in burdened and non-burdened communities?

This study examines differences in public interest toward automated vehicle (AV) adoption between burdened communities (BCs) and non-burdened communities (non-BCs). The study uniquely captures travel behavior by integrating the census tract-level community indicators with the 2017–2019 Puget Sound Household Travel Survey. Public interest in AV ownership is modeled as a five-level ordered outcome, ranging from ‘Not interested at all’ to ‘Very interested.’ Segmented ordered logit models and Random Forest are used to identify key drivers and barriers to AV adoption across BCs and non-BCs. Results show that longer commute times, lack of personal vehicles, and concerns about AV performance in adverse weather conditions are significantly associated with higher interest levels toward owning AVs in BCs. In conclusion, the findings offer insights for developing targeted policies to promote AV adoption and address differences between BCs and non-BCs in accessing emerging transportation technologies.

Automated vehicles↗
DOE OSTI2020

reV (The Renewable Energy Potential Model - Open Source) [SWR-21-59, SWR-20-20 and SWR-17-34]

The Renewable Energy Potential (reV) model is a platform for the detailed assessment of renewable energy resources and their geospatial intersection with grid infrastructure and land use characteristics. The reV model currently supports photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and land-based wind turbine technologies. Modules in the reV framework function at different spatial and temporal resolutions, allowing for the assessment of resource potential, technical potential, and supply curves at varying levels of detail. The platform runs on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) high-performance computing system, providing scalable and efficient performance from a single location up to a continent, for a single year or decades of time-series resource data. Coupled with NREL’s System Advisor Model (SAM), reV supports resource assessments from 5-minute to hourly temporal resolutions and supports the analysis of long-term (i.e., year-on-year) variability of renewable generation (e.g., interannual variability and exceedance probabilities).

Maclaurin, Galen↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of Defect Physics for Efficient, Durable and Ubiquitous Perovskite Solar Modules (Final Technical Report)

Organometal halide perovskite solar cells have experienced eye-catching improvements in its recent few years. It serves as one of the most promising candidates to replace the currently widely used silicon-based solar modules. To implement its final step to the real application, functional longevity becomes the dernier continent to conquer. As a polycrystalline material, defect plays critical role in the efficiency and stability of the perovskite solar cells. Thus, the investigation of the defect physics of the perovskite layer is indispensable in this research field. However, hard evidence and a consensus are still lacking in terms of the specific nature of the defects and their effects on performance and hysteresis, and perhaps even more importantly, there is absence of fundamental understanding of the correlations between the defects and long-term operational stability of the device. A more fundamental understanding of the nature of defects in perovskite materials is of paramount importance to progress their efficiency and durability. In this work we propose in-depth studies of correlations of defects with performance and stability of perovskite solar cells. Our project aimed 1) to investigate the defects physics in perovskite solar cells, and 2) to develop a comprehensive understanding and physical model of defects and its influence on performance and stability of perovskite solar cells. With the support from program manager, Peter Lobaccaro, and the Solar Energy Technologies Office of U.S. Department of Energy, the project ends with impact achievements. Our research results have systematically provided strategies to analyze the influences of constructive molecular configurations to the charged defects in the perovskite lattices and developed in-depth understanding of chemical additive approach to improve the perovskite solar cell performance and stability. As history has shown us, control over defect properties of semiconductor materials is the key to achieving high performance and low cost devices. Therefore, the potential impact of unlocking the understanding and manipulation of defects in perovskites is great, enabling this technology to realize SETO goals. The research project is highly productive with 18 published papers in three years in top-level journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Journal of American Chemistry Society, Joule, Advanced Materials, and Nano Letters. These works have drawn great attention nationwide with notable total citations over 700 times from 2020 to 2022.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1976

Energy and Economic Trade Offs for Advanced Technology Subsonic Aircraft

Changes in future aircraft technology which conserve energy are studied, along with the effect of these changes on economic performance. Among the new technologies considered are laminar-flow control, composite materials with and without laminar-flow control, and advanced airfoils. Aircraft design features studied include high-aspect-ratio wings, thickness ratio, and range. Engine technology is held constant at the JT9D level. It is concluded that wing aspect ratios of future aircraft are likely to significantly increase as a result of new technology and the push of higher fuel prices. Composite materials may raise aspect radio to about 11 to 12 and practical laminar flow-control systems may further increase aspect ratio to 14 or more. Advanced technology provides significant reductions in aircraft take-off gross weight, energy consumption, and direct operating cost.

Maddalon, D. V.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Energy and economic trade offs for advanced technology subsonic aircraft

Changes in future aircraft technology which conserve energy are studied, along with the effect of these changes on economic performance. Among the new technologies considered are laminar-flow control, composite materials with and without laminar-flow control, and advanced airfoils. Aircraft design features studied include high-aspect-ratio wings, thickness ratio, and range. Engine technology is held constant at the JT9D level. It is concluded that wing aspect ratios of future aircraft are likely to significantly increase as a result of new technology and the push of higher fuel prices. Whereas current airplanes have been designed for AR = 7, supercritical technology and much higher fuel prices will drive aspect ratio to the AR = 9-10 range. Composite materials may raise aspect ratio to about 11-12 and practical laminar flow-control systems may further increase aspect ratio to 14 or more. Advanced technology provides significant reductions in aircraft take-off gross weight, energy consumption, and direct operating cost.

Maddalon, D. V.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Psychophysical Research in Development of a Fiber-optic Helmet Mounted Display

The Fiber Optic Helmet Mounted Display (FOHMD) was conceived as an innovative solution to existing flight simulator display deficiencies. An initial (breadboard) version of the system was fabricated to permit experimentation which would help define design requirements for a more refined engineering prototype. A series of visual/human factors studies are being conducted at the USAF Human Resources Laboratory (AFHRL) Operations Training Division, Williams AFB, Arizona to determine the optimum fit of human observer operating characteristics and fiber optic helmet mounted display technology. Pilot performance within a variety of high resolution insert/binocular overlap combinations is being assessed in two classes of environment. The first two of four studies planned incorporate an air-to-air combat environment, whereas the second two studies will use a low level environment with air to ground weapons delivery.

Kruk, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The space station assembly phase: Flight telerobotic servicer feasibility. Volume 2: Methodology and case study

A methodology is described for examining the feasibility of a Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) using two assembly scenarios, defined at the EVA task level, for the 30 shuttle flights (beginning with MB-1) over a four-year period. Performing all EVA tasks by crew only is compared to a scenario in which crew EVA is augmented by FTS. A reference FTS concept is used as a technology baseline and life-cycle cost analysis is performed to highlight cost tradeoffs. The methodology, procedure, and data used to complete the analysis are documented in detail.

Smith, Jeffrey H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

GTEX: An expert system for diagnosing faults in satellite ground stations

A proof of concept expert system called Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at The University of Akron in collaboration with NASA Lewis Research Center. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosing data faults occurring with a digital ground terminal. This strategy can also be applied to the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology. An expert system which detects and diagnoses faults would enhance the performance of the VSAT by improving reliability and reducing maintenance time. GTEX is capable of detecting faults, isolating the cause and recommending appropriate actions. Isolation of faults is completed to board-level modules. A graphical user interface provides control and a medium where data can be requested and cryptic information logically displayed. Interaction with GTEX consists of user responses and input from data files. The use of data files provides a method of simulating dynamic interaction between the digital ground terminal and the expert system. GTEX as described is capable of both improving reliability and reducing the time required for necessary maintenance.

Schlegelmilch, Richard F.↗