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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 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Comparative analysis of the use of various solid-state laser media for the self-starting of four-wave PCW generation in a loop laser resonator

A generalised theory has been used to carry out a comparative analysis of the use of various four-level and quasi-threelevel media for the self-starting of degenerate four-wave mixing PCW generation directly in a laser medium placed in a loop resonator. It has been shown that quasi-three-level media can compete with four-level media at long upper laser level lifetimes and increased pump intensities. The most attractive solid-state laser media for four-wave PCW generation have been identified that have the highest deposited energy at a given pump intensity. In addition to neodymium-doped crystals, which are already widely used for four-wave PCW generation, promising materials are fourlevel chromium-doped media, e.g. alexandrite and Cr : LiCAF, and quasi-three-level media with the longest upper laser level lifetime, such as Yb : YAG and Tm, Ho : YAG, at high pump intensities. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Comparative analysis of post-focal filamentation of focused UV and IR laser pulses in air

We report the results of laboratory experiments and numerical calculations of the spatial position and structure of a plasma channel produced in air by high-power focused femtosecond laser radiation with wavelengths of 740 and 248 nm as a result of its self-focusing and filamentation. A comparative analysis of the physical patterns of filamentation of IR and UV laser beams with variations in the beam focal length, transverse size and power is performed. It is found that a plasma channel beyond the linear focal waist of the laser beam is formed differently for two different spectral ranges. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Theorem of comparative sensitivity of fibre sensors

We report an analysis of sensitivity of fibre sensors of physical quantities based on different types of interferometers. We formulate and prove the following theorem: under the time-dependent external physical perturbations at nonzero frequencies (i.e., except the static and low-frequency ones) on the sensitive arms of an interferometer in the form of multiturn elements (coils), there exist such lengths L of the measuring arms of the fibre interferometers at which the sensitivity of sensors based on the Sagnac fibre interferometers can be comparable with the sensitivity of sensors based on Michelson, Mach – Zehnder, or Fabry – Perot fibre interferometers, as well as exceed it under similar other conditions (similar-type perturbations, similar arm lengths and single-mode fibre types). The consequences that follow from the theorem, important for practical implementation of arrays of fibre sensors for measurement purposes and the devices with stable metrological properties, are discussed. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Comparative analysis of 2D spatio-temporal visualisation techniques for the pulsed THz-radiation field using an electro-optic crystal

Two 2D techniques for visualising the field of pulsed THz radiation (‘shadow’ and ‘interferometric’), which are based on the linear electro-optical effect with application of a ZnTe detector crystal 1 × 1 cm in size, are compared. The noise level and dynamic range for the aforementioned techniques are analysed and their applicability limits are discussed. (thz radiation)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comparative genomics of biotechnologically important yeasts

Significance The highly diverse Ascomycete yeasts have enormous biotechnological potential. Collectively, these yeasts convert a broad range of substrates into useful compounds, such as ethanol, lipids, and vitamins, and can grow in extremes of temperature, salinity, and pH. We compared 29 yeast genomes with the goal of correlating genetics to useful traits. In one rare species, we discovered a genetic code that translates CUG codons to alanine rather than canonical leucine. Genome comparison enabled correlation of genes to useful metabolic properties and showed the synteny of the mating-type locus to be conserved over a billion years of evolution. Our study provides a roadmap for future biotechnological exploitations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Push it to the limit: comparing periodic and local approaches to density functional theory for intermolecular interactions

With the aim of systematically comparing two popular approaches to density functional theory–all-electron calculations with local basis sets, and periodic calculations employing plane wave basis sets and norm-conserving pseudopotentials–we have computed complete-basis binding energies across the S22 set of intermolecular interactions, a dataset consisting of noncovalent interactions of small- and medium-sized molecules containing first- and second-row atoms, using the Troullier-Martins norm-conserving pseudopotentials with SPW92, a local spin-density approximation; and PBE, a generalised gradient approximation. Here, we have found that it is challenging to reach the basis set limit with these periodic calculations; for the methods and systems examined, a minimum vacuum distance of 30 Å between a system and its nearest images is necessary–unless some form of dipole correction is employed–as is a kinetic energy cutoff of at least 80 Ry. The trends in convergence with respect to vacuum size and kinetic energy cutoff are largely independent of the level of density functional approximation employed. A sense of the impact of each hyperparameter on basis set error provides a foundation for ensuring quality calculations in future studies and allows us to quantify the basis set errors incurred in existing studies on similar systems.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comparative Analysis of Standard and Advanced USL Methodologies for Nuclear Criticality Safety

The American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society national standards 8.1 and 8.24 provide guidance on the requirements and recommendations for establishing confidence in the results of the computerized models used to support operation with fissionable materials. By design, the guidance is not prescriptive, leaving freedom to the analysts to determine how the various sources of uncertainties are to be statistically aggregated. Due to the involved use of statistics entangled with heuristic recipes, the resulting safety margins are often difficult to interpret. Also, these technical margins are augmented by additional administrative margins, which are required to ensure compliance with safety standards or regulations, eliminating the incentive to understand their differences. With the new resurgent wave of advanced nuclear systems, e.g., advanced reactors, fuel cycles, and fuel concepts, focused on economizing operation, there is a strong need to develop a clear understanding of the uncertainties and their consolidation methods to reduce them in manners that can be scientifically defended. In response, the current studies compare the analyses behind four notable methodologies for upper subcriticality limit estimation that have been documented in the nuclear criticality safety literature: the parametric, nonparametric, Whisper, and TSURFER methodologies. Specifically, the work offers a deep dive into the various assumptions of the noted methodologies, their adequacies, and their limitations to provide guidance on developing confidence for the emergent nuclear systems that are expected to be challenged by the scarcity of experimental data. Here, to limit the scope, the current work focuses on the application of these methodologies to criticality safety experiments, where the goal is to calculate a bias, a bias uncertainty, and a tolerance limit for k eff in support of determining an upper subcriticality limit for nuclear criticality safety.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling freight mode choice using machine learning classifiers: a comparative study using Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) data

This study explores the usefulness of machine learning classifiers for modeling freight mode choice. We investigate eight commonly used machine learning classifiers, namely Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, K-Nearest Neighbors, Classification and Regression Tree, Random Forest, Boosting and Bagging, along with the classical Multinomial Logit model. US 2012 Commodity Flow Survey data are used as the primary data source; we augment it with spatial attributes from secondary data sources. The performance of the classifiers is compared based on prediction accuracy results. The current research also examines the role of sample size and training-testing data split ratios on the predictive ability of the various approaches. In addition, the importance of variables is estimated to determine how the variables influence freight mode choice. The results show that the tree-based ensemble classifiers perform the best. Specifically, Random Forest produces the most accurate predictions, closely followed by Boosting and Bagging. With regard to variable importance, shipment characteristics, such as shipment distance, industry classification of the shipper and shipment size, are the most significant factors for freight mode choice decisions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Comparing Methods for Assessing Reliability Uncertainty Based on Pass/Fail Data Collected Over Time

In this paper, we compare statistical methods for analyzing pass/fail data collected over time; some methods are traditional and one (the RADAR or Rationale for Assessing Degradation Arriving at Random) was recently developed. These methods are used to provide uncertainty bounds on reliability. We make observations about the methods' assumptions and properties. Finally, we illustrate the differences between two traditional methods, logistic regression and Weibull failure time analysis, and the RADAR method using a numerical example.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Comparing Measures of Average Color Fidelity

The introduction of new measures of color rendition, especially IES TM-30-15, has stirred debate within the lighting industry on the relative merits of the tools, as well as the amount of difference between the new tools and prior tools, such as CIE Ra. This article focuses on comparing three measures of average color fidelity: IES Rf, CIE Ra, and CIE Rf. Using a large set of commercially-available, experimental, and theoretical spectral power distributions (SPDs), the analysis contrasts past efforts to make similar comparisons using smaller or more focused datasets. It highlights the interactive effect of gamut shape and color space non-uniformity, which results in a range of IES Rf values of at least to 50 to 86 for SPDs having a CIE Ra value of 80. It also examines how these differences can be overlooked in psychophysical experiments relying on a small number of SPDs, which can present misleading findings on the value and meaning of the measures. When considering the results, it is important to remember that average color fidelity is only one aspect of color rendition.

Royer, Michael P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Comparing the economic performance of ice storage and batteries for buildings with on-site PV through model predictive control and optimal sizing

Integrating renewable energy and energy storage systems provides a way of operating the electrical grid system more energy efficiently and stably. Thermal storage and batteries are the most common devices for integration. However, it is not clear which integrated storage system performs better in terms of overall economics. Ice storage has low initial and maintenance costs, but there is an efficiency penalty for charging of storage and it can only shift electrical loads associated with building cooling requirements. A battery's round-trip efficiency, on the contrary, is quite consistent and batteries can be used to shift both HVAC and non-HVAC loads. However, batteries have greater initial costs and a shorter life. Finally, this research presents a tool, using model predictive control and optimal sizing, and provides a case study for comparing life-cycle economics of battery and ice storage systems for commercial buildings that have chillers for cooling and an on-site photovoltaic system.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Do people spend travel time the way they think they would? a comparative study of generic and trip-specific travel time allocation using hybrid multiple discrete continuous (MDC) framework

Unlike driving alone, public transportation allows one to engage in extraneous activities while traveling – often referred to as travel-based multitasking. Research involving travel-based multitasking often relies on either generic (i.e. not related to an actual trip) or revealed (i.e. related to an executed trip) data. The data collected for this study provided a unique opportunity to compare the generic and trip-specific preferences while traveling on public transportation. To this end, the study develops two integrated choice and latent variable models with multiple discrete-continuous (MDC) kernels to simultaneously model the activity selection and the time allocation for generic and trip-specific data, respectively. According to the results the trip-specific data could identify more nuances in the travel-based multitasking behavior than the generic data. Finally, the heterogeneity identified by the developed models will be helpful for the transit operators in providing appropriate facilities (e.g. internet access, reading lights) along various transit corridors.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OPTICAL/ULTRAVIOLET VARIABILITY OF NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 AND BROAD-LINE SEYFERT 1 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

The ensemble optical/ultraviolet (UV) variability of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1)-type active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated, based on a sample selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 region with multi-epoch photometric scanning data. As a comparison, a control sample of broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1)-type AGNs is also incorporated. To quantify properly the intrinsic variation amplitudes and their uncertainties, a novel method of parametric maximum likelihood is introduced that has, as we argued, certain virtues over previously used methods. The majority of NLS1-type AGNs exhibit significant variability on timescales from about 10 days to a few years with, however, smaller amplitudes on average compared to BLS1-type AGNs. About 20 NLS1-type AGNs that show relatively large variations are presented and may deserve future monitoring observations, for instance, reverberation mapping. The averaged structure functions of variability, constructed using the same maximum likelihood method, show remarkable similarity in shape for the two types of AGNs on timescales longer than about 10 days, which can be approximated by a power law or an exponential function. This, along with other similar properties, such as the wavelength-dependent variability, is indicative of a common dominant mechanism responsible for the long-term optical/UV variability of both NLS1- and BLS1-type AGNs. Toward the short timescales, however, there is tentative evidence that the structure function of NLS1-type AGNs continues to decline, whereas that of BLS1-type AGNs flattens with some residual variability on timescales of days. If this can be confirmed, it may suggest that an alternative mechanism, such as X-ray reprocessing, starts to dominate in BLS1-type AGNs, but not in NLS1-type AGNs, on such timescales.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Comparing narrow- and broad-line AGNs in a new diagnostic diagram for emission-line galaxies based on WISE data

Using a new color–color diagnostic diagram in the mid-infrared (MIR) built from WISE data, the MIRDD, we compare narrow-emission-line galaxies (NELGs) that exhibit different activity types (star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), i.e., LINERs, Seyfert 2 galaxies (Sy2s), and Transition-type Objects (TOs)), as determined using one standard diagnostic diagram in the optical (BPT–VO), with broad-line AGNs (QSOs and Sy1s) and BL Lac objects at low redshift (z⩽0.25). We show that the BL Lac objects occupy the same region as the LINERs in the MIRDD, whereas the QSOs and Sy1s occupy an intermediate region between the LINERs and the Sy2s. In the MIRDD these galaxies trace a sequence that can be reproduced by a power law, F{sub ν}=ν{sup α}, where the spectral index, α, varies from 0 to −2, which is similar to what is observed in the optical/ultraviolet part of the spectra of AGNs with different luminosities. For the NELGs with different activity types, we perform a stellar-population synthesis analysis, confirming that their specific positions in the MIRD depend on their star formation histories (SFH) and demonstrating that the W2−W3 color is tightly correlated with the level of star formation in their host galaxies. In good agreement with the SFH analysis, a comparison of their MIR colors with the colors yielded by spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies with different activity types shows that the SED of the LINERs is similar to the SEDs of the QSOs and Sy1s, consistent with AGN galaxies with mild star formation, whereas the SEDs of the Sy2s and TOs are consistent with AGN galaxies with strong star formation components. For the BL Lac objects, we show that their blue MIR colors can only be fitted with an SED that has no star formation component, consistent with AGNs in elliptical-type galaxies. From their similarities in MIR colors and SEDs, we infer that, in the nearby universe, the level of star formation activity most probably increases in the host galaxies of emission-line galaxies with different activity types along the sequence BL Lac → LINER → QSO/Sy1 → Sy2 → TO → SFG.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

MODELING PLANETARY SYSTEM FORMATION WITH N-BODY SIMULATIONS: ROLE OF GAS DISK AND STATISTICS COMPARED TO OBSERVATIONS

During the late stage of planet formation, when Mars-sized cores appear, interactions among planetary cores can excite their orbital eccentricities, accelerate their merging, and thus sculpt their final orbital architecture. This study contributes to the final assembling of planetary systems with N-body simulations, including the type I or II migration of planets and gas accretion of massive cores in a viscous disk. Statistics on the final distributions of planetary masses, semimajor axes, and eccentricities are derived and are comparable to those of the observed systems. Our simulations predict some new orbital signatures of planetary systems around solar mass stars: 36% of the surviving planets are giant planets (>10 M{sub +}). Most of the massive giant planets (>30 M{sub +}) are located at 1-10 AU. Terrestrial planets are distributed more or less evenly at <1-2 AU. Planets in inner orbits may accumulate at the inner edges of either the protostellar disk (3-5 days) or its magnetorotational instability dead zone (30-50 days). There is a planet desert in the mass-eccentricity diagram, i.e., a lack of planets with masses 0.005-0.08M{sub J} in highly eccentric orbits (e > 0.3-0.4). The average eccentricity ({approx}0.15) of the giant planets (>10 M{sub +}) is greater than that ({approx}0.05) of the terrestrial planets (<10 M{sub +}). A planetary system with more planets tends to have smaller planet masses and orbital eccentricities on average.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

FEEDBACK FROM CENTRAL BLACK HOLES IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES: TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODELS COMPARED TO ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS

We extend the black hole (BH) feedback models of Ciotti, Ostriker, and Proga to two dimensions. In this paper, we focus on identifying the differences between the one-dimensional and two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. We examine a normal, isolated L{sub *} galaxy subject to the cooling flow instability of gas in the inner regions. Allowance is made for subsequent star formation, Type Ia and Type II supernovae, radiation pressure, and inflow to the central BH from mildly rotating galactic gas which is being replenished as a normal consequence of stellar evolution. The central BH accretes some of the infalling gas and expels a conical wind with mass, momentum, and energy flux derived from both observational and theoretical studies. The galaxy is assumed to have low specific angular momentum in analogy with the existing one-dimensional case in order to isolate the effect of dimensionality. The code then tracks the interaction of the outflowing radiation and winds with the galactic gas and their effects on regulating the accretion. After matching physical modeling to the extent possible between the one-dimensional and two-dimensional treatments, we find essentially similar results in terms of BH growth and duty cycle (fraction of the time above a given fraction of the Eddington luminosity). In the two-dimensional calculations, the cool shells forming at 0.1-1 kpc from the center are Rayleigh-Taylor unstable to fragmentation, leading to a somewhat higher accretion rate, less effective feedback, and a more irregular pattern of bursting compared with the one-dimensional case.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE BINARY FRACTION IN THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER M10 (NGC 6254): COMPARING CORE AND OUTER REGIONS

We study the binary fraction of the globular cluster M10 (NGC 6254) as a function of the radius from the cluster core to the outskirts, by means of a quantitative analysis of the color distribution of stars relative to the fiducial main sequence. By taking advantage of two data sets, acquired with the Advanced Camera for Survey and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we have studied both the core and the external regions of the cluster. The binary fraction is found to decrease from {approx}14% within the core, to {approx}1.5% in a region between 1 and 2 half-mass radii from the cluster center. Such a trend and the derived values are in agreement with previous results obtained in clusters of comparable total magnitude. The estimated binary fraction is sufficient to account for the suppression of mass segregation observed in M10, without any need to invoke the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole in its center.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

COMPARING THE EFFECT OF RADIATIVE TRANSFER SCHEMES ON CONVECTION SIMULATIONS

We examine the effect of different radiative transfer schemes on the properties of three-dimensional (3D) simulations of near-surface stellar convection in the superadiabatic layer, where energy transport transitions from fully convective to fully radiative. We employ two radiative transfer schemes that fundamentally differ in the way they cover the 3D domain. The first solver approximates domain coverage with moments, while the second solver samples the 3D domain with ray integrations. By comparing simulations that differ only in their respective radiative transfer methods, we are able to isolate the effect that radiative efficiency has on the structure of the superadiabatic layer. We find the simulations to be in good general agreement, but they show distinct differences in the thermal structure in the superadiabatic layer and atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗