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At least 145 records · Page 8

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-xJR NEON Jornada LTER (JORN)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xJR NEON Jornada LTER (JORN). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xJR NEON Jornada LTER (JORN) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - Land use at Jornada has contrasting livestock grazing histories (including ungrazed lands), dating back to 1902, which are representative of the pervasive land use in desert-southwest wildlands. Historical accounts of the region report significant changes in vegetation starting in the late 1800s coincident with the expansion of livestock grazing. By 1912, sufficiently dramatic changes lead area scientists and private landowners to convince the U.S. government to set aside Public Domain Lands for the Jornada Range Reserve for the purpose of scientific investigation on shrub invasion and subsequent loss of forage grasses. Much of this early research focused on quantifying utilization levels for forage species, developing livestock production strategies to deal with drought, and developing methods for shrub control and grass recovery. Exclosures were constructed and long-term plots were established throughout the range to monitor the continued expansion of shrubs across the landscape. Over the decades, numerous trials of various remediation approaches were implemented, from manual and mechanical shrub removal to herbicide application to construction of terraces or other means of redirecting surface flow of runoff.

Network), NEON (National Ecological Observatory↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-xSC NEON Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSC NEON Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSC NEON Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) site is a mid-continent forested eastern deciduous site, species include Oaks, Hickories, and Ash, and contains well defined ground cover and understory strata.

Network), NEON (National Ecological Observatory↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-xSJ NEON San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSJ NEON San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSJ NEON San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - Located at The San Joaquin Experimental Range, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, this 18.2 kilometer terrestrial field site is a mix of open woodlands, shrubs and grasslands with low density cattle grazing. SJER is an ecosystem research experimental area. It was originally conceived as a cooperative interdisciplinary research center to identify cost-effect methods of commercial livestock production in the annual grass-oak pine woodlands, while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. More recently, research objectives have expanded and diversified to include research projects making contributions to our knowledge of the patterns and processes working in this ecosystem.

Network), NEON (National Ecological Observatory↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-xSL NEON North Sterling, CO (STER)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSL NEON North Sterling, CO (STER). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSL NEON North Sterling, CO (STER) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The North Sterling site, located outside of Sterling in Northeastern Colorado, is characterized by flat terrain and represents an agronomic site within urban and formerly urban areas. The site is at the edge of a non-tilled experimental field that is used for the long-term sustainable Dryland Agroecosystems Project (DAP), which was initiated in 1985 at three sites in eastern Colorado (Sterling, Stratton, and Walsh) to evaluate the effects of cropping intensity on production, water use efficiency and selected soil chemical and physical properties. The DAP site was established in 1985 and was chosen because of representative soils present in the catena.

Network), NEON (National Ecological Observatory↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-xWD NEON Woodworth (WOOD)

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xWD NEON Woodworth (WOOD). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xWD NEON Woodworth (WOOD) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Northern Plains-Woodworth site (Woodworth), is a restored prairie in an undulating matrix of small lakes, ponds and ephemeral water bodies (re. prairie potholes). The site is administered by the Department of the Interior (DOI), National Fish and Wildlife, National Wildlife Refuge. The Northern Plains-Woodworth site is located at ~ 3 miles SE of the town of Woodworth, ND. The Northern Plains-Woodworth site is part of the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge and is at the center of one of the largest roadless blocks of native prairie left in the Upper Great Plains.

Network), NEON (National Ecological Observatory↗

Light-curve analysis of neon novae

We analyzed light curves of five neon novae, QU Vul, V351 Pup, V382 Vel, V693 CrA, and V1974 Cyg, and determined their white dwarf (WD) masses and distance moduli on the basis of theoretical light curves composed of free–free and photospheric emission. For QU Vul, we obtained a distance of d ∼ 2.4 kpc, reddening of E(B − V) ∼ 0.55, and WD mass of M{sub WD} = 0.82–0.96 M{sub ⊙}. This suggests that an oxygen–neon WD lost a mass of more than ∼0.1 M{sub ⊙} since its birth. For V351 Pup, we obtained d∼5.5 kpc, E(B−V)∼0.45, and M{sub WD}=0.98–1.1 M{sub ⊙}. For V382 Vel, we obtained d∼1.6 kpc, E(B−V)∼0.15, and M{sub WD}=1.13–1.28 M{sub ⊙}. For V693 CrA, we obtained d∼7.1 kpc, E(B−V)∼0.05, and M{sub WD}=1.15–1.25 M{sub ⊙}. For V1974 Cyg, we obtained d∼1.8 kpc, E(B−V)∼0.30, and M{sub WD}=0.95–1.1 M{sub ⊙}. For comparison, we added the carbon–oxygen nova V1668 Cyg to our analysis and obtained d∼5.4 kpc, E(B−V)∼0.30, and M{sub WD}=0.98–1.1 M{sub ⊙}. In QU Vul, photospheric emission contributes 0.4–0.8 mag at most to the optical light curve compared with free–free emission only. In V351 Pup and V1974 Cyg, photospheric emission contributes very little (0.2–0.4 mag at most) to the optical light curve. In V382 Vel and V693 CrA, free–free emission dominates the continuum spectra, and photospheric emission does not contribute to the optical magnitudes. We also discuss the maximum magnitude versus rate of decline relation for these novae based on the universal decline law.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Predicting spring phenology in deciduous broadleaf forests: NEON phenology forecasting community challenge

Accurate models are important to predict how global climate change will continue to alter plant phenology and near-term ecological forecasts can be used to iteratively improve models and evaluate predictions that are made a priori. The Ecological Forecasting Initiative's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Forecasting Challenge, is an open challenge to the community to forecast daily greenness values, measured through digital images collected by the PhenoCam Network at NEON sites before the data are collected. For the first round of the challenge, which is presented here, we forecasted canopy greenness throughout the spring at eight deciduous broadleaf sites to investigate when, where, and for what model type phenology forecast skill is highest. A total of 192,536 predictions were submitted, representing eighteen models, including a persistence and a day of year mean null models. We found that overall forecast skill was highest when forecasting earlier in the greenup curve compared to the end, for shorter lead times, for sites that greened up earlier, and when submitting forecasts during times other than near budburst. The models based on day of year historical mean had the highest predictive skill across the challenge period. In this first round of the challenge, by synthesizing across forecasts, we started to elucidate what factors affect the predictive skill of near-term phenology forecasts.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Forced flow cooling of high field, REBCO-based, fusion magnets using supercritical hydrogen, helium, and neon

Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) tapes are being considered for the Toroidal Field (TF) magnets of a highly compact, high field fusion reactor operating at magnetic fields as high as 21 T and operating temperatures in the range of 10–30 K. Due to the increase in range of operating conditions made available through HTS tapes, a new set of cryogenic fluids are being considered for forced flow cooling. The present study investigates helium, hydrogen, and neon as a forced flow coolant for REBCO HTS tapes used in a highly compact, high-field reactor design. Four design criteria are considered, including current sharing temperature, fluid inlet temperature, cable pressure drop (dP), and operating pressure. From these simulations, neon is removed from consideration due to its high required pressure drop and low temperature margins with respect to the current sharing limit. Helium and hydrogen are then compared, with hydrogen producing the highest overall heat transfer rate at its optimum operating condition (1.5 MPa/15 K). A compromise across inlet temperature, dP, and operating pressure is found when helium has a minimum initial temperature of 10 K and an inlet pressure of 2.0 MPa. For the current design, helium is selected as a coolant due its acceptable cable pressure drop, required cooling load, and system complexity inherent to a forced-flow cryogenic system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Tracking seasonal variability in plant traits from spaceborne PRISMA and NEON AOP across forest types and ecoregions

Plant traits serve as critical indicators of how plants adapt to environmental changes and influence ecosystem functions. While airborne hyperspectral remote sensing effectively maps plant traits through detailed reflectance properties, it is limited by cost and scale, making large-scale and temporal studies challenging. The recently launched spaceborne hyperspectral imager, PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA), offers frequent, large scale and high-fidelity observations on a spatial resolution of 30 m and a revisit time of around 29 days, making it suitable for large-scale seasonal trait mapping. However, their potential remains largely unexplored. This study developed a multi-stage framework by leveraging the PRISMA spaceborne hyperspectral data and National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) hyperspectral data to investigate the seasonal dynamics of four key plant traits — chlorophyll content, carotenoid content, equivalent water thickness, and nitrogen content — across eleven NEON sites representing diverse forest types and ecoregions in the contiguous U.S. Our results demonstrated that PRISMA hyperspectral data can reliably track seasonal variability in plant traits, achieving overall R 2 values ranging from 0.78 to 0.88 and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) values ranging from 5.4% to 8.4% for the four traits. Seasonal patterns revealed bell-shaped trajectories for chlorophyll and carotenoids, while equivalent water thickness decreased steadily across most sites, driven by structural changes during leaf maturation and senescence. Nitrogen content exhibited less pronounced seasonal variation but followed expected nutrient resorption patterns. Analysis of environmental drivers showed that seasonal variability is primarily controlled by solar radiation and day length in northern sites, vapor pressure in semi-arid regions, and temperature in mid-southeastern sites. Spatial variability, meanwhile, was primarily driven by soil properties, particularly during the peak growing season. However, the influence of soil variables slightly declines toward the end of the season at several sites, as climatic factors become more prominent. This study highlights the capability of PRISMA, and potentially other similar spaceborne hyperspectral data for large-scale, time-series plant trait mapping and provides valuable insights into the interactions between plant traits and environmental factors. In conclusion, these findings contribute to advancing our understanding of plant functional ecology and improving predictions of ecosystem responses to environmental changes.

Environmental drivers↗

Single electrons on solid neon as a solid-state qubit platform

Progress towards the realization of quantum computers requires persistent advances in their constituent building blocks-qubits. Novel qubit platforms that simultaneously embody long coherence, fast operation and large scalability offer compelling advantages in the construction of quantum computers and many other quantum information systems 1-3 . Electrons, ubiquitous elementary particles of non-zero charge, spin and mass, have commonly been perceived as paradigmatic local quantum information carriers. Despite superior controllability and configurability, their practical performance as qubits through either motional or spin states depends critically on their material environment 3-5 . In this work, we report our experimental realization of a qubit platform based on isolated single electrons trapped on an ultraclean solid neon surface in vacuum 6-13 . By integrating an electron trap in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture 14-20 , we achieve strong coupling between the motional states of a single electron and a single microwave photon in an on-chip superconducting resonator. Qubit gate operations and dispersive readout are implemented to measure the energy relaxation time T 1 of 15 μs and phase coherence time T 2 over 200 ns. These results indicate that the electron-on-solid-neon qubit already performs near the state of the art for a charge qubit 21 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Shatter Thresholds and Fragment Size Distributions of Deuterium–Neon Mixture Cryogenic Pellets for Tokamak Thermal Mitigation

Reliable mitigation is necessary to eliminate the detrimental effects of a disruption event in large high-current tokamaks such as ITER. To avoid serious damage to plasma-facing components during the thermal quench phase of a disruption, material is injected to radiate the plasma energy over the inner surface of the machine. The most promising method of material injection is a process known as shattered pellet injection (SPI). SPI utilizes cryogenic cooling to desublimate gas into the barrel of a pipe gun to form a solid pellet. High-pressure gas or a mechanical punch is used to dislodge the pellet and accelerate it into a bent tube to intentionally fracture it. Pellets made of a mixture of deuterium and neon are likely candidates for thermal mitigation. The survivability of these pellets throughout their flight path, before striking the shatter tube, is essential for reliable SPI operation. Experiments were conducted to determine intact speed limits for various mixtures. In this paper, we outline the details of brittle fracture theory and compare a theory-based model to experimental results from various mixtures of deuterium and neon pellets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

LCLS in—photon out: fluorescence measurement of neon using soft x-rays

Here, we measured the fluorescence photon yield of neon upon soft x-ray ionization (~1200 eV) from the x-ray free-electron laser at Linac Coherent Light Source, and demonstrated the usage of a grazing incidence spectrometer with a variable line spacing grating to perform x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy on a gas phase system. Our measurements also allowed us to estimate the focal size of the beam from the theoretical description developed, in terms of the rate equation approximation accounting for photoionization shake off of neutral neon and double auger decay of single core holes.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Spatial fractionation of the dose using neon and heavier ions: A Monte Carlo study

Purpose: This work explores a new radiation therapy approach which might trigger a renewed use of neon and heavier ions to treat cancers. These ions were shown to be extremely efficient in radioresistant tumor killing. Unfortunately, the efficient region also extends into the normal tissue in front of the tumor. The strategy the authors propose is to profit from the well-established sparing effect of thin spatially fractionated beams, so that the impact on normal tissues might be minimized while a high tumor control is achieved. The main goal of this work is to provide a proof of concept of this new approach. With that aim, a dosimetric study was carried out as a first step to evaluate the interest of further explorations of this avenue. Methods: The GATE/GEANT4 v.6.1 Monte Carlo simulation platform was employed to simulate arrays of rectangular minibeams (700 μm × 2 cm) of four ions (Ne, Si, Ar, and Fe). The irradiations were performed with a 2 cm-long spread-out Bragg peak centered at 7 cm-depth. Dose distributions in a water phantom were scored considering two minibeams center-to-center distances: 1400 and 3500 μm. Peak and valley doses, peak-to-valley dose ratios (PVDRs), beam penumbras, and relative contribution of nuclear fragments and electromagnetic processes were assessed as figures of merit. In addition, the type and proportion of the secondary nuclear fragments were evaluated in both peak and valley regions. Results: Extremely high PVDR values (>100) and low valley doses were obtained. The higher the atomic number (Z) of the primary ion is, the lower the valleys and the narrower the penumbras. Although the yield of secondary nuclear products increases with Z, the actual dose being deposited by the secondary nuclear fragments in the valleys starts to be the dominant contribution at deeper points, helping in the sparing of proximal normal tissues. Additionally, a wider center-to-center distance leads to a minimized contribution of heavier secondary fragments in valleys. Conclusions: The computed dose distributions suggest that a spatial fractionation of the dose combined to the use of submillimetric field sizes might allow profiting from the high efficiency of neon and heavier ions for the treatment of radioresistant tumors, while preserving normal tissues. The authors’ results support the further exploration of this avenue. Next steps include the realization of biological experiment to confirm the shifting of normal tissue complication probability curves.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

State-Selective Double Photoionization of Atomic Carbon and Neon

Double photoionization (DPI) allows for a sensitive and direct probe of electron correlation, which governs the structure of all matter. For atoms, much of the work in theory and experiment that informs our fullest understanding of this process has been conducted on helium, and efforts continue to explore many-electron targets with the same level of detail to understand the angular distributions of the ejected electrons in full dimensionality. Expanding on previous results, we consider here the double photoionization of two 2p valence electrons of atomic carbon and neon and explore the possible continuum states that are connected by dipole selection rules to the coupling of the outgoing electrons in 3P, 1D, and 1S initial states of the target atoms. Carbon and neon share these possible symmetries for the coupling of their valence electrons. Results are presented for the energy-sharing single differential cross section (SDCS) and triple differential cross section (TDCS), further elucidating the impact of the initial state symmetry in determining the angular distributions that are impacted by the correlation that drives the DPI process.

Yip, Frank L. (ORCID:000000025409495X)↗

Neon isotopes cancel errors in gas laser

Neon isotopes cancel frequency pushing errors arising from unequal gain in the two contracirculating beams of a helium-neon filled discharge tube used in a ring laser.

Macek, W. M.↗

Rotational relaxation in parahydrogen and its mixtures with helium, neon, and argon at 300 deg K.

Ultrasonic‐velocity dispersion measurements have been performed in parahydrogen and its mixtures with helium, neon, and argon, all at 300°K. In each case the experimental dispersion curves can be matched successfully to those calculated under the assumption that the 0–2 rotational transition relaxes separately from the 2–4 and higher‐order terms. For pure pH 2 we find a relaxation time 𝜏 20 of 1.30 × 10 −8 sec for the 2 → 0 transition and a 𝜏 42 of 3.90 × 10 −8 sec for the 4 → 2 transition. Comparison with the quantum‐mechanical theories of Roberts and of Davison for H 2 –H 2 collisions using Morse potentials shows good agreement for 𝜏 20 over the temperature range of 75°–300°K. The Morse‐potential asymmetry parameter yielding the best fit is β = 0.113 for Roberts' calculation and 0.108 for Davison's. It is found that He–pH 2 collisions are more effective than pH 2 –pH 2 in producing the J = 0 to J = 2 transition, but less effective for higher‐order transitions. Collisions of neon with pH 2 are found to be more effective at room temperature for inducing the 0 → 2 and 2 → 4 transitions than either helium or argon.

Leonard M Valley↗

GASP: A computer code for calculating the thermodynamic and transport properties for ten fluids: Parahydrogen, helium, neon, methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, oxygen, fluorine, argon, and carbon dioxide

A FORTRAN IV subprogram called GASP is discussed which calculates the thermodynamic and transport properties for 10 pure fluids: parahydrogen, helium, neon, methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, oxygen, fluorine, argon, and carbon dioxide. The pressure range is generally from 0.1 to 400 atmospheres (to 100 atm for helium and to 1000 atm for hydrogen). The temperature ranges are from the triple point to 300 K for neon; to 500 K for carbon monoxide, oxygen, and fluorine; to 600 K for methane and nitrogen; to 1000 K for argon and carbon dioxide; to 2000 K for hydrogen; and from 6 to 500 K for helium. GASP accepts any two of pressure, temperature and density as input conditions along with pressure, and either entropy or enthalpy. The properties available in any combination as output include temperature, density, pressure, entropy, enthalpy, specific heats, sonic velocity, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and surface tension. The subprogram design is modular so that the user can choose only those subroutines necessary to the calculations.

Hendricks, R. C.↗