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At least 1,585 records · Page 88
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

CHEMICAL EVOLUTION OF RED MSX SOURCES IN THE SOUTHERN SKY

Red Midcourse Space Experiment ( MSX ) Sources (RMSs) are regarded as excellent candidates of massive star-forming regions. In order to characterize the chemical properties of massive star formation, we made a systematic study of 87 RMSs in the southern sky, using archival data taken from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL), the Australia Telescope Compact Array, and the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team Survey at 90 GHz (MALT90). According to previous multiwavelength observations, our sample could be divided into two groups: massive young stellar objects and H ii regions. Combined with the MALT90 data, we calculated the column densities of N{sub 2}H{sup +}, C{sub 2}H, HC{sub 3}N, and HNC and found that they are not much different from previous studies made in other massive star-forming regions. However, their abundances are relatively low compared to infrared dark clouds (IRDCs). The abundances of N{sub 2}H{sup +} and HNC in our sample are at least 1 mag lower than those found in IRDCs, indicating chemical depletions in the relatively hot gas. Besides, the fractional abundances of N{sub 2}H{sup +}, C{sub 2}H, and HC{sub 3}N seem to decrease as a function of their Lyman continuum fluxes (N {sub L}), indicating that these molecules could be destroyed by UV photons when H ii regions have formed inside. We also find that the C{sub 2}H abundance decreases faster than HC{sub 3}N with respect to N{sub L}. The abundance of HNC has a tight correlation with that of N{sub 2}H{sup +}, indicating that it may be also preferentially formed in cold gas. We regard our RMSs as being in a relatively late evolutionary stage of massive star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Block-structured, equal-workload, multi-grid-nesting interface for the Boussinesq wave model FUNWAVE-TVD (Total Variation Diminishing)

Abstract. We describe the development of a block-structured, equal-CPU-load (central processing unit), multi-grid-nesting interface for the Boussinesq wave model FUNWAVE-TVD (Fully Nonlinear Boussinesq Wave Model with Total Variation Diminishing Solver). The new model framework does not interfere with the core solver, and thus the core program, FUNWAVE-TVD, is still a standalone model used for a single grid. The nesting interface manages the time sequencing and two-way nesting processes between the parent grid and child grid with grid refinement in a hierarchical manner. Workload balance in the MPI-based (message passing interface) parallelization is handled by an equal-load scheme. A strategy of shared array allocation is applied for data management that allows for a large number of nested grids without creating additional memory allocations. Four model tests are conducted to verify the nesting algorithm with assessments of model accuracy and the robustness in the application in modeling transoceanic tsunamis and coastal effects.

Choi, Young-Kwang↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Planar-Cavity Receiver Configuration for High-Temperature Solar Thermal Processes: Preprint

Next generation concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) and novel solar thermochemical systems using concentrating solar thermal (CST) energy require high operating temperatures exceeding those of traditional nitrate-salt CSP systems. Particle-based systems are attractive for next-generation CSP and CST applications owing to high-temperature stability of inert silica- or alumina-based particulate materials, the lack of low-temperature freezing concerns that limit molten salt and/or molten metal heat transfer media, and cost-effective thermal storage using low-cost particulate and containment materials. Open-cavity falling particle receivers have many potential advantages, but face challenges pertaining to scalability, thermal loss, and particle loss through the open aperture, and are infeasible for chemical processes that require a low-oxygen ambient environment. Enclosed receiver configurations can be scalable, avoid particle loss when heating particles, and have potential for future chemical processes; however, particle-based heat transfer media provide substantially lower heat transfer rates than liquid media, and thus enclosed particle receiver designs require novel configurations to limit surface temperatures under the high incident solar flux concentrations necessary for high receiver thermal efficiency at high temperature. This paper introduces the novel planar-cavity enclosed particle receiver configuration in which arrays of planar surfaces are arranged into sub-vertical cavities. Large angles between the panel surface normal vectors and the aperture surface normal allow the incoming solar beam to distribute along the panel walls. Correspondingly, a high incident solar flux concentration at the cavity aperture produces substantially lower absorbed solar flux concentration on any panel wall. Sets of individual vertical cavities can be arranged to form a scalable receiver configuration.

cavity receiver↗
DOE OSTI2014

High-sensitivity, high-speed continuous imaging system

A continuous imaging system for recording low levels of light typically extending over small distances with high-frame rates and with a large number of frames is described. Photodiode pixels disposed in an array having a chosen geometry, each pixel having a dedicated amplifier, analog-to-digital convertor, and memory, provide parallel operation of the system. When combined with a plurality of scintillators responsive to a selected source of radiation, in a scintillator array, the light from each scintillator being directed to a single corresponding photodiode in close proximity or lens-coupled thereto, embodiments of the present imaging system may provide images of x-ray, gamma ray, proton, and neutron sources with high efficiency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Method and apparatus for evaluating superconducting tunnel junction detector noise versus bias voltage

A technique for characterizing the noise behavior of a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) detector as a function of its applied bias voltage Vb by stepping the STJ's bias voltage across a predetermined range and, at each applied bias, making multiple measurements of the detector's current, calculating their mean and their standard deviation from their mean, and using this standard deviation as a measure of the STJ detector's noise at that applied bias. Because the method is readily executed under computer control, it is particularly useful when large numbers of STJ detectors require biasing, as in STJ detector arrays In a preferred implementation, the STJ is measured under computer control by attaching it to a digital spectrometer comprising a digital x-ray processor (DXP) coupled to a preamplifier that can set the STJ's bias voltage Vb using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) controlled by the DXP.

Warburton, William K.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Novel Mechanisms for the Formation of Dislocation Cell Patterns in BCC Metal

In this study, we present the first simulation results of the formation of dislocation cell wall microstructures in tantalum subjected to shock loading. Dislocation patterns and cell wall formation are important to understanding the mechanical properties of the materials in which they spontaneously arise, and yet the processing and self-assembly mechanisms leading to their formation are poorly understood. By employing transmission electron microscopy and discrete dislocation dynamics, we propose a new mechanism involving coplanar dislocations and pseudo-dipole mixed dislocation arrays that is essential to the pattern formation process. Our large-scale 3D DDD simulations demonstrate the self-organization of dislocation networks into cell walls in deformed BCC metal (tantalum) persisting at strain ε = 20%. The simulation analysis captures several crucial aspects of how the dislocation cell pattern affects metal plasticity, as observed in experiments. Although experimental evidence is inconclusive regarding whether cell wall formation takes place at the shock front, after the shock, during release, or when the sample has had enough time to relax post-recovery, our simulations indicate cell wall formation occurs after the shock and before release. The extended Taylor hardening composite model effectively considers the non-uniform dislocation density when cell walls form and accurately describes the corresponding flow stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Real-time signal detection for Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy measurements using antenna arrays

Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES) is a technique for precision measurement of the energies of charged particles, which is being developed by the Project 8 Collaboration to measure the neutrino mass using tritium beta-decay spectroscopy. Project 8 seeks to use the CRES technique to measure the neutrino mass with a sensitivity of 40 meV, requiring a large supply of tritium atoms stored in a multi-cubic meter detector volume. Antenna arrays are one potential technology compatible with an experiment of this scale, but the capability of an antenna-based CRES experiment to measure the neutrino mass depends on the efficiency of the signal detection algorithms. Here, in this paper, we develop efficiency models for three signal detection algorithms and compare them using simulations from a prototype antenna-based CRES experiment as a case-study. The algorithms include a power threshold, a matched filter template bank, and a neural network based machine learning approach, which are analyzed in terms of their average detection efficiency and relative computational cost. It is found that significant improvements in detection efficiency and, therefore, neutrino mass sensitivity are achievable, with only a moderate increase in computation cost, by utilizing either the matched filter or machine learning approach in place of a power threshold, which is the baseline signal detection algorithm used in previous CRES experiments by Project 8.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Cherenkov detectors for spatial imaging applications using discrete-energy photons

Cherenkov detectors can offer a significant advantage in spatial imaging applications when excellent timing response, low noise and cross talk, large area coverage, and the ability to operate in magnetic fields are required. We show that an array of Cherenkov detectors with crude energy resolution coupled with monochromatic photons resulting from a low-energy nuclear reaction can be used to produce a sharp image of material while providing large and inexpensive detector coverage. The analysis of the detector response to relative transmission of photons with various energies allows for reconstruction of material's effective atomic number further aiding in high-Z material identification.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of the detector array for photons, protons, and exotic residues

Accurate neutron capture predictions are needed in fundamental and applied science. Empirical models are constrained largely for stable nuclei, but predictions far from stability are needed. Neutron transfer in (d,p) reactions in inverse kinematics with rare isotope beams offer a means to access key aspects of the capture process. To this end, the detector array for photons, protons, and exotic residues (DAPPER) has been designed, built, tested, and used for measurement at Texas A&M University.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

On the relationship between the cosmic web and the alignment of galaxies and AGN jets

ABSTRACT The impact of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) on the evolution of galaxies explains the steep decrease in the number density of the most massive galaxies in the Universe. However, the fuelling of the AGN and the efficiency of this feedback largely depend on their environment. We use data from the Low Frequency Array Two-metre Sky Survey Data Release 2 (DR2), the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Legacy Imaging Surveys, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR12 to make the first study of the orientations of radio jets and their optical counterpart in relation to the cosmic web environment. We find that close to filaments ($\lesssim \!\! 11 \ \rm Mpc$), galaxies tend to have their optical major axes aligned with the nearest filaments. On the other hand, radio jets, which are generally aligned perpendicularly to the optical major axis of the host galaxy, show more randomized orientations with respect to host galaxies within ${\lesssim} 8 \, \rm Mpc$ of filaments. These results support the scenario that massive galaxies in cosmic filaments grow by numerous mergers directed along the orientation of the filaments while experiencing chaotic accretion of gas on to the central black hole. The AGN-driven jets consequently have a strong impact preferentially along the minor axes of dark matter haloes within filaments. We discuss the implications of these results for large-scale radio jet alignments, intrinsic alignments between galaxies, and the azimuthal anisotropy of the distribution of circumgalactic medium and anisotropic quenching.

Jung, S. Lyla (ORCID:0000000155123735)↗
DOE OSTI2014

Simulated study of plasmonic coupling in noble bimetallic alloy nanosphere arrays

The plasmonic coupling between the interacting noble metal nanoparticles plays an important role to influence the optical properties of arrays. In this work, we have extended the Mie theory results of our recent communication to include the effect of particle interactions between the alloy nanoparticles by varying interparticle distance and number of particles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak position, full width at half maxima (FWHM) and scattering efficiency of one dimensional (1D) bimetallic alloy nanosphere (BANS) arrays of earlier optimized compositions i.e. Ag{sub 0.75}Au{sub 0.25}, Au{sub 0.25}Cu{sub 0.75} and Ag{sub 0.50}Cu{sub 0.50} have been studied presently by using discrete dipole approximation (DDA) simulations. Studies have been made to optimize size of the nanosphere, number of spheres in the arrays, material and the interparticle distance. It has been found that both the scattering efficiency and FWHM (bandwidth) can be controlled in the large region of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum by varying the number of interacting particles and interparticle distance. In comparison to other alloy arrays, Ag{sub 0.50}Cu{sub 0.50} BANS arrays (each of particle radius 50 nm) shows larger tunability of LSPR with wide bandwidth (essential condition for plasmonic solar cells)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

NREL Integrate: RCS-4-42326

OMNETRIC Corp., Duke Energy, CPS Energy, and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) created a project team to execute the project 'OpenFMB Reference Architecture Demonstration.' The project included development and demonstration of concepts that will enable the electric utility grid to host larger penetrations of renewable resources. The project concept calls for the aggregation of renewable resources and loads into microgrids and the control of these microgrids with an implementation of the OpenFMB Reference Architecture. The production of power from the renewable resources that are appearing on the grid today is very closely linked to the weather. The difficulty of forecasting the weather, which is well understood, leads to difficulty in forecasting the production of renewable resources. The current state of the art in forecasting the power production from renewables (solar PV and wind) are accuracies in the range of 12-25 percent NMAE. In contrast the demand for electricity aggregated to the system level, is easier to predict. The state of the art of demand forecasting done, 24 hours ahead, is about 2-3% MAPE. Forecasting the load to be supplied from conventional resources (demand minus generation from renewable resources) is thus very hard to forecast. This means that even a few hours before the time of consumption, there can be considerable uncertainty over what must be done to balance supply and demand. Adding to the problem of difficulty of forecasting, is the reality of the variability of the actual production of power from renewables. Due to the variability of wind speeds and solar insolation, the actual output of power from renewable resources can vary significantly over a short period of time. Gusts of winds result is variation of power output of wind turbines. The shadows of clouds moving over solar PV arrays result in the variation of power production of the array. This compounds the problem of balancing supply and demand in real time. Establishing a control system that can manage distribution systems with large penetrations of renewable resources is difficult due to two major issues: (1) the lack of standardization and interoperability between the vast array of equipment in operation and on the market, most of which use different and proprietary means of communication and (2) the magnitude of the network and the information it generates and consumes. The objective of this project is to provide the industry with a design concept and tools that will enable the electric power grid to overcome these barriers and support a larger penetration of clean energy from renewable resources.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Sandia Data Archive (SDA) Specifications (Version 1.1)

The Sandia Data Archive (SDA) format is special implementation the HDF5 (Hierarchal Data Format, version 5) standard. Archive files store data in records identified with a unique text label. Primitive records store numeric, logical, and character arrays of arbitrary size and dimensionality. Compound records store composite MAT- LAB variables--cell arrays, structures, and objects--with arbitrary nesting. External records allow text/binary files to be stored alongside archived data or division of a large file into smaller archives for transmission. This report documents version 1.1 of the SDA standard, which adds support for structure and object arrays. The basic principles of SDA remain unchanged from version 1.0, with minor enhancements and bug fixes. The Sandia Mat lab AnalysiS Hierarchy (SMASH) toolbox uses SDA extensively; support utilities from the toolbox are highlighted here. Although the SDA format is designed around MATLAB, its use of HDF5 allows adoption in other computer languages.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Novel large-range mitochondrial DNA deletions and fatal multisystemic disorder with prominent hepatopathy

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Expanded array of mtDNA deletions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Pearson syndrome with prominent hepatopathy associated with single mtDNA deletions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Detection of deletions in fibroblasts and blood avoids muscle and liver biopsy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Look for mtDNA deletions before to study nuclear genes related to mtDNA depletion. -- Abstract: Hepatic involvement in mitochondrial cytopathies rarely manifests in adulthood, but is a common feature in children. Multiple OXPHOS enzyme defects in children with liver involvement are often associated with dramatically reduced amounts of mtDNA. We investigated two novel large scale deletions in two infants with a multisystem disorder and prominent hepatopathy. Amount of mtDNA deletions and protein content were measured in different post-mortem tissues. The highest levels of deleted mtDNA were in liver, kidney, pancreas of both patients. Moreover, mtDNA deletions were detected in cultured skin fibroblasts in both patients and in blood of one during life. Biochemical analysis showed impairment of mainly complex I enzyme activity. Patients manifesting multisystem disorders in childhood may harbour rare mtDNA deletions in multiple tissues. For these patients, less invasive blood specimens or cultured fibroblasts can be used for molecular diagnosis. Our data further expand the array of deletions in the mitochondrial genomes in association with liver failure. Thus analysis of mtDNA should be considered in the diagnosis of childhood-onset hepatopathies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Using a pulsed array to determine the position of a defect

The frequency dependent directivity of periodic permanent magnet electromagnetic acoustic transducers has been demonstrated and utilized to create a new NDT technique. The transducer, when pulsed with an appropriate broadband signal creates an interesting wave-front. This generated wave-front is smooth and continuous over a large solid angle, and has a frequency that varies as a function of angle to the array. Analytic models created to simulate this phenomena have been validated with experimental results using ultrasonic waves in metal samples. This pulsed approach provides a rapid means of flooding a region of space with a wave-front, whereby any wave that scatters or reflects off a body to a detector will have a distinct arrival time and frequency. This was experimentally verified using a periodic permanent magnetic EMAT array to create a two dimensional map of defects in an aluminum bar. Steering of the ultrasonic beam, by driving the array with a narrow-band signal, was also demonstrated and used as a comparison for the pulsed method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Surrogate Measurements of Actinide (n,2n) Cross Sections with NeutronSTARS

Directly measuring (n,2n) cross sections on short-lived actinides presents a number of experimental challenges. The surrogate reaction technique is an experimental method for measuring cross sections on short-­lived isotopes, and it provides a unique solution for measuring (n,2n) cross sections. This technique involves measuring a charged-­particle reaction cross section, where the reaction populates the same compound nucleus as the reaction of interest. To perform these surrogate (n,2n) cross section measurements, a silicon telescope array has been placed along a beam line at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Institute, which is surrounded by a large tank of gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator, which acts as a neutron detector. The combination of the charge-particle and neutron-detector arrays is referred to as NeutronSTARS. In the analysis procedure for calculating the (n,2n) cross section, the neutron detection efficiency and time structure plays an important role. Due to the lack of availability of isotropic, mono-energetic neutron sources, modeling is an important component in establishing this efficiency and time structure. This report describes the NeutronSTARS array, which was designed and commissioned during this project. It also describes the surrogate reaction technique, specifically referencing a 235 U(n,2n) commissioning measurement that was fielded during the past year. Advanced multiplicity analysis techniques have been developed for this work, which should allow for efficient analysis of 241 Pu(n,2n) and 239 Pu(n,2n) cross section measurements

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Towards hard x-ray imaging at GHz frame rate

Gigahertz (GHz) imaging using hard x-rays ( Greater-Than-Or-Equivalent-To 10 keV) can be useful to high-temperature plasma experiments, as well as research and applications using coherent photons from synchrotron radiation and x-ray free electron lasers. GHz framing rate can be achieved by using multiple cameras through multiplexing. The advantages and trade-offs of single-photon detection mode, when no more than one x-ray photon is detected per pixel, are given. Two possible paths towards x-ray imaging at GHz frame rates using a single camera are: (a) avalanche photodiode arrays of high-Z materials and (b) microchannel plate photomultipliers in conjunction with materials with large indices of refraction.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗