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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Characterization of Precipitation-Induced Radon Progeny Deposition Events Using a City-Scale Sensor Network

Networks of radiation detectors provide a platform for real-time radioactive source detection and identification in urban environments. Detection algorithms in these systems must adapt to naturally-occurring changes in background, which requires well-characterized relationships between precipitation events and their corresponding radiological signature. Here, we present a quantitative and qualitative description of rain-induced radon progeny deposition events occurring in Chicago from September 2023 to February 2024. We measure ambient gamma radiation levels, precipitation rate, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity in a network of sensor nodes. For each identified precipitation period, we decompose spectra into static- and radon-associated components as defined by a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm. We find a consistent power-law relationship between a precipitation-dependent peak of the radon progeny proxy (RPP) and the peak strength of the radon-associated NMF component for most precipitation events. We conduct a case study of a rainfall period with abnormally high levels of implied radon progeny concentration and describe its temporal and spatial evolution. We hypothesize that this phenomenon is due to the air mass path that intersects a uranium-rich region of Wyoming. Finally, we cluster precipitation events into three distinct categories. One category roughly corresponds to events with deep low-pressure systems and high relative radon concentration, while another is characteristic of light stratiform rain with slightly higher temperatures and intermediate relative radon concentration. The third category appears to contain weak-gradient or lake breeze convection showers with intermittent precipitation and low relative radon concentration. These findings suggest that radiological anomaly detection could be improved by training unique background models corresponding to each category of meteorological event.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2012

Current Usage and Future Prospects of Multispectral (RGB) Satellite Imagery in Support of NWS Forecast Offices and National Centers

Current and future satellite sensors provide remotely sensed quantities from a variety of wavelengths ranging from the visible to the passive microwave, from both geostationary and low-Earth orbits. The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has a long history of providing multispectral imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA s Terra and Aqua satellites in support of NWS forecast office activities. Products from MODIS have recently been extended to include a broader suite of multispectral imagery similar to those developed by EUMETSAT, based upon the spectral channel s available from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) aboard METEOSAT-9. This broader suite includes products that discriminate between air mass types associated with synoptic-scale features, assists in the identification of dust, and improves upon paired channel difference detection of fog and low cloud events. Similarly, researchers at NOAA/NESDIS and CIRA have developed air mass discrimination capabilities using channels available from the current GOES Sounders. Other applications of multispectral composites include combinations of high and low frequency, horizontal and vertically polarized passive microwave brightness temperatures to discriminate tropical cyclone structures and other synoptic-scale features. Many of these capabilities have been transitioned for evaluation and operational use at NWS Weather Forecast Offices and National Centers through collaborations with SPoRT and CIRA. Future instruments will continue the availability of these products and also expand upon current capabilities. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on GOES-R will improve the spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution of our current geostationary capabilities, and the recent launch of the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) carries instruments such as the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), which have unrivaled spectral and spatial resolution, as precursors to the JPSS era (i.e., the next generation of polar orbiting satellites). At the same time, new image manipulation and display capabilities are available within AWIPS II, the next generation of the NWS forecaster decision support system. This presentation will present a review of SPoRT, CIRA, and NRL collaborations regarding multispectral satellite imagery and articulate an integrated and collaborative path forward with Raytheon AWIPS II development staff for integrating current and future capabilities that support new satellite instrumentation and the AWIPS II decision support system.

Molthan, Andrew L.↗
DOE OSTI2012

Event detection and sub-state discovery from biomolecular simulations using higher-order statistics: Application to enzyme adenylate kinase

Biomolecular simulations at millisecond and longer time-scales can provide vital insights into functional mechanisms. Because post-simulation analyses of such large trajectory datasets can be a limiting factor in obtaining biological insights, there is an emerging need to identify key dynamical events and relating these events to the biological function online, that is, as simulations are progressing. Recently, we have introduced a novel computational technique, quasi-anharmonic analysis (QAA) (Ramanathan et al., PLoS One 2011;6:e15827), for partitioning the conformational landscape into a hierarchy of functionally relevant sub-states. The unique capabilities of QAA are enabled by exploiting anharmonicity in the form of fourth-order statistics for characterizing atomic fluctuations. In this article, we extend QAA for analyzing long time-scale simulations online. In particular, we present HOST4MD—a higher-order statistical toolbox for molecular dynamics simulations, which (1) identifies key dynamical events as simulations are in progress, (2) explores potential sub-states, and (3) identifies conformational transitions that enable the protein to access those sub-states. We demonstrate HOST4MD on microsecond timescale simulations of the enzyme adenylate kinase in its apo state. HOST4MD identifies several conformational events in these simulations, revealing how the intrinsic coupling between the three subdomains (LID, CORE, and NMP) changes during the simulations. Further, it also identifies an inherent asymmetry in the opening/closing of the two binding sites. We anticipate that HOST4MD will provide a powerful and extensible framework for detecting biophysically relevant conformational coordinates from long time-scale simulations.

Ramanathan, Arvind↗
DOE OSTI2023

Visualizing the atomic-scale origin of metallic behavior in Kondo insulators

A Kondo lattice is often electrically insulating at low temperatures. However, several recent experiments have detected signatures of bulk metallicity within this Kondo insulating phase. In this study, we visualized the real-space charge landscape within a Kondo lattice with atomic resolution using a scanning tunneling microscope. We discovered nanometer-scale puddles of metallic conduction electrons centered around uranium-site substitutions in the heavy-fermion compound uranium ruthenium silicide (URu 2 Si 2 ) and around samarium-site defects in the topological Kondo insulator samarium hexaboride (SmB 6 ). These defects disturbed the Kondo screening cloud, leaving behind a fingerprint of the metallic parent state. Our results suggest that the three-dimensional quantum oscillations measured in SmB 6 arise from Kondo-lattice defects, although we cannot exclude other explanations. Finally, our imaging technique could enable the development of atomic-scale charge sensors using heavy-fermion probes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2019

Composites for Advanced Drive Systems, A Systems Analysis-Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT)

Rotorcraft propulsion systems are continually looking to improve power density; that is reducing weight and increasing power throughput. In order to advance rotorcraft propulsion system technology, NASA Glenn Research Center (NGRC) contracted Boeing Vertical Lift (Contract #NNA15AB12B, Task Order NNA16BE07T) to perform system level benefit assessments for incorporation of composite materials into rotorcraft transmission gear and shaft systems, in the rotating frame. In general, the environment inside a typical rotorcraft transmission is aggressive for typical composite materials. Design challenges in the rotating frame and related safety risks must be understood and accounted for in the design. Boeing developed a technical approach that evaluated a relatively large population of rotorcraft main transmissions. This technical approach took rotorcraft from various size classes and configurations and applied parametric weight estimating principles to assess the performance impact of composite hybrid technologies inside transmissions, in the rotating frame. Parametric weight estimates showed that composite hybrid technologies account for an average 9% weight savings over the baseline transmissions. More weight savings may be observed when accounting for quantity of transmissions in an aircraft configuration and benefits to airframe, landing gear, and fuel systems. A weight reduction of 595 lbs was calculated for NASA's Large Civil Tilt Rotor (LCTR2) by utilizing composite hybrid components inside the Prop-Rotor Transmission in the rotating frame and accounting for design changes to the airframe, landing gear, and fuel system. In order to develop composite hybrid technologies, sub-scale and full-scale testing should continue, building on the work that NGRC has begun. Design and testing efforts should focus on technical challenges, such as joint and attachment interfaces, temperature effects, inspection procedures, and fault detection. It is recommended to address technical challenges with targeted research and development efforts, conducted at relevant scale, prior to incorporating composite hybrid technologies within the rotating frame of helicopter transmissions.

Darmstadt, Patrick R.↗
DOE OSTI2015

THIN CURRENT SHEETS AND ASSOCIATED ELECTRON HEATING IN TURBULENT SPACE PLASMA

Intermittent structures, such as thin current sheets, are abundant in turbulent plasmas. Numerical simulations indicate that such current sheets are important sites of energy dissipation and particle heating occurring at kinetic scales. However, direct evidence of dissipation and associated heating within current sheets is scarce. Here, we show a new statistical study of local electron heating within proton-scale current sheets by using high-resolution spacecraft data. Current sheets are detected using the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method which identifies regions of strong intermittency. We find that strong electron heating occurs in high PVI (>3) current sheets while no significant heating occurs in low PVI cases (<3), indicating that the former are dominant for energy dissipation. Current sheets corresponding to very high PVI (>5) show the strongest heating and most of the time are consistent with ongoing magnetic reconnection. This suggests that reconnection is important for electron heating and dissipation at kinetic scales in turbulent plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2007

Polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background: Are These Guys Serious?

The polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) could contain the oldest information in the universe, dating from an inflationary epoch just after the Big Bang. Detecting this signal presents an experimental challenge, as it is both faint and hidden behind complicated foregrounds. The rewards, however, are great, as a positive detection would not only establish inflation as a physical reality but also provide a model-independent measurement of the relevant energy scale. I will present the scientific motivation behind measurements of the CMB polarization and discuss how recent experimental progress could lead to a detection in the not-very-distant future.

Kogut, Alan↗
DOE OSTI2016

Planck 2015 results: XXI. The integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect

Here, this paper presents a study of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect from the Planck 2015 temperature and polarization data release. This secondary cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy caused by the large-scale time-evolving gravitational potential is probed from different perspectives. The CMB is cross-correlated with different large-scale structure (LSS) tracers: radio sources from the NVSS catalogue; galaxies from the optical SDSS and the infrared WISE surveys; and the Planck 2015 convergence lensing map. The joint cross-correlation of the CMB with the tracers yields a detection at 4σ where most of the signal-to-noise is due to the Planck lensing and the NVSS radio catalogue. In fact, the ISW effect is detected from the Planck data only at ≈3σ (through the ISW-lensing bispectrum), which is similar to the detection level achieved by combining the cross-correlation signal coming from all the galaxy catalogues mentioned above. We study the ability of the ISW effect to place constraints on the dark-energy parameters; in particular, we show that Ω Λ is detected at more than 3σ. This cross-correlation analysis is performed only with the Planck temperature data, since the polarization scales available in the 2015 release do not permit significant improvement of the CMB-LSS cross-correlation detectability. Nevertheless, the Planck polarization data are used to study the anomalously large ISW signal previously reported through the aperture photometry on stacked CMB features at the locations of known superclusters and supervoids, which is in conflict with ΛCDM expectations. We find that the current Planck polarization data do not exclude that this signal could be caused by the ISW effect. In addition, the stacking of the Planck lensing map on the locations of superstructures exhibits a positive cross-correlation with these large-scale structures. Finally, we have improved our previous reconstruction of the ISW temperature fluctuations by combining the information encoded in all the previously mentioned LSS tracers. In particular, we construct a map of the ISW secondary anisotropies and the corresponding uncertainties map, obtained from simulations. Lastly, we also explore the reconstruction of the ISW anisotropies caused by the large-scale structure traced by the 2MASS Photometric Redshift Survey (2MPZ) by directly inverting the density field into the gravitational potential field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Detection of thermal SZ-CMB lensing cross-correlation in Planck nominal mission data

The nominal mission maps from the Planck satellite contain a wealth of information about secondary anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), including those induced by the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect and gravitational lensing. As both the tSZ and CMB lensing signals trace the large-scale matter density field, the anisotropies sourced by these processes are expected to be correlated. We report the first detection of this cross-correlation signal, which we measure at 6.2σ significance using the Planck data. We take advantage of Planck's multifrequency coverage to construct a tSZ map using internal linear combination techniques, which we subsequently cross-correlate with the publicly-released Planck CMB lensing potential map. The cross-correlation is subject to contamination from the cosmic infrared background (CIB), which is known to correlate strongly with CMB lensing. We correct for this contamination via cross-correlating our tSZ map with the Planck 857 GHz map and confirm the robustness of our measurement using several null tests. We interpret the signal using halo model calculations, which indicate that the tSZ-CMB lensing cross-correlation is a unique probe of the physics of intracluster gas in high-redshift, low-mass groups and clusters. Our results are consistent with extrapolations of existing gas physics models to this previously unexplored regime and show clear evidence for contributions from both the one- and two-halo terms, but no statistically significant evidence for contributions from diffuse, unbound gas outside of collapsed halos. We also show that the amplitude of the signal depends rather sensitively on the amplitude of fluctuations (σ{sub 8}) and the matter density (Ω{sub m}), scaling as σ{sub 8}{sup 6.1}Ω{sub m}{sup 1.5} at ℓ = 1000. We constrain the degenerate combination σ{sub 8}(Ω{sub m}/0.282){sup 0.26} = 0.824±0.029, a result that is in less tension with primordial CMB constraints than some recent tSZ analyses. We also combine our measurement with the Planck measurement of the tSZ auto-power spectrum to demonstrate a technique that can in principle constrain both cosmology and the physics of intracluster gas simultaneously. Our detection is a direct confirmation that hot, ionized gas traces the dark matter distribution over a wide range of scales in the universe ( ∼ 0.1–50 Mpc/h)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A MeerKAT-meets-LOFAR study of MS 1455.0 + 2232: a 590 kiloparsec ‘mini’-halo in a sloshing cool-core cluster

ABSTRACT Radio mini-haloes are poorly understood, moderately extended diffuse radio sources that trace the presence of magnetic fields and relativistic electrons on scales of hundreds of kiloparsecs, predominantly in relaxed clusters. With relatively few confirmed detections to-date, many questions remain unanswered. This paper presents new radio observations of the galaxy cluster MS 1455.0+2232 performed with MeerKAT (covering the frequency range 872−1712 MHz) and LOFAR (covering 120−168 MHz), the first results from a homogeneously selected mini-halo census. We find that this mini-halo extends for ∼590 kpc at 1283 MHz, significantly larger than previously believed, and has a flatter spectral index (α = −0.97 ± 0.05) than typically expected. Our X-ray analysis clearly reveals a large-scale (254 kpc) sloshing spiral in the intracluster medium. We perform a point-to-point analysis, finding a tight single correlation between radio and X-ray surface brightness with a super-linear slope of $b_{\rm 1283\, MHz} = 1.16^{+0.06}_{-0.07}$ and $b_{\rm 145\, MHz} = 1.15^{+0.09}_{-0.08}$; this indicates a strong link between the thermal and non-thermal components of the intracluster medium. Conversely, in the spectral index/X-ray surface brightness plane, we find that regions inside and outside the sloshing spiral follow different correlations. We find compelling evidence for multiple sub-components in this mini-halo for the first time. While both the turbulent (re-)acceleration and hadronic scenarios are able to explain some observed properties of the mini-halo in MS 1455.0+2232, neither scenario is able to account for all the evidence presented by our analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Scaling the PuNDIT project for wide area deployments

In today’s world of distributed scientific collaborations, there are many challenges to providing reliable inter-domain network infrastructure. Network operators use a combination of active monitoring and trouble tickets to detect problems, but these are often ineffective at identifying issues that impact wide-area network users. Additionally, these approaches do not scale to wide area inter-domain networks due to unavailability of data from all the domains along typical network paths. The Pythia Network Diagnostic InfrasTructure (PuNDIT) project aims to create a scalable infrastructure for automating the detection and localization of problems across these networks. The project goal is to gather and analyze metrics from existing perfSONAR monitoring infrastructures to identify the signatures of possible problems, locate affected network links, and report them to the user in an intuitive fashion. Simply put, PuNDIT seeks to convert complex network metrics into easily understood diagnoses in an automated manner. We present our progress in creating the PuNDIT system and our status in developing, testing and deploying PuNDIT. We report on the project progress to-date, describe the current implementation architecture and demonstrate some of the various user interfaces it will support. We close by discussing the remaining challenges and next steps and where we see the project going in the future.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1989

Structure and dating errors in the geologic time scale and periodicity in mass extinctions

Structure in the geologic time scale reflects a partly paleontological origin. As a result, ages of Cenozoic and Mesozoic stage boundaries exhibit a weak 28-Myr periodicity that is similar to the strong 26-Myr periodicity detected in mass extinctions of marine life by Raup and Sepkoski. Radiometric dating errors in the geologic time scale, to which the mass extinctions are stratigraphically tied, do not necessarily lessen the likelihood of a significant periodicity in mass extinctions, but do spread the acceptable values of the period over the range 25-27 Myr for the Harland et al. time scale or 25-30 Myr for the DNAG time scale. If the Odin time scale is adopted, acceptable periods fall between 24 and 33 Myr, but are not robust against dating errors. Some indirect evidence from independently-dated flood-basalt volcanic horizons tends to favor the Odin time scale.

Stothers, Richard B.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Hanford Under-tank Inspection with Ultrasonic Volumetric Non-destructive Examination Technology - 18470

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Hanford Site Tank Operations Contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) are sponsoring a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technology development program to identify and mature volumetric (non-visual) NDE technology that will enable the examination of Hanford double-shell tank (DST) bottoms. NDE technology for Hanford under-tank examination will be made possible through technology maturation that includes adaptation of NDE sensor technology to overcome access challenges presented by tank risers and refractory pad air-slots, followed by integration with robotic delivery systems, and ultimately qualification and deployment of the inspection systems. The stages of technology maturation and the testing and evaluation required to support the process are organized under three program phases: Phase I - NDE Capability Testing: Identify and down-select NDE technologies based on flaw detection and characterization abilities only; Phase 2 - NDE Delivery System Testing: Mature promising NDE technologies to adapt transducer hardware and robotic delivery system to address access challenges; Phase 3 - Full-scale Demonstration of Integrated NDE System: Demonstrate adapted NDE technologies in a cold test platform to challenge flaw detection and navigation abilities. Phase I of the program, which was initiated and completed in FY2017, focused on completing the following five key activities: 1. Identifying a broad cross section of potentially applicable NDE volumetric inspection technologies for under-tank examination. 2. Down-selecting the broad set of NDE technologies to a set of strong candidates based on initial flaw detection performance and potential to be adapted/matured to overcome primary tank access challenges posed by access risers and/or refractory pad air-slots. 3. Evaluating the flaw detection performance of the candidate sensors through testing. 4. Using the test results to baseline sensor performance against the flaw detection requirements established for high-level waste tanks. 5. Assessing the trade-offs and vulnerabilities of the candidate sensors that would negatively impact sensor performance reliability or complicate tank inspection operations. The completion of the first three key activities satisfied the first two Phase I test objectives, which were to complete Technology Screening and Sensor Effectiveness Testing. Completion of the fourth key activity satisfied the final test objective of Phase I, which was to determine the extent to which the sensors can satisfy high-level waste tank flaw detection requirements. Sensor flaw detection performance testing yielded several suitable sensor technology options, although each has specific risks or challenges that would need to be accepted or overcome. Thus, the fifth key activity was performed to evaluate sensor risks and challenges for consideration with flaw detection performance. The Phase I evaluation outcomes will be used to support the Phase I programmatic objective, which is to identify one or more NDE sensor technologies for adaptation and maturation for the DST environment. Selection of one or more sensors will mark the culmination of Phase I of the NDE Technology Development Program and allow progression to Phase II.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1989

Disturbances in the Arizona Monsoon

Numerical modeling simulations of tropical squall lines were begun to determine the role of large scale terrain features over Arizona and Mexico in their initiation and propagation. Installation was completed for a short-base, high resolution lightning location and detection network in and around Tucson. Data from a Doppler wind profiler is being analyzed to determine the role of large scale heating over the inter-mountain plateau region in governing local diurnal wind variations and possible relationships to the monsoon flow. The portable solar photometer for determining high temporal resolution values of the local precipitable water vapor was completed and calibrated. The assembly is nearly completed for a multi-channel microwave passive radiometer to determine local temperature and water vapor profiles.

Gall, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2022

In Situ Measurements of Surface Texture with Virtual Environments Support Science-Driven Human Surface Operations on the Moon and Beyond

Visualization tools enabling real-time scientific analysis are important for supporting future astronaut operations on the lunar surface. Such tools can be built into virtual environments to support scientific investigations, as well as situational awareness, real-time decision making, and efficient communication between astronauts and ground and support systems. Understanding how these tools can be optimized for science is essential for upcoming Artemis missions. In this contribution, we discuss how measurements of surface texture at multiple length scales can greatly enhance in situ science on/of the Moon, and eventually Mars, asteroids, and beyond. Roughness measurements at various wavelengths directly support objectives defined in the Artemis Science Plan, including (O1) “understanding planetary processes,” (O2) “understanding volatile cycles,” and (O3) “interpreting the impact history of the Earth-Moon system” . Key scientific analyses enabled by texture measurements at different length scales include: ● Sub-centimeter scales: Texture measurements can help constrain lava flow crystallinity, lava rheology, emplacement flow dynamics, and cooling histories (O1). Measurements of lacunarity (voids in fractal fill space) can shed light on eruptive volatile content, residence time of migrating volatiles, and near-surface volume available for micro-cold trapping of volatiles (O1, O2). ● Centimeter–meter scales: Texture measurements can be used for the differentiation of individual lava flows, the reconstruction of local stratigraphies and emplacement sequences, characterization of post-emplacement surface modification processes (O1, O3). Derived roughness (polarization) metrics can be used in the detection of water ice and characterization of ice properties (e.g., purity, grade, depth, abundance). ● Hectometer–Kilometer scales: Texture measurements can be used to differentiate major geologic surface units and surface structures (O1), constrain the presence of abundant ground ices (O2), and analyze surface modification and estimate surface age (O3). Real-time measurements of surface texture across these multiple length scales will enable efficient sample identification and scientific investigations by future astronauts. To support these investigations and the objective classification of surface texture, virtual environments employed by astronauts should be able to instantaneously convert raw data into processed data (e.g., digital terrain and elevation models) and derived metrics (e.g., RMS, std, Hurst, CPR) and perform statistical analyses (e.g., PCA, outliers, correlation matrices). Such tools are being developed and tested by the Resource Exploration and Science of our Cosmic Environment (RESOURCE) team, a node of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), and are an excellent example of the powerful synergies of human and robotic ground assets critical in the return of humans to the Moon.

Ariel N. Deutsch↗
DOE OSTI2018

Development of a lithium fluoride zinc sulfide based neutron multiplicity counter

Past 3He shortages led to investigations into replacement options for neutron detectors in systems that previously used 3He-based technologies. The goal of this research was to investigate the feasibility of a full-scale lithium fluoride with silver activated zinc sulfide (LiF/ZnS) based neutron multiplicity counter. The LiF/ZnS based neutron multiplicity counter (LiNMC) was developed based on an iterative process between modeling and experimental measurements. Each active region of the LiNMC contains five sheets of LiF/ZnS sandwiched between six sheets of wavelength shifting plastic to form neutron detection stacks. The wavelength shifted scintillation light was collected by photomultiplier tubes located on each end of the stacks. Twelve such detector stacks were placed around a sample chamber in a square arrangement with lithiated high density polyethylene blocks in the corners to reflect high energy neutrons and capture low energy neutrons. Preliminary calibration with a 252Cf neutron source showed that the LiNMC was able to achieve 36% neutron detection efficiency (ε) and an 11.7 μs neutron die-away time (τ) for a doubles Figure-of-merit (ε2/ τ) of 109. This is the highest doubles Figure-of-merit performance measured to-date for a 3He-free neutron multiplicity counter system. By the end of this project, the LiNMC’s basic components were integrated into a single laboratory scale system capable of proof-of-concept measurements.

3He-free↗
NASA NTRS2002

Flexible Wing Base Micro Aerial Vehicles: Towards Flight Autonomy: Vision-Based Horizon Detection for Micro Air Vehicles

Recently substantial progress has been made towards design building and testifying remotely piloted Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). This progress in overcoming the aerodynamic obstacles to flight at very small scales has, unfortunately, not been matched by similar progress in autonomous MAV flight. Thus, we propose a robust, vision-based horizon detection algorithm as the first step towards autonomous MAVs. In this paper, we first motivate the use of computer vision for the horizon detection task by examining the flight of birds (biological MAVs) and considering other practical factors. We then describe our vision-based horizon detection algorithm, which has been demonstrated at 30 Hz with over 99.9% correct horizon identification, over terrain that includes roads, buildings large and small, meadows, wooded areas, and a lake. We conclude with some sample horizon detection results and preview a companion paper, where the work discussed here forms the core of a complete autonomous flight stability system.

Nechyba, Michael C.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Density profiles of CDM microhalos and their implications for annihilation boost factors

In a standard cold dark matter (CDM) cosmology, microhalos at the CDM cutoff scale are the first and smallest objects expected to form in the universe. Here we present results of high resolution simulations of three representative roughly Earth-mass microhalos in order to determine their inner density profile. We find that CDM microhalos in simulations without a cutoff in the power spectrum roughly follow the NFW density profile, just like the much larger CDM halos on galaxy and galaxy cluster scales. But having a cutoff in the initial power spectrum at a typical neutralino free streaming scale of 10{sup −7}M{sub s}un makes their inner density profiles considerably steeper, i.e. ρ∝r{sup −(1.3−1.4)}, in good agreement with the results from Ishiyama et al. (2010). An extrapolation of the halo and subhalo mass functions down to the cutoff scale indicates that microhalos are extremely abundant throughout the present day dark matter distribution and might contribute significantly to indirect dark matter detection signals. Assuming a transition from a NFW to a steeper inner profile (ρ∝r{sup −1.4}) two orders of magnitude above the cutoff scale, the total boost factor for a Milky Way sized dark matter halo increases from about 3.5 to 4. We further find that CDM microhalo concentrations are consistent with the Bullock et al. (2001) model and clearly rule out simplistic power law models for the mass dependence of concentrations and subhalo annihilation, which would erroneously lead to very large boost factors (a few hundred for galaxy halos and over 1000 for clusters)

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗