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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Development and preliminary results of 270 GHz microwave forward scattering diagnostic system on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)

To measure localized (intermediate, high) poloidal wavenumber electron density fluctuations, a tangential millimeter-wave collective scattering system has been designed and successfully developed on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). This innovative system employs a 270 GHz mm-wave probe beam, emitted from the mid-plane of Port K and directed towards Port P after passing through a combination of two in-vessel mirrors. Here these two ports are located on the EAST device’s midplane and are 110° apart. The downward scattered signals pass through two in-vessel mirrors, and exit through the P window. The received multi-channel separated scattering signals are arranged along the poloidal direction. This optical arrangement makes the monitored turbulent wave number is poloidal dominant and up to 40 cm −1 . The tangential microwave scattering scheme enables this diagnostic to monitor local density fluctuations, with typically a radial spatial resolution △ R = 5 cm, and a wavenumber resolution of △ k = 0.4 cm −1 . The scattering system underwent comprehensive laboratory testing in 2023, with installation finalized in 2024. The system features steerable launch and receiver optics, allowing remote control to position the scattering volume from normalized radius ρ –0 to the pedestal region on a shot-by-shot basis. Effective experimental data, characterized by distinct off-center spectral peaks, have been successfully obtained in neutral beam-heated plasmas on EAST. The beam tracing forward modeling has been employed for experimental data interpretation. The advanced millimeter-wave scattering system provides fluctuation measurement capability from ion temperature gradient to electron temperature gradient scale on low field side. Preliminary experimental density fluctuation data have been successfully obtained in neutral beam-heated plasmas on EAST. The localized measurement will be used for kinetic turbulence transport numerical simulation validation.

high-k collective scattering↗
NASA NTRS1990

In Situ deposition of YBCO high-T(sub c) superconducting thin films by MOCVD and PE-MOCVD

Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) offers the advantages of a high degree of compositional control, adaptability for large scale production, and the potential for low temperature fabrication. The capability of operating at high oxygen partial pressure is particularly suitable for in situ formation of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) thin films having a sharp zero-resistance transition with T( sub c) greater than 90 K and Jc approx. 10 to the 4th power A on YSZ have been prepared, in situ, at a substrate temperature of about 800 C. Moreover, the ability to form oxide films at low temperature is very desirable for device applications of HTSC materials. Such a process would permit the deposition of high quality HTSC films with a smooth surface on a variety of substrates. Highly c-axis oriented, dense, scratch resistant, superconducting YBCO thin films with mirror-like surfaces have been prepared, in situ, at a reduced substrate temperature as low as 570 C by a remote microwave-plasma enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process. Nitrous oxide was used as a reactant gas to generate active oxidizing species. This process, for the first time, allows the formation of YBCO thin films with the orthorhombic superconducting phase in the as-deposited state. The as-deposited films grown by PE-MOCVD show attainment of zero resistance at 72 K with a transition width of about 5 K. MOCVD was carried out in a commercial production scale reactor with the capability of uniform deposition over 100 sq cm per growth run. Preliminary results indicate that PE-MOCVD is a very attractive thin film deposition process for superconducting device technology.

Zhao, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

In-situ deposition of YBCO high-Tc superconducting thin films by MOCVD and PE-MOCVD

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) offers the advantages of a high degree of compositional control, adaptability for large scale production, and the potential for low temperature fabrication. The capability of operating at high oxygen partial pressure is particularly suitable for in situ formation of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) thin films having a sharp zero-resistance transition with T(sub c) greater than 90 K and J(sub c) of approximately 10(exp 4) A on YSZ have been prepared, in situ, at a substrate temperature of about 800 C. Moreover, the ability to form oxide films at low temperature is very desirable for device applications of HTSC materials. Such a process would permit the deposition of high quality HTSC films with a smooth surface on a variety of substrates. Highly c-axis oriented, dense, scratch resistant, superconducting YBCO thin films with mirror-like surfaces have been prepared, in situ, at a reduced substrate temperature as low as 570 C by a remote microwave-plasma enhanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process. Nitrous oxide was used as a reactant gas to generate active oxidizing species. This process, for the first time, allows the formation of YBCO thin films with the orthorhombic superconducting phase in the as-deposited state. The as-deposited films grown by PE-MOCVD show attainment of zero resistance at 72 K with a transition width of about 5 K. MOCVD was carried out in a commercial production scale reactor with the capability of uniform deposition over 100 sq cm per growth run. Preliminary results indicate that PE-MOCVD is a very attractive thin film deposition process for superconducting device technology.

Zhao, J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Recent Results of a New Microwave SQUID Multiplexer

We are developing a proof-of-concept microwave SQUID multiplexer containing four SQUIDs coupled to GHz frequency resonant circuits and fed with a single microwave readout line. The resonators are half-wave coplanar waveguide sections and are similar to the structures used for the microwave kinetic inductance detectors developed in our group. Optimal values for the interdigital gap capacitors were determined to maximize the sensitivity of the transmitted and reflected microwave signal with respect to changes in the dynamic resistance of the SQUID. The dc current-bias line for the SQUID has an in-line inductive high frequency filter to minimize coupling between the bias line and resonator. A high frequency modulation scheme is proposed to eliminate the need for individual flux biasing of the SQUIDs, which extends the dynamic range of the readout. In this scheme a common modulation signal is imposed on each SQUID and the received signal is demodulated at one and two times the modulation frequency to maintain sensitivity at any flux state. We present the recent results of the microwave SQUID multiplexer system operating at a readout frequency range of 10 - 11GHz.

superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photon Frequency Conversion in High-Q Superconducting Resonators: Axion Electrodynamics, QED, and Nonlinear Meissner Radiation

High-Q superconducting resonators have been proposed and developed as detectors of light-by-light scattering mediated by the hypothesized axion or virtual electron–positron pairs in quantum electrodynamics: the Euler–Heisenberg (EH) interaction. Photon frequency and mode conversion is central to the scheme for detecting such rare events. Superconducting resonators are nonlinear devices. The Meissner screening currents that confine the electromagnetic fields to the vacuum region of a superconducting RF cavity are nonlinear functions of the EM field at the vacuum–superconducting interface, and as a result can generate source currents and frequency conversion of microwave photons in the cavity. In this report we consider photon frequency and mode conversion in superconducting resonators with high quality factors from Meissner currents in single- and dual-cavity setups proposed for axion and QED searches based on light-by-light scattering. In a single cavity with two pump modes, photon frequency conversion by the Meissner screening current dominates photon generation by the EH interaction for cavities with Q≲1012⁠. The Meissner currents also generate background photons that limit the operation of the resonator for axion detection in three-mode, single-cavity setups. We also consider the leakage of photons from pump modes into the signal mode for both axion- and EH-mediated light-by-light scattering. Photon frequency conversion by the EH interaction can compete with Meissner and leakage radiation in ultra-high-Q cavities that are beyond the current state of the art. Meissner radiation and leakage backgrounds can be suppressed in dual-cavity setups with appropriate choices for pump and spectator modes, as well as the single-cavity setup proposed for heterodyne detection of galactic axion dark matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electro-optic transduction in silicon via gigahertz-frequency nanomechanics

Interfacing electronics with optical fiber networks is key to the long-distance transfer of classical and quantum information. Piezo-optomechanical transducers enable such interfaces by using gigahertz-frequency acoustic vibrations as mediators for converting microwave photons to optical photons via the combination of optomechanical and piezoelectric interactions. However, despite successful demonstrations, efficient quantum transduction remains out of reach due to the challenges associated with hybrid material integration and increased loss from piezoelectric materials when operating in the quantum regime. Here, we demonstrate an alternative approach in which we actuate 5-GHz phonons in a conventional silicon-on-insulator platform. In our experiment, microwave photons resonantly drive a phononic crystal oscillator via the electrostatic force realized in a charge-biased narrow-gap capacitor. The mechanical vibrations are subsequently transferred via a phonon waveguide to an optomechanical cavity, where they transform into optical photons in the sideband of a pump laser field. Operating at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, we measure a microwave-to-optical photon conversion efficiency of 1.72±0.14×10 −7 in a 3.3 MHz bandwidth. Our results mark a stepping stone towards quantum transduction with integrated devices made from crystalline silicon, which promise efficient high-bandwidth operation and integration with superconducting qubits. Additionally, the lack of need for piezoelectricity or other intrinsic nonlinearities makes our approach applicable to a wide range of materials for potential applications beyond quantum technologies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1989

Screen-Printed YBa2Cu3O7-x Films On Alumina

Superconducting films made in relatively simple process. Thick films of YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductor deposited on highly-polished alumina substrates by screen printing. In addition to simplicity, screen-printing technique offers advantage that patterns for electronic and microwave circuits and devices printed directly, without additional etching steps.

Bansal, Narottam P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advances in MMIC technology for communications satellites

This paper discusses NASA Lewis Research Center's program for development of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) for application in space communications. Emphasis will be on the improved performance in power amplifiers and low noise receivers which has been made possible by the development of new semiconductor materials and devices. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity for space communications will also be presented.

Leonard, Regis F.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Electrical NEP in Hot-Electron Titanium Superconducting Bolometers

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10(sup -1) - 10(sup -20) W/Hz(sup 1/2) for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (approximately 4-5 K) mirrors. Recently, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (approximately 20 fW/K at 300 mK and approximately 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -21) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 40 mK and NEP approximately equal to 3 x 10(sup -19) W/Hz(sup 1/2) at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photons. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (approximately 6 micrometers x 0.35 micrometers x 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7 x 10(sup -18) W/Hz(sup 1/2) derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (approximately microns) are a unique combination not found in other detectors.

transition-edge sensor↗
DOE OSTI2023

Circuit-level design principles for transmission-mode microwave impedance microscopy

A recently developed technique of transmission-mode microwave impedance microscopy (T-MIM) has greatly extended the capabilities of standard reflection-mode MIM to novel applications, such as the in operando study of nanoscale electro-acoustic devices. As is common for new techniques, systematic design principles for boosting sensitivity and balancing bandwidth are lacking. Here, we show numerically and analytically that the T-MIM signal is proportional to the reflection-mode voltage enhancement factor η of the circuit, as long as the output impedance of the local voltage source is properly treated. We show that this proportionality holds in the currently achievable “weak sampling” regime and beyond, for which we demonstrate a realistic path with commercially available superconducting components and critically coupled impedance matching networks. Furthermore, we demonstrate that for these next-generation designs, the sensitivity is generally maximized at a slightly different frequency from the unloaded S 11 resonance, which can be explained by the maximum power transfer theorem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1988

Future superconductivity applications in space - A review

High temperature superconductor (HISC) materials and devices can provide immediate applications for many space missions. The in-space thermal environment provides an opportunity to develop, test, and apply this technology to enhance performance and reliability for many applications of crucial importance to NASA. Specifically, the technology development areas include: (1) high current power transmission, (2) microwave components, devices, and antennas, (3) microwave, optical, and infrared sensors, (4) signal processors, (5) submillimeter wave components and systems, (6) ultra stable space clocks, (7) electromagnetic launch systems, and (8) accelerometers and position sensors for flight operations. HTSC is expected to impact NASA's Lunar Bases, Mars exploration, Mission to Earth, and Planetary exploration programs providing enabling and cost-effect technology. A review of the space applications of the HTSC technology is presented. Problem areas in technology development needing special attention are identified.

Krishen, Kumar↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accelerated microwave-assisted synthesis and in situ X-ray scattering of tungsten-substituted vanadium dioxide (V 1-x W x O 2 )

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) has been widely studied due to its metal-insulator phase transition at 68°C, below which it is a semiconducting monoclinic phase, P2 1 /c, and above it is a metallic tetragonal phase, P4 2 /mnm. Substituting vanadium with transition metals allows transition temperature tunability. An accelerated microwave-assisted synthesis for VO 2 and 5d tungsten substituted VO 2 presented herein decreased synthesis time by three orders of magnitude while maintaining phase purity, particle size, and transition character. Tungsten substitution amount was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry, superconducting quantum interference device measurements, and in-situ heating and cooling experiments monitored through synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the transition temperature decreased with increased tungsten substitution. Scanning electron microscopy analyzed through the line-intercept method produced an average particle size of 3 – 5 μm. Average structure and local structure phase purity was determined through Rietveld analysis of synchrotron XRD and least-squares refinement of pair-distribution function data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1995

High temperature superconductors applications in telecommunications

The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to discuss high temperature superconductors with specific reference to their employment in telecommunications applications; and (2) to discuss a few of the limitations of the normally employed two-fluid model. While the debate on the actual usage of high temperature superconductors in the design of electronic and telecommunications devices - obvious advantages versus practical difficulties - needs to be settled in the near future, it is of great interest to investigate the parameters and the assumptions that will be employed in such designs. This paper deals with the issue of providing the microwave design engineer with performance data for such superconducting waveguides. The values of conductivity and surface resistance, which are the primary determining factors of a waveguide performance, are computed based on the two-fluid model. A comparison between two models - a theoretical one in terms of microscopic parameters (termed Model A) and an experimental fit in terms of macroscopic parameters (termed Model B) - shows the limitations and the resulting ambiguities of the two-fluid model at high frequencies and at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The validity of the two-fluid model is then discussed. Our preliminary results show that the electrical transport description in the normal and superconducting phases as they are formulated in the two-fluid model needs to be modified to incorporate the new and special features of high temperature superconductors. Parameters describing the waveguide performance - conductivity, surface resistance and attenuation constant - will be computed. Potential applications in communications networks and large scale integrated circuits will be discussed. Some of the ongoing work will be reported. In particular, a brief proposal is made to investigate of the effects of electromagnetic interference and the concomitant notion of electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) of high T(sub c) superconductors.

Kumar, A. Anil↗
DOE OSTI2020

Conceptual Design and Analysis of In-Vessel Components for the Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX)

The materials plasma exposure experiment (MPEX) is a linear plasma divertor simulator currently undergoing conceptual design. The facility will expose material samples to steady-state plasma fluxes to examine plasma–material interactions (PMIs) that are expected in the next generation of fusion devices. The plasmas will be generated by a helicon source, with electron and ion heating sources of up to 800 kW possible. The peak heat fluxes of the target are expected to be up to 10 MW/m 2 . The facility will be capable of handling low-activation neutron-irradiated samples in order to examine the multivariate effects of neutron damage and plasma fluence. Neutron-irradiated samples are planned to be roughly of 10-mm diameter; however, plasma-facing components up to 60×600 mm can be accommodated. The steady-state nature of the device will require the magnetic confinement of the plasma to be achieved with superconducting magnets, with a maximum on-axis field of 2.5 T. In addition, since MPEX will be a steady-state device, in-vessel components need to be water cooled. The primary in-vessel components will be the target, the dump plate, the limiter, the skimmers, and the microwave absorber. The conceptual design of these components is presented here, including analyses that confirm that the designs are adequate to meet the requirements of MPEX operation.

Lumsdaine, Arnold↗
DOE OSTI2022

Conceptual design of the modular detector and readout system for the CMB-S4 survey experiment

We present the conceptual design of the modular detector and readout system for the Cosmic Microwave Background – Stage four (CMB-S4) ground-based survey experiment. CMB-S4 will map the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the millimeter-wave sky to unprecedented sensitivity, using 500,000 superconducting detectors observing from Chile and Antarctica to map over 60% of the sky. The fundamental building block of the detector and readout system is a detector module package operated at 100 mK, which is connected to a readout and amplification chain that carries signals out to room temperature. It uses arrays of feedhorn-coupled orthomode transducers (OMT) that collect optical power from the sky onto dc-voltage-biased transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. The resulting current signal in the TESs is then amplified by a two-stage cryogenic Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) system with a time-division multiplexer to reduce wire count, and matching room-temperature electronics to condition and transmit signals to the data acquisition system. Sensitivity and systematics requirements are being developed for the detector and readout system over wide range of observing bands (20 to 300 GHz) and optical powers to accomplish CMB-S4’s science goals. While the design incorporates the successes of previous generations of CMB instruments, CMB-S4 requires an order of magnitude more detectors than any prior experiment. This requires fabrication of complex superconducting circuits on over 10 m2 of silicon, as well as significant amounts of precision wiring, assembly and cryogenic testing

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Kinetic Inductance Phonon-Mediated Detectors for Dark Matter: R&D at NEXUS

Superconducting thin films have long been used as phonon sensors, particularly in the field of dark matter (DM) direct detection, due to the meV-scale Cooper-pair binding energy. A novel class of these detectors based on microwave kinetic inductance detectors, dubbed Kinetic Inductance Phonon-Mediated Detectors (KIPMDs), offers an attractive architecture for microcalorimeters to probe DM down to the fermionic thermal relic mass limit of a few keV. Such a device featuring an aluminum resonator patterned onto a silicon substrate was operated at the NEXUS low-background facility at Fermilab for characterization and evaluation of its efficacy for a dark matter search. With this device we have demonstrated a resolution on the energy absorbed by the superconductor of 2.5 eV, a factor of two better than current state-of-the-art. In this talk, I will present our measurement of the energy resolution and phonon collection efficiency performed by exposing the bare substrate to a pulsed source of 470 nm photons. I will also discuss the path forward to obtaining in these devices the sub-eV resolution required to test the “Freeze-in” class of DM models. Finally, I will review other complementary efforts in our group to develop a superconducting qubit-based low-threshold detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

BICEP Array: 150 GHz Detector Module Development

The Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP)/Keck (BK) collaboration is currently leading the quest for the highest-sensitivity measurements of the polarized cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies on a degree scale with a series of cryogenic telescopes, of which BICEP Array (BA) is the latest Stage-3 upgrade with a total of ~ 32,000 detectors. The instrument comprises 4 receivers spanning 30–270 GHz, with the low-frequency 30/40 GHz deployed to the South Pole Station in late 2019. The full complement of receivers is forecast to set the most stringent constraints on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r. Building on these advances, the overarching small-aperture telescope concept is already being used as the reference for further Stage-4 experiment design. This paper describes the development of the BICEP Array 150 GHz detector module and its fabrication requirements, with highlights on the high-density time division multiplexing (TDM) design of the cryogenic circuit boards. The low-impedance wiring required between the detectors and the frst stage of superconducting quantum interference device amplifers is crucial to maintaining a stable bias current on the detectors. Here, a novel multilayer FR4 Printed Circuit Board with superconducting traces, capable of reading out up to 648 detectors, is detailed along with its validation tests. An ultra-high-density TDM detector module concept we developed for a CMB-S4-like experiment that allows up to 1920 detectors to be read out is also presented. TDM has been chosen as the detector readout technology for the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage-4 (CMB-S4) experiment based on its proven low-noise performance, predictable costs, and overall maturity of the architecture. The heritage for TDM is rooted in mm- and sub-mm-wave experiments dating back 20 years and has since evolved to support a multiplexing factor of 64x in Stage-3 experiments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

QSHS: an axion dark matter resonant search apparatus

We describe a resonant cavity search apparatus for axion dark matter constructed by the quantum sensors for the hidden sector collaboration. The apparatus is configured to search for QCD axion dark matter, though also has the capability to detect axion-like particles, dark photons, and some other forms of wave-like dark matter. Initially, a tuneable cylindrical oxygen-free copper cavity is read out using a low noise microwave amplifier feeding a heterodyne receiver. The cavity is housed in a dilution refrigerator (DF) and threaded by a solenoidal magnetic field, nominally 8 T. The apparatus also houses a magnetic field shield for housing superconducting electronics, and several other fixed-frequency resonators for use in testing and commissioning various prototype quantum electronic devices sensitive at a range of axion masses in the range 2.0–40 μ eV c -2 . The apparatus as currently configured is intended as a test stand for electronics over the relatively wide frequency band attainable with TM 010 the cavity mode used for axion searches. We present performance data for the resonator, DF, and magnet, and plans for the first science run.

Physics - Physics of elementary particles and fiel↗