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DOE OSTI2025

Signal propagation in reversible digital mechanics

Digital mechanics explores information processing through binary, mechanical circuits. This work demonstrates a flexural, mechanical integrated circuit (m-IC) that achieves reversible, non-reciprocal signal propagation through integrated AND logic and memory. Our approach exploits sequential bistable transitions with symmetric energy wells, tunable stiffness, impedance matching, and AND gate non-linearity, to enable signal propagation, repeatability, and reversibility. We present a generalized model of logic kinematics and energetics, validated experimentally, to study energy flows, quantify energetic limits, and identify operating regimes for reversible logic. Macro-scale experiments confirm propagation dynamics, and new fabrication methods extend the architecture to micro-scale devices. By achieving controlled, reversible signal transmission across interconnected logic and memory, this work establishes a scalable platform for robust mechanical computing and adaptive sensing.

Johnson, Hilary A. [Lawrence Livermore National La↗

DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-I-80: Quantification of Respiratory and Cardiac Motion Effect in SPECT Acquisitions Using Anthropomorphic Models: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to quantify, evaluate the impact of cardiac and respiratory motion on clinical nuclear imaging protocols. Common SPECT and scintigraphic scans are studied using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, comparing the resulted images with and without motion. Methods: Realistic simulations were executed using the GATE toolkit and the XCAT anthropomorphic phantom as a reference model for human anatomy. Three different radiopharmaceuticals based on 99mTc were studied, namely 99mTc-MDP, 99mTc—N—DBODC and 99mTc—DTPA-aerosol for bone, myocardium and lung scanning respectively. The resolution of the phantom was set to 3.5 mm{sup 3}. The impact of the motion on spatial resolution was quantified using a sphere with 3.5 mm diameter and 10 separate time frames, in the ECAM modeled SPECT scanner. Finally, respiratory motion impact on resolution and imaging of lung lesions was investigated. The MLEM algorithm was used for data reconstruction, while the literature derived biodistributions of the pharmaceuticals were used as activity maps in the simulations. Results: FWHM was extracted for a static and a moving sphere which was ∼23 cm away from the entrance of the SPECT head. The difference in the FWHM was 20% between the two simulations. Profiles in thorax were compared in the case of bone scintigraphy, showing displacement and blurring of the bones when respiratory motion was inserted in the simulation. Large discrepancies were noticed in the case of myocardium imaging when cardiac motion was incorporated during the SPECT acquisition. Finally the borders of the lungs are blurred when respiratory motion is included resulting to a dislocation of ∼2.5 cm. Conclusion: As we move to individualized imaging and therapy procedures, quantitative and qualitative imaging is of high importance in nuclear diagnosis. MC simulations combined with anthropomorphic digital phantoms can provide an accurate tool for applications like motion correction techniques’ optimization. This research has been co-funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national resources under the framework of the ‘Archimedes III: Funding of Research Groups in TEI of Athens’ project of the ‘Education & Lifelong Learning’ Operational Programme.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Experimental Study of Microparticle Adhesion and Resuspension with Laser Doppler Vibrometry

Microparticle adhesion and resuspension were studied where Laser Doppler Vibrometry, digital microscopy, and high speed imaging were used to characterize the rate of microparticle resuspension due to mechanical impulse forces. The effects of capillary condensation, particle size, electrostatic adhesion, and van der Waals forces were quantified. The effects of inter-particle cohesive bonds on aggregate-surface adhesion were also observed and quantified. These observations suggest clusters of biological spores may resist resuspension forces due to internal energy dissipation. Experimental methods developed here can be directly applied to trace detection and remediation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive materials (CBRNE) and are recommended for studying spore resuspension. Semi-empirical relationships presented in this work can also be integrated into existing hazard prediction and assessment capability tools to incorporate the effects of resuspension in computational models. Lastly, this work constitutes a validation data set for discrete element models (DEM) developed at Sandia National Laboratories which could be used to model microparticle adhesion and resuspension.

Hubbard, Joshua Allen↗

DOE OSTI2017

Crystal Plasticity Modeling and Experimental Validation with an Orientation Distribution Function for Ti-7Al Alloy

An orientation distribution function based model is used for micromechanical modeling of the titanium-aluminum alloys, Ti-0 wt % Al and Ti-7 wt % Al, which are in demand for many aerospace applications. This probability descriptor based modeling approach is different than crystal plasticity finite element techniques since it computes the averaged material properties using upper bound averaging. A rate-independent single-crystal plasticity model is implemented to compute the effect of macroscopic strain on the polycrystal. An optimization problem is defined for calibrating the basal, prismatic, pyramidal slip system and twin parameters using the available tension and compression experimental data. The crystal plasticity parameters of Ti-7 wt % Al are not studied extensively in literature, and therefore the optimization results for the crystal plasticity model realization produce unique data, which will be beneficial to future studies in the field. The sensitivities of the slip and twin parameters to the design objectives are also investigated to identify the most critical slip system parameters. Using the optimum design parameters, the microstructural textures, during the tension test, are predicted by the crystal plasticity finite element simulations, and compared to the available experimental texture and scanning electron microscope—digital image correlation data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

Seventy-Five Years of Nuclear Criticality Safety Documents--A Bibliography

A collection of nuclear criticality documents was begun in the 1970s at the University of California’s Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory). Documents in this bibliography are dated as early as 1940. The early documents described experimental work that was of vital importance to the safe use of fissile materials at nuclear reactors, the facilities for preparing or transporting nuclear fuel, or its eventual storage. The experiments were of direct value to support safe operations with fissile materials, but they were also needed for validating early physics data and calculational methods and then for validating computational methods used in criticality safety evaluations. These documents provided information for our computerized bibliographic database. The bibliography was originally intended for use by Livermore staff members but criticality safety "pioneers” encouraged us to make the database available to the broader nuclear safety community and even shared copies of their bibliographies and reports. A publication of the bibliography is being prepared and a searchable database is available on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Program’s NCSP website. The NCSP website also includes links from the bibliography to many full-text documents. The database continues to expand--the information in this paper is based on a “snapshot” of its present status. The “vintage” hardcopy document collection is preserved and is being scanned into digital format.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Computed radiography system for mammography

A computed radiography system including a stimulating light source such as a laser, a photostimulable glass imaging plate (PGIP) substantially transparent to the stimulating light positioned such that the stimulating light impinges the PGIP perpendicularly thereto producing photostimulated luminescence light (PLL), a light collector having a light reflecting inner surface proximate the PGIP for collecting PLL emitted from the PGIP and having a hole or slot therein for admitting stimulating light into the light collector and onto the PGIP. An optical filter in communication with the light collector for blocking stimulating light waves and passing PLL therethrough. A light detector receives PLL from the optical filter and the light collector, mechanism providing relative movement between the PGIP and the stimulating light source, and mechanism including an analog to digital converter for converting the collected and detected PLL to a diagnostic readout. The system is particularly useful in mammography.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Real-Time Testbed for Smart Inverter Cyber Security Studies

Distributed energy resources (DER) have become a popular solution to modern-day issues surrounding the efficiency and reliability of power generation, as well as climate change concerns. Energy centers are shifting towards incorporating smart inverters with embedded functionalities such as high voltage ride through (HVRT), low voltage ride through (LVRT), active and reactive power compensation. However, the integration of smart inverters leave DER systems highly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. The distributed network protocol 3 (DNP3) is a common method of communication between grid-tied hardware. Despite its popularity, the level of security leaves all hardware connected to the grid at risk of severe cyber-attacks. Thus, it is important to study any potential cybersecurity threats towards grid-tied smart inverters to mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities and refine existing cyber-security protections. This report describes the proposed testbed design to study cybersecurity threats to smart inverters. The testbed utilizes a real-time simulation case in RSCAD that includes a grid-tied wind turbine (WT) topology featuring two back-to-back two-level voltage source converters (BTB,2L-VSCs) and a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). The simulated case runs within the NovaCor real time digital simulator (RTDS). This report focuses on the design and implementation of a single module of the GTNETx2 card as a distributed network protocol and the configuration of an IEEE 1518 DNP database file that includes input and output variables mapped to different connection points in the grid that transmit and receive discrete, analog, and binary signals on command. This allows realistic emulation of the communication between the smart inverter and the grid for cybersecurity studies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2014

Real-time out-of-plane artifact subtraction tomosynthesis imaging using prior CT for scanning beam digital x-ray system

Purpose: The scanning beam digital x-ray system (SBDX) is an inverse geometry fluoroscopic system with high dose efficiency and the ability to perform continuous real-time tomosynthesis in multiple planes. This system could be used for image guidance during lung nodule biopsy. However, the reconstructed images suffer from strong out-of-plane artifact due to the small tomographic angle of the system. Methods: The authors propose an out-of-plane artifact subtraction tomosynthesis (OPAST) algorithm that utilizes a prior CT volume to augment the run-time image processing. A blur-and-add (BAA) analytical model, derived from the project-to-backproject physical model, permits the generation of tomosynthesis images that are a good approximation to the shift-and-add (SAA) reconstructed image. A computationally practical algorithm is proposed to simulate images and out-of-plane artifacts from patient-specific prior CT volumes using the BAA model. A 3D image registration algorithm to align the simulated and reconstructed images is described. The accuracy of the BAA analytical model and the OPAST algorithm was evaluated using three lung cancer patients’ CT data. The OPAST and image registration algorithms were also tested with added nonrigid respiratory motions. Results: Image similarity measurements, including the correlation coefficient, mean squared error, and structural similarity index, indicated that the BAA model is very accurate in simulating the SAA images from the prior CT for the SBDX system. The shift-variant effect of the BAA model can be ignored when the shifts between SBDX images and CT volumes are within ±10 mm in the x and y directions. The nodule visibility and depth resolution are improved by subtracting simulated artifacts from the reconstructions. The image registration and OPAST are robust in the presence of added respiratory motions. The dominant artifacts in the subtraction images are caused by the mismatches between the real object and the prior CT volume. Conclusions: Their proposed prior CT-augmented OPAST reconstruction algorithm improves lung nodule visibility and depth resolution for the SBDX system.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Monte Carlo Simulation and Reconstruction: Assessment of Myocardial Perfusion Imaging of Tracer Dynamics With Cardiac Motion Due to Deformation and Respiration Using Gamma Camera With Continuous Acquisition

Purpose: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is routinely used for stress testing in nuclear medicine. Recently, our group extended its potential going from 3D visual qualitative image analysis to 4D spatiotemporal reconstruction of dynamically acquired data to capture the time variation of the radiotracer concentration and the estimated myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR). However, the quality of reconstructed image is compromised due to cardiac deformation and respiration. The work presented here develops an algorithm that reconstructs the dynamic sequence of separate respiratory and cardiac phases and evaluates the algorithm with data simulated with a Monte Carlo simulation for the continuous image acquisition and processing with a slowly rotating SPECT camera. Methods: A clinically realistic Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is developed using the 4D Extended Cardiac Torso (XCAT) digital phantom with respiratory and cardiac motion to model continuous data acquisition of dynamic cardiac SPECT with slowly rotating gamma cameras by incorporating deformation and displacement of the myocardium due to cardiac and respiratory motion. We extended our previously developed 4D maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization (MLEM) reconstruction algorithm for a data set binned from a continuous list mode (LM) simulation with cardiac and respiratory information. Our spatiotemporal image reconstruction uses splines to explicitly model the temporal change of the tracer for each cardiac and respiratory gate that delineates the myocardial spatial position as the tracer washes in and out. Unlike in a fully list-mode data acquisition and reconstruction the accumulated photons are binned over a specific but very short time interval corresponding to each cardiac and respiratory gate. Reconstruction results are presented showing the dynamics of the tracer in the myocardium as it continuously deforms. These results are then compared with the conventional 4D spatiotemporal reconstruction method that models only the temporal changes of the tracer activity. Mean Stabilized Activity (MSA), signal to noise ratio (SNR) and Bias for the myocardium activities for three different target-to-background ratios (TBRs) are evaluated. Dynamic quantitative indices such as wash-in (K1) and wash-out (k2) rates at each gate were also estimated. Results: The MSA and SNR are higher with higher TBRs while biases were improved with higher TBRs to less than 10%. The correlation between exhalation-inhalation sequence with the ground truth during respiratory cycle was excellent. Our reconstruction method showed better resolved myocardial walls during diastole to systole as compared to the ungated 4D image. Estimated values of K1 and k2 were also consistent with the ground truth. Conclusion: The continuous image acquisition for dynamic scan using conventional two-head gamma cameras can provide valuable information for MPI. Our study demonstrated the viability of using a continuous image acquisition method on a widely used clinical two-head SPECT system. Our reconstruction method showed better resolved myocardial walls during diastole to systole as compared to the ungated 4D image. Precise implementation of reconstruction algorithms, better segmentation techniques by generating images of different tissue types and background activity would improve the feasibility of the method in real clinical environment.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2013

POINT-SPREAD FUNCTIONS FOR THE EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET CHANNELS OF SDO/AIA TELESCOPES

We present the stray-light point-spread functions (PSFs) and their inverses we characterized for the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) EUV telescopes on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. The inverse kernels are approximate inverses under convolution. Convolving the original Level 1 images with them produces images with improved stray-light characteristics. We demonstrate the usefulness of these PSFs by applying them to two specific cases: photometry and differential emission measure (DEM) analysis. The PSFs consist of a narrow Gaussian core, a diffraction component, and a diffuse component represented by the sum of a Gaussian-truncated Lorentzian and a shoulder Gaussian. We determined the diffraction term using the measured geometry of the diffraction pattern identified in flare images and the theoretically computed intensities of the principal maxima of the first few diffraction orders. To determine the diffuse component, we fitted its parameterized model using iterative forward-modeling of the lunar interior in the SDO/AIA images from the 2011 March 4 lunar transit. We find that deconvolution significantly improves the contrast in dark features such as miniature coronal holes, though the effect was marginal in bright features. On a percentage-scattering basis, the PSFs for SDO/AIA are better by a factor of two than that of the EUV telescope on board the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer mission. A preliminary analysis suggests that deconvolution alone does not affect DEM analysis of small coronal loop segments with suitable background subtraction. We include the derived PSFs and their inverses as supplementary digital materials.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Development of Integrated Safety and Security Models for Comprehensive Reliability and Resiliency Evaluation

The security of the electric grid and supporting energy systems is crucial to national security. One of the complexities in analyzing the security of energy systems is the safety consequences that may result from accidents. For energy systems, the goal is to ensure that they operate as intended and that any consequences are mitigated or prevented. The integration of safety and security is paramount to protecting these systems from attacks and ensuring that large consequences are prevented. This report describes an integrated safety and security methodology to evaluate cybersecurity events that can lead to large consequences. This novel approach first describes how Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) provides a digital causal analysis for Bayesian Networks (BNs). The use of STPA causal analysis provides a systematic approach to constructing BNs that adequately model cyber scenarios that result in consequences. When combined with the technical principles described in Risk-Informed Management of Enterprise Systems (RIMES), a comprehensive risk-informed cybersecurity analysis results that allows decision-makers to prioritize systems that most impact risk.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2017

Seventy-five years of nuclear criticality safety documents - a bibliography

A collection of nuclear criticality documents was begun in the 1970's at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory). Documents in this bibliography are dated as early as 1940. The early documents described experimental work that was of vital importance to the safe use of fissile materials at nuclear reactors, the facilities for preparing or transporting nuclear fuel, or its eventual storage. The experiments were of direct value to support safe operations with fissile materials but they were also needed for validating early physics data and calculational methods and then for validating computational methods used in criticality safety evaluations. These documents provided information for our computerized bibliographic database. The bibliography was originally intended for use by Livermore staff members but criticality safety 'pioneers' encouraged us to make the database available to the broader nuclear safety community and even shared copies of their bibliographies and reports. A publication of the bibliography is being prepared and a searchable database is available on the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Criticality Safety Program's NCSP web site. The NCSP web site also includes links from the bibliography to many full-text documents. The database continues to expand--the information in this paper is based on a 'snapshot' of its present status. The 'vintage' hardcopy document collection is preserved and is being scanned into digital format. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Protonic nickelate device networks for spatiotemporal neuromorphic computing

Computation in biological neural circuits arises from the interplay of nonlinear temporal responses and spatially distributed dynamic network interactions. Replicating this richness in hardware has remained challenging, as most neuromorphic devices emulate only isolated neuron- or synapse-like functions. Here we introduce an integrated neuromorphic computing platform in which both nonlinear spatiotemporal processing and programmable memory are realized within a single perovskite nickelate material system. By engineering symmetric and asymmetric hydrogenated NdNiO 3 junction devices on the same wafer, we combine ultrafast, proton-mediated transient dynamics with stable multilevel resistance states. Networks of symmetric NdNiO 3 junctions exhibit emergent spatial interactions mediated by proton redistribution, while each node simultaneously provides short-term temporal memory, enabling nanosecond-scale operation with an energy cost of ~0.2 nJ per input. When interfaced with asymmetric output units serving as reconfigurable long-term weights, these networks allow both feature transformation and linear classification in the same material system. Leveraging these emergent interactions, the platform enables real-time pattern recognition and achieves high accuracy in spoken digit classification and early seizure detection, outperforming temporal-only or uncoupled architectures. These results position protonic nickelates as a compact, energy-efficient, CMOS-compatible platform that integrates processing and memory for scalable intelligent hardware.

Electrical and electronic engineering↗

DOE OSTI2020

Flat optics for image differentiation

Image processing has become a critical technology in a variety of science and engineering disciplines. Although most image processing is performed digitally, optical analog processing has the advantages of being low-power and high-speed, but it requires a large volume. Here, we demonstrate flat optics for direct image differentiation, allowing us to significantly shrink the required optical system size. We first demonstrate how the differentiator can be combined with traditional imaging systems such as a commercial optical microscope and camera sensor for edge detection with a numerical aperture up to 0.32. We next demonstrate how the entire processing system can be realized as a monolithic compound flat optic by integrating the differentiator with a metalens. The compound nanophotonic system manifests the advantage of thin form factor as well as the ability to implement complex transfer functions, and could open new opportunities in applications such as biological imaging and computer vision.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Quantum JPEG

The joint photographic expert group algorithm compresses a digital image by filtering its high spatial-frequency components. Similarly, we introduce a quantum algorithm that uses the quantum Fourier transform to discard the high spatial-frequency qubits of an image, downsampling it to a lower resolution. This allows one to capture, compress, and send images even with limited quantum resources for storage and communication. We show under which conditions this protocol is advantageous with respect to its classical counterpart.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Development of a Data Acquisition System for Kinetic Inductance Detectors: Wide Dynamic Range and High Sampling Rate for Astronomical Observation

Microwave kinetic inductance detectors have a variety of potential applications in astronomical observations. We built a data acquisition system for kinetic inductance detectors combining a dedicated analog board and a commercially available digital board to meet the requirements of astronomical measurements, such as observation of the cosmic microwave background. This paper reports the status of the development of the data acquisition system. We have already achieved simultaneous readout through 120 channels using a direct down-conversion method to decode the signal. A variety of software has been developed and tested using the functionalities of the system and actual detectors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2026

Polynomial-time preparation of low-temperature Gibbs states for two-dimensional toric code

In this work, we propose a polynomial-time algorithm for preparing the Gibbs state of the two-dimensional toric code Hamiltonian at any temperature, starting from any initial state, significantly improving upon prior estimates that suggested exponential scaling with inverse temperature. We prove that fast mixing at low temperature for the two-dimensional toric code can be achieved by augmenting local jump operators with simple global jump operators, which enable efficient transitions between logical sectors. To establish tight lower bounds on the spectral gap, we introduce a new reduction method that eventually maps the problem to estimating the spectral gap of a perturbed graph Laplacian on a stair graph. Our proof also shows that the Lindblad dynamics with a digitally implemented low-temperature local Davies generator is able to efficiently drive the quantum state toward the ground state manifold.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2015

A Four Channel Beam Current Monitor Data Acquisition System Using Embedded Processors

Data acquisition from multiple beam current monitors is required for electron accelerator production of Mo-99. A two channel system capable of recording data from two beam current monitors has been developed, is currently in use, and is discussed below. The development of a cost-effective method of extending this system to more than two channels and integrating of these measurements into an accelerator control system is the main focus of this report. Data from these current monitors is digitized, processed, and stored by a digital data acquisition system. Limitations and drawbacks with the currently deployed digital data acquisition system have been identified as have been potential solutions, or at least improvements, to these problems. This report will discuss and document the efforts we've made in improving the flexibility and lowering the cost of the data acquisition system while maintaining the minimum requirements.

42 ENGINEERING↗