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At least 1,621 records · Page 90

Magnetic field impact on the laser heating in MagLIF

Prior to implosion in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF), the fuel is heated to temperatures on the order of several hundred eV with a multi-kJ, multi-ns laser pulse. In this paper, we present two laser heated plasma experiments, relevant to the MagLIF preheat stage, performed at Z with beryllium liners filled with deuterium and a trace amount of argon. In one experiment, there is no magnetic field and, in the other, the liner and fuel are magnetized with an 8.5 T axial magnetic field. The recorded time integrated, spatially resolved spectra of the Ar K-shell emission are sensitive to electron temperature T e . Individual analysis of the spatially resolved spectra produces electron temperature distributions T e (z) that are resolved along the axis of laser propagation. In the experiment with magnetic field, the plasma reaches higher temperatures and the heated region extends deeper within the liner than in the unmagnetized case. Radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the experiments are presented and post-processed. A comparison of the results from experimental and simulated data reveals that the simulations underpredict T e in both cases but the differences are larger in the case with magnetic field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Identification of Intraday False Data Injection Attack on DER Dispatch Signals

The urgent need for the decarbonization of power grids has accelerated the integration of renewable energy. Concurrently, increasing distributed energy resources (DER) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) have transformed the power grids into a more sophisticated cyber-physical system with numerous communication devices. While these transitions provide economic and environmental value, they also impose increased risk of cyber attacks and operation al challenges. This paper investigates the vulnerabilit y of the power grids with high renewable penetration against an intraday false data injection (FDI) attack on DER dispatch signals and proposes a kernel support vector regression (SVR) based detection model as a countermeasure. The intraday FDI attack scenario and the detection model are demonstrated in a numerical experiment using the HCE 187-bus test system.

Kim, Jip↗

Overview of Collaborative Research Between UNICAMP in Brazil and Fermilab in Cryogenics

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) situated at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, serves as the host for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), employing cryostats with nearly 70,000 metric tons of high purity liquid argon (LAr). The integrity of LAr quality is pivotal in determining the electron lifetime within DUNE, directly impacting its signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, Far Detector 1 (FD-1) in cryostat 1 requires an electron lifetime over 3 ms within its 3.5 m drift, corresponding to less than 100 parts-per-trillion (ppt) Oxygen equivalent contamination. Far Detector 2 (FD-2) in cryostat 2 demands over 6 ms electron lifetime within its 6.0 m drift, corresponding to less than 50 ppt Oxygen equivalent contamination. Nitrogen (N2) absorption of LAr scintillation light, known as quenching, necessitates N2 contamination in LAr to remain below 1 ppm to minimize photon loss and enhance energy reconstruction. Studies indicate that at 1 ppm N2, approximately 20% of scintillation light is lost, highlighting the importance of minimizing N2 contamination. Brazil State University of Campinas's (UNICAMP) contribution to LBNF focuses on developing argon purification and regeneration for DUNE FD-1 and FD-2. To that effect, they constructed a test facility to perform studies on LAr purification at a smaller scale, the Purification Liquid Argon Cryostat (PuLArC) with approximately 90 liters of LAr. One of the filtration materials was considered and tested Li-FAU molecular sieve. Value engineering on argon purification media was conducted, leading to the identification of Li-FAU zeolite's ability to effectively capture N2 impurities during LAr circulation. Testing at UNICAMP's PuLArC facility demonstrated that 1 kg of Li-FAU is capable of reducing N2 contamination from 20-50 ppm to 0.1-1.0 ppm within 1-2 hours of circulation. In October 2023, testing at the Iceberg cryostat in Fermilab's Noble Liquid Test Facility (NLTF), with approximately 2,625 liters of LAr, confirmed the efficacy of 3 kg of Li-FAU in reducing N2 contamination from ~ 5 ppm of injected N2 down to less than 1 ppm over 96-hour cycles, showcasing its potential for larger-scale LAr cryostats. Further tests are planned to validate Li-FAU's use as a possible alternative to Molecular Sieve 4A in LBNF-DUNE and related liquid argon experiments. This contribution will describe how the research was performed and present the test setups and results in detail. This advancement not only has the potential to enhance DUNE's precision but also to elevate liquid argon experiments globally, showcasing the power of international scientific collaboration.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Coordinated Natural Gas and Electric Planning: Case Studies of Current Approaches and Practices

This paper examines how natural gas and electric utilities across eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces are beginning to coordinate historically separate planning processes in response to growing system interdependencies, policy mandates, aging infrastructure, and changing customer energy choices. Electricity planning has long relied on robust integrated resource planning frameworks that weigh numerous objectives, risks, and costs. Natural gas planning, on the other hand, is typically less transparent and more narrowly focused on safety and system integrity. As economic, reliability, and policy drivers place new and shared demands on both systems, jurisdictions and utilities are experimenting with approaches such as coordinated forecasting, non pipeline alternatives, and combined planning pilots. A few have issued regulatory or statutory directives for greater data sharing and methodological alignment. Case studies from British Columbia, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Québec, Rhode Island, and Washington illustrate a wide range of approaches to rethinking siloed planning. The paper identifies several common themes across the jurisdictions examined. It provides observations on the methods, processes, and organizational steps that may be needed in the future to address the challenges being faced by states and utilities. Lastly, it identifies some initial steps that states and utilities can consider if they would like to pursue more integrated, cost-effective, policy-aligned energy system planning.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Integrated Urban Services: Regional Launch Event, 10-11 and 12-13 August 2021 [Slides]

The Integrated Urban Services (IUS) Program virtual launch event was conducted on August 10th and 12th, 2021 and provided education to the 26 cities in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network focused on integrated urban planning and the energy-food-water nexus. Experts representing academia, government, NGOs, and the private sector were invited to share knowledge and key lessons from their experience working on urban development projects in the ASEAN region and around the world. The IUS program, which is funded by the U.S. State Department and implemented by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, aims to promote systems integration and circular economy principles for resource recovery and reuse at the city scale. This new initiative will help ASEAN cities build resilience in their energy, water, and food provision systems. The objectives of this three-year project are to: Educate stakeholders on the benefits of circular economy approaches such as resource recovery and reuse, and on opportunities to build cost-efficient and resilient models of basic urban service and food provision; Provide technical assistance to two select cities within ASEAN to aid them in implementing regenerative EWF system pilot projects; and Engage the private sector to promote market-based planning and investment to support pilot project implementation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Experimental Setup and Learning-Based AI Model for Developing Accurate PV Inverter Models

The integration of power electronics-based interfaces presents challenges due to the absence of detailed models and the high computational complexity. Generic models used in system studies lack accuracy in capturing converter dynamics. This paper proposes a data-driven approach developed from experimental setup data. This approach enhances accuracy in photovoltaic inverter modeling. We used two types of PV inverters in the experiment. The recorded experimental data undergo processing through a machine learning model. Results from the model trained through machine learning is also presented.

artificial intelligence↗

Integral and Separate Effects Test Facilities To Support Water Cooled Small Modular Reactors: A Review

This study reviews previous experimental facilities and test programs relevant to water-cooled reactor system design and analysis to meet regulatory compliances. This study aims to find the best solution for designing the required experiments, obtaining necessary test data, and verifying the developed computer code/models to support the new reactor design and development while minimizing cost and time while leveraging experiences from previous facilities to minimize. Nuclear reactor licensing requires supportive design, analysis, and experimental results to ensure the safety of the full-scale prototype reactor in regular operation, as well as during postulated accident scenarios. These reactor design analyses are generally performed using system codes and other associated simulation tools that require assessment, verification and validation using an appropriate experimental dataset. Experimental facilities used for reactor system safety analysis and system code assessments are categorized into integral effects test (IET) and separate effects test (SET) facilities. Further, these IET and SET experiments and studies use geometrically scaled systems to reproduce the prototype system behavior at a reasonable cost, albeit with some scaling-related distortions. The design challenge of these model facilities is to identify and minimize scaling distortions while reproducing the most important operational phenomena in steady-state operation and in postulated accident scenarios. Lessons learned from previous experimental facilities, models, and correlations can support the development of new multipurpose, scaled, hybrid, integrated, and modular experimental facilities for advanced light water-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs). Successful operation of these facilities can significantly reduce upfront reactor development and demonstration costs and time to deployment.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Real-time data processing for serial crystallography experiments

We report the use of streaming data interfaces to perform fully online data processing for serial crystallography experiments, without storing intermediate data on disk. The system produces Bragg reflection intensity measurements suitable for scaling and merging, with a latency of less than 1 s per frame. Our system uses the CrystFEL software in combination with the ASAP::O data framework. In a series of user experiments at PETRA III, frames from a 16 megapixel Dectris EIGER2 X detector were searched for peaks, indexed and integrated at the maximum full-frame readout speed of 133 frames per second. The computational resources required depend on various factors, most significantly the fraction of non-blank frames ('hits'). The average single-thread processing time per frame was 242 ms for blank frames and 455 ms for hits, meaning that a single 96-core computing node was sufficient to keep up with the data, with ample headroom for unexpected throughput reductions. Further significant improvements are expected, for example by binning pixel intensities together to reduce the pixel count. We discuss the implications of real-time data processing on the `data deluge' problem from recent and future photon-science experiments, in particular on calibration requirements, computing access patterns and the need for the preservation of raw data.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Variable Renewable Energy Grid Integration Studies: A Guidebook for Practitioners

This guidebook provides power system planners with a brief but comprehensive summary of the strategies, best practices, and terminology associated with conducting a high-impact grid integration study. The objective is to provide practical guidance to teams that are in the initial stages of designing a grid integration study effort. Though this guidance is broadly applicable to most power systems, it emphasizes considerations relevant to developing economies, drawing on experiences from efforts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support this type of analysis with its partner countries.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Promoting Sustainable Transportation Modes: A Systematic Review of Behavior-Change Strategies

In previous studies, many travel-behavior-change strategies often relied on single behavior determinants or psychological theories, overlooking the incorporation of sociopsychological theories for guidance in their design. Integrating these theories could offer consistent guidance for program developers and enhance intervention effectiveness. This paper systematically reviews interventions targeting travel-behavior change, with a focus on self-determination theory and its principles of satisfying individuals’ competence, autonomy, and relatedness needs for enacting change. Additionally, experiment design methods, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, are reviewed and discussed. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of personalized interventions and integrating feedback with goal-setting strategies. Given the limited direct references to sociopsychological theories in existing studies, we explore relevant sociopsychological theories applicable to travel-behavior-change programs to provide examples of how strategies could be designed based on them. This review contributes valuable insights into the development of strategies for changing travel behavior, offering a theoretical framework for researchers and practitioners to guide intervention design, experimentation, and evaluation. In conclusion, leveraging these theories not only facilitates reproducibility but also provides a standardized approach for transportation demand management program developers.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Opportunities for enhancing MLCommons efforts while leveraging insights from educational MLCommons earthquake benchmarks efforts

MLCommons is an effort to develop and improve the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem through benchmarks, public data sets, and research. It consists of members from start-ups, leading companies, academics, and non-profits from around the world. The goal is to make machine learning better for everyone. In order to increase participation by others, educational institutions provide valuable opportunities for engagement. In this article, we identify numerous insights obtained from different viewpoints as part of efforts to utilize high-performance computing (HPC) big data systems in existing education while developing and conducting science benchmarks for earthquake prediction. As this activity was conducted across multiple educational efforts, we project if and how it is possible to make such efforts available on a wider scale. This includes the integration of sophisticated benchmarks into courses and research activities at universities, exposing the students and researchers to topics that are otherwise typically not sufficiently covered in current course curricula as we witnessed from our practical experience across multiple organizations. As such, we have outlined the many lessons we learned throughout these efforts, culminating in the need for benchmark carpentry for scientists using advanced computational resources. The article also presents the analysis of an earthquake prediction code benchmark while focusing on the accuracy of the results and not only on the runtime; notedly, this benchmark was created as a result of our lessons learned. Energy traces were produced throughout these benchmarks, which are vital to analyzing the power expenditure within HPC environments. Additionally, one of the insights is that in the short time of the project with limited student availability, the activity was only possible by utilizing a benchmark runtime pipeline while developing and using software to generate jobs from the permutation of hyperparameters automatically. It integrates a templated job management framework for executing tasks and experiments based on hyperparameters while leveraging hybrid compute resources available at different institutions. The software is part of a collection called cloudmesh with its newly developed components, cloudmesh-ee (experiment executor) and cloudmesh-cc (compute coordinator).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Integrated Design of a Robust System for Inertial Fusion Energy

For inertial fusion energy (IFE) to be successful, designs need to work robustly including both target physics and engineering considerations. For a power plant to be reliable and have a high operating capacity factor, the integrated design of the target, driver, target fabrication, target injection system, and chamber all need to work together in way that is robust and repeatable to expected variations. One of the lesson’s learned from our experience at NIF is that designs that are sensitive have not performed as expected – even in single shot mode. The lesson’s learned from NIF should be folded into creating integrated designs for IFE and for evaluating the tradeoffs between the different parts of the IFE system. To do so, we propose using the NIF 1.3 MJ yield shot/design (N210808) as a starting point of a study of the feasibility of indirect drive designs for IFE. If the hohlraum inefficiency precludes indirect drive, the study would include direct drive or fast ignition versions of this design.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Diagnosing the sensitivity of grounding-line flux to changes in sub-ice-shelf melting

Abstract. Using a numerical ice flow model, we study changes in ice shelf buttressing and grounding-line flux due to localized ice thickness perturbations, a proxy for localized changes in sub-ice-shelf melting. From our experiments, applied to idealized (MISMIP+) and realistic (Larsen C) ice shelf domains, we identify a correlation between a locally derived buttressing number on the ice shelf, based on the first principal stress, and changes in the integrated grounding-line flux. The origin of this correlation, however, remains elusive from the perspective of a theoretical or physically based understanding. This and the fact that the correlation is generally much poorer when applied to realistic ice shelf domains motivate us to seek an alternative approach for predicting changes in grounding-line flux. We therefore propose an adjoint-based method for calculating the sensitivity of the integrated grounding-line flux to local changes in ice shelf geometry. We show that the adjoint-based sensitivity is identical to that deduced from pointwise, diagnostic model perturbation experiments. Based on its much wider applicability and the significant computational savings, we propose that the adjoint-based method is ideally suited for assessing grounding-line flux sensitivity to changes in sub-ice-shelf melting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Ion Traps and Packaging for Heterogenous Integration - Chimera

Microfabricated surface ion traps and silicon-based photonics are critical technologies for scaling quantum systems. Current ion trap architectures face scalability and integration challenges due to limitations in optical access, fabrication techniques, and material compatibility. State-of-the-art quantum computers and atomic clocks are investigating monolithic integration, which necessitates custom traps for each ion species and has not overcome the integration hurdles presented by merging these technologies. The Chimera (Ion Traps and Packaging for Heterogeneous Integration) project proposes a novel approach utilizing heterogeneous integration (HI) of ion traps and photonic circuits. This separation of components allows for flexibility in ion trap design and reduces fabrication compromises. The Chimera project specifically designed an ion trap to interface vertically with a separately fabricated waveguide chip and demonstrates the first steps to integrating them at the packaging level. The ion trap features a large area of removed silicon, allowing the photonics chip outputs closer to the ion trap, improving alignment and packaging processes. The alignment must be accurate to < 1 µm to ensure that the light from the waveguide can overlap with the trapping region. This fine alignment must also be maintained through an ultra-high vacuum bake, a critical step in preparing an ion trap experiment. By combining separate chips, we demonstrate a new path for scaling trapped ion technology that is less reliant on monolithic integration. We successfully fabricated a trap with a large area of oxide removed, resulting in a region thinned to about 40 µm, a key milestone toward successful integration.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Uniform Recalibration of Common Spectrophotometry Standard Stars onto the CALSPEC System Using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph

Abstract We calibrate spectrophotometric optical spectra of 32 stars commonly used as standard stars, referenced to 14 stars already on the Hubble Space Telescope–based CALSPEC flux system. Observations of CALSPEC and non-CALSPEC stars were obtained with the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph over the wavelength range 3300–9400 Å as calibration for the Nearby Supernova Factory cosmology experiment. In total, this analysis used 4289 standard-star spectra taken on photometric nights. As a modern cosmology analysis, all presubmission methodological decisions were made with the flux scale and external comparison results blinded. The large number of spectra per star allows us to treat the wavelength-by-wavelength calibration for all nights simultaneously with a Bayesian hierarchical model, thereby enabling a consistent treatment of the Type Ia supernova cosmology analysis and the calibration on which it critically relies. We determine the typical per-observation repeatability (median 14 mmag for exposures ≳5 s), the Maunakea atmospheric transmission distribution (median dispersion of 7 mmag with uncertainty 1 mmag), and the scatter internal to our CALSPEC reference stars (median of 8 mmag). We also check our standards against literature filter photometry, finding generally good agreement over the full 12 mag range. Overall, the mean of our system is calibrated to the mean of CALSPEC at the level of ∼3 mmag. With our large number of observations, careful cross-checks, and 14 reference stars, our results are the best calibration yet achieved with an integral-field spectrograph, and among the best calibrated surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Evaluation of AI-enabled Digital Documented Safety Analysis

The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is leading a transformative initiative to accelerate advanced reactor deployment by fundamentally reimagining how nuclear safety basis documentation is developed, reviewed, and maintained. Traditional Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) processes for DOE-authorized facilities rely on static, document-centric workflows that consume significant time and resources, exemplified by recent major licensing efforts requiring hundreds of thousands of staff hours and millions of pages of documentation review. These conventional approaches create barriers to the rapid, cost-effective deployment of advanced reactors that America's future energy needs demand. NRIC's DOE Authorization Digital Transformation Project addresses these challenges through an innovative framework that integrates artificial intelligence (AI), digital engineering, and systems-based data management into a cohesive digital ecosystem. This white paper presents NRIC's methodology for evaluating AI-enabled document generation capabilities within this broader digital infrastructure, using the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility as a pilot case study. The evaluation will assess an AI tool's ability to generate a Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) through progressive integration stages—from standalone document processing to full digital thread connectivity—while maintaining rigorous verification, validation, and regulatory acceptance standards. By establishing dynamic, traceable connections between design data and safety documentation, NRIC's approach has the potential to reduce both document development time and regulatory review cycles by as much as 50%, while simultaneously improving accuracy, consistency, and traceability. This initiative represents a critical step toward establishing reusable digital infrastructure that reactor developers can leverage to accelerate their path from concept to commercial operation, directly supporting NRIC's mission to demonstrate and deploy advanced nuclear energy technologies.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Computational Estimation by Scientific Data Mining with Classical Methods to Automate Learning Strategies of Scientists

Experimental results are often plotted as 2-dimensional graphical plots (aka graphs) in scientific domains depicting dependent versus independent variables to aid visual analysis of processes. Repeatedly performing laboratory experiments consumes significant time and resources, motivating the need for computational estimation. The goals are to estimate the graph obtained in an experiment given its input conditions, and to estimate the conditions that would lead to a desired graph. Existing estimation approaches often do not meet accuracy and efficiency needs of targeted applications. We develop a computational estimation approach called AutoDomainMine that integrates clustering and classification over complex scientific data in a framework so as to automate classical learning methods of scientists. Knowledge discovered thereby from a database of existing experiments serves as the basis for estimation. Challenges include preserving domain semantics in clustering, finding matching strategies in classification, striking a good balance between elaboration and conciseness while displaying estimation results based on needs of targeted users, and deriving objective measures to capture subjective user interests. These and other challenges are addressed in this work. The AutoDomainMine approach is used to build a computational estimation system, rigorously evaluated with real data in Materials Science. Our evaluation confirms that AutoDomainMine provides desired accuracy and efficiency in computational estimation. It is extendable to other science and engineering domains as proved by adaptation of its sub-processes within fields such as Bioinformatics and Nanotechnology.

Computer Science↗

Study of charm hadronization with prompt $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $ baryons in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at $ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $ = 5.02 TeV

The production of prompt $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $ baryons is measured via the exclusive decay channel $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}\to p{\textrm{K}}^{-}{\pi}^{+} $ at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV, using proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (PbPb) collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The pp and PbPb data were obtained in 2017 and 2018 with integrated luminosities of 252 and 0.607 nb$^{−1}$, respectively. The measurements are performed within the $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $ rapidity interval |y| < 1 with transverse momentum (p$_{T}$) ranges of 3–30 and 6–40 GeV/c for pp and PbPb collisions, respectively. Compared to the yields in pp collisions scaled by the expected number of nucleon-nucleon interactions, the observed yields of $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $ with p$_{T}$> 10 GeV/c are strongly suppressed in PbPb collisions. The level of suppression depends significantly on the collision centrality. The $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $/D$^{0}$ production ratio is similar in PbPb and pp collisions at p$_{T}$> 10 GeV/c, suggesting that the coalescence process does not play a dominant role in prompt $ {\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+} $ baryon production at higher p$_{T}$.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗