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Results for “Dimensionality Reduction”

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 1,675 records · Page 93
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Effective Dose Reduction to Cardiac Structures Using Protons Compared With 3DCRT and IMRT in Mediastinal Hodgkin Lymphoma

Purpose: We investigated the dosimetric impact of proton therapy (PT) on various cardiac subunits in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Methods and Materials: From June 2009 through December 2010, 13 patients were enrolled on an institutional review board-approved protocol for consolidative involved-node radiotherapy (INRT) for HL. Three separate treatment plans were developed prospectively by using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and PT. Cardiac subunits were retrospectively contoured on the 11 patients with intravenous-contrast simulation scans, and the doses were calculated for all treatment plans. A Wilcoxon paired test was performed to evaluate the statistical significance (p < 0.05) of 3DCRT and IMRT compared with PT. Results: The mean heart doses were 21 Gy, 12 Gy, and 8 Gy (relative biologic effectiveness [RBE]) with 3DCRT, IMRT, and PT, respectively. Compared with 3DCRT and IMRT, PT reduced the mean doses to the left and right atria; the left and right ventricles; the aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valves; and the left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right circumflex coronary arteries. Conclusions: Compared with 3DCRT and IMRT, PT reduced the radiation doses to all major cardiac subunits. Limiting the doses to these structures should translate into lower rates of cardiac toxicities.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Origins of significant reduction of lattice thermal conductivity in graphene allotropes

Lattice dynamics in artificial periodic structures, or “phononic crystals”, have attracted significant research interest, thanks to the potential to manipulate acoustic wave propagation with more flexibility. The same control on heat conduction, however, has proven challenging due to the short wavelength of thermal phonons. As such, in this work we use first-principles simulations to characterize the previously unstudied thermal properties of dodecagraphene and tetragraphene, two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotropes based upon graphene but containing a secondary, in-plane periodicity. Surprisingly, we find that despite very similar atomic structure and bonding strength, they possess significantly different thermal properties than that of graphene: at room temperature, their thermal conductivity is up to 80% lower than that of graphene. We attribute these distinct properties to the presence of naturally occurring, low frequency optical phonon modes that arise from a folding of the acoustic modes due to the superstructure and the associated frequency gap opening. Furthermore, we observe significantly enhanced Umklapp scatterings in both carbon allotropes that largely suppress the hydrodynamic phonon transport in pristine graphene. Our study presents dodecagraphene and tetragraphene as ideal model systems to explore lattice dynamics in 2D and demonstrates the potential to significantly modify thermal transport of 2D materials without making drastic changes to their fundamental compositions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Block-Structured Operator Inference for Coupled Multiphysics Model Reduction

This work presents a block-structured formulation of Operator Inference as a way to learn structured reduced-order models for multiphysics systems. The approach specifies the governing equation structure for each physics component and the structure of the coupling terms. Once the multiphysics structure is specified, the reduced-order model is learned from snapshot data following the nonintrusive Operator Inference methodology. In addition to preserving physical system structure, which in turn permits preservation of system properties such as stability and second-order structure, the block-structured approach has the advantages of reducing the overall dimensionality of the learning problem and admitting tailored regularization for each physics component. The numerical advantages of the block-structured formulation over a monolithic Operator Inference formulation are demonstrated for aeroelastic analysis, which couples aerodynamic and structural models. For the benchmark test case of the AGARD 445.6 wing, block-structured Operator Inference provides an average 20% online prediction speedup over monolithic Operator Inference across subsonic and supersonic flow conditions in both the stable and fluttering parameter regimes while preserving the accuracy achieved with monolithic Operator Inference.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2012

Semi-analytical prediction of hydraulic resistance and heat transfer for pipe and channel flows of water at supercritical pressure

Within the Generation IV International Forum the Supercritical Water Reactor is investigated. For its core design and safety analysis the efficient prediction of flow and heat transfer parameters such as the wall-shear stress and the heat-transfer coefficient for pipe and channel flows is needed. For circular pipe flows a numerical model based on the one-dimensional conservation equations of mass, momentum end energy in the radial direction is presented, referred to as a 'semi-analytical' method. An accurate, high-order numerical method is employed to evaluate previously derived analytical solutions of the governing equations. Flow turbulence is modeled using the algebraic approach of Prandtl/van-Karman, including a model for the buffer layer. The influence of wall roughness is taken into account by a new modified numerical damping function of the turbulence model. The thermo-hydraulic properties of water are implemented according to the international standard of 1997. This method has the potential to be used within a sub-channel analysis code and as wall-functions for CFD codes to predict the wall shear stress and the wall temperature. The present study presents a validation of the method with comparison of model results with experiments and multi-dimensional computational (CFD) studies in a wide range of flow parameters. The focus is laid on forced convection flows related to reactor design and near-design conditions. It is found, that the method can accurately predict the wall temperature even under deterioration conditions as they occur in the selected experiments (Yamagata el al. 1972 at 24.5 MPa, Ornatski et al. 1971 at 25.5 and Swenson et al. 1963 at 22.75 MPa). Comparison of the friction coefficient under high heat flux conditions including significant viscosity and density reductions near the wall with various correlations for the hydraulic resistance will be presented; the best agreement is achieve with the correlation of Pioro et al. 2004. It is concluded, that the semi-analytical prediction method is accurate and efficient for forced convection flows even at high heat fluxes. The wall-roughness height is identified as an important model parameter. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-BRB-17: Dosimetric Evaluation of the Respiratory Interplay Effect During VMAT Delivery Using IPAGAT Polymer Gel Dosimeter

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric impact of the interplay effect between multileaf collimator (MLC) movement and tumor respiratory motion during delivery of volumetric modulate arc therapy (VMAT) by using customized polymer gel dosimeter. Methods: Polyacrylamide-based gel dosimeter contained magnesium chloride as a sensitizer (iPAGAT) was used in this study. An excellent gas barrier PAN (BAREX) techno bottle (φ8 cm, 650 mL) filled with iPAGAT was set to the QUASAR™ respiratory motion phantom, and was moved with motion amplitudes of 1 and 2 cm with a 4 second period during VMAT delivery by the Novalis Tx linear accelerator (Varian/BrainLAB). Two spherical tumors with a 2 cm diameter (GTV1 and GTV2) were defined, and ITV1 (GTV1+1 cm) and ITV2 (GTV2+2 cm) with expansion in the superior-inferior (S-I) direction were also defined with simulated respiratory motion. PTV margin was 2 mm around the ITV considering the setup uncertainty. Two single arc VMAT plans with 30 Gy at 3 Gy per fraction (GTV: D98>100%, PTV: D95=100%) were generated by the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. Three-dimensional dose distribution in iPAGAT was read out by the Signa 1.5T MRI system (GE), and was evaluated by dose-volume histogram (DVH) using in-house developed software. Results: According to DVH analysis by iPAGAT, D98 of GTV1 and GTV2 were more than 100% of the prescribed dose. In contrast, D95 of PTV1 and PTV2 were about 85% and 65%, respectively. Furthermore, low-to-intermediate dose was widespread with motion amplitude of 2 cm. Conclusion: DVH analysis using iPAGAT polymer gel dosimeter was performed in this study. As a result, interplay effect was negligible, since dose coverage of GTV was sufficient during VMAT delivery with simulated respiratory motion. However, the dose reduction of PTV and the spread of low-to-intermediate dose compared to the planned dose require scrupulous attention for large tumor respiratory motion.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ground-state-based model reduction with unitary circuits

Here, we present a method to numerically obtain low-energy effective models based on a unitary transformation of the ground state. The algorithm finds a unitary circuit that transforms the ground state of the original model to a projected wavefunction with only the low-energy degrees of freedom. The effective model can then be derived using the unitary transformation encoded in the circuit. We test our method on the one-dimensional and two-dimensional square-lattice Hubbard model at half-filling, and obtain more accurate effective spin models than the standard perturbative approach.

Hubbard model↗
DOE OSTI2015

Three-dimensional two-fluid Braginskii simulations of the large plasma device

The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) is modeled using the 3D Global Braginskii Solver code. Comparisons to experimental measurements are made in the low-bias regime in which there is an intrinsic E × B rotation of the plasma. In the simulations, this rotation is caused primarily by sheath effects and may be a likely mechanism for the intrinsic rotation seen in LAPD. Simulations show strong qualitative agreement with the data, particularly the radial dependence of the density fluctuations, cross-correlation lengths, radial flux dependence outside of the cathode edge, and camera imagery. Kelvin Helmholtz (KH) turbulence at relatively large scales is the dominant driver of cross-field transport in these simulations with smaller-scale drift waves and sheath modes playing a secondary role. Plasma holes and blobs arising from KH vortices in the simulations are consistent with the scale sizes and overall appearance of those in LAPD camera images. The addition of ion-neutral collisions in the simulations at previously theorized values reduces the radial particle flux by about a factor of two, from values that are somewhat larger than the experimentally measured flux to values that are somewhat lower than the measurements. This reduction is due to a modest stabilizing contribution of the collisions on the KH-modes driving the turbulent transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Angular Distribution and Recoil Effect for 1 MeV Au + Ions through a Si 3 N 4 Thin Foil

The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) code has been widely used to predict nuclear stopping power and angular distribution of ion-solid collisions. However, experimental validation of the predictions is insufficient for slow heavy ions in nonmetallic compounds. In this work, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is applied to determine the angular distribution of 1 MeV Au ions after penetrating a Si 3 N 4 foil with a thickness of ~100 nm. The exiting Au ions are collected by a Si wafer located ~14 mm behind the Si 3 N 4 foil, and the resulting 2-dimensional distribution of Au ions on the Si wafer is measured by ToF-SIMS. The SRIM-predicted angular distribution of Au ions through the Si 3 N 4 thin foil is compared with the measured results, indicating that SRIM slightly overestimates the nuclear stopping power by up to 10%. In addition, thickness reduction of the suspended Si3N4 foils induced by 1 MeV Au ion irradiation is observed with an average loss rate of ~107 atom/ion.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Inorganic Gel-Derived Metallic Frameworks Enabling High-Performance Silicon Anodes

Metallic matrix materials have emerged as an ideal platform to hybridize with next-generation electrode materials such as silicon for practical applications in Li-ion batteries. However, these metallic species commonly exist in the form of isolated particles, failing to provide enough free space for silicon volume changes as well as continuous charge transport pathways. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) metallic frameworks with interconnected pore channels and conductive skeletons, have been synthesized from inorganic gel precursors as buffering/conducting matrices to boost lithium storage performance of silicon anodes. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, commercial Si particles are in situ immobilized within the Sn–Ni alloy framework via a facile gel-reduction route, and the rearrangement of Si particles during cycling increases the dispersity of Si in the Sn–Ni framework as well as their synergic effects toward lithium storage. Furthermore, the Si@Sn–Ni all-metallic framework manifests high structural integrity, 3D Li + /e – mixed conduction pathway, and synergic effects of interfacial bonding and concurrent reaction dynamics between active Si and Sn, enabling long-term cycle life (1205 mA h g –1 after 100 cycles at 0.5 A g –1 ) and superior rate capability (653 mA h g –1 at 10 A g –1 ).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Author Correction: Thickness-dependent magnetic order in CrI3 single crystals

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with intrinsic ferromagnetism provide unique opportunity to engineer new functionalities in nano-spintronics. One such material is CrI3, showing long-range magnetic order in monolayer with the Curie temperature (Tc) of 45 K. Here we study detailed evolution of magnetic transition and magnetic critical properties in response to systematic reduction in crystal thickness down to 50 nm. Bulk Tc of 61 K is gradually suppressed to 57 K, however, the satellite transition at T * = 45 K is observed layer-independent at fixed magnetic field of 1 kOe. The origin of T * is proposed to be a crossover from pinning to depinning of magnetic domain walls. The reduction of thickness facilitates a field-driven metamagnetic transition around 20 kOe with out-of-plane field, in contrast to the continuous changes with in-plane field. The critical analysis around Tc elucidates the mean-field type interactions in microscale-thick CrI3.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electrostatic tuning of magnetism at the conducting (111) (La 0.3 Sr 0.7 )(Al 0.65 Ta 0.35 )/SrTiO 3 interface

We present measurements of the low temperature electrical transport properties of the two dimensional carrier gas that forms at the interface of (111) (La 0.3 Sr 0.7 )(Al 0.65 Ta 0.35 )/SrTiO 3 as a function of applied back gate voltage, V g . As is found in (111) LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interfaces, the low-field Hall coefficient is electron-like but shows a sharp reduction in magnitude below V g ~ 20 V, indicating the presence of hole-like carriers in the system. This same value of V g correlates approximately with the gate voltage below which the magnetoresistance evolves from nonhysteretic to hysteretic behavior at millikelvin temperatures, signaling the onset of magnetic order in the system. Finally, we believe our results can provide insight into the mechanism of magnetism in SrTiO 3 based systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

SCATTERING POLARIZATION AND HANLE EFFECT IN STELLAR ATMOSPHERES WITH HORIZONTAL INHOMOGENEITIES

Scattering of light from an anisotropic source produces linear polarization in spectral lines and in the continuum. In the outer layers of a stellar atmosphere the anisotropy of the radiation field is typically dominated by the radiation escaping away, but local horizontal fluctuations of the physical conditions may also contribute, distorting the illumination and, hence, the polarization pattern. Additionally, a magnetic field may perturb and modify the line scattering polarization signals through the Hanle effect. Here, we study such symmetry-breaking effects. We develop a method to solve the transfer of polarized radiation in a scattering atmosphere with weak horizontal fluctuations of the opacity and source functions. It comprises linearization (small opacity and Planck function fluctuations are assumed), reduction to a quasi-plane-parallel problem through harmonic analysis, and the problem's numerical solution by generalized standard techniques. We apply this method to study scattering polarization in atmospheres with horizontal fluctuations in the Planck function and opacity. We derive several very general results and constraints from considerations on the symmetries and dimensionality of the problem, and we give explicit solutions of a few illustrative problems of special interest. For example, we show (1) how the amplitudes of the fractional linear polarization signals change when considering increasingly smaller horizontal atmospheric inhomogeneities, (2) that in the presence of such inhomogeneities even a vertical magnetic field may modify the scattering line polarization, and (3) that forward scattering polarization may be produced without the need for an inclined magnetic field. These results are important for understanding the physics of the problem and as benchmarks for multidimensional radiative transfer codes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

On Non-Relativistic 3D Spin-1 Theories

We describe non-relativistic limits of the 3D Proca and √(Proca) theories that yield spin-1 Schroedinger equations. Analogous results are found by generalized null reduction of the 4D Maxwell or complex self-dual Maxwell equations. We briefly discuss the extension to spin-2.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the behavior of plasma with a negative current in the L-2M stellarator

The behavior of plasma with a negative current in the range of 5 kA ≤ vertical bar J vertical bar ≤ 16 kA in the L-2M stellarator is studied. Plasma is created and heated by means of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH). Here, the definition “negative” stands for a toroidal current directed in such a way that it reduces the initial rotational transform µ in absolute value. It is shown that, only at relatively small values of the negative current ( vertical bar J vertical bar ∼ 6 kA), the increase in the shear leads to a reduction in electromagnetic turbulence. As vertical bar J vertical bar rises, the average level of magnetic fluctuations in the stationary phase of the discharge gradually increases. After ECRH is switched off (i.e., when plasma cools down), there is a time interval in which the amplitude of magnetic field fluctuations increases. No coherent three-dimensional modes (e.g., double tearing modes) that could accompany the penetration of the current into the plasma were observed. As for axisymmetric perturbations with m ≠ 0, analysis of the experimental data shows that they are absent at vertical bar J vertical bar ≤ 8 kA, appear in some discharges at vertical bar J vertical bar = 9 kA, and are observed in each discharge at vertical bar J vertical bar ≥ 10 kA. The frequency of these oscillations is on the order of 10 kHz, the poloidal mode number is m = 2, and the duration is 4–6 ms. The absence of oscillations with m = 1 and the small value of the external magnetic field for the m = 2 perturbation indicate that the radial size of the magnetic island is less than 1 cm. This, in turn, suggests that the radial profile of the plasma current changes with increasing vertical bar J vertical bar.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Micro- and nano-porosity of the active Alpine Fault zone, New Zealand

Porosity reduction in rocks from a fault core can cause elevated pore fluid pressures and consequently influence the recurrence time of earthquakes. We investigated the porosity distribution in the New Zealand's Alpine Fault core in samples recovered during the first phase of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-1B) by using two-dimensional nanoscale and three-dimensional microscale imaging. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography-derived analyses of open pore spaces show total microscale porosities in the range of 0.1 %–0.24 %. These pores have mainly non-spherical, elongated, flat shapes and show subtle bipolar orientation. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveal the samples' microstructural organization, where nanoscale pores ornament grain boundaries of the gouge material, especially clay minerals. Our data imply that (i) the porosity of the fault core is very small and not connected; (ii) the distribution of clay minerals controls the shape and orientation of the associated pores; (iii) porosity was reduced due to pressure solution processes; and (iv) mineral precipitation in fluid-filled pores can affect the mechanical behavior of the Alpine Fault by decreasing the already critically low total porosity of the fault core, causing elevated pore fluid pressures and/or introducing weak mineral phases, and thus lowering the overall fault frictional strength. We conclude that the current state of very low porosity in the Alpine Fault core is likely to play a key role in the initiation of the next fault rupture.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1990

Computing interference flows past cylinder-fin-sting assembly in and near a cavity

The internal carriage of stores by the military aircraft is an option, particularly at high speeds, for a possible reduction in the aerodynamic drag and in the radar observability. Trade studies of this option, which include the safe separation of stores from their bays and aerodynamic complications of a cavity flow, require studying the aircraft and the stores together. With this motivation, the computer code, VISCC, is developed to solve the three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady, compressible, and complete Navier-Stokes equations. The store considered here for simulation is a missile configuration with four tail fins and an L-shaped offset sting. The missile is placed first directly above the opening of a rectangular box cavity, then submerged completely inside the cavity. The freestream Mach and the unit Reynolds numbers are 2.75 and 2.97 million per foot, respectively. The results of the time-accurate computations depict these complex flows and help understanding the interference effects. The time-averaged surface pressures compare favorably with the available wind tunnel data.

Baysal, O.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Recognition and characterization of hierarchical interstellar structure. II - Structure tree statistics

A new method of image analysis is described, in which images partitioned into 'clouds' are represented by simplified skeleton images, called structure trees, that preserve the spatial relations of the component clouds while disregarding information concerning their sizes and shapes. The method can be used to discriminate between images of projected hierarchical (multiply nested) and random three-dimensional simulated collections of clouds constructed on the basis of observed interstellar properties, and even intermediate systems formed by combining random and hierarchical simulations. For a given structure type, the method can distinguish between different subclasses of models with different parameters and reliably estimate their hierarchical parameters: average number of children per parent, scale reduction factor per level of hierarchy, density contrast, and number of resolved levels. An application to a column density image of the Taurus complex constructed from IRAS data is given. Moderately strong evidence for a hierarchical structural component is found, and parameters of the hierarchy, as well as the average volume filling factor and mass efficiency of fragmentation per level of hierarchy, are estimated. The existence of nested structure contradicts models in which large molecular clouds are supposed to fragment, in a single stage, into roughly stellar-mass cores.

Houlahan, Padraig↗
DOE OSTI2014

WE-D-17A-01: A Dynamic Collimation System for Spot Scanned Proton Therapy: Conceptual Overview

Purpose: In the absence of a collimation system, the lateral penumbra in pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy delivered at low energies is highly dependent on the spot size. This dependence, coupled with the fact that spot sizes increase with decreasing energy, reduces the benefit of the PBS technique for treating shallow tumors such as those found in the head and neck region. In order to overcome this limitation, a dynamic collimation system (DCS) was developed for sharpening the lateral penumbra of low energy proton therapy dose distributions delivered by PBS. Methods: The proposed DCS consists of two pairs of orthogonal trimmer blades which intercept the edges of the proton beam near the target edge in the beam's eye view. Each trimmer blade is capable of rapid motion in the direction perpendicular to the central beam axis by means of a linear motor, with maximum velocity and acceleration of 2.5 m/s and 19.6 m/s{sup 2}, respectively. Two-dimensional treatment plans were created both with and without the DCS for in-air spot sizes (σ-air) of 3, 5, 7, and 9 mm, representing a wide array of clinically available equipment. Results: In its current configuration, the snout of the DCS has outer dimensions of 22.6 × 22.6 cm{sup 2} and is capable of delivering a minimum treatment field size of 15 × 15 cm{sup 2}. Using off the shelf components, the constructed system would weigh less than 20 kg. The treatment plans created with the DCS yielded a reduction in the mean dose to normal tissue surrounding the target of 26.2–40.6% for spot sizes of 3–9 mm, respectively. Conclusion: The DCS can be integrated with current or future proton therapy equipment and we believe it will serve as a useful tool to further improve the next generation of proton therapy delivery.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗