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At least 1,729 records · Page 96

Compressive sensing optical design and simulation tool

A system or method for designing optical systems includes generating a mathematical model of an imaging system; tracing a plurality of light rays from a source through the model of the imaging system in a forward direction and a backward direction incident upon an arbitrarily defined detector location; calculating the total light rays incident upon the arbitrarily defined detector location in response to the plurality of light rays; tracing a series of calibration images first through the computational or compressive imager mathematical model; measuring an output set of parameters based on a plurality of detected rays calibration images at the defined detector location; storing the output set of parameters in software, and determining an estimated system transfer function.

42 ENGINEERING↗

X-Ray Imaging Study

The space environment in which the Space Station Freedom and other space platforms will orbit is truly a hostile environment. For example, the currently estimated integral fluence for electrons above 1 Mev at 2000 nautical miles is above 2 x 1O(exp 10) electrons/sq cm/day and the proton integral fluence is above 1 x 10(exp 9) protons/sq cm/day. At the 200 - 400 nautical miles, which is more representative of the altitude which will provide the environment for the Space Station, each of these fluences will be proportionally less; however, the data indicates that the radiation environment will obviously have an effect on structural materials exposed to the environment for long durations. The effects of this combined environment is the issue which needs to be understood for the long term exposure of structures in space. At the same time, there will be substantial potential for collisions between the space platforms and space debris. The current NASA catalogue contains over 4500 objects floating in space which are not considered payloads. This debris can have significant effects on collision with orbiting spacecraft. In order to better understand the effect of these hostile phenomena on spacecraft, several types of studies are being performed to simulate at some level the effect of the environment. In particular the study of debris clouds produced by hypervelocity impact on the various surfaces anticipated on the Space Station is very important at this point in time. The need to assess the threat of such debris clouds on space structures is an on-going activity. The Space Debris Impact facility in Building 4612 provides a test facility to monitor the types of damage produced with hypervelocity impact. These facilities are used to simulate space environmental effects from energetic particles. Flash radiography or x-ray imaging has traditionally provided such information and as such has been an important tool for recording damage in situ with the event. The proper operation of the system can provide much useful information with respect to parametric analysis of the hypervelocity experiment. The following report outlines the procedures developed to optimize the operation of the x-ray imaging system and its operational characteristics.

OBrien, Susan K.↗

Simulation and experimental study of proton bunch self-modulation in plasma with linear density gradients

We present numerical simulations and experimental results of the self-modulation of a long proton bunch in a plasma with linear density gradients along the beam path. Simulation results agree with the experimental results reported [F. Braunmller, T. Nechaeva et al. (AWAKE Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 264801 (2020)]: with negative gradients, the charge of the modulated bunch is lower than with positive gradients. In addition, the bunch modulation frequency varies with gradient. Simulation results show that dephasing of the wakefields with respect to the relativistic protons along the plasma is the main cause for the loss of charge. The study of the modulation frequency reveals details about the evolution of the self-modulation process along the plasma. In particular for negative gradients, the modulation frequency across time-resolved images of the bunch indicates the position along the plasma where protons leave the wakefields. Simulations and experimental results are in excellent agreement.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Distributed synthetic aperture radar simulation

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) depends primarily on attainable frequency resolution rather than on large physical size of the antenna array. The distributed architecture concept (DSAR) incorporates active elements (amplifiers) at or near the elemental radiators of the array. Since SAR's are expensive to build and expensive to test, a computer modeling approach is a feasible method of predicting the quality or nature of the SAR image from the proposed system parameters. The goal of this project is to produce a DSAR simulation software package. This report describes the progress made thus far and the work which remains to be done. Extensive work on this project had been done previously by two NASA contractors. The principal task remaining involved the creation of a suitable interface between these programs and the hardware and software available at the Johnson Space Center.

Bourgeois, B. A.↗

Simulating a Direction-Finder Search for an ELT

A computer program simulates the operation of direction-finding equipment engaged in a search for an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) aboard an aircraft that has crashed. The simulated equipment is patterned after the equipment used by the Civil Air Patrol to search for missing aircraft. The program is designed to be used for training in radio direction-finding and/or searching for missing aircraft without incurring the expense and risk of using real aircraft and ground search resources. The program places a hidden ELT on a map and enables the user to search for the location of the ELT by moving a 14 NASA Tech Briefs, March 2005 small aircraft image around the map while observing signal-strength and direction readings on a simulated direction- finding locator instrument. As the simulated aircraft is turned and moved on the map, the program updates the readings on the direction-finding instrument to reflect the current position and heading of the aircraft relative to the location of the ELT. The software is distributed in a zip file that contains an installation program. The software runs on the Microsoft Windows 9x, NT, and XP operating systems.

Bream, Bruce↗

Dynamic Copper Site Redispersion through Atom Trapping in Zeolite Defects

Single-site copper-based catalysts have shown remarkable activity and selectivity for a variety of reactions. However, deactivation by sintering in high-temperature reducing environments remains a challenge and often limits their use due to irreversible structural changes to the catalyst. Here, we report zeolite-based copper catalysts in which copper oxide agglomerates formed after reaction can be repeatedly redispersed back to single sites using an oxidative treatment in air at 550 °C. Under different environments, single-site copper in Cu–Zn–Y/deAlBeta undergoes dynamic changes in structure and oxidation state that can be tuned to promote the formation of key active sites while minimizing deactivation through Cu sintering. For example, single-site Cu 2+ reduces to Cu 1+ after catalyst pretreatment (270 °C, 101 kPa H 2 ) and further to Cu0 nanoparticles under reaction conditions (270–350 °C, 7 kPa EtOH, 94 kPa H 2 ) or accelerated aging (400–450 °C, 101 kPa H 2 ). After regeneration at 550 °C in air, agglomerated CuO was dispersed back to single sites in the presence and absence of Zn and Y, which was verified by imaging, in situ spectroscopy, and catalytic rate measurements. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations show that solvation of CuO monomers by water facilitates their transport through the zeolite pore, and condensation of the CuO monomer with a fully protonated silanol nest entraps copper and reforms the single-site structure. Importantly, the capability of silanol nests to trap and stabilize copper single sites under oxidizing conditions could extend the use of single-site copper catalysts to a wider variety of reactions and allows for a simple regeneration strategy for copper single-site catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multidisciplinary studies with mutated HIV-1 capsid proteins reveal structural mechanisms of lattice stabilization

Abstract HIV-1 capsid (CA) stability is important for viral replication. E45A and P38A mutations enhance and reduce core stability, thus impairing infectivity. Second-site mutations R132T and T216I rescue infectivity. Capsid lattice stability was studied by solving seven crystal structures (in native background), including P38A, P38A/T216I, E45A, E45A/R132T CA, using molecular dynamics simulations of lattices, cryo-electron microscopy of assemblies, time-resolved imaging of uncoating, biophysical and biochemical characterization of assembly and stability. We report pronounced and subtle, short- and long-range rearrangements: (1) A38 destabilized hexamers by loosening interactions between flanking CA protomers in P38A but not P38A/T216I structures. (2) Two E45A structures showed unexpected stabilizing CA NTD -CA NTD inter-hexamer interactions, variable R18-ring pore sizes, and flipped N-terminal β-hairpin. (3) Altered conformations of E45A a α9-helices compared to WT, E45A/R132T, WT PF74 , WT Nup153 , and WT CPSF6 decreased PF74, CPSF6, and Nup153 binding, and was reversed in E45A/R132T. (4) An environmentally sensitive electrostatic repulsion between E45 and D51 affected lattice stability, flexibility, ion and water permeabilities, electrostatics, and recognition of host factors.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Simulation-guided analysis of resonant soft X-ray scattering for determining the microstructure of triblock copolymers

Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) probes structure with chemical sensitivity that is useful for determining the morphology of multiblock copolymers. However, the hyperspectral scattering data produced by this technique can be challenging to interpret. Here, in this study, we use computational scattering simulations to extract the microstructure of a model triblock copolymer from the energy-dependent scattering from RSoXS. An ABC triblock terpolymer formed from poly(4-methylcaprolactone) (P4MCL), poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethylacrylate) (PTFEA), and poly (dodecylacrylate) (PDDA), P4MCL-block-PTFEA-block-PDDA, was synthesized as the model triblock system. Through quantitative evaluation of simulated scattering data from a physics-informed set of candidate structure models against experimental RSoXS data, we find the best agreement with hexagonally packed core–shell cylinders. This result is also consistent with electron-density reconstruction from hard X-ray scattering data evaluated against electron-density maps generated with the same model set. These results demonstrate the utility of simulation-guided scattering analysis to study complex microstructures that are challenging to image by microscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hot-spot mix in large-scale HDC implosions at NIF

Mix of high-Z material from the capsule into the fuel can severely degrade the performance of inertial fusion implosions. On the Hybrid B campaign, testing the largest high-density-carbon capsules yet fielded at the National Ignition Facility, several shots show signatures of high levels of hot-spot mix. We attribute a ~40% yield degradation on these shots to the hot-spot mix, comparable to the level of degradation from large $P_2$ asymmetries observed on some shots. Additionally, a range of instability growth factors and diamond crystallinity were tested and they do not determine the level of mix for these implosions, which is instead set by the capsule quality.

Fusion experiments↗

Spall and subsequent recompaction of copper under shock loading

Research was undertaken to study spall and subsequent recompaction of oxygen-free high-thermal-conductivity copper using a single-stage large-bore light gas gun capable of planar impacts. Gun experiments were conducted that produced an initial spall in the target with a subsequent recompaction of the spall damage/layer by the use of layered impactors. Symmetric spall experiments at similar conditions were also conducted as a control to the recompaction experiments. Photonic Doppler velocimetry was used to obtain the velocity history of the target’s back surface; these velocity histories were analyzed, and the results were compared to numerical simulations. After recovery of selected samples, the microstructure was analyzed using optical imaging microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Recompaction waves were clearly observed in the time-resolved data obtained at the back surface of the targets. Two different series of experiments were performed to understand the effect of damage morphology on the stress required for spall recompaction. In the initial series, the peak pressure of the first shock was systematically increased to alter the amount of damage in the material. While in the second series, the peak pressure of the second shock was increased, keeping the magnitude of the first shock relatively constant to understand the effect of peak stress on the recompaction process. Findings clearly show that recompaction results in a perturbed band of the microstructure at the location of the expected spall plane in all cases except where the peak stress of the second shock is lower than the critical value.

, recompaction↗

High-speed Focal Plane Wave Front Sensing with an Optical Chopper

Focal plane wave front sensing and control is a critical approach to reducing noncommon path errors between a conventional astronomical adaptive optics (AO) wave front sensor (WFS) detector and a science camera. However, in addition to mitigating noncommon path errors, recent focal plane wave front sensing techniques have been developed to operate at speeds fast enough to enable "multi-WFS" AO, where residual atmospheric errors are further corrected by a focal plane WFS. Although a number of such techniques have been recently developed for coronagraphic imaging, here we present one designed for noncoronagraphic imaging. Utilizing conventional AO system components, this concept additionally requires (1) a detector imaging the focal plane of the WFS light source and (2) a pupil plane optical chopper device that is the noncommon path to the first WFS and is synchronized to the focal plane imager readout. These minimal hardware requirements enable the temporal amplitude modulation to resolve the sine ambiguity of even wave-front modes for low, mid, and high wave front spatial frequencies. Similar capabilities have been demonstrated with classical phase diversity by defocusing the detector, but such techniques are incompatible with simultaneous science observations. This optical chopping technique, however, enables science imaging at up to 50% duty cycle. In conclusion, we present both simulations and laboratory validation of this concept on SEAL, the Santa Cruz Extreme AO Laboratory testbed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

RASER MRI: Magnetic resonance images formed spontaneously exploiting cooperative nonlinear interaction

The spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is limited by the width of Lorentzian point spread functions associated with the transverse relaxation rate 1/T 2 * . Here, we show a different contrast mechanism in MRI by establishing RASER (radio-frequency amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) in imaged media. RASER imaging bursts emerge out of noise and without applying radio-frequency pulses when placing spins with sufficient population inversion in a weak magnetic field gradient. Small local differences in initial population inversion density can create stronger image contrast than conventional MRI. This different contrast mechanism is based on the cooperative nonlinear interaction between all slices. On the other hand, the cooperative nonlinear interaction gives rise to imaging artifacts, such as amplitude distortions and side lobes outside of the imaging domain. Contrast mechanism and artifacts are explored experimentally and predicted by simulations on the basis of a proposed RASER MRI theory.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Physical optics simulations for synchrotron radiation sources

Here we describe approaches to high-accuracy physical optics calculations used for the development of x-ray beamlines at synchrotron radiation sources, as well as simulation of experiments and processing of experimental data at some of these beamlines. We pay special attention to the treatment of the partial coherence of x rays, a topic of high practical importance for modern low-emittance high-brightness synchrotron radiation facilities. The approaches are based, to a large extent, on the works of Emil Wolf and co-authors, including the basic scalar diffraction theory and the coherent mode decomposition method. The presented simulation examples are related to the case of the novel Coherent Diffractive Imaging beamline that is currently under development at the National Synchrotron Light Source II at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

O 2 based resonantly ionized photoemission thermometry analysis of supersonic flows

Characterization of the thermal gradients within supersonic and hypersonic flows is essential for understanding transition, turbulence, and aerodynamic heating. Developments in novel, impactful non-intrusive techniques are key for enabling flow characterizations of sufficient detail that provide experimental validation datasets for computational simulations. In this work, Resonantly Ionized Photoemission Thermometry (RIPT) signals are directly imaged using an ICCD camera to realize the techniques 1D measurement capability for the first time. The direct imaging scheme presented for oxygen-based RIPT (O 2 RIPT) uses the previously established calibration data to direct excite various resonant rotational peaks within the S-branch of the C 3 Π, ( v = 2) ← X 3 Σ( v ′ = 0) absorption band of O 2 . The efficient ionization of O 2 liberates electrons that induce electron avalanche ionization of local N 2 molecules generating N 2 + , which primarily deexcites via photoemissions of the first negative band of N 2 + ( B 2 Σ <#comment/> u + − <#comment/> X 2 Σ <#comment/> g + ) . When sufficient lasing energy is used, the ionization region and subsequent photoemission signal is achieved along a 1D line thus, if directly imaged can allow for gas temperature assignments along said line; demonstrated here of up to five centimeters in length. The temperature gradients present within the ensuing shock train of a supersonic under expanded free jet serves as a basis of characterization for this new RIPT imaging scheme. The O 2 RIPT results are extensively compared and validated against well-known and established techniques (i.e., CARS and CFD). The direct imaging capability fully realizes the technique’s fundamental potential and is expected to be the standard of implementation going forward. The direct imaging capability can play instrumental roles in future scientific studies that rely upon acute characterization of thermal gradients within a medium that cannot be easily resolved by a point. Furthermore, the removal of the spectrometer greatly reduces the cost, complexity, and optical alignment associated with prior RIPT measurements.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Transient Deformation in Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel Lattices Characterized with in-situ X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging: The Complete Dataset for Three Geometrical Lattices

Metallic lattice structures are being considered for shock mitigation applications due to their superior mechanical properties, energy absorption capability and lightweight characteristics inherent of the additive manufacturing process. In this study, shock compression experiments coupled to x-ray phase contrast imaging (PCI) were conducted on 316L stainless steel lattices. Meso-scale simulations incorporating the as-built lattice structure characterized by computed tomography were used to simulate PCI radiographs in CTH for direct comparison to experimental data. The methodology presented here offers robust validation for constitutive properties to further our understanding of lattice compaction at application-relevant strain rates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mass Dependence of Galaxy–Halo Alignment in LOWZ and CMASS

We measure the galaxy-ellipticity (GI) correlations for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12 LOWZ and CMASS samples with the shape measurements from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. We model the GI correlations in an N-body simulation with our recent accurate stellar–halo mass relation from the Photometric object Around Cosmic webs (PAC) method. The large data set and our accurate modeling turns out an accurate measurement of the alignment angle between central galaxies and their host halos. We find that the alignment of central elliptical galaxies with their host halos increases monotonically with galaxy stellar mass or host halo mass, which can be well described by a power law for the massive galaxies. We also find that central elliptical galaxies are more aligned with their host halos in LOWZ than in CMASS, which might indicate an evolution of galaxy–halo alignment, though future studies are needed to verify this is not induced by the sample selections. In contrast, central disk galaxies are aligned with their host halos about 10 times more weakly in the GI correlation. These results have important implications for intrinsic alignment (IA) correction in weak lensing studies, IA cosmology, and theory of massive galaxy formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗