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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Improvements in Mirror Surface Measurement with Reflected Computer Vision Targets

Over the last several years, NREL has been developing a system to measure large optical surfaces of heliostat mirrors by reflecting computer vision targets. An advantage of this system, called Reflected Target Nonintrusive Assessment (ReTNA), is that it lends itself well to stitching together many images, each reflecting only part of a larger heliostat. In the last few months, this was taken to a new extreme, with a small target (<5m2) being used to measure a >25m2 long focal length heliostat. These measurements were compared with traditional fringe deflectometry methods, which require a >50m2 target, and photogrammetry. The strengths, weaknesses and limitations of ReTNA are discussed. An estimated uncertainty in this new measurement is presented, along with software improvements and a new wireless data collection system. A bill of materials for this measurement system is presented, which has been designed to use all low-cost, off-the-shelf components. Finally, the next steps for future ReTNA development are presented. Overall, ReTNA can be a valuable optics measurement system, complimentary to existing measurement techniques available for large reflective surfaces.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improvements in Optical Surface Measurement Using Reflected Computer Vision Targets

Since 2021, NREL has been developing a system to measure heliostats by measuring the deflection of printed computer vision targets, called the Reflected Target Non-intrusive Assessment (ReTNA) [6], [7]. While this system will have lower resolution than a fringe deflectometry system, it has several important advantages that make it a complimentary technology: 2D surface slope measurement can be generated from a single image, it can operate in ambient lighting, target points can be directly located in 3D space with photogrammetry allowing for a non-flat target, and it's well suited to using a smaller target, and multiple images to measure larger optical surfaces. ReTNA has undergone several significant changes and improvements, described below. This talk will summarize new system layouts designed for commercial use, new computer vision algorithms used to automate the analysis process and validation campaigns for the ReTNA software.

computer vision↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancements in reflected target nonintrusive assessment (ReTNA) for large optical surface measurement

Reflected computer vision targets are a powerful tool for measurement of mirror surface shape, with several important advantages over traditional fringe deflectometry methods. This method was first presented in 2021 and has undergone significant improvement and demonstration since. We describe a new baseline system using reflected computer vision targets, and present results from a large-scale measurement campaign conducted on both commercial heliostats and test mirrors in the laboratory. Calibration of the measurement system with photogrammetry allows for accurate measurement without careful control of target shape or camera position. Overall, the results show that a baseline setup using this method achieves measurement uncertainties in the slope error root-mean-square less than ±0.11 milliradian due to a series of repeatability conditions, varying sample position, rotation, lighting, camera settings, and system rebuild and recalibration. We present a detailed description of the setup, the results generated by this measurement tool, repeated measurement results, and the strengths and limitations of this metrology system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

FastrSHWFS Analysis

This code analyzes the reflection geometry of modified Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor (SHWFS) masks, with a focus on the fastrSHWFS designs. It takes a height map of a reflective mask, divides it into sub apertures, removes the global focus term by referencing a central block, and fits local surface planes to each sub aperture. From these fits it computes reflection angles and propagates the corresponding rays downstream to determine spot positions and the overall reflected beam footprint as a function of distance. The implementation is parameterized in sub aperture size, number of sub apertures, focal length, and mask dimensions, so it can be adapted to different mask designs beyond the two current fastrSHWFS masks. The code: Converts mask bitmaps into physical height in microns and reconstructs a focus subtracted mask, divides the mask into a grid of sub apertures and assigns pixel and micron coordinates to each block, excludes user specified unused sub apertures from the analysis, fits a plane to each sub aperture to obtain local surface normals, propagates reflected rays to a range of z positions to compute ray spots and the full reflected beam width, computes the effective mask tilt angle with respect to the incoming beam as a function of propagation distance, and provides helper routines for plotting the grid over the mask and for visualizing the beam geometry. These tools are intended for iterating on fastrSHWFS mask designs and for planning downstream optical layouts, for example choosing lens positions and apertures that capture the reflected beam given known focal plane distances and beam widths.

Gerard, BenjaminL [Lawrence Livermore National Lab↗
DOE OSTI2015

STUDYING ATMOSPHERE-DOMINATED HOT JUPITER KEPLER PHASE CURVES: EVIDENCE THAT INHOMOGENEOUS ATMOSPHERIC REFLECTION IS COMMON

We identify three Kepler transiting planets, Kepler-7b, Kepler-12b, and Kepler-41b, whose orbital phase-folded light curves are dominated by planetary atmospheric processes including thermal emission and reflected light, while the impact of non-atmospheric (i.e., gravitational) processes, including beaming (Doppler boosting) and tidal ellipsoidal distortion, is negligible. Therefore, those systems allow a direct view of their atmospheres without being hampered by the approximations used in the inclusion of both atmospheric and non-atmospheric processes when modeling the phase-curve shape. We present here the analysis of Kepler-12b and Kepler-41b atmosphere based on their Kepler phase curve, while the analysis of Kepler-7b was already presented elsewhere. The model we used efficiently computes reflection and thermal emission contributions to the phase curve, including inhomogeneous atmospheric reflection due to longitudinally varying cloud coverage. We confirm Kepler-12b and Kepler-41b show a westward phase shift between the brightest region on the planetary surface and the substellar point, similar to Kepler-7b. We find that reflective clouds located on the west side of the substellar point can explain the phase shift. The existence of inhomogeneous atmospheric reflection in all three of our targets, selected due to their atmosphere-dominated Kepler phase curve, suggests this phenomenon is common. Therefore, it is also likely to be present in planetary phase curves that do not allow a direct view of the planetary atmosphere as they contain additional orbital processes. We discuss the implications of a bright-spot shift on the analysis of phase curves where both atmospheric and gravitational processes appear, including the mass discrepancy seen in some cases between the companion’s mass derived from the beaming and ellipsoidal photometric amplitudes. Finally, we discuss the potential detection of non-transiting but otherwise similar planets, whose mass is too small to show a gravitational photometric signal, but their atmosphere is reflective enough to show detectable phase modulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A SEMI-ANALYTICAL MODEL OF VISIBLE-WAVELENGTH PHASE CURVES OF EXOPLANETS AND APPLICATIONS TO KEPLER- 7 B AND KEPLER- 10 B

Kepler has detected numerous exoplanet transits by measuring stellar light in a single visible-wavelength band. In addition to detection, the precise photometry provides phase curves of exoplanets, which can be used to study the dynamic processes on these planets. However, the interpretation of these observations can be complicated by the fact that visible-wavelength phase curves can represent both thermal emission and scattering from the planets. Here we present a semi-analytical model framework that can be applied to study Kepler and future visible-wavelength phase curve observations of exoplanets. The model efficiently computes reflection and thermal emission components for both rocky and gaseous planets, considering both homogeneous and inhomogeneous surfaces or atmospheres. We analyze the phase curves of the gaseous planet Kepler- 7 b and the rocky planet Kepler- 10 b using the model. In general, we find that a hot exoplanet’s visible-wavelength phase curve having a significant phase offset can usually be explained by two classes of solutions: one class requires a thermal hot spot shifted to one side of the substellar point, and the other class requires reflective clouds concentrated on the same side of the substellar point. Particularly for Kepler- 7 b, reflective clouds located on the west side of the substellar point can best explain its phase curve. The reflectivity of the clear part of the atmosphere should be less than 7% and that of the cloudy part should be greater than 80%, and the cloud boundary should be located at 11° ± 3° to the west of the substellar point. We suggest single-band photometry surveys could yield valuable information on exoplanet atmospheres and surfaces.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A unifying Bayesian framework for merging X-ray diffraction data

Novel X-ray methods are transforming the study of the functional dynamics of biomolecules. Key to this revolution is detection of often subtle conformational changes from diffraction data. Diffraction data contain patterns of bright spots known as reflections. To compute the electron density of a molecule, the intensity of each reflection must be estimated, and redundant observations reduced to consensus intensities. Systematic effects, however, lead to the measurement of equivalent reflections on different scales, corrupting observation of changes in electron density. Here, we present a modern Bayesian solution to this problem, which uses deep learning and variational inference to simultaneously rescale and merge reflection observations. We successfully apply this method to monochromatic and polychromatic single-crystal diffraction data, as well as serial femtosecond crystallography data. We find that this approach is applicable to the analysis of many types of diffraction experiments, while accurately and sensitively detecting subtle dynamics and anomalous scattering.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Benchmarking of massively parallel phase-field codes for directional solidification

We present a detailed benchmark comparing two state-of-the-art phase-field implementations for simulating alloy solidification under experimentally relevant conditions. The study investigates the directional solidification of Al-3wt%Cu under high-velocity solidification conditions and SCN-0.46wt% camphor under microgravity conditions from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) DECLIC-DSI-R experiments. Both codes, one employing finite-difference discretization with uniform mesh and GPU-acceleration (GPU-PF) and the other one employing finite-element discretization with adaptive-mesh and CPU-parallelization (PRISMS-PF), solve the same quantitative phase-field formulation that incorporates an anti-trapping current for the solidification of dilute alloys. We evaluate the predictions of each code for dendritic morphology, primary spacing, and tip dynamics in both 2D and 3D, as well as their numerical convergence and computational performance. While existing benchmark problems have primarily focused on simplified or small-scale simulations, they do not reflect the computational and modeling challenges posed by employing experimentally relevant time and length scales. Our results provide a practical framework for assessing phase-field code performance as well as validating and facilitating their application in integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) workflows that require integration with realistic experimental data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling Structural Colors from Disordered One-Component Colloidal Nanoparticle-Based Supraballs Using Combined Experimental and Simulation Techniques

Bright, saturated structural colors in birds have inspired synthesis of self-assembled, disordered arrays of assembled nanoparticles with varied particle spacings and refractive indices. However, predicting colors of assembled nanoparticles, and thereby guiding their synthesis, remains challenging due to the effects of multiple scattering and strong absorption. In this work, we use a computational approach to first reconstruct the nanoparticles’ assembled structures from small-angle scattering measurements and then input the reconstructed structures to a finite-difference time-domain method to predict their color and reflectance. This computational approach is successfully validated by comparing its predictions against experimentally measured reflectance and provides a pathway for reverse engineering colloidal assemblies with desired optical and photothermal properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

IM3 + EPRI Data Center Load Projections

This dataset contains scenarios of hourly total electricity demand with and without projected loads from data centers over the period 2022-2040. The root projections without data center demands are identical to those documented in Burleyson et al. 2024. In short, those projections encompass hourly electricity demands for 54 Balancing Authorities (BAs) in the United States across a range of eight of weather and socioeconomic scenarios. Refer to the root dataset and accompanying publication, Burleyson et al. 2025, for information about how those projections were generated. For this derivative dataset we used the base loads from the following scenarios: rcp45hotter_ssp3 rcp45hotter_ssp5 rcp85hotter_ssp3 rcp85hotter_ssp5 The root load projections did not reflect the drastic expansion of data centers that has occurred in the last several years to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing. To reflect growth in data center demand, a second set of load projections were created in which we layered in additional data center load projections based on the data center load growth scenarios described in a 2024 report by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): "Powering Intelligence: Analyzing Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Energy Consumption". The EPRI projections from the report are included in this dataset (EPRI_2024_Projections.xlsx). That report contained annual state-level data center load projections for four year-over-year growth rates for data center demands: Low (3.71% annual growth) Moderate (5% annual growth) High (10% annual growth) Higher (15% annual growth) To homogenize the load projections with and without data centers we had to get them to a common scale. The first step was to take the EPRI annual state-level data center energy consumption values and convert them to 8760-hr loads for each year. We did that by assuming a flat (e.g., not weather- or time-sensitive) load profile and distributing the data center loads in each state evenly across all hours in a year. From there the loads were downscaled from the state-level to the county-level using 2019 county-level populations as weights. Finally, the county-level hourly data center loads were summed to the BA-level using the county-to-BA mapping underpinning the root load projections. The net result is 16 (4 weather and socioeconomic scenarios crossed with 4 data center load growth scenarios) unique load projections for the period 2022-2040. The file format follows that of the root dataset with a single additional column "Scaled_TELL_BA_Load_with_DC_MWh" that contains the hourly loads with the added data center loads for a given BA-year-scenario combination. Please refer to the readme file in the root dataset for more information on the file format.

Burleyson, Casey [Pacific Northwest National Labor↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cubic crystals in an x-ray polarization-splitting geometry

Hexagonal and cubic crystals contain paired sets of internal planes that reflect the linearly polarized components of certain x rays into two separate, perpendicular directions. For the cubic crystals, two distinct crystal orientations provide the same polarization-splitting geometry. One of the orientations may have advantages for plasma spectroscopy by suppressing unwanted reflections. This paper demonstrates the two orientations with a germanium crystal and K characteristic lines from copper and zirconium.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Contouring and Constraining Bowel on a Full-Bladder Computed Tomography Scan May Not Reflect Treatment Bowel Position and Dose Certainty in Gynecologic External Beam Radiation Therapy

Purpose: To evaluate, in a gynecologic cancer setting, changes in bowel position, dose-volume parameters, and biological indices that arise between full-bladder (FB) and empty-bladder (EB) treatment situations; and to evaluate, using cone beam computed tomography (CT), the validity of FB treatment presumption. Methods and Materials: Seventeen gynecologic cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. Empty-bladder and FB CTs were obtained. Full-bladder CTs were used for planning and dose optimization. Patients were given FB instructions for treatment. For the study purpose, bowel was contoured on the EB CTs for all patients. Bowel position and volume changes between FB and EB states were determined. Full-bladder plans were applied on EB CTs for determining bowel dose-volume changes in EB state. Biological indices (generalized equivalent uniform dose and normal tissue complication probability) were calculated and compared between FB and EB. Weekly cone beam CT data were available in 6 patients to assess bladder volume at treatment. Results: Average (±SD) planned bladder volume was 299.7 ± 68.5 cm{sup 3}. Median bowel shift in the craniocaudal direction between FB and EB was 12.5 mm (range, 3-30 mm), and corresponding increase in exposed bowel volume was 151.3 cm{sup 3} (range, 74.3-251.4 cm{sup 3}). Absolute bowel volumes receiving 45 Gy were higher for EB compared with FB (mean 328.0 ± 174.8 vs 176.0 ± 87.5 cm{sup 3}; P=.0038). Bowel normal tissue complication probability increased 1.5× to 23.5× when FB planned treatments were applied in the EB state. For the study, the mean percentage value of relative bladder volume at treatment was 32%. Conclusions: Full-bladder planning does not necessarily translate into FB treatments, with a patient tendency toward EB. Given the uncertainty in daily control over bladder volume for treatment, we strongly recommend a “planning-at-risk volume bowel” (PRV{sub B}owel) concept to account for bowel motion between FB and EB that can be tailored for the individual patient.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Modeling liquid organic thin films on substrates

We present the rationale, methods, and results of modeling of thin film organic liquids on various substrates. These liquids may coat surfaces (substrates) either as a result of their production, dispersal via aerosols or spills. Identification of unknown coated surfaces using either reflectance or emittance spectroscopy cannot be accomplished simply through reference to reflectance signature libraries since neither the thickness of the liquid layer nor the substrate type is known beforehand and both contribute to the signature. Liquid spectral libraries offer the complex index of refraction (n,k) as a function of wavelength which by itself is useful only for thick (bulk) liquid layers via computation of reflectance and transmittance coefficients using the Fresnel equations. Thin liquid layers both reflect and refract incident light in combination with reflectance from the substrate. We show modeling of various organic liquids on substrates using commercial thin film design and modeling software, as well as Monte Carlo ray tracing software to demonstrate the variety of potential signatures encountered that depend on the thickness of the liquid layer as well as the characteristics of the substrate (metal or dielectric). These substrates give rise to transflectance behavior, while many dielectric substrates have rich absorption features that provide complex signatures that combine attributes of both the liquid and the substrate. Knowledge of the complex index of refraction of both target liquids and substrates is essential in order to synthesize spectra necessary in the application of target identification algorithms.

complex index of refraction↗
DOE OSTI2019

Rationally designed carbohydrate-occluded epitopes elicit HIV-1 Env-specific antibodies

An array of carbohydrates masks the HIV-1 surface protein Env, contributing to the evasion of humoral immunity. In most HIV-1 isolates ‘glycan holes’ occur due to natural sequence variation, potentially revealing the underlying protein surface to the immune system. Here we computationally design epitopes that mimic such surface features (carbohydrate-occluded neutralization epitopes or CONE) of Env through ‘epitope transplantation’, in which the target region is presented on a carrier protein scaffold with preserved structural properties. Scaffolds displaying the four CONEs are examined for structure and immunogenicity. Crystal structures of two designed proteins reflect the computational models and accurately mimic the native conformations of CONEs. The sera from rabbits immunized with several CONE immunogens display Env binding activity. Our method determines essential structural elements for targets of protective antibodies. The ability to design immunogens with high mimicry to viral proteins also makes possible the exploration of new templates for vaccine development.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Asynchronous Graphs (Final Report)

The most performant massive-scale distributed graph analytic engines were essentially unusable for anything but the analytic they were tuned to solve. The project team had previously developed HavoqGT and used this project to demonstrate it as a flexible graph framework, aiming to extend algorithmic capabilities, improve underlying data structures, and develop novel communication paradigms to enable new data analysis missions. Highlights of the technology developed include (a) a new distributed communication paradigm dubbed You’ve Got Mail (YGM), (b) a performant exact and fuzzy HPC graph pattern matching approach, and (c) a distributed biased random walk simulation capability. The project was successful on several measurable fronts, including advancing computer science (reflected by publishing 14 peer-reviewed research papers yielding 4 publication awards and over 16 conference presentations), contributing tangibly to LLNL recruiting rare talent, and obtaining follow-on funding. These technologies were transferred to several FY19-20 programmatic projects and will continue to be leveraged by new research projects for several years.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Results from a synthetic model of the ITER XRCS-Core diagnostic based on high-fidelity x-ray ray tracing

A high-fidelity synthetic diagnostic has been developed for the ITER core x-ray crystal spectrometer diagnostic based on x-ray ray tracing. This synthetic diagnostic has been used to model expected performance of the diagnostic, to aid in diagnostic design, and to develop engineering tolerances. The synthetic model is based on x-ray ray tracing using the recently developed xicsrt ray tracing code and includes a fully three-dimensional representation of the diagnostic based on the computer aided design. The modeled components are: plasma geometry and emission profiles, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite pre-reflectors, spherically bent crystals, and pixelated x-ray detectors. Plasma emission profiles have been calculated for Xe 44+ , Xe 47+ , and Xe 51+ , based on an ITER operational scenario available through the Integrated Modelling & Analysis Suite database, and modeled within the ray tracing code as a volumetric x-ray source; the shape of the plasma source is determined by equilibrium geometry and an appropriate wavelength distribution to match the expected ion temperature profile. All individual components of the x-ray optical system have been modeled with high-fidelity producing a synthetic detector image that is expected to closely match what will be seen in the final as-built system. Particular care is taken to maintain preservation of photon statistics throughout the ray tracing allowing for quantitative estimates of diagnostic performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

A canonical purification for the entanglement wedge cross-section

In AdS/CFT we consider a class of bulk geometric quantities inside the entanglement wedge called reflected minimal surfaces. The areas of these surfaces are dual to the entanglement entropy associated to a canonical purification (the GNS state) that we dub the reflected entropy. From the bulk point of view, we show that half the area of the reflected minimal surface gives a reinterpretation of the notion of the entanglement wedge cross-section. We prove some general properties of the reflected entropy and introduce a novel replica trick in CFTs for studying it. The duality is established using a recently introduced approach to holographic modular flow. We also consider an explicit holographic construction of the canonical purification, introduced by Engelhardt and Wall; the reflected minimal surfaces are simply RT surfaces in this new spacetime. We contrast our results with the entanglement of purification conjecture, and finally comment on the continuum limit where we find a relation to the split property: the reflected entropy computes the von Neumann entropy of a canonical splitting type-I factor introduced by Doplicher and Longo.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗