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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

EPCAPE – Ultrafine Particle Properties Field Campaign Report

The U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment – Ultrafine Particle Properties (EPCAPE-UPP) campaign combined a unique suite of instruments to probe the chemical and physical properties of ultrafine (sub-100-nm) atmospheric particles from 15 April to 15 June 2023 at the Mt. Soledad campaign site near San Diego, California.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synthesis of UO 2 nanoparticles via coulometric titration: influence of electrolytes and ligands on synthesized particle properties

Here, this study investigates the controlled synthesis of uranium oxide nanoparticles (UO 2 NPs) via coulometric titration under ambient conditions, focusing on the impact of electrolyte anions, salt concentrations, and strongly complexing ligands on particle formation and properties. Using dilute solutions of mineral acids (HNO 3 , HCl, and HClO 4 ), we demonstrate that the choice of electrolyte anion affects particle size, polydispersity, and surface charge. Particle characterization using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy shows that particles synthesized in perchlorate are largest and show a high degree of polydispersity. In comparison, particles synthesized in chloride are smaller and more uniform in size. Synthesis in nitrate yields a wide variety of particle sizes, with the major fraction (>65 %) having a smaller size than that obtained in the other two electrolytes. The presence of more strongly coordinating ligands such as sulfate and acetate modulate hydrolysis and condensation reactions, with sulfate suppressing nanoparticle formation across a wide concentration range ([SO 4 2- ] > 5 mM) and acetate enabling stable colloidal suspensions at [HOAc] ≤ 0.1 M. Synthesis in concentrated electrolytes (2 M NaNO 3 , NaCl, or NaClO 4 ) accelerates reaction kinetics but introduces challenges, as particles showed increased polydispersity and aggregation, and were more prone to oxidation. Electrolyte effects on actinide oxide nanoparticle formation are discussed and a short comparison to established nanoparticle syntheses is drawn. This work underscores the importance of tailoring synthesis parameters to achieve desired nanoparticle properties, providing valuable insights for optimizing UO 2 NP production for various applications.

Actinide hydrolysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Observations of high-time-resolution and size-resolved aerosol chemical composition and microphysics in the central Arctic: implications for climate-relevant particle properties

Abstract. Aerosols play a critical role in the Arctic's radiative balance, influencing solar radiation and cloud formation. Limited observations in the central Arctic leave gaps in understanding aerosol dynamics year-round, affecting model predictions of climate-relevant aerosol properties. Here, we present the first annual high-time-resolution observations of submicron aerosol chemical composition in the central Arctic during the Arctic Ocean 2018 (AO2018) and the 2019–2020 Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expeditions. Seasonal variations in the aerosol mass concentrations and chemical composition in the central Arctic were found to be driven by typical Arctic seasonal regimes and resemble those of pan-Arctic land-based stations. Organic aerosols dominated the pristine summer, while anthropogenic sulfate prevailed in autumn and spring under haze conditions. Ammonium, which impacts aerosol acidity, was consistently less abundant, relative to sulfate, in the central Arctic compared to lower latitudes of the Arctic. Cyclonic (storm) activity was found to have a significant influence on aerosol variability by enhancing emissions from local sources and the transport of remote aerosol. Local wind-generated particles contributed up to 80 % (20 %) of the cloud condensation nuclei population in autumn (spring). While the analysis presented herein provides the current central Arctic aerosol baseline, which will serve to improve climate model predictions in the region, it also underscores the importance of integrating short-timescale processes, such as seasonal wind-driven aerosol sources from blowing snow and open leads/ocean in model simulations. This is particularly important, given the decline in mid-latitude anthropogenic emissions and the increase in local ones.

Heutte, Benjamin (ORCID:0000000173727460)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy-momentum tensor in Φ 4 theory at one loop

The energy-momentum tensor form factors are studied in Φ 4 theory to one-loop order with particular focus on the 𝐷-term, a particle property which has attracted a lot of attention in the recent literature. It is shown that the free Klein-Gordon theory value of the 𝐷-term 𝐷 free =−1 is reduced to 𝐷 one-loop =− $\frac{1}{3}$ even if the Φ 4 interaction is infinitesimally small. A companion work in Φ 3 theory confirms this result which may indicate that it is independent of the type of interaction as long as the scalar theory is renormalizable. Dispersion relations are studied. Various definitions of mean square radii including the mechanical radius are investigated. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the energy momentum tensor properties of particles and their interpretation.

form factors↗
DOE OSTI2025

Correlation of optical properties with particle size, morphology, and polymorph of fine- and nano-particle formulations of titanium dioxide powders

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) particulates are known to exhibit different visible and infrared optical properties compared to the bulk material, showing strong dependence on particle size, crystal structure, and morphology. In this study, the optical properties, sizes, and morphologies of TiO 2 particles from two different sources (nano and fine powders) having a) nominally different particle sizes and b) various crystal polymorph mixture fractions are compared using a combination of single particle mass spectrometry, optical spectroscopies, and aerosol characterization methods. The nano sample was found to be largely particles of the anatase polymorph (88% by mass), while the fine sample was found to consist largely of rutile particles (95% by mass). Two distinct particle morphologies (fractal and compact) were found in each powder sample and could be identified and separated in-situ based on particle aerodynamic properties. The attenuation of near-infrared, visible and ultraviolet light by TiO 2 particles shows strong dependence on particle morphology. Furthermore, while the fine particles were found to have larger near-infrared (675–800 nm) extinction coefficients by mass than the nanoparticles, the reverse was true in the ultraviolet and visible regions (370–675 nm). However, for polydisperse particles with different sizes and shapes, the optical behaviors are not straightforward to directly correlate to a combination of physical parameters.

Lockwood, Schuyler P. [Pacific Northwest National ↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Influence of Shallow Subsurface Properties on Particle Motion in Acoustic-Seismic Coupling

Atmospheric acoustic waves transmit energy into the solid Earth through air-to-ground coupling. These waves are recorded by seismic sensors and provide insight into both atmospheric phenomena and subsurface properties. Interpreting these signals is often challenging because they are modulated by subsurface structure and the incidence angle of the acoustic wave. This study examines acoustic--seismic coupling generated by the 2012 Camp Minden Explosion, which was recorded by hundreds of seismoacoustic stations. We apply a novel technique to quantify the seismic particle motion, model coupled waves with a propagator matrix approach, and apply a Bayesian inversion to infer properties of the shallow subsurface. Our analysis reveals that prograde motion is widespread and focused in low shear-wave velocity regions, such as the Mississippi Embayment, and retrograde motion is more common in higher shear-velocity areas. Inversion results at some stations produce plausible subsurface models with strong waveform fits, while inversions at other sites are less successful. These results indicate prograde particle motion in air-to-ground coupled waves is more prevalent than previously recognized and may serve as a diagnostic for shallow velocity structure. Our comprehensive modeling and inversion framework provides a potential method to extract layered near-surface properties from acoustic-seismic coupling observations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Improving parameterization of ice microphysical processes in Arctic clouds using a synergistic modeling and observational approach (Final Report)

The primary goals of the project were to: 1) Improve the fundamental quantitative models of ice growth processes using ARM radar observations. 2) Better understand the growth of ice particle populations through vapor deposition, riming, and aggregation in Arctic clouds using a new particle-property microphysical model. 3) Robustly estimate and constrain key unknown model parameters using ARM radar observations combined with the particle-property model to develop an improved parameterization of ice growth processes for traditional bulk parameterizations used in cloud and climate models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A generalized analytical energy balance model for evaluating agglomeration from a binary collision of wet particles

Agglomeration of wet particles, i.e., particles coated with a thin liquid layer, is a common phenomenon in many processes like fluidized bed combustion of low rank fuels. The availability of an agglomeration model that can evaluate the outcome of a binary collision between wet particles differing in solid particle properties, liquid layer thicknesses, and initial collision (impact) speeds is essential for obtaining a comprehensive understanding on the existing processes experiencing wet particle agglomeration or for a successful development of new processes with high chances of wet particle agglomeration. This study presents a generalized agglomeration model on the basis of energy conservation before and after collision when colliding wet particles may differ in solid particle properties, liquid layer thicknesses, and impact speeds. The model was established based on the approximate values of energy losses that may happen during the collision. It incorporates body forces, solid-solid contacting, liquid capillary, and viscous contributions, as well as the liquid bridge volume effect. Predictions of the new model for collision outcomes of identical wet particles were like those from an analytical energy balance model developed recently by the group for identical wet particles. We also validated the new model by experimental data from literature. The results of a collision direction analysis indicated that the direction often has a minimal effect on the collision outcome in many practical scenarios. The results of Monte Carlo uncertainty analyses with the new model revealed that proper estimations of impact speed, under capillary limiting conditions, and thickness of coating layers and asperity heights, under viscous limiting conditions, are critical for the realistic prediction of collision outcomes at impact speeds close to critical impact speed, i.e., the minimum particle speed required for the particles to rebound.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Predictive models enhance feedstock quality of corn stover via air classification

Feedstock heterogeneity is a fundamental obstacle to cost-competitive biobased products. Agricultural products like corn stover have anatomical components that vary in their chemical composition, mechanical properties, structure, and response to chemical and biological treatments. A technique that can enrich streams in select anatomical fractions would allow a tailored deconstruction approach to increase overall process efficiency. Air classification can be leveraged for such refining, however, fundamental characterization and understanding of the particle properties that underly the physics of air classification are only modestly documented. Here, we determine fundamental particle properties including mass-to-area ratio, drag coefficient, and partition velocity that describe how anatomical tissues of corn stover behave during air classification. In this work, mass-to-area ratios of anatomical tissues vary by nearly two orders of magnitude from 2.3 mg/mm 2 for cob to 0.04 mg/mm 2 for leaf. Drag coefficients of longer, fibrous materials (i.e., rind, husk, and sheath) are shown to correlate with particle area (p-value < 0.001) whereas granular tissues (i.e., cob, pith, and leaf) correlate better with mass-to-area ratio (p-values < 0.001). When compared to experimental observations, a simulated two-stage air classification and size reduction scenario predicts the overall partitioning of anatomical tissues within 15% for pith, husk, rind, and cob tissues. The model predicts an air-classified fraction preferentially enriched in cob (purity = 20%), rind (purity = 74%), and pith (purity = 4.5%) with a mass yield of 47%. Empirical relations for these properties can be used to predict the partitioning of corn stover during air classification based on anatomical type and size.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

One-Particle and Excitonic Band Structure in Cubic Boron Arsenide

Cubic BAs has received recent attention for its large electron and hole mobilities and large thermal conductivity. This is a rare and much desired combination in semiconductor industry: commercial semiconductors typically have high electron mobilities, or hole mobilities, or large thermal conductivities, but not all of them together. Here, in this paper, predictions from an advanced self-consistent many-body perturbative theory are reported and it is shown that with respect to one-particle properties, BAs is strikingly similar to Si. There are some important differences, notably there is an unusually small variation in the valence band masses. With respect to two-particle properties, significant differences with Si appear. The excitonic spectrum for both q = 0 and finite q is reported, and it is shown that while the direct gap in cubic BAs is about 4 eV, dark excitons can be observed down to about ≈1.5 eV, which may play a crucial role in application of BAs in optoelectronics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Gravitational vortex disruption in mesofluidic separators

Typically, bump array devices separate submicrometer particles where gravitational effects remain small. However, as particle size increases from a few micrometers to hundreds of micrometers, gravitational effects become important and settling may induce vortex formation. Here, this article shows under laminar flow that these vortices suffice to disrupt flow fields, frustrating particle separation. The limiting diameter, above which vortices do form, is determined, and the dependence of the limiting diameter on viscosity, particle properties, and separator orientation is quantified.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detection of multi-modal Doppler spectra – Part 1: Establishing characteristic signals in radar moment data

Vertically pointing millimeter-wavelength radars provide a wealth of information about cloud and precipitation particle properties. Doppler spectral data can inform on how particles of varying vertical velocities contribute to the total backscattered power observed. It is more computationally cost effective to process moment data instead of spectra data, but doing so leaves valuable information on the cutting room floor. To confidently identify a multi-modal spectra event, in which two or more modes are present within a layer, Doppler spectral data are essential. This means long-term identification of layers featuring multi-modal spectra can be cost prohibitive. To address this, we explore three multi-modal spectra cases from winter precipitation events to determine characteristic signatures of these layers in the moment data averaged over short time periods (∼ 145 s) and explore how these layers differ from the rest of the vertical profiles. We find that the mean spectrum width and the standard deviation of mean Doppler velocity can be used to determine whether or not a layer is multi-modal. In particular, multi-modal layers in mixed-phase and ice clouds feature larger mean spectrum width (exceeding 0.17 m s −1 ) and smaller standard deviation of the mean Doppler velocity (below 0.1 m s −1 ). In Part 1 of this study, the identification criteria and methods are described. In Part 2 (Wugofski and Kumjian, 2025), we perform a verification of the method for three years of vertically pointing radar data, and explore the meteorological conditions associated with identified multi-modal spectral events.

Wugofski, Sarah [Pennsylvania State Univ., Univers↗
DOE OSTI2023

Revisiting GeV-scale annihilating dark matter with the AMS-02 positron fraction

Antimatter cosmic-rays are used to probe new phenomena in physics, including dark matter annihilation. Here, we use the cosmic-ray positron fraction spectrum by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, to search for such an annihilation signal in the Galaxy. We focus on dark matter with mass between 5 and 120 GeV, producing high-energy electrons and positrons. In these cosmic-ray energies the interplay of multiple astrophysical sources and phenomena, makes this search highly sensitive to the underlying astrophysical background assumptions. We use a vast public library of astrophysical models for the cosmic-ray positron fraction background, to derive robust upper limits on the dark matter's annihilation cross section for a number of annihilation channels. This library accounts for different types of cosmic-ray sources and uncertainties on their distribution in space and time. Also, it accounts for uncertainties on those sources' output, their injected into the interstellar medium cosmic-ray spectra and for uncertainties on cosmic-ray propagation. For any given dark matter particle mass and annihilation channel, upper limits on the annihilation cross section are given by bands that stretch a full order of magnitude in its value. Our work provides weaker limits compared to earlier results, that are however robust to all the relevant astrophysical uncertainties. Between 5 and 15 GeV, we find indications for a possible excess flux of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons. That excess is found for most, but not all of our astrophysical background parameter space, and its significance can vary appreciably. Further scrutiny is necessary to improve the understanding of these lower energy cosmic rays. Finally, we note that even if an excess signal is found in these energies, the current background uncertainties do not allow us to accurately deduce its underlying particle properties.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reconstruction of decays to merged photons using end-to-end deep learning with domain continuation in the CMS detector

A novel technique based on machine learning is introduced to reconstruct the decays of highly Lorentz-boosted particles. Using an end-to-end deep learning strategy, the technique bypasses existing rule-based particle reconstruction methods typically used in high energy physics analyses. It uses minimally processed detector data as input and directly outputs particle properties of interest. The new technique is demonstrated for the reconstruction of the invariant mass of particles decaying in the CMS detector. The decay of a hypothetical scalar particle A into two photons, A → γ γ , is chosen as a benchmark decay. Lorentz boosts γ L = 60 – 600 are considered, ranging from regimes where both photons are resolved to those where the photons are closely merged as one object. A training method using domain continuation is introduced, enabling the invariant mass reconstruction of unresolved photon pairs in a novel way. The new technique is validated using π 0 → γ γ decays in LHC collision data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Challenges and Advances in Aqueous Processing of Corn Stover Pellets into High Concentration Slurries

Significant progress has occurred in developing combined enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation technologies for transforming lignocellulosic feedstocks into ethanol and other bioproducts. Various routes described in the literature show that low carbon footprint processes efficiently convert the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of pretreated corn stover, wood chips, and sugarcane bagasse to sugars and to ethanol.Combinations of different pretreatments at high or low pH or in liquid hot water, followed by enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation or direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol (i.e., by consolidated bioprocessing)have been demonstrated. These successes have brought the need to preparing the feedstock – before it enters the biorefinery – into focus. This paper summarizes recent developments in liquefying corn stover,before pretreatment, so that slurries with yield stresses below 200 Pa are obtained and a “pumpable” corn stover slurry results at initial solids loadings of up to 300 g/L. The manner in which corn stover pellets are combined with water and enzyme in an agitated bioreactor is described, and properties that define slurry behavior are presented. Implications on biorefinery operations are explained in terms of particle properties and the preprocessing of corn stover as well as the team approach used to obtain these results.

Wassgren, Carl↗
DOE OSTI2025

Particle Dark Matter Across Scales (Final Technical Report)

The research supported by this DOE grant investigated the nature of dark matter, particularly its particle properties and astrophysical manifestations, over the period of 2018 to 2024. The proposal focused on leveraging astrophysical probes, cosmological models, and high-resolution simulations to further our understanding of dark matter, its possible interactions, and the theoretical models that could explain its properties. This research directly contributes to the DOE's mission of exploring the fundamental constituents of the universe, advancing particle physics, and using cosmological and astrophysical observations to detect dark matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗