Ultra-high strength, deformable nanocrystalline Al-Pd alloys
Not Available
Sheng, X. Y. (ORCID:0000000222432272)↗
Engineering topics
Zhang, X.
Publications and source records attributed to Zhang, X..
Experimental observations of bifurcated power decay lengths in the near Scrape-Off Layer of ST40 High Field Spherical Tokamak
The scrape-off layer parallel heat flux decay lengths measured at ST40, a high field, low aspect ratio spherical tokamak, have been observed to bifurcate into two groups. The wide group follows established H-mode scalings (ranging between 2 to 8 mm) while the narrow group falls up to 10 times below these scalings (between 0.2 and 0.8 mm), being comparable to the ion total Larmor radius rather than the ion poloidal Larmor radius. The heat flux profiles of the latter group can only be described by a multi-exponential function, rather than the single exponential function convoluted with a Gaussian. The onset of the narrow scrape-off layer width is observed to be associated with suppressed magnetic fluctuations, suggesting reduced electromagnetic turbulence levels in the SOL.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Inferring the scrape-off layer heat flux width in a divertor with a low degree of axisymmetry
Plasma facing components (PFCs) in the next generation of tokamak devices will operate in challenging environments, with heat loads predicted to exceed 10 MWm -2 . The magnitude of these heat loads is set by the width of the channel, the ‘scrape-off layer’ (SOL), into which heat is exhausted, and can be characterised by an e-folding length scale for the decay of heat flux across the channel. It is expected this channel will narrow as tokamaks move towards reactor relevant conditions. Understanding the processes involved in setting the SOL heat flux width is imperative to be able to predict the heat loads PFCs must handle in future devices. Measurements of the SOL width are performed on the high-field spherical tokamak, ST40, using a newly commissioned infrared thermography system. With its high on-axis toroidal magnetic field (≥1.5 T) ST40 is uniquely positioned to investigate the influence of toroidal field on the heat flux width in spherical tokamaks, whilst also extending measurements of the SOL width in spherical tokamaks to increased poloidal field (≥0.3 T). Due to the divertor on ST40 having a low degree of axisymmetry, it is necessary for a set of radial measurements of the heat flux to be taken across the divertor, made possible using an automated toolchain that fully incorporates its 3D geometry. These radial profiles are combined with the magnetic geometry of the plasma to infer the width of the SOL, with both Eich and double exponential profiles of heat flux observed. A reduction in the heat flux is observed toroidally across part of the divertor, along with increased heat loads observed locally around the edges of the tiles. Future work in characterising the impact of tile misalignment and uncertainties in the reconstructed divertor magnetic geometry is required in order to further understand the observed heat flux patterns, as are additional investigations into the role potentially being played by an inhomogeneous sheath electric field.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Unraveling the electronic structure and magnetic transition evolution across monolayer, bilayer, and multilayer ferromagnetic Fe 3 GeTe 2
Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets have sparked widespread attention due to their potential in spintronic applications as well as in fundamental physics. Ferromagnetic vdW compound Fe 3 GeTe 2 (FGT) and its Ga variants have garnered significant interest due to their itinerant magnetism, correlated states, and high magnetic transition temperature. Experimental studies have demonstrated the tunability of FGT’s Curie temperature, T C , through adjustments in quintuple layer numbers (QL) and carrier concentrations, n. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we employ molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize 2D FGT films down to 1 QL with precise layer control, facilitating an exploration of the band structure and the evolution of itinerant carrier density. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) reveals significant band structure changes at the ultra-thin limit, while first-principles calculations elucidate the band evolution from 1 QL to bulk, largely governed by interlayer coupling. Additionally, we find that n is intrinsically linked to the number of QL and temperature, with a critical value triggering the magnetic phase transition. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of band structure and itinerant electrons in governing magnetic phase transitions in such 2D vdW magnetic materials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Performance Testing of Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel in Light Water Reactor Environment
This report summarizes research activities conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in support of the development, qualification and certification of additively manufactured (AM) metallic components for the long-term sustainability of light water reactors. In this program, AM 316L stainless steel (SS) has been evaluated in light water reactor (LWR) environments for their fatigue, environmentally assisted fatigue, and stress corrosion cracking performances on specimens in as-printed condition, aiming for facilitating the regulatory acceptance and ultimately adoption of AM components in aging LWRs.
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Exploring halo assembly bias with X-ray-selected superclusters
Numerical simulations indicate that the clustering of dark matter halos is not only dependent on the halo masses but has a secondary dependence on other properties, such as the assembly history of the halo. This phenomenon, known as the halo assembly bias (HAB), has been found mostly on galaxy scales; observational evidence on larger scales is scarce. In this work, we propose a novel method for exploring HAB on cluster scales using large samples of superclusters. Leveraging the largest-ever X-ray galaxy cluster and supercluster samples obtained from the first SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey, we constructed two subsamples of galaxy clusters that consist of supercluster members and isolated clusters, respectively. After correcting for the selection effects on redshift, mass, and survey depth, we computed the excess in the concentration of the intracluster gas of isolated clusters with respect to supercluster members, defined as δc gas ≡ c gas , ISO /c gas , SC –1 , to investigate the environmental effect on the concentration of clusters, a sign of HAB on cluster scales. We find that the average gas mass concentration of isolated clusters is a few percent higher than that of supercluster members, with a maximum significance of 2.8σ. The result for δc gas varies with the overdensity ratio, f, in supercluster identification, cluster mass proxies, and mass and redshift ranges but remains positive in almost all the measurements. We measure slightly larger δc gas when adopting a higher f for supercluster identification. The δc gas is also higher for low-mass and low-redshift clusters. We performed weak lensing analyses to compare the total mass concentration of the two classes and find a similar trend in total mass concentration as obtained from the gas mass concentration. Our results are consistent with the prediction of HAB on cluster scales, where halos located in denser environments are less concentrated; this trend is stronger for halos with lower masses and at lower redshifts. These phenomena can be explained by the fact that clusters in denser environments, such as superclusters, have experienced more mergers than isolated clusters in their assembling history. This work paves the way to explore HAB with X-ray superclusters and demonstrates that large samples of superclusters with X-ray and weak-lensing data can advance our understanding of the evolution of the large-scale structure.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Graph neural network for neutrino physics event reconstruction
Liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) detector technology offers a wealth of high-resolution information on particle interactions, and leveraging that information to its full potential requires sophisticated automated reconstruction techniques. Here, this article describes NUGRAPH 2, a graph neural network for low-level reconstruction of simulated neutrino interactions in a LArTPC detector. Simulated neutrino interactions in the MicroBooNE detector geometry are described as heterogeneous graphs, with energy depositions on each detector plane forming nodes on planar subgraphs. The network utilizes a multihead attention message-passing mechanism to perform background filtering and semantic labeling on these graph nodes, identifying those associated with the primary physics interaction with 98.0% efficiency and labeling them according to particle type with 94.9% efficiency. The network operates directly on detector observables across multiple two-dimensional representations but utilizes a three-dimensional-context-aware mechanism to encourage consistency between these representations. Model inference takes 0.12 s / event on a CPU and 0.005 s / event batched on a GPU. This architecture is designed to be a general-purpose solution for particle reconstruction in neutrino physics, with the potential for deployment across a broad range of detector technologies, and offers a core convolution engine that can be leveraged for a variety of tasks beyond the two described in this paper.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NuGraph2: A Graph Neural Network for Neutrino Event Reconstruction
Neutrino experiments are set to probe some of the most important open questions in physics, from CP violation and the nature of dark matter. The technology of choice for many of these experiments is the liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). In current LArTPC experiments, reconstruction performance often represents a limiting factor for the sensitivity. New developments are therefore needed to unlock the full potential of LArTPC experiments. NuGraph2 is a state of the art Graph Neural Network for reconstruction of data in LArTPC experiments. NuGraph2 utilizes a heterogeneous graph structure, with separate subgraphs of 2D nodes (hits in each plane) connected across planes via 3D nodes (space points). The model provides a consistent description of the neutrino interaction across all planes. NuGraph2 is a multi-purpose network, with a common message-passing attention engine connected to multiple decoders with different classification or regression tasks. These include the classification of detector hits according to the particle type that produced them (semantic segmentation) and the separation of hits from the neutrino interaction from hits due to noise or cosmic-ray background. Additional decoders are being developed, performing tasks such as the regression of the neutrino interaction vertex position. Performance results will be presented based on publicly available samples from MicroBooNE. These include both physics performance metrics, achieving 95% accuracy for semantic segmentation and 98% classification of neutrino hits, as well as computational metrics for training and for inference on CPU or GPU. The status of the NuGraph integration in the LArSoft software framework will be presented, as well as initial studies about model interpretability and injection of domain knowledge.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NuGraph2: A Graph Neural Network for Neutrino Event Reconstruction
Neutrino experiments are set to probe some of the most important open questions in physics, from CP violation and the nature of dark matter. The technology of choice for many of these experiments is the liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). In current LArTPC experiments, reconstruction performance often represents a limiting factor for the sensitivity. New developments are therefore needed to unlock the full potential of LArTPC experiments. NuGraph2 is a state of the art Graph Neural Network for reconstruction of data in LArTPC experiments. NuGraph2 utilizes a heterogeneous graph structure, with separate subgraphs of 2D nodes (hits in each plane) connected across planes via 3D nodes (space points). The model provides a consistent description of the neutrino interaction across all planes. NuGraph2 is a multi-purpose network, with a common message-passing attention engine connected to multiple decoders with different classification or regression tasks. These include the classification of detector hits according to the particle type that produced them (semantic segmentation) and the separation of hits from the neutrino interaction from hits due to noise or cosmic-ray background. Additional decoders are being developed, performing tasks such as the regression of the neutrino interaction vertex position. Performance results will be presented based on publicly available samples from MicroBooNE. These include both physics performance metrics, achieving 95% accuracy for semantic segmentation and 98% classification of neutrino hits, as well as computational metrics for training and for inference on CPU or GPU. The status of the NuGraph integration in the LArSoft software framework will be presented, as well as initial studies about model interpretability and injection of domain knowledge.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
The SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey: Dark Energy Survey year 3 weak gravitational lensing by eRASS1 selected galaxy clusters
Context. Number counts of galaxy clusters across redshift are a powerful cosmological probe if a precise and accurate reconstruction of the underlying mass distribution is performed – a challenge called mass calibration. With the advent of wide and deep photometric surveys, weak gravitational lensing (WL) by clusters has become the method of choice for this measurement. Aims. We measured and validated the WL signature in the shape of galaxies observed in the first three years of the Dark Energy Survey (DES Y3) caused by galaxy clusters and groups selected in the first all-sky survey performed by SRG (Spectrum Roentgen Gamma)/eROSITA (eRASS1). These data were then used to determine the scaling between the X-ray photon count rate of the clusters and their halo mass and redshift. Methods. We empirically determined the degree of cluster member contamination in our background source sample. The individual cluster shear profiles were then analyzed with a Bayesian population model that self-consistently accounts for the lens sample selection and contamination and includes marginalization over a host of instrumental and astrophysical systematics. To quantify the accuracy of the mass extraction of that model, we performed mass measurements on mock cluster catalogs with realistic synthetic shear profiles. This allowed us to establish that hydrodynamical modeling uncertainties at low lens redshifts (z < 0.6) are the dominant systematic limitation. At high lens redshift, the uncertainties of the sources’ photometric redshift calibration dominate. Results. With regard to the X-ray count rate to halo mass relation, we determined its amplitude, its mass trend, the redshift evolution of the mass trend, the deviation from self-similar redshift evolution, and the intrinsic scatter around this relation. Conclusions. The mass calibration analysis performed here sets the stage for a joint analysis with the number counts of eRASS1 clusters to constrain a host of cosmological parameters. We demonstrate that WL mass calibration of galaxy clusters can be performed successfully with source galaxies whose calibration was performed primarily for cosmic shear experiments, opening the way for the cluster cosmological exploitation of future optical and NIR surveys like Euclid and LSST.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Particle physics using reactor antineutrinos
Nuclear reactors are uniquely powerful, abundant, and flavor-pure sources of antineutrinos that have played a central role in the discovery of the neutrinos and in elucidation of their properties. Further, this continues through a broad range of experiments investigating topics including Standard Model and short-baseline oscillations, beyond-the-Standard-Model physics searches, and reactor flux and spectrum modelling. This Report will survey the state of the reactor antineutrino physics field and summarize the ways in which current and future reactor antineutrino experiments can play a critical role in advancing the field of particle physics in the next decade.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
The Evolution of a Pitch-Angle "Bite-Out" Scattering Signature Caused by EMIC Wave Activity: A Case Study
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are understood to be one of the dominant drivers of relativistic electron loss from Earth's radiation belts. Theory predicts that the associated gyroresonant wave‐particle interaction results in a distinct energy‐dependent “bite‐out” signature in the normalized flux distribution of electrons as they are scattered into the loss cone. We identify such signatures along with the responsible EMIC waves captured in situ by the Van Allen Probes on 15–16 February 2017. Using the cold plasma approximation, we predict the pitch‐angle cutoffs for the scattering signature for the captured EMIC wave and find it in good agreement with the observed electron bite‐out scattering signature. Employing the close conjunction between the Van Allen Probes and THEMIS during this time, we explore the temporal and spatial evolution of the scattering signature, as well as the surrounding wave activity, and find that the scattering signature formed during continued wave activity over a period less than a day. These results are consistent with wave‐particle interaction theory and support the hypothesis that EMIC waves are an important mechanism for rapid relativistic electron loss from the radiation belts.
Bingley, L.↗
The Interplanetary Network Response to LIGO GW150914
We have performed a blind search for a gamma-ray transient of arbitrary duration and energy spectrum around the time of the LIGO gravitational-wave event GW150914 with the six-spacecraft interplanetary network (IPN). Four gamma-ray bursts were detected between 30 hr prior to the event and 6.1 hr after it, but none could convincingly be associated with GW150914. No other transients were detected down to limiting 15-150 keV fluences of roughly 5 x 10(exp -8) -5 x 10(exp -7) erg cm(exp -2). We discuss the search strategies and temporal coverage of the IPN on the day of the event and compare the spatial coverage to the region where GW150914 originated. We also report the negative result of a targeted search for the Fermi-GBM event reported in conjunction with GW150914.
gamma-ray burst general – gravitational waves↗
The Variable Crab Nebula: Evidence for a Connection Between GeV Flares and Hard X-ray Variations
In 2010, hard X-ray variations (Wilson-Hodge et al. 2011) and GeV flares (Tavani et al 2011, Abdo et al. 2011) from the Crab Nebula were discovered. Connections between these two phenomena were unclear, in part because the timescales were quite different, with yearly variations in hard X-rays and hourly to daily variations in the GeV flares. The hard X-ray flux from the Crab Nebula has again declined since 2014, much like it did in 2008-2010. During both hard X-ray decline periods, the Fermi LAT detected no GeV flares, suggesting that injection of particles from the GeV flares produces the much slower and weaker hard X-ray variations. The timescale for the particles emitting the GeV flares to lose enough energy to emit synchrotron photons in hard X-rays is consistent with the yearly variations observed in hard X-rays and with the expectation that the timescale for variations slowly increases with decreasing energy. This hypothesis also predicts even slower and weaker variations below 10 keV, consistent with the non-detection of counterparts to the GeV flares by Chandra (Weisskopf et al 2013). We will present a comparison of the observed hard X-ray variations and a simple model of the decay of particles from the GeV flares to test our hypothesis.
Variable Crab Nebula↗
Corrosion-Activated Micro-Containers for Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Protective Coatings
This work concerns the development of environmentally friendly encapsulation technology, specifically designed to incorporate corrosion indicators, inhibitors, and self-healing agents into a coating, in such a way that the delivery of the indicators and inhibitors is triggered by the corrosion process, and the delivery of self-healing agents is triggered by mechanical damage to the coating. Encapsulation of the active corrosion control ingredients allows the incorporation of desired autonomous corrosion control functions such as: early corrosion detection, hidden corrosion detection, corrosion inhibition, and self-healing of mechanical damage into a coating. The technology offers the versatility needed to include one or several corrosion control functions into the same coating.The development of the encapsulation technology has progressed from the initial proof-of-concept work, in which a corrosion indicator was encapsulated into an oil-core (hydrophobic) microcapsule and shown to be delivered autonomously, under simulated corrosion conditions, to a sophisticated portfolio of micro carriers (organic, inorganic, and hybrid) that can be used to deliver a wide range of active corrosion ingredients at a rate that can be adjusted to offer immediate as well as long-term corrosion control. The micro carriers have been incorporated into different coating formulas to test and optimize the autonomous corrosion detection, inhibition, and self-healing functions of the coatings. This paper provides an overview of progress made to date and highlights recent technical developments, such as improved corrosion detection sensitivity, inhibitor test results in various types of coatings, and highly effective self-healing coatings based on green chemistry. The NASA Kennedy Space Centers Corrosion Technology Lab at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.A. has been developing multifunctional smart coatings based on the microencapsulation of environmentally friendly corrosion indicators, inhibitors and self-healing agents. This allows the incorporation of autonomous corrosion control functionalities, such as corrosion detection and inhibition as well as the self-healing of mechanical damage, into coatings. This paper presents technical details on the characterization of inhibitor-containing particles and their corrosion inhibitive effects using electrochemical and mass loss methods.Three organic environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic microparticles that are compatible with desired coatings. The release of the inhibitors from the microparticles in basic solution was studied. Fast release, for immediate corrosion protection, as well as long-term release for continued protection, was observed.The inhibition efficacy of the inhibitors, incorporated directly and in microparticles, on carbon steel was evaluated. Polarization curves and mass loss measurements showed that, in the case of 2MBT, its corrosion inhibition effectiveness was greater when it was delivered from microparticles.
Corrosion Control↗
Evaluation of Encapsulated Inhibitor for Autonomous Corrosion Protection
This work concerns the development of smart coating technologies based on microencapsulation for the autonomous control of corrosion. Microencapsulation allows the incorporation of corrosion inhibitors into coating which provides protection through corrosion-controlled release of these inhibitors.One critical aspect of a corrosion protective smart coating is the selection of corrosion inhibitor for encapsulation and comparison of the inhibitor function before and after encapsulation. For this purpose, a systematic approach is being used to evaluate free and encapsulated corrosion inhibitors by salt immersion. Visual, optical microscope, and Scanning Electron Microscope (with low-angle backscatter electron detector) are used to evaluate these inhibitors. It has been found that the combination of different characterization tools provide an effective method for evaluation of early stage localized corrosion and the effectiveness of corrosion inhibitors.
Autonomous↗
Release Properties and Electrochemical Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings
The NASA Kennedy Space Center's Corrosion Technology Lab at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.A. has been developing multifunctional smart coatings based on the microencapsulation of environmentally friendly corrosion indicators, inhibitors and self-healing agents. This allows for the incorporation of autonomous corrosion control functionalities, such as corrosion detection and inhibition as well as the self-healing of mechanical damage, into coatings. This paper presents technical details on the characterization of inhibitor-containing particles and their corrosion inhibitive effects using electrochemical and mass loss methods. Three organic environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic microparticles that are compatible with desired coatings. The total inhibitor content and the release of one of the inhibitors from the microparticles in basic solution was measured. Particles with inhibitor contents of up 60 wt% were synthesized. Fast release, for immediate corrosion protection, as well as long-term release for continued protection, was observed. The inhibition efficacy of the inhibitors, both as the pure materials and in microparticles, on carbon steel was evaluated. Polarization curves and mass loss measurements showed that, in the case of 2MBT, its corrosion inhibition effectiveness was greater when it was delivered from microparticles.
Coatings↗
Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings
The NASA Kennedy Space Center's Corrosion Technology Lab at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.A. has been developing multifunctional smart coatings based on the microencapsulation of environmentally friendly corrosion indicators, inhibitors and self-healing agents. This allows the incorporation of autonomous corrosion control functionalities, such as corrosion detection and inhibition as well as the self-healing of mechanical damage, into coatings. This paper presents technical details on the characterization of inhibitor-containing particles and their corrosion inhibitive effects using electrochemical and mass loss methods. Three organic environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors were encapsulated in organic microparticles that are compatible with desired coatings. The release of the inhibitors from the microparticles in basic solution was studied. Fast release, for immediate corrosion protection, as well as long-term release for continued protection, was observed. The inhibition efficacy of the inhibitors, incorporated directly and in microparticles, on carbon steel was evaluated. Polarization curves and mass loss measurements showed that, in the case of 2MBT, its corrosion inhibition effectiveness was greater when it was delivered from microparticles.
Corrosion↗