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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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At least 181 records · Page 10

Alfvén eigenmode stability in a JET afterglow deuterium plasma and projections to deuterium–tritium plasmas

Abstract The performance of fusion devices relies strongly on the good confinement of energetic particles (EPs). Therefore, the investigation of EP transport by magnetohydrodynamic instabilities is one of the key aspects in the development of plasma scenarios. Alfvénic instabilities in particular can lead to significant losses of alpha particles that are essential for plasma self-heating. A so-called afterglow scheme has been developed to study the destabilization of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) by alpha particles and associated EP transport in the JET tokamak. In this work, the linear stability of AEs is discussed for the partial afterglow phase in a JET deuterium plasma discharge and for the full afterglow phase in a projected deuterium–tritium (DT) plasma. Thanks to recent upgrades in the tokamak transport code TRANSP, one can account for the contributions of different EP species to mode stability. Analysis of deuterium plasmas shows that AE growth rates are extremely sensitive to the energy and distribution of fast ions. An increase in fast ion energy can lead to more unstable AEs. In the afterglow phase of projected DT plasmas, it is EPs that mostly drive the AEs. However, the drive by alpha particles is comparable to that by beam ions and their contribution to the net growth rate might be hard to separate. According to the discussed projections, the destabilization of AEs might be ineffective because the background plasma damping significantly exceeds the EP drive. In this case, the development of an alternative plasma scenario that allows us to overcome such damping would be required in future experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The effect of ICRH and NBI on tungsten transport in neon edge radiation cooled discharges in TEXTOR

Tungsten is planned to be the plasma-facing material for the main chamber and divertor in future devices like ITER, SPARC, and DTT. To address risks associated with tungsten, R&D is being carried out on various toroidal confinement devices. One particular research question is related to the optimum heating mix for ITER. To investigate the influence of the heating scheme on the release and transport of tungsten, a comparison of neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating was carried out in TEXTOR tungsten test limiter experiments. The experiments were performed under standard L-mode conditions and in radiative improved-mode operation with neon seeding and boronized walls covering the graphite plasma-facing components. The plasma was heated with hydrogen or deuterium NBI alone or with deuterium NBI in combination with H-minority, ion cyclotron resonance heating. A movable solid tungsten limiter was inserted through a limiter lock system into the edge plasma. The impurity release from this limiter was evaluated from visible spectroscopy. The tungsten concentrations in the plasma core were determined by extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy and bolometry. With deuterium NBI alone, strong central radiation and accumulation of W was observed. This can, however, be avoided by adding ICRF heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Investigation of interfacial strength in nacre-mimicking tungsten heavy alloys for nuclear fusion applications

Abstract Tungsten heavy alloys have been proposed as plasma facing material components in nuclear fusion reactors and require experimental investigation in their confirmation. For this purpose, a 90W–7Ni–3Fe alloy has been selected and microstructurally manipulated to present a multiphase brick-and-mortar structure of W-phase ‘bricks’ surrounded by a ductile ‘mortar’. This work draws inspiration from nature to artificially imitate the extraordinary combination of strength and stiffness exhibited by mollusks and produce a nacre-mimicking metal matrix composite capable of withstanding the extremely hostile environment of the reactor interior and maintaining structural integrity. The underlying mechanisms behind this integrity have been probed through high-resolution structural and chemical characterization techniques and have revealed chemically diffuse phase boundaries exhibiting unexpected lattice coherency. These features have been attributed to an increase in the energy required for interfacial decohesion in these systems and the simultaneous expression of high strength and toughness in tungsten heavy alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Highly Altered State of Proton Transport in Acid Pools in Charged Reverse Micelles

Transport mechanisms of solvated protons of 1 M HCl acid pools, confined within reverse micelles (RMs) containing the negatively charged surfactant sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) or the positively charged cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr), are analyzed with reactive force field simulations to interpret dynamical signatures from TeraHertz absorption and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. We find that the forward proton hopping events for NaAOT are further suppressed compared to a nonionic RM, while the Grotthuss mechanism ceases altogether for CTABr. We attribute the sluggish proton dynamics for both charged RMs as due to headgroup and counterion charges that expel hydronium and chloride ions from the interface and into the bulk interior, thereby increasing the pH of the acid pools relative to the nonionic RM. For charged NaAOT and CTABr RMs, the localization of hydronium near a counterion or conjugate base reduces the Eigen and Zundel configurations that enable forward hopping. Thus, localized oscillatory hopping dominates, an effect that is most extreme for CTABr in which the proton residence time increases dramatically such that even oscillatory hopping is slow.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Shock compression of poly(methyl methacrylate) PMMA in the 1000 GPa regime: Z machine experiments

Hydrocarbon polymers are used in a wide variety of practical applications. In the field of dynamic compression at extreme pressures, these polymers are used at several high energy density (HED) experimental facilities. One of the most common polymers is poly(methyl methacrylate) or PMMA, also called Plexiglass® or Lucite®. Here, we present high-fidelity, hundreds of GPa range experimental shock compression data measured on Sandia’s Z machine. We extend the principal shock Hugoniot for PMMA to more than threefold compression up to 650 GPa and re-shock Hugoniot states up to 1020 GPa in an off-Hugoniot regime, where experimental data are even sparser. These data can be used to put additional constraints on tabular equation of state (EOS) models. The present results provide clear evidence for the need to re-examine the existing tabular EOS models for PMMA above ~120 GPa as well as perhaps revisit EOSs of similar hydrocarbon polymers commonly used in HED experiments investigating dynamic compression, hydrodynamics, or inertial confinement fusion.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Microscopy X-ray imaging enriched with small angle X-ray scattering for few nanometer resolution reveals shock waves and compression in intense short pulse laser irradiation of solids

Understanding how laser pulses compress solids into high-energy-density states requires diagnostics that simultaneously resolve macroscopic geometry and nanometer-scale structure. Here we present a combined X-ray imaging (XRM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) approach that bridges this diagnostic gap. Using the Matter in Extreme Conditions end station at LCLS, we irradiated 25 μm copper wires with 45 fs, 0.9 J, 800 nm pulses at 3.5 × 10 19 W/cm 2 while probing with 8.2 keV XFEL pulses. XRM visualizes the evolution of ablation, compression, and inward-propagating fronts with ∼ 200 nm resolution, while SAXS quantifies their nanometer-scale sharpness via the time-resolved evolution of scattering streaks. The joint analysis reveals that an initially smooth compression steepens into a nanometer-sharp shock front after t sh ≈ (18 ± 3) ps, consistent with an analytical steepening model and hydrodynamic simulations. The front reaches a velocity of c sh ≈ 25 k m / s and a lateral width of several tens of microns, demonstrating direct observation of shock formation and decay at solid density for the first time with few-nanometer precision. This integrated XRM–SAXS method establishes a quantitative, multi-scale diagnostic of laser-driven shocks in dense plasmas relevant to inertial confinement fusion, warm dense matter, and planetary physics.

Kluge, Thomas [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendor↗

Rippled shock propagation in a laser-driven target at multimegabar pressures

The evolution of non-uniform shocks produced by modulated laser irradiation or surface perturbations is relevant to studies of inertial confinement fusion and material properties at high-energy-density conditions. We present results from an experiment conducted at the OMEGA EP laser facility, where a 300 GPa shock was driven into a fused silica sample with pre-fabricated single-mode surface modulations. Using time-resolved optical velocimetry, we captured the continuous evolution of rippled shock motion, enabling a comprehensive mapping of the spatial amplitude history from formation to phase reversal in a single experiment. Initially, the ablation-driven shock inherits a fraction of the surface modulation amplitude from the sample, which subsequently grows before decaying, ultimately leading to the flattening of the rippled shock and a phase reversal. We find that two-dimensional inviscid hydrodynamic simulation of the experiment is able to qualitatively capture many aspects of the rippled shock evolution but over-predicts the initial amplitude growth. This experimental platform, capable of accommodating varying ripple wavelengths, lays the groundwork for a potential viscometry method at extreme pressures, where viscous effects manifest as differences in shock flattening times between rippled shocks of two distinct wavelengths propagating through the sample.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Nonidealities in Rotating Detonation Engines

A rotating detonation engine (RDE) is a realization of pressure-gain combustion, wherein a traveling detonation wave confined in a chamber provides shock-based compression along with chemical heat release. Due to the high wave speeds, such devices can process high mass flow rates in small volumes, leading to compact and unconventional designs. RDEs involve unsteady and multiscale physics, and their operational characteristics are determined by an equilibrium between large- and small-scale processes. While RDEs can provide a significant theoretical gain in efficiency, achieving this improvement requires an understanding of the multiscale coupling. Specifically, unavoidable nonidealities, such as unsteady mixing, secondary combustion, and multiple competing waves associated with practical designs, need to be understood and managed. The secondary combustion processes arise from fuel/air injection and unsteady and incomplete mixing, and can create spurious losses. In addition, a combination of multiple detonation and secondary waves compete and define the dynamical behavior of mixing, heat release distribution, and the overall mode of operation of the device. This review discusses the current understanding of such nonidealities and describes the tools and techniques used to gain insight into the extreme unsteady environment in such combustors.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Multireference diffusion Monte Carlo reaches 2D materials

Abstract Quantum confinement in 2D materials strongly enhances electronic correlation effects. Therefore, predicting the properties of these unique materials, with both a high level of accuracy and computational efficiency, without relying on adjustable parameters or functionals, remains an outstanding theoretical challenge. The majority of theoretical studies are based on the approximations of density functional theory (DFT). The reliability of DFT predictions are heavily dependent on the choice of an approximated exchange-correlation functional. Here, we estimate the magnitude of impact of correlation on the total energy for the quintessential 2D material, graphene, by performing and comparing state-of-the-art selected CI and quantum Monte Carlo extrapolated calculations for a single unit cell at the$$\Gamma$$point. We demonstrate that Self-Healing Diffusion Monte Carlo (SHDMC) obtains a very compact, but high-quality wavefunction for this system that lacks the strong basis set dependence displayed by state of the art quantum chemistry methods. The SHDMC wavefunction is of higher quality compared to that obtained from sCI, in the same orbital basis, while being$$\sim$$ 1000 times smaller in terms of determinant count compared to sCI. We also demonstrate that extrapolating SHDMC results to the infinite determinant limit compares extremely well with complete basis set extrapolated sCI. Our work paves the way for future validation of SHDMC applied to challenging 2D materials.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Effects of Coronal Magnetic Field Configuration on Particle Acceleration and Release during the Ground Level Enhancement Events in Solar Cycle 24

Ground level enhancements (GLEs) are extreme solar energetic particle (SEP) events that are of particular importance in space weather. In solar cycle 24, two GLEs were recorded on 2012 May 17 (GLE 71) and 2017 September 10 (GLE 72), respectively, using a range of advanced modern instruments. Here we conduct a comparative analysis of the two events by focusing on the effects of large-scale magnetic field configuration near active regions on particle acceleration and release. Although the active regions are both located near the western limb, temporal variations of SEP intensities and energy spectra measured in situ display different behaviors at early stages. By combining a potential field model, we find the coronal mass ejection (CME) in GLE 71 originated below the streamer belt, while in GLE 72 it originated near the edge of the streamer belt. We reconstruct the CME shock fronts with an ellipsoid model based on nearly simultaneous coronagraph images from multiple viewpoints and further derive the 3D shock geometry at the GLE onset. The highest-energy particles are primarily accelerated in the shock–streamer interaction regions, i.e., likely at the nose of the shock in GLE 71 and the eastern flank in GLE 72, due to quasi-perpendicular shock geometry and confinement of closed fields. Subsequently, they are released to the field lines connecting to near-Earth spacecraft when the shocks move through the streamer cusp region. This suggests that magnetic structures in the corona, especially shock–streamer interactions, may have played an important role in the acceleration and release of the highest-energy particles in the two events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Epitaxial growth, magnetoresistance, and electronic band structure of GdSb magnetic semimetal films

Motivated by observations of extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) in bulk crystals of rare-earth monopnictide (RE-V) compounds and emerging applications in novel spintronic and plasmonic devices based on thin-film semimetals, we have investigated the electronic band structure and transport behavior of epitaxial GdSb thin films grown on III-V semiconductor surfaces. The Gd 3 + ion in GdSb has a high spin S=7/2 and no orbital angular momentum, serving as a model system for studying the effects of antiferromagnetic order and strong exchange coupling on the resulting Fermi surface and magnetotransport properties of RE-Vs. Here, we present a surface and structural characterization study mapping the optimal synthesis window of thin epitaxial GdSb films grown on III-V lattice-matched buffer layers via molecular-beam epitaxy. To determine the factors limiting XMR in RE-V thin films and provide a benchmark for band-structure predictions of topological phases of RE-Vs, the electronic band structure of GdSb thin films is studied, comparing carrier densities extracted from magnetotransport, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. ARPES shows a hole-carrier rich, topologically trivial, semimetallic band structure close to complete electron-hole compensation, with quantum confinement effects in the thin films observed through the presence of quantum-well states. DFT-predicted Fermi wave vectors are in excellent agreement with values obtained from quantum oscillations observed in magnetic field-dependent resistivity measurements. An electron-rich Hall coefficient is measured despite the higher hole-carrier density, attributed to the higher electron Hall mobility. The carrier mobilities are limited by surface and interface scattering, resulting in lower magnetoresistance than that measured for bulk crystals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Time-dependent THMC properties and microstructural evolution of damaged rocks in excavation damage zone

Modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in host rocks near high-level nuclear waste (HLW) repositories at various time scales is an extremely challenging task. The current study integrates experimental, theoretical, and numerical methods in assessing the evolution of excavation damage zone (EDZ) over time and its implication on the long-term migration of hazardous species. Argillite and rock salt and are the focus of this study. The first part of the report presents a novel time-dependent directional microcrack damage theory for generic brittle rocks. It features detailed statistical description of the microcracks within a damaged solid, permitting a direct upscaling of microscale processes such as crack growth kinetics, crack closure/opening, sliding friction to explain the macroscopic creep, nonlinear elasticity, shear dilation, and loading-unloading hysteresis. This provides a basic platform for describing the anisotropic mechanical and transport properties of damaged rocks during excavation and subsequent THMC loadings. The model is validated and numerically implemented to Finite Element (FE) package ABAQUS through the user-defined material (UMAT) interface and have demonstrated great potential in resolving the time-dependent and anisotropic evolution of damage in the EDZ. The second part of the report presents a multi-scale experimental effort in characterizing the thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of Mancos shale and Avery Island salt. For the Mancos shale, triaxial compression tests are performed at different confining pressures and temperatures to probe its thermomechanical properties relevant to HLW repositories. The obtained stress-strain data are interpreted using the proposed directional damage theory. Post-test specimens are subjected to gas permeability tests to reveal the correlation between permeability and the degree of microcracking. At microscale, temperature-controlled nanoindentation tests are performed and found a linear correlation between fracture toughness and elastic modulus from 25°C to 300°C. For Avery Island salt, we have designed and manufactured a novel relative-humidity controlled uniaxial creep device. Long-term creep tests at low stresses (< 5 MPa) are performed at different levels of relative humidity (RH). Besides confirming the much higher creep rates as one would expect through extrapolating the high-stress creep data, the results reveal that the steady-state creep rate of rock salt is strongly dependent on the ambient RH, an aspect that is often neglected in the literature. Both behaviors can be attributed to the pressure-solution creep mechanism which dominates at low stress and high RH levels. The third part of the report explores a set of numerical strategies in modeling the THMC behavior of porous geomaterials. A fully implicit, monolithic FE solution that can flexibly interface with different material models and coupling mechanisms for THMC problems is developed and verified through the ABAQUS user-defined element (UEL) interface. The scheme is used to study the THM response of a hypothetical HLW storage site with reference to an existing in-situ heater test. Strategies for integrating the UEL and the microcrack UMAT are suggested. Another numerical endeavor of this study is to implement a higher-order asymptotic homogenization method to account for the heterogeneous porous structures. The same method is then extended to perform microstructure-informed thermo-mechanical modeling of generalized continua. The above outcomes of this project provide a strong thrust towards enhancing the fundamental understanding and modeling capability of the long-term evolution of host rocks in EDZ, thus helping achieve the design goal of 1-million-year isolation of high-level nuclear wastes.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

High-entropy halide perovskite single crystals stabilized by mild chemistry

High entropy materials are excellent candidates for a range of functional materials but traditionally require high-temperature synthetic procedures over 1000°C and complex processing techniques such as hot rolling to form. One route to address the extreme synthetic requirements for high entropy materials should involve designing crystal structures with ionic bonding networks and low cohesive energies. Here, we develop room-temperature (20°C) and low temperature (80°C) solution synthesis procedures for a new class of metal-halide perovskite high entropy semiconductor (HES) single crystals. Due to the soft, ionic lattice nature of the class of metal-halide perovskites, these HES single crystals are designed on the cubic Cs 2 MCl 6 (M = Zr 4+ , Sn 4+ , Te 4+ , Hf 4+ , Re 4+ , Os 4+ , Ir 4+ , or Pt 4+ ) vacancy-ordered double perovskite structure from the self-assembly of stabilized complexes in multielement inks, namely free Cs + cations and five or six different isolated [MCl6] 2- anionic octahedral molecules well-mixed in strong hydrochloric acid. The resulting single-phase single crystals span two HES families of five- and six-elements occupying the M-site as a random alloy in near-equimolar ratios, with the overall Cs 2 MCl 6 crystal structure and stoichiometry maintained. In conclusion, the incorporation of various [MCl 6 ] 2- octahedral molecular orbitals disordered across the high entropy five- and six-element Cs 2 MCl 6 single crystals produces complex vibrational and electronic structures with energy transfer interactions between the confined exciton states of the five or six different isolated octahedral molecules.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Plasma flows during the ablation stage of an over-massed pulsed-power-driven exploding planar wire array

We characterize the plasma flows generated during the ablation stage of an over-massed exploding planar wire array, fielded on the COBRA pulsed-power facility (1 MA peak current, 250 ns rise time). The planar wire array is designed to provide a driving magnetic field (80–100 T) and current per wire distribution (about 60 kA), similar to that in a 10 MA cylindrical exploding wire array fielded on the Z machine. Over-massing the arrays enables continuous plasma ablation over the duration of the experiment without implosion. The requirement to over-mass on the Z machine necessitates wires with diameters of 75–100μm, which are thicker than wires usually fielded on wire array experiments. To test ablation with thicker wires, we perform a parametric study by varying the initial wire diameter between 33 and 100 μm. The largest wire diameter (100 μm) array exhibits early closure of the cathode-wire gap, while the gap remains open over the duration of the experiment for wire diameters between 33 and 75 μm. Laser plasma interferometry and time-gated extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) imaging are used to probe the plasma flows ablating from the wires. The plasma flows from the wires converge to generate a pinch, which appears as a fast-moving (V≈100kms−1) column of increased plasma density (n¯e≈2×1018cm−3) and strong XUV emission. Finally, we compare the results with three-dimensional resistive-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations performed using the code GORGON, the results of which reproduce the dynamics of the experiment reasonably well.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Optimization Methodology of Polar Direct-Drive Illumination for the National Ignition Facility

Improved laser illumination uniformity drives shocks and implosions to create more extreme high energy density environments. Predominantly, the geometry of experiments that can be performed is dictated by the layout of beams at laser facilities, limiting inter-facility and multiscale investigations. This Letter presents the first automated, algorithmic approach for generating illumination configurations for high energy density experiments. The method is demonstrated in comparison to a polar direct drive solid target experiment at the National Ignition Facility. The new illumination configuration is simulated to create greater than ×3 higher peak pressure and almost ×2 higher density by maintaining better shock uniformity. Furthermore, the optimization process is performed with reduced computational expense and isotropic plasma profiles, while accounting for the impact of cross-beam energy transfer.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Diagnostics for multiple frequency heating and investigation of underlying processes

The development of new facilities routinely challenges ion source designers to build and operate sources that can achieve ever higher beam intensities and energies. As shown in this work, electron cyclotron resonance ion sources have proven to be extremely capable in meeting these challenges through the production of intense beams of medium and high-charge state ions. As performance boundaries are pushed, source stability becomes an issue as does the technology required to meet the challenge. Multiple frequency heating, the simultaneous use of two or more plasma heating frequencies, is a powerful tool in meeting the simultaneous need of intensity and stability. Relatively straightforward to utilize, the technique has been employed at numerous facilities to increase beam current and achievable charge state while also stabilizing the plasma. Its application has expanded the operational boundaries of existing and next generation sources, demonstrating that these devices have not yet achieved their full operational potential. To better understand the underlying physics, the diagnostics used to probe the source operational boundaries and the plasma properties have become increasingly sophisticated. In concert with detailed modeling, they are beginning to provide insight into the heating mechanism and, with that, the prospect of future advances.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Implosion dynamics of triple-nozzle gas-puff z pinches on COBRA

Experiments on the 1-MA, 220-ns COBRA generator at Cornell University were conducted to provide detailed measurements of structured cylindrical gas-puff z pinches. In the experiments, a 7 cm diameter triple-nozzle gas valve assembly with concentric outer and inner annular nozzles and a central gas jet initialize the z-pinch load with various working gases, radial density profiles, and externally applied axial magnetic fields. Planar laser-induced fluorescence provides a measure of the initial neutral gas density of the load, while three-frame laser shearing interferometry and multi-frame extreme ultraviolet (XUV) cameras reveal the formation and propagation of a magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) unstable shock layer. Implosion trajectories are compared to simple, experimentally informed models and found to be in good agreement. Differences in the structure of the accelerating plasma sheath and evolution of the MRT instability are observed for different gas species and axial magnetic field strengths, correlating with differences in pinch uniformity and x-ray emission. Here, the average instability growth is compared to linear MRT theory predictions using the instantaneous acceleration of the best-fit implosion models and characteristic instability wavelength, with the effective Atwood number and seed perturbation size as fit parameters. For high density argon center jets, ionization prior to the arrival of the imploding plasma sheath suggests a heating mechanism consistent with photoionization by XUV self-emission.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Constructing nested coordinates inside strongly shaped toroids using an action principle

A new approach for constructing polar-like boundary-conforming coordinates inside a toroid with strongly shaped cross-sections is presented. A coordinate mapping is obtained through a variational approach, which involves identifying extremal points of a proposed action in the mapping space from [0,2π] 2 ×[0,1] to a toroidal domain in $\mathbb{R}$ 3 . This approach employs an action built on the squared Jacobian and radial length. Extensive testing is conducted on general toroidal boundaries using a global Fourier–Zernike basis via action minimisation. The results demonstrate successful coordinate construction capable of accurately describing strongly shaped toroidal domains. The coordinate construction is successfully applied to the computation of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibria in the GVEC code where the use of traditional coordinate construction by interpolation from the boundary failed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗