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At least 199 records · Page 11

The atomic-level structure and stability of interfaces of Pt nanoparticles in alumina: An experimental and computational evaluation

The atomic-level structure of interfaces between Pt and a transition form of Al2O3 were studied using a combination of electron microscopy and first principles calculations. A model system of Pt nanoprecipitates in Al2O3 were formed in sapphire wafers via high-energy ion implantation of Pt followed by thermal annealing at 1000 °C in air. The Pt nanoparticles took the form of tetrahedra and truncated tetrahedra primarily bound by {111}Pt facets. The high prevalence of these facets motivated the development of density functional theory (DFT) based models of (111)Pt interfaces with six different chemical terminations of ( 2 ¯ 01 ) θ-alumina. The atomic-level structure of the Pt/Al2O3 interfaces was characterized with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and the experimental images were compared to STEM image simulations of the DFT models. The model interface with Pt bonded to oxygen-terminated θ-Al2O3, with the Pt located on top of the O and with an underlying layer of octahedral Al, provided the best match to the experimental images. This interfacial termination is also the most stable for the thermal annealing conditions used based on thermodynamic calculations of the interfacial energy as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. This experimentally verified model provides a basis for improving models of Pt/γ-alumina interfaces.

Clauser, A L↗

archi : pipeline for light curve extraction of CHEOPS background stars

ABSTRACT High precision time-series photometry from space is being used for a number of scientific cases. In this context, the recently launched CHaracterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) (ESA) mission promises to bring 20 ppm precision over an exposure time of 6 h, when targeting nearby bright stars, having in mind the detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems through transit measurements. However, the official CHEOPS (ESA) mission pipeline only provides photometry for the main target (the central star in the field). In order to explore the potential of CHEOPS photometry for all stars in the field, in this paper, we present archi, an additional open-source pipeline module1 to analyse the background stars present in the image. As archi uses the official data reduction pipeline data as input, it is not meant to be used as an independent tool to process raw CHEOPS data but, instead, to be used as an add-on to the official pipeline. We test archi using CHEOPS simulated images, and show that photometry of background stars in CHEOPS images is only slightly degraded (by a factor of 2–3) with respect to the main target. This opens a potential for the use of CHEOPS to produce photometric time-series of several close-by targets at once, as well as to use different stars in the image to calibrate systematic errors. We also show one clear scientific application where the study of the companion light curve can be important for the understanding of the contamination on the main target.

Silva, André M.↗

Towards emulating cosmic shear data: revisiting the calibration of the shear measurements for the Kilo-Degree Survey

Exploiting the full statistical power of future cosmic shear surveys will necessitate improvements to the accuracy with which the gravitational lensing signal is measured. We present a framework for calibrating shear with image simulations that demonstrates the importance of including realistic correlations between galaxy morphology, size, and more importantly, photometric redshifts. This realism is essential to ensure that selection and shape measurement biases can be calibrated accurately for a tomographic cosmic shear analysis. We emulate Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) observations of the COSMOS field using morphological information from Hubble Space Telescope imaging, faithfully reproducing the measured galaxy properties from KiDS observations of the same field. We calibrate our shear measurements from lens fit, and find through a range of sensitivity tests that lens fit is robust and unbiased within the allowed two per cent tolerance of our study. Our results show that the calibration has to be performed by selecting the tomographic samples in the simulations, consistent with the actual cosmic shear analysis, because the joint distributions of galaxy properties are found to vary with redshift. Ignoring this redshift variation could result in misestimating the shear bias by an amount that exceeds the allowed tolerance. To improve the calibration for future cosmic shear analyses, it will also be essential to correctly account for the measurement of photometric redshifts, which requires simulating multi-band observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Fast Neutron Scintillator Screens for Neutron Imaging Using a Layered Polymer-Phosphor Architecture

Fast neutrons enable a nondestructive examination of dense, large, and highly attenuating samples due to their lower interaction probability compared to thermal neutrons. However, this also creates a challenge in fast neutron imaging, as the thicker sensors necessary to detect fast neutrons degrade an image’s spatial resolution due to scattering within the sensor and the indeterminate depth of interaction in the sensor. This work explores the advantages of a fast neutron imaging screen with a layered polymer-phosphor screen approach as opposed to a mixed polymer-phosphor screen typically used in fast neutron imaging. Proton recoil is the primary conversion mechanism for fast neutron imaging. Simulations showed that the recoil proton range of typical fast neutrons is approximately 200 µm, however, tests at Idaho National Laboratory revealed that the light output of these screens increased at much greater polymer thicknesses. The NECTAR fast neutron beamline at FRM II was used to test the imaging performance of layered fast neutron imaging screens. Distinguishing between the fast-neutron and γ-ray signals is a major challenge in fast neutron imaging because all fast neutron sources also produce γ-rays. A relative comparison between a control plate and the fast neutron screen was made to distinguish between a γ-ray and fast neutron signals. MCNP modeling quantified the γ-ray and fast neutron contributions to the images measured at NECTAR, which were approximately a 75% γ-ray image.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Gamma Imaging and Mapping Advancements

The SRNL developed GrayQb{sup TM} gamma mapping system has been successfully deployed in field situations. Currently, to get the image from the GrayQb{sup TM} the internal Phosphor Storage Plate (PSP) used to capture radiation images must be recovered and scanned by a ScanX Scanner. Upgrades are being implemented which will enable the GrayQB{sup TM} to read the PSP using a camera and red LEDs then transmit results to a remote location. This will greatly reduce personnel interaction, increasing safety as well as eliminating the need for the ScanX. Upgrades have been based off of the MiniMax, a Los Alamos National Laboratory developed PSP reading device constructed with a Nikon DSLR and a red LED flash to obtain the images from the PSP. The electronics in the upgraded GrayQb{sup TM} need to be both functional and environmentally rugged. A PC/104 was chosen for its wider operational temperature range and its physical durability. The Sony α7 ii and the Mightex are the candidate cameras for the upgrades based on test results. PSPs were exposed to gamma radiation sources at SRS's Health Physics Instrumentation Calibration Laboratory (HPICL). PSPs were tested with both Am-241 and Cs-137. Linear intensity increased with dose verifying UV image simulations. Data collected enabled the PSP intensity to be referenced to a total dose. Further work includes design and implementation of a 3D printed housing for the new camera system. The housing will include the camera, light flash, PSP holders, tungsten dual pinhole, PC/104, dosimeter, and a battery or tethering option. Once the housing is finalized further testing at the HPICL facility is planned for early August. During this testing, the final housing design will capture both Am-241 and Cs-137 images.

3D PRINTING↗

The Roman View of Strong Gravitational Lenses

Galaxy–galaxy strong gravitational lenses can constrain dark matter models and the Lambda cold dark matter cosmological paradigm at subgalactic scales. Currently, there is a dearth of images of these rare systems with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and angular resolution. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (hereafter Roman), scheduled for launch in late 2026, will play a transformative role in strong-lensing science with its planned wide-field surveys. With its remarkable 0.281 square degree field of view and diffraction-limited angular resolution of ~0$^{''}_.$1, Roman is uniquely suited to characterizing dark matter substructure from a robust population of strong lenses. We present a yield simulation of detectable strong lenses in Roman’s planned High Latitude Wide Area Survey (HLWAS). We simulate a population of galaxy–galaxy strong lenses across cosmic time with cold dark matter subhalo populations, select those detectable in the HLWAS, and generate simulated images accounting for realistic Wide Field Instrument detector effects. For a fiducial case of single 146 s exposures, we predict around 160,000 detectable strong lenses in the HLWAS, of which about 500 will have sufficient SNR to be amenable to detailed substructure characterization. We investigate the effect of variation of the point-spread function across Roman’s field of view on detecting individual subhalos and the suppression of the subhalo mass function at low masses. Our simulation products are available to support strong-lens science with Roman, such as training neural networks and validating dark matter substructure analysis pipelines.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Analysis and correction of errors in nanoscale particle tracking using the Single-pixel interior filling function (SPIFF) algorithm

Particle tracking, which is an essential tool in many fields of scientific research, uses algorithms that retrieve the centroid of tracked particles with sub-pixel accuracy. However, images in which the particles occupy a small number of pixels on the detector, are in close proximity to other particles or suffer from background noise, show a systematic error in which the particle sub-pixel positions are biased towards the center of the pixel. This “pixel locking” effect greatly reduces particle tracking accuracy. In this report, we demonstrate the severity of these errors by tracking experimental (and simulated) imaging data of optically trapped silver nanoparticles and single fluorescent proteins. We show that errors in interparticle separation, angle and mean square displacement are significantly reduced by applying the corrective Single-Pixel Interior Filling Function (SPIFF) algorithm. Our work demonstrates the potential ubiquity of such errors and the general applicability of SPIFF correction to many experimental fields.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Data assimilation for combustion ignition delay time simulation using schlieren image velocimetry

This study sought to improve the accuracy of simulating spray penetration and combustion ignition delay by means of data assimilation (DA). The simulations were conducted using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and assimilating the schlieren image data. In DA, an ensemble square root filter (EnSRF) was used to build the statistical model, making the simulation results more accurate without any change in the governing equations. Recognizing that the spray-cone injection angle has a large effect on penetration, we created ensemble members with different injection angles. And we applied the two-component velocity distribution calculated via SIV and updated both velocity and temperature by using a DA statistical model derived from RANS ensemble simulations. The ignition delay time is generally known to vary even under the same experimental conditions because it is influenced by many factors. In this study, we attempted the transient DA-assisted RANS simulation to predict the ignition delay time even when the temporal resolution and accuracy of the observation data ware insufficient. Our trials offer an example of how a combination of techniques can be effectively used to assimilate experimental data obtained under restricted conditions.

Combustion simulation↗

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) uncertainty quantification using moment of correlation (MC) plane

Here, we present a new uncertainty estimation method for particle image velocimetry (PIV), that uses the correlation plane as a model for the probability density function (PDF) of displacements and calculates the second order moment of the correlation (MC). The cross-correlation between particle image patterns is the summation of all particle matches convolved with the apparent particle image diameter. MC uses this property to estimate the PIV uncertainty from the shape of the cross-correlation plane. In this new approach, the generalized cross-correlation (GCC) plane corresponding to a PIV measurement is obtained by removing the particle image diameter contribution. The GCC primary peak represents a discretization of the displacement PDF, from which the standard uncertainty is obtained by convolving the GCC plane with a Gaussian function. Then a Gaussian least-squares-fit is applied to the peak region, accounting for the stretching and rotation of the peak, due to the local velocity gradients and the effect of the convolved Gaussian. The MC method was tested with simulated image sets and the predicted uncertainties show good sensitivity to the error sources and agreement with the expected RMS error. Subsequently, the method was demonstrated in three PIV challenge cases and two experimental datasets and was compared with the published image matching (IM) and correlation statistics (CS) techniques. Results show that the MC method has a better response to spatial variation in RMS error and the predicted uncertainty is in good agreement with the expected standard uncertainty. The uncertainty prediction was also explored as a function of PIV interrogation window size. Overall, the MC method performance establishes itself as a valid uncertainty estimation tool for planar PIV.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Dark Energy Studies with LSST using the Photon Simulator (Final Report)

This grant funded the development and dissemination of the Photon Simulator (PhoSim) for the purpose of studying dark energy at high precision with the upcoming Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) astronomical survey. The work was in collaboration with the Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC). Several detailed physics improvements were made in the optics, atmosphere and sensor, a number of validation studies were performed, and a significant number of usability features were implemented. Future work in DESC will use PhoSim as the image simulation tool for data challenges used by the analysis groups.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Muon-Computed Tomography using POCA Trajectory for Imaging Spent Nuclear Fuel in Dry Storage Casks

Cosmic ray muon-computed tomography (μCT) is a new imaging modality with unique characteristics that can be particularly important for applications in nuclear proliferation detection and international treaty verification. Using cosmic ray muons for nuclear security presents several potential advantages. Among others, muons are generated naturally in the atmosphere, can penetrate high-density materials, and are freely available. No radiological sources are required and consequently there is no associated radiological dose. Recently, the feasibility of using muons for imaging spent nuclear fuel stored in shielded casks has been explored and has been proved beneficial. However, challenges in μCT imaging include low muon flux of ~10,000 muons/m2/min, the effects of multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) blurring the image, and inefficiency in being able to use all recorded muons for imaging. In this paper, we argue that the use of muon tracing should produce tomographic muon images with improved quality – or more quickly for the same image quality – compared to the case where conventional methods are used. In our paper, we report on the development and assessment of a novel muon tracing method for μCT. The proposed method back projects the muon’s scattering angle into each pixel crossed by its PoCA trajectory then forward projects the variance of the scattering angle in each pixel to detector bins along the muon’s incident horizontal direction. Two scenarios were simulated to assess the expected detection capability of this proposed method. GEANT4 was used to model the main characteristics of 1-60 GeV muons through matter. The simulated images showed an expected improvement in resolution and a reduced the reliance on the muon momentum information compared to a more conventional muon tomography method.

Liu, Zhengzhi↗

Numerical simulation of Li-pellet injection experiments for ELM-pacing in EAST

The injection of light impurity granules into fusion research discharges has shown a great potential for ELM pacing in future nuclear devices. The present work employed a model considering both pellet ablation and transport to systematically study for the first time the evolution of both impurity Li species and target plasma in the edge plasma during single and repeated Li pellet injections, with all initial information extracted from the EAST experiments. The evolutionary distributions of atomic and ionized Li species were presented and show good consistency with experimental CCD camera images. Simulation studies were carried out for single and repeated pellet injections at the outer mid-plane, and statistical uncertainty of ELM pacing rates triggering ELMs is discussed with regard to related injection conditions. It is found that the pressure locally caused by an ELM pacing pellet (with a diameter of 0.6 ~ 0.7 mm) was 1.8–2.4 times its unperturbed magnitude in the EAST shots of interest. Accumulation from repeated pellet injections results in the rise of pedestal height at a high injection frequency and this effect becomes stronger with increasing pellet size. Pressure changes are also evident in a scenario of multiple small pellets per stroke, which could lead to a nonnegligible, probabilistic ELM triggering rate observed experimentally. The effects of other possible factors are also discussed. With the assumption that the ELM trigger rate of a Li pellet of 0.7 mm diameter is 100%, the predicted trigger rates are in good agreement with those observed in experiments. This work can help understand the statistically probabilistic behavior of ELM triggering efficiency observed in previous studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Arcminute fluctuations in the microwave background from clusters of galaxies

A method for computing arcmin microwave fluctuations produced by Compton scattering of the cosmic background photons by hot electrons in clusters of galaxies is described. Microwave images of the sky for a range of Omega and primordial fluctuation spectral index n are generated which are then 'observed' to determine Delta T/T in precisely the same manner as actual observations to determine if the cluster-induced fluctuations are consistent with the measured upper limit. The geometry used by Uson and Wilkinson (1984) in the NRAO experiment and Readhead et al. (1989) in the OVRO experiment are applied to the simulated images. The 95 percent confidence lower limit for Omega is found to be about 1/10 for n = -1 (which approximates the CDM mass spectrum for clusters), while for n = 0 it is 1/7; for n = +1 the limit is 1/5 if the gas density profile extends to five core radii.

Markevitch, M.↗

Finding curvilinear features in speckled images

A method for finding curves in digital images with speckle noise is described. The solution method differs from standard linear convolutions followed by thresholds in that it explicitly allows curvature in the features. Maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation is used, together with statistical models for the speckle noise and for the curve-generation process, to find the most probable estimate of the feature, given the image data. The estimation process is first described in general terms. Then, incorporation of the specific neighborhood system and a multiplicative noise model for speckle allows derivation of the solution, using dynamic programming, of the estimation problem. The detection of curvilinear features is considered separately. The detection results allow the determination of the minimal size of detectable feature. Finally, the estimation of linear features, followed by a detection step, is shown for computer-simulated images and for a SAR image of sea ice.

Samadani, Ramin↗

Accurate shear estimation with fourth-order moments

ABSTRACT As imaging surveys progress in exploring the large-scale structure of the Universe through the use of weak gravitational lensing, achieving sub-per cent accuracy in estimating shape distortions caused by lensing, or shear, is imperative for precision cosmology. In this paper, we extend the Fourier power function shapelets (FPFS) shear estimator using fourth-order shapelet moments and combine it with the original second-order shear estimator to reduce galaxy shape noise. We calibrate this novel shear estimator analytically to a sub-per cent level-accuracy using the AnaCal framework. This higher order shear estimator is tested with realistic image simulations, and after analytical correction for the detection/selection bias and noise bias, the multiplicative shear bias $|m|$ is below $3\times 10^{-3}$ (99.7 per cent confidence interval) for both isolated and blended galaxies. Once combined with the second-order FPFS shear estimator, the shape noise is reduced by $\sim 35~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for isolated galaxies in simulations with Hyper Suprime-Cam and Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time observational conditions. However, for blended galaxies, the effective number density does not significantly improve with the combination of the two estimators. Based on these results, we recommend exploration of how this framework can further reduce the systematic uncertainties in shear due to point spread function leakage and modelling error, and potentially provide improved precision in shear inference in high-resolution space-based images.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Three-dimensional super line-localization in low signal-to-noise microscope images via prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL)

Biological processes such as processive enzyme turnover and intracellular cargo tracking involve the dynamic motion of a small "article" along a curvilinear biopolymer track. To understand these processes that occur across multiple length and time scales, one must acquire both the trajectory of the particle and the position of the track along which it moves, possibly by combining high-resolution single-particle tracking with conventional microscopy. Yet, usually there is a significant resolution mismatch between these modalities: while the tracked particle is localized with a precision of 10 nm, the image of the surroundings is limited by optical difraction, with 200 nm lateral and 500 nm axial resolutions. Compared to the particle's trajectory, the surrounding curvilinear structure appears as a blurred and noisy image. This disparity in the spatial resolutions of the particle trajectory and the surrounding curvilinear structure image makes data reconstruction, as well as interpretation, particularly challenging. Analysis is further complicated when the curvilinear structures are oriented arbitrarily in 3D space. Here, we present a prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL) approach to extract information from 3D images where the underlying features resemble a curved line such as a filament or microtubule. This three-stage framework starts with a Hessian-based feature enhancement, which is followed by feature registration, where local line segments are detected on repetitively sampled subimage tiles. In the final stage, statistical learning, segments are clustered based on their geometric relationships. Principal curves are then approximated from each segment group via statistical tools including principal component analysis, bootstrap and kernel transformation. This procedure is characterized on simulated images, where sub-voxel medium deviations from true curves have been achieved. The 3D PAUL approach has also been implemented for successful line localization in experimental 3D images of gold nanowires obtained using a multifocal microscope. Lastly, this work not only bridges the resolution gap between two microscopy modalities, but also allows us to conduct 3D super line-localization imaging experiments, without using super-resolution techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Effects of overlapping sources on cosmic shear estimation: Statistical sensitivity and pixel-noise bias

The next generation of dark-energy imaging surveys — so called “Stage-IV” surveys, such as that of the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) — will cross a threshold in the number density of detected sources on the sky that requires qualitatively different image analysis and measurement techniques compared to the current generation of Stage-III surveys. In Stage-IV surveys, a significant amount of the cosmologically useful information is due to sources whose images overlap with those of other sources on the sky. Here, we focus on the weak gravitational lensing probe, for which we expect the largest impact since the cosmic shear signal is primarily encoded in the estimated shapes of observed galaxies and thus directly impacted by overlaps. We introduce a framework based on the Fisher formalism to analyze the effect of the overlapping sources (“blending”) on the estimation of cosmic shear. This method gives concrete predictions for the minimum loss of information due to noise and blending for any choice of “deblending” scheme and shape-measurement algorithm. Our studies account for undetected sources but do not address their full effects and biases they may introduce. We use simulated images and predict this impact of blending for three surveys: the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Hyper-Suprime Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP), and the Rubin LSST. Our methodology successfully estimates the statistical sensitivity to weak lensing for DES and HSC early results. For LSST, we present the expected loss in statistical sensitivity for the ten-year survey due to blending. We find that for approximately 62% of galaxies that are likely to be detected in full-depth LSST images, at least 1% of the flux in their pixels is from overlapping sources. We also find that the statistical correlations between measures of overlapping galaxies and, to a much lesser extent (0.2%) the higher shot noise level due to their presence, decrease the effective number density of galaxies, N eff , by ~ 18%. We calculate an upper limit on N eff of 39.4 galaxies per arcmin 2 in r band. We study the impact of stars on as a function of stellar density and illustrate the diminishing returns of extending the survey into lower Galactic latitudes. We extend the simulation-based Fisher formalism to predict the expected increase in pixel-noise bias due to blending for maximum-likelihood (ML) shape estimators. We find that noise bias depends sensitively on the particular shape estimator and measure of ensemble-average shape that is used, and properties of the galaxy that include redshift-dependent quantities such as size and luminosity. The source code for these studies is available online.[The documented software developed for the catalog-level studies are available in the open-source LSST DESC github repository https://github.com/LSSTDESC/WeakLensingDeblending. The software for analyzing one or two galaxies with user-defined parameters is in the open-source github repository https://github.com/ismael-mendoza/ShapeMeasurementFisherFormalism.]

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Structure, magnetic and cytotoxic behaviour of solvothermally grown Fe3O4@Au core-shell nanoparticles

Highlights: • Synthesis of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles was made by solvothermal method. • The magnetic nanoparticles was analyzed by XRD, FT-IR, magnetization curves and aberration corrected (Cs) STEM techniques. • Core-shell Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles showed low apoptotic response and therefore lower toxicity. • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles with high saturation magnetization showed good biocompatibility. - Abstract: Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have demonstrated their potential in a wide variety of biomedical applications including in tumour hyperthermia. However, highly reactive nature and aggregation affinity of these nanostructures are the principal limitations for such applications. To overcome these limitations, those MNPs should be covered with an inert shell in order to protect the magnetic core against chemical alterations. Considering the noble, chemically inert nature of gold, which also has good biocompatibility, we fabricated chemically stable gold-coated Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au) nanoparticles of 20–50 nm size range with considerable saturation magnetization, though a simple one-pot solvothermal method. The morphology, elemental distribution and the structure of the core-shell nanoparticles were characterized using aberration-corrected (Cs) Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and compared with their simulated images. Cytotoxicity assay in MDCK cell line was performed to evaluate the biocompatibility of the nanoparticles. The results showed higher cell viability for the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@Au nanoparticles, suggesting their good biocompatibility and potentials for biomedical applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗