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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 199 records · Page 11

Component-Level Inverse Design of Transmon Qubits Using Neural Networks

Designing a superconducting qubit to realize specific Hamiltonian parameters typically requires iterating through a time and compute-intensive forward loop in which the designer chooses a layout geometry, simulates it, extracts circuit parameters such as capacitances, and refines the geometry. We study the inverse version of this task using a neural-network workflow that maps target Hamiltonian parameters directly to component-level layout parameters, which we subsequently demonstrate on a planar transmon layout. During training, we pair the inverse model with a frozen forward surrogate model and evaluate the loss in Hamiltonian space rather than in layout-parameter space. In validation against a conventional EM solver, 97% of generated designs produce usable geometries, and the inverse-plus-surrogate pipeline reaches mean percent errors of 0.73% for qubit frequency and 1.58% for anharmonicity, comparable to or below the fabrication and simulation-to-measurement uncertainty expected for academic-process transmon devices of this type. A single pipeline query takes ~60 ms on CPU, versus ~2 min for a conventional EM capacitance extraction on the same hardware, a speedup of approximately 2,000x. Batching minimizes the AI model inference overhead, reducing the runtime to 3.1 microseconds per sample on CPU and 2.6 microseconds per sample on GPU at a batch size of 2048, resulting in speedups of 3.9 x 10^7 and 4.6 x 10^7, respectively, relative to a single conventional CPU EM extraction. Our results indicate that component-level inverse design usefully extends and complements conventional EM simulation, including for small datasets on the order of 1,000 samples.

Seidel, Olivia [Fermilab; Texas U., Arlington]↗

iDDS: intelligent distributed dispatch and scheduling for workflow orchestration

The intelligent distributed dispatch and scheduling (iDDS) service is a versatile workflow orchestration system designed for large-scale, distributed scientific computing. iDDS extends traditional workload and data management by integrating data-aware execution, conditional logic, and programmable workflows, enabling automation of complex and dynamic processing pipelines. Originally developed for the ATLAS experiment at the large hadron collider, iDDS has evolved into an experiment-agnostic platform that supports both template-driven workflows and a Function-as-a-Task model for Python-based orchestration. This paper presents the architecture and core components of iDDS, highlighting its scalability, modular message-driven design, and integration with systems such as PanDA and Rucio. We demonstrate its versatility through real-world use cases: fine-grained tape resource optimization for ATLAS, orchestration of large Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) workflows for the Rubin Observatory, distributed hyperparameter optimization for machine learning applications, active learning for physics analyses, and AI-assisted detector design at the electron–ion collider. By unifying workload scheduling, data movement, and adaptive decision-making, iDDS reduces operational overhead and enables reproducible, high-throughput workflows across heterogeneous infrastructures. We conclude with current challenges and future directions, including interactive, cloud-native, and serverless workflow support.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Advancing nuclear forensics competencies at the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan and conceptual development of a National Nuclear Forensics Library

Since 2021, the National Nuclear Center (NNC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been successfully developing a project dedicated to nuclear forensics. The relevance of this project is underscored by Kazakhstan’s leading position in the global uranium mining and export market. The country operates research reactors and is involved in the production of experimental nuclear fuel. The nuclear forensics project is being implemented in several key areas: the project will develop competencies in laboratory research of samples, interpretation of results, and develop a prototype concept for the National Nuclear Forensics Library. In implementing these challenges, the NNC experts draw on the experience of colleagues from world-leading scientific and research centers. Designing a prototype National Nuclear Forensics Library (NNFL) is a challenging project. In conclusion, the solution to this task is based on the IAEA’s approaches, recommendations, and the experience gained from the construction of similar systems in other countries.

and nuclear chemistry↗

pathSQE : an automated workflow for single-crystal inelastic neutron scattering data processing and analysis

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments utilizing modern time-of-flight spectrometers enable the comprehensive mapping of the energy (E)- and momentum (Q)-resolved dynamical structure factor of single crystals, probing both the lattice and magnetic excitations. Yet, the large size and complexity of four-dimensional INS data are challenging current analysis workflows, often resulting in an underutilization of the measured information. To help address this issue, this paper introduces new software interfaced with the Mantid framework, pathSQE, designed to streamline the processing, analysis and interpretation of 4D single-crystal INS data. By automating key tasks such as 1D/2D slicing, symmetrization, Brillouin zone folding, data visualization, prioritization and filtering, and comparisons with simulations, pathSQE facilitates and accelerates INS data analysis workflows. Here, this paper outlines the features and implementation and provides several illustrations of the use of pathSQE on data collected on single crystals using direct-geometry time-of-flight spectrometers at the Spallation Neutron Source, including Ge, FeSi, MnO and SnS single-crystal measurements on the ARCS, HYSPEC and CNCS neutron spectrometers. Beyond streamlining post-experiment data processing, pathSQE establishes an automated and modular processing pipeline that could support future real-time experiment steering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Large-Message All-to-All Communication at Frontier Scale

Near the full scale of exascale supercomputers, latency can dominate the cost of all-to-all communication even for very large message sizes. We describe GPU-aware all-to-all implementations designed to reduce latency for large message sizes at extreme scales, and we present their performance using 65536 tasks (8192 nodes) on the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. Two implementations perform best for different ranges of message size, and all outperform the vendor-provided MPI_Alltoall. Our results show promising options for improving implementations of MPI_Alltoall_init.

White, Trey [ORNL] (ORCID:000900052186075X)↗

Modeling and Simulation Supporting Material Control and Accounting for Advanced Reactors: Task 2: Safeguards Modeling and Simulation Assessment

Commercial interest in advanced reactors for power production in the United States is increasing. A variety of advanced reactor designs are being developed, and many of them use non-traditional fuel forms. Therefore, the material control and accounting (MC&A) methods that will be required for these advanced reactor systems also need to be developed to ensure that the necessary safeguards are implemented. To provide information that can be leveraged to explore different MC&A approaches, three representative advanced reactor types were evaluated from a technical safeguards perspective. These reactor designs were selected to encompass common materials and configurations that could affect safeguards considerations. The three designs evaluated were a molten salt reactor (MSR), a gas-cooled reactor (GCR), and a heat pipe-cooled microreactor.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Operating advanced scientific instruments with AI agents that learn on the job

Advanced scientific user facilities, such as next generation X-ray light sources and self-driving laboratories, are revolutionizing scientific discovery by automating routine tasks and enabling rapid experimentation and characterizations. However, these facilities must continuously evolve to support new experimental workflows, adapt to diverse user projects, and meet growing demands for more intricate instruments and experiments. This continuous development introduces significant operational complexity, necessitating a focus on usability, reproducibility, and intuitive human-instrument interaction. In this work, we explore the integration of agentic AI, powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), as a transformative tool to achieve this goal. We present our approach to developing a human-in-the-loop pipeline for operating advanced instruments including an X-ray nanoprobe beamline and an autonomous robotic station dedicated to the design and characterization of materials. Specifically, we evaluate the potential of various LLMs as trainable scientific assistants for orchestrating complex, multi-task workflows, which also include multimodal data, optimizing their performance through optional human input and iterative learning. We demonstrate the ability of AI agents to bridge the gap between advanced automation and user-friendly operation, paving the way for more adaptable and intelligent scientific facilities.

Large Language Models↗

Workflow for Developing and Operating Subsurface Hydrogen Storage Facilities in Porous Reservoirs

Long-duration (seasonal) storage of natural gas (NG), which primarily consists of methane (CH 4 ), has been practiced for more than a hundred years at underground gas storage (UGS) facilities that use depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, saline aquifers, and salt caverns. To enable hydrogen (H 2 ) to be used as a long-duration, energy-storage medium, similar facilities are envisioned for underground H 2 storage (UHS) of either H 2 or H 2 /NG mixtures. Experience with UGS can be used to guide recommended practices for developing and operating UHS facilities in porous reservoirs. The most important factors (formation/fluid properties and engineering choices) that influence the performance of UHS reservoirs have been identified and quantified in previous studies. These factors and choices influence phenomena that determine the sweep efficiency of the stored working gas. These phenomena include viscous fingering, hysteretic capillary trapping, and gravity override of the working gas, as well as the upconing of nonproductive fluid that determine the sweep efficiency of the stored working gas. This report describes initial recommended-practices and a project-development workflow for UHS facilities that utilize porous reservoirs, based on the current state-of-knowledge about H 2 behavior in the subsurface. The workflow sequentially addresses all aspects of UHS project development, including the identification of H 2 sources and users, site ranking and down-selection, geologic and reservoir-engineering characterization, reservoir design, testing, risk management, commissioning, operations, and monitoring for a UHS facility. The goal is to enable UHS facilities to be developed in an efficient and timely manner, while carefully managing project risks. This workflow is similar to that which has been developed for UGS facilities (see Figure 1 of API, 2022), with the addition of tasks and subtasks specific to H 2 and UHS. The project-development workflow is broken down into three major stages: (1) define the H 2 use case; (2) rank, down-select, and characterize potential, candidate UHS sites; and (3) reservoir design, integrity testing, risk assessment, commissioning, operations, and monitoring for selected UHS sites. Each major stage is further broken down into tasks and subtasks, which are described at a high level. This report also provides more detailed descriptions of all tasks and subtasks that involve reservoir analysis and testing.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Nanoscopic Imaging of Self-Propelled Ultrasmall Catalytic Nanomotors

Ultrasmall nanomotors (<100 nm) are highly desirable nanomachines for their size-specific advantages over their larger counterparts in applications spanning nanomedicine, directed assembly, active sensing, and environmental remediation. While there are extensive studies on motors larger than 100 nm, the design and understanding of ultrasmall nanomotors have been scant due to the lack of high-resolution imaging of their propelled motions with orientation and shape details resolved. Here, we report the imaging of the propelled motions of catalytically powered ultrasmall nanomotors─hundreds of them─at the nanometer resolution using liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy. These nanomotors are Pt nanoparticles of asymmetric shapes (“tadpoles” and “boomerangs”), which are colloidally synthesized and observed to be fueled by the catalyzed decomposition of NaBH4 in solution. Statistical analysis of the orientation and position trajectories of fueled and unfueled motors, coupled with finite element simulation, reveals that the shape asymmetry alone is sufficient to induce local chemical concentration gradient and self-diffusiophoresis to act against random Brownian motion. Our work elucidates the colloidal design and fundamental forces involved in the motions of ultrasmall nanomotors, which hold promise as active nanomachines to perform tasks in confined environments such as drug delivery and chemical sensing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Baseflow Identification via Explainable AI With Kolmogorov‐Arnold Networks

Abstract Hydrological models often involve constitutive laws that may not be optimal in every application. We propose to replace such laws with the Kolmogorov‐Arnold networks (KANs), a class of neural networks designed to identify symbolic expressions. We demonstrate KAN's potential on the problem of baseflow identification, a notoriously challenging task plagued by significant uncertainty. KAN‐derived functional dependencies of the baseflow components on the aridity index outperform their original counterparts; they demonstrate that water availability, rather than potential evapotranspiration, drives baseflow by constraining actual evapotranspiration under arid conditions. On a test set, they increase the Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) by 65%, decrease the root mean squared error by 29%, and increase the Kling‐Gupta efficiency by 34%. This superior performance is achieved while reducing the number of fitting parameters from three to two. Next, we use data from 378 catchments across the continental United States to refine the water‐balance equation at the mean‐annual scale. The KAN‐derived equations based on the refined water balance outperform both the current aridity index model, with up to a 105% increase in NSE, and the KAN‐derived equations based on the original water balance. While the performance of our model and tree‐based machine learning methods is similar, KANs offer the advantage of simplicity and transparency and require no specific software or computational tools. This case study focuses on the aridity index formulation, but the approach is flexible and transferable to other hydrological processes. Plain Language Summary Equations used in hydrologic model are often suboptimal, resulting in reduced prediction accuracy and efficiency. We implemented Kolmogorov‐Arnold networks (KAN), a machine learning algorithm for deriving symbolic formulations, to estimate groundwater recharge and showed that it outperforms an existing state‐of‐the‐art semi‐empirical formulation. In hydrology, Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and Kling‐Gupta efficiency (KGE) are commonly used to evaluate model performance. Higher NSE and KGE values indicate better performance, while lower RMSE values are preferable. Our results show that NSE increased by 71%, RMSE decreased by 32%, and KGE improved by 25%. In addition, KAN identifies an optimal functional form and can be used to derive new analytical formulas using the prior knowledge. The KAN‐inspired equation outperformed the original formulation and reduced the fitting parameters. Furthermore, we refined the water‐balance equation at the mean‐annual scale and showed that, based on the new water‐balance equation, KAN can derive new formulations that are superior to the original aridity index formulations (up to 105% increase in NSE) and KAN‐derived equations based on the original water balance. These findings highlight the significant potential of KAN to advance the scientific understanding of a wide range of hydrologic processes. Key Points Kolmogorov‐Arnold networks (KANs) enhance interpretability of machine‐learned hydrological models KAN‐derived symbolic formulations outperform state‐of‐the‐art semi‐empirical aridity indices KAN‐identified functional form yields an analytical index with fewer fitting parameters and improved performance

baseflow↗

ORCHA: A performance portability system for extreme heterogeneity

Heterogeneity is the prevalent trend in the rapidly evolving high-performance computing (HPC) landscape in both hardware and application software. The diversity in hardware platforms, currently comprising various accelerators and a future possibility of specializable chiplets, poses a significant challenge for scientific software developers aiming to harness optimal performance across different computing platforms while maintaining the quality of solutions when their applications are simultaneously growing more complex. Code synthesis and code generation can provide mechanisms to mitigate this challenge. We have developed a divide and conquer approach where different aspects of performance are handled by different stand-alone tools that are interfaced with the application through generated code. This portability system, ORCHA, enables users to configure and orchestrate their computations among available resources on a platform by specifying a high-level recipe, thereby permitting a many-to-many paradigm where each recipe results in a different variant of the application. The core design goal is to let users decide the application’s hardware mapping and orchestration by editing only the high-level recipe—without modifying the maintained source code or binding the application to a particular runtime system. Tools in ORCHA distribution are: CG-Kit for translating the recipe into an execution graph; Milhoja to execute the graph by orchestrating data and task movement among hardware resources; and Macroprocessor that enables users to define their own code-shorthand for higher composability and easier management of code variants. Additionally, the design of ORCHA permits tools to work in a plug-and-play mode where the application can build and run without CG-Kit and Milhoja, and either tool can be swapped out for other tools with similar capabilities by modifying the code generation portion of ORCHA. In this paper, we describe the design of ORCHA and the role that code-generation plays in isolating applications from tools. We demonstrate the breadth of configurations ORCHA enables with a case study in which an application configuration is realized on three distinct hardware mappings—a GPU-centric, a CPU/GPU balanced, and a CPU/GPU concurrent layouts by using different recipes.

Lee, Youngjun↗

Tunable Solid‐State Properties and Anisotropic Charge Mobility in Hydrogen‐Bonded Diketopyrrolopyrrole Polymers via Automated Device Fabrication and Characterization

The optoelectronic properties of semiconducting polymers and device performance rely on a delicate interplay of design and processing conditions. However, screening and optimizing the relationships between these parameters for reliably fabricating organic electronics can be an arduous task requiring significant time and resources. To overcome this challenge, Polybot is developed—a robotic platform within a self‐driving lab that can efficiently produce organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) from various semiconducting polymers via high‐throughput blade coating deposition. Polybot not only handles the fabrication process but also can conduct characterization tests on the devices and autonomously analyze the data gathered, thus facilitating the rapid acquisition of data on a large scale. This work leverages the capabilities of this platform to investigate the fabrication of OFETs using hydrogen bonding‐containing semiconducting polymers. Through high‐throughput fabrication and characterization, various data trends are analyzed, and large extents of anisotropic charge mobility are observed in devices. The materials are thoroughly characterized to understand the role of processing conditions in solid state and electronic properties of these organic semiconductors. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of automated fabrication and characterization platforms in uncovering novel structure–property relationships, facilitating refinement of rational chemical design, and processing conditions, ultimately leading to new semiconducting materials.

automated fabrication and characterization↗

Long-Range Fit: A Software Package for the Representation and Study of Long-Range Molecular Interactions

Describing intermolecular forces is fundamental to modeling and predicting the behavior of molecular systems. In particular, long-range molecular interactions─with electrostatic, induction, and dispersion as the main components─play a critical role, especially for low-temperature and low-density regimes. Long-range interactions are often described through perturbation theory, representing the electronic charge distribution via a multipolar series of the moments and polarizability tensors corresponding to each molecule. However, while the theory is well established, obtaining the resulting analytical expressions (and their practical implementation) constitutes a highly complex and system-dependent task. To address this challenge, we developed long-range-fit (LRF), an interactive and user-friendly software package designed to automate the generation and fitting of long-range interaction terms for arbitrary molecules in nondegenerate (ground or excited) electronic states. We have derived and implemented all terms up to 15th order, without approximations, via a spherical tensor representation, with symmetry adaptation to all molecular point-group symmetries. The resulting potential energy surface is compatible with most representations of the close interaction region.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Posterior comparison of model dynamics in several hybrid turbulence model forms

Hybrid turbulence models that can accurately reproduce unsteady three-dimensional flow physics across the entire range of grid scales and turbulence dynamics from Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS), through large-eddy simulation (LES), down to direct numerical simulations (DNS) are of increasing interest to the turbulence modeling community. However, despite decades of research and development, the basic tasks of eliminating poor-performing hybrid RANS-LES models and accelerating adoption of superior models through well-designed validation and verification have yet to occur. As a step in this direction, in this work we evaluate thirteen different hybrid RANS-LES models via systematic grid refinement of decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence. We further derive a novel mathematical framework for assessing the energy partitioning dynamics of each Hybrid RANS-LES model, wherein model-to-model variations in energy partitioning can be interpreted as different feedback mechanisms operating on a low-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system. We found that model forms similar to the flow simulation methodology—also often termed very-large eddy simulation—are dynamically inconsistent with DNS at all resolutions. Additionally, we found a strong dynamical similarity in the feedback mechanisms of all models related to detached eddy simulation and partially averaged Navier–Stokes that is inherent to their general model forms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Deep probabilistic direction prediction in 3D with applications to directional dark matter detectors

Abstract We present the first method to probabilistically predict 3D direction in a deep neural network model. The probabilistic predictions are modeled as a heteroscedastic von Mises-Fisher distribution on the sphere S 2 , giving a simple way to quantify aleatoric uncertainty. This approach generalizes the cosine distance loss which is a special case of our loss function when the uncertainty is assumed to be uniform across samples. We develop approximations required to make the likelihood function and gradient calculations stable. The method is applied to the task of predicting the 3D directions of electrons, the most complex signal in a class of experimental particle physics detectors designed to demonstrate the particle nature of dark matter and study solar neutrinos. Using simulated Monte Carlo data, the initial direction of recoiling electrons is inferred from their tortuous trajectories, as captured by the 3D detectors. For 40 keV electrons in a 70% He 30% CO 2 gas mixture at STP, the new approach achieves a mean cosine distance of 0.104 (26 ∘ ) compared to 0.556 (64 ∘ ) achieved by a non-machine learning algorithm. We show that the model is well-calibrated and accuracy can be increased further by removing samples with high predicted uncertainty. This advancement in probabilistic 3D directional learning could increase the sensitivity of directional dark matter detectors.

Computer Science↗

Reimagining Disassembly Interfaces With Visualization: Combining Instruction Tracing and Control Flow With DisViz

In applications where efficiency is critical, developers may examine their compiled binaries, seeking to understand how the compiler transformed their source code and what performance implications that transformation may have. This analysis is challenging due to the vast number of disassembled binary instructions and the many-to-many mappings between them and the source code. These problems are exacerbated as source code size increases, giving the compiler more freedom to map and disperse binary instructions across the disassembly space. Interfaces for disassembly typically display instructions as an unstructured listing or sacrifice the order of execution. Here, we design a new visual interface for disassembly code that combines execution order with control flow structure, enabling analysts to both trace through code and identify familiar aspects of the computation. Central to our approach is a novel layout of instructions grouped into basic blocks that displays a looping structure in an intuitive way. We add to this disassembly representation a unique block-based mini-map that leverages our layout and shows context across thousands of disassembly instructions. Finally, we embed our disassembly visualization in a web-based tool, DisViz, which adds dynamic linking with source code across the entire application. DizViz was developed in collaboration with program analysis experts following design study methodology and was validated through evaluation sessions with ten participants from four institutions. Participants successfully completed the evaluation tasks, hypothesized about compiler optimizations, and noted the utility of our new disassembly view. Our evaluation suggests that our new integrated view helps application developers in understanding and navigating disassembly code.

Computer science↗

TPCpp-10M: Simulated proton-proton collisions in a time projection chamber for AI foundation models

Scientific foundation models hold great promise for advancing nuclear and particle physics by improving analysis precision and accelerating discovery. Yet, progress in this field is often limited by the lack of openly available large scale datasets, as well as standardized evaluation tasks and metrics. Furthermore, the specialized knowledge and software typically required to process particle physics data pose significant barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration with the broader machine learning community. This work introduces a large, openly accessible dataset of 10 million simulated proton-proton collisions, designed to support self-supervised training of foundation models. To facilitate ease of use, the dataset is provided in a common NumPy format. In addition, it includes 70,000 labeled examples spanning three well defined downstream tasks: track finding, particle identification, and noise tagging, to enable systematic evaluation of the foundation model's adaptability. The simulated data are generated using the Pythia Monte Carlo event generator at a center of mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 200 GeV and processed with Geant4 to include realistic detector conditions and signal emulation in the sPHENIX Time Projection Chamber at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, located at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This dataset resource establishes a common ground for interdisciplinary research, enabling machine learning scientists and physicists alike to explore scaling behaviors, assess transferability, and accelerate progress toward foundation models in nuclear and high energy physics. The complete simulation and reconstruction chain is reproducible with the sPHENIX software stack. All data and code locations are provided under Data Accessibility.

Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability (physics↗

Efficient Measurement-Driven Eigenenergy Estimation with Classical Shadows

Quantum algorithms exploiting real-time evolution under a target Hamiltonian have demonstrated remarkable efficiency in extracting key spectral information. However, the broader potential of these methods, particularly beyond ground-state calculations, is underexplored. In this work, we introduce the framework of multiobservable dynamic mode decomposition (MODMD), which combines the observable dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), a measurement-driven eigensolver tailored for near-term implementation, with classical shadow tomography. MODMD leverages random scrambling in the classical shadow technique to construct, with exponentially reduced resource requirements, a signal subspace that encodes rich spectral information. Notably, we replace typical Hadamard-test circuits with a protocol designed to predict low-rank observables, thereby broadening the use of classical shadow tomography for predicting many low-rank observables. We establish theoretical guarantees on the spectral approximation from MODMD, taking into account distinct sources of error. In the ideal case, we prove that the spectral error scales as exp (−Δ⁢𝐸⁢𝑡 max ), where Δ⁢𝐸 is the Hamiltonian spectral gap and 𝑡 max is the maximal simulation time. This analysis provides a rigorous justification of the rapid convergence observed across simulations. To demonstrate the utility of our framework, we consider its application to fundamental tasks, such as determining the low-lying, i.e., ground or excited, energies of representative many-body systems. Our work paves the path for efficient designs of measurement-driven algorithms on near-term and early fault-tolerant quantum devices.

quantum algorithms & computation↗