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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 289 records · Page 16
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DOE OSTI2025

Development and Demonstration of a Prototype Molten Salt Sampling System

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) offer potential operability and safety advantages when compared to commercial light water reactors (LWRs). However, operating experience with MSRs is sparse in comparison to what exists for LWRs. Further, the chemical and isotopic composition of the fuel and/or coolant salt is dynamic and difficult to characterize continuously, posing potential safety, operability, and safeguards unknowns that need to be addressed. A molten salt sampling system (MSSS) is regarded as a necessary subsystem within first generation MSRs used to obtain samples of salt for chemical and isotopic analysis in support of the need to monitor and control salt composition during operation. The MSSS is being developed using the Safety-in-Design (SiD) methodology, which incorporates incremental integration of safety analysis into the design process. The MSSS conceptual design emerging from the application of the early stages of the SiD methodology consists of a sample collection system and its housing, a freeze port, and inert gas control and delivery systems. This article describes the prototypes developed to test the functions of these MSSS subsystems, presents the results of testing in both dry and molten salt environments (including reliability data collection performed in accordance with the principles of SiD and the development of a semiquantitative fault tree model), and summarizes the opportunities for future design and testing enhancements based on the results of prototype testing.

molten salt reactor↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Development of Kinetic and Radiation Hydrodynamics Modeling of Thermonuclear Burn Propagation in Isochoric p - 11 B Through the Support of the INFUSE Program

The report summarizes DOE INFUSE-supported work between HB11 Energy and the University of Rochester’s TriForce Institute to improve computational modeling of advanced fusion fuels, especially proton–boron-11 (p- 11 B). The project extended the TriForce particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision code to include physics needed for dense, high-temperature p- 11 B burn studies, including p- 11 B fusion reactions, three-alpha-particle reaction products, relativistic Coulomb collisions, large-angle nuclear scattering, bremsstrahlung radiation, inverse bremsstrahlung absorption, and photon transport. The upgraded models were verified against focused physics tests and against known deuterium–tritium burn behavior. The study then used one-dimensional spherical simulations to estimate the conditions required for thermonuclear burn propagation in isochoric p- 11 B fuel. The calculations found that burn propagation is possible in the model, but only under very extreme hot-spot conditions, such as about 7000 g/cm 3 at 500 keV or 9000 g/cm 3 at 300 keV for a 20-micron hot spot. These conditions are much more demanding than current demonstrated inertial confinement fusion hot spots. The report concludes that the INFUSE collaboration successfully advanced kinetic and radiation modeling capabilities for p- 11 B fusion and provided useful estimates of ignition requirements. However, the simulated fuel gains remain below what would be needed for practical inertial fusion energy, and further work is needed to reconcile differences among kinetic, radiation-hydrodynamic, and analytic models and to identify more achievable target designs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 constraints on extended cosmological models

We use new cosmic microwave background (CMB) primary temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) to test foundational assumptions of the standard cosmological model, ΛCDM, and set constraints on extensions to it. We derive constraints from the ACT DR6 power spectra alone, as well as in combination with legacy data from the Planck mission. To break geometric degeneracies, we include ACT and Planck CMB lensing data and baryon acoustic oscillation data from DESI Year-1. To test the dependence of our results on non-ACT data, we also explore combinations replacing Planck with WMAP and DESI with BOSS, and further add supernovae measurements from Pantheon+ for models that affect the late-time expansion history. We verify the near-scale-invariance (running of the spectral index dn s /d ln k = 0.0062 ± 0.0052) and adiabaticity of the primordial perturbations. Neutrino properties are consistent with Standard Model predictions: we find no evidence for new light, relativistic species that are free-streaming (N eff = 2.86 ± 0.13, which combined with astrophysical measurements of primordial helium and deuterium abundances becomes N eff = 2.89 ± 0.11), for non-zero neutrino masses (∑m ν < 0.089 eV at 95% CL), or for neutrino self-interactions. We also find no evidence for self-interacting dark radiation (N idr < 0.134), or for early-universe variation of fundamental constants, including the fine-structure constant (α EM /α EM,0 = 1.0043 ± 0.0017) and the electron mass (m e /m e,0 = 1.0063 ± 0.0056). Our data are consistent with standard big bang nucleosynthesis (we find Y p = 0.2312 ± 0.0092), the COBE/FIRAS-inferred CMB temperature (we find T CMB = 2.698 ± 0.016 K), a dark matter component that is collisionless and with only a small fraction allowed as axion-like particles, a cosmological constant (w = -0.986 ± 0.025), and the late-time growth rate predicted by general relativity (γ = 0.663 ± 0.052). We find no statistically significant preference for a departure from the baseline ΛCDM model. In fits to models invoking early dark energy, primordial magnetic fields, or an arbitrary modified recombination history, we find H 0 = 69.9 +0.8 -1.5 , 69.1 ± 0.5, or 69.6 ± 1.0 km/s/Mpc, respectively; using BOSS instead of DESI BAO data reduces the central values of these constraints by 1–1.5 km/s/Mpc while only slightly increasing the error bars. In general, models introduced to increase the Hubble constant or to decrease the amplitude of density fluctuations inferred from the primary CMB are not favored over ΛCDM by our data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Doping liquid argon with xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: effects on scintillation light

Doping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 720 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. A 5.4 ppm nitrogen contamination was present during the xenon doping campaign. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non-uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

The track-length extension fitting algorithm for energy measurement of interacting particles in liquid argon TPCs and its performance with ProtoDUNE-SP data

This paper introduces a novel track-length extension fitting algorithm for measuring the kinetic energies of inelastically interacting particles in liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs). The algorithm finds the most probable offset in track length for a track-like object by comparing the measured ionization density as a function of position with a theoretical prediction of the energy loss as a function of the energy, including models of electron recombination and detector response. The algorithm can be used to measure the energies of particles that interact before they stop, such as charged pions that are absorbed by argon nuclei. The algorithm's energy measurement resolutions and fractional biases are presented as functions of particle kinetic energy and number of track hits using samples of stopping secondary charged pions in data collected by the ProtoDUNE-SP detector, and also in a detailed simulation. Additional studies describe the impact of the dE/dx model on energy measurement performance. The method described in this paper to characterize the energy measurement performance can be repeated in any LArTPC experiment using stopping secondary charged pions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mixed waste contamination selects for a mobile genetic element population enriched in multiple heavy metal resistance genes

Abstract Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) like plasmids, viruses, and transposable elements can provide fitness benefits to their hosts for survival in the presence of environmental stressors. Heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) are frequently observed on MGEs, suggesting that MGEs may be an important driver of adaptive evolution in environments contaminated with heavy metals. Here, we report the meta-mobilome of the heavy metal-contaminated regions of the Oak Ridge Reservation subsurface. This meta-mobilome was compared with one derived from samples collected from unimpacted regions of the Oak Ridge Reservation subsurface. We assembled 1615 unique circularized DNA elements that we propose to be MGEs. The circular elements from the highly contaminated subsurface were enriched in HMRG clusters relative to those from the nearby unimpacted regions. Additionally, we found that these HMRGs were associated with Gamma and Betaproteobacteria hosts in the contaminated subsurface and potentially facilitate the persistence and dominance of these taxa in this region. Finally, the HMRGs were associated with conjugative elements, suggesting their potential for future lateral transfer. We demonstrate how our understanding of MGE ecology, evolution, and function can be enhanced through the genomic context provided by completed MGE assemblies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nonequilibrium steady-state thermoelectrics of Kondo-correlated quantum dots

The transport across a Kondo-correlated quantum dot coupled to two leads with independent temperatures and chemical potentials is studied using a controlled nonperturbative, and in this sense numerically exact, treatment based on a hybrid numerical renormalization group combined with time-dependent density matrix renormalization group (NRG-tDMRG). In the Kondo regime, for sufficiently large fixed voltage bias V ≳ T K , with T K the Kondo temperature, we find a peak in the conductance vs the temperature gradient Δ⁢T = T R - T L across left and right lead. Focusing then on zero voltage bias but finite ΔT far beyond linear response, we reveal the dependence of the characteristic zero-bias conductance on the individual lead temperatures. Here, we find that the finite-Δ⁢T data behaves quantitatively similar to linear response with an effective equilibrium temperature derived from the different lead temperatures. The regime of sign changes in the Seebeck coefficient, signaling the presence of Kondo correlations, and its dependence on the individual lead temperatures provide a complete picture of the Kondo regime in the presence of finite-temperature gradients. The results from the zero-bias conductance and Seebeck coefficient studies unveil an approximate “Kondo circle” in the T L /T R plane as the regime within which the Kondo correlations dominate. We also study the heat current and the corresponding heat conductance vs finite Δ⁢T. We provide a polynomial fit for our numerical results for the thermocurrent as a function of the individual lead temperatures, which may be used to fit experimental data in the Kondo regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Estimate of background baseline and upper limit on the chiral magnetic effect in isobar collisions at $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$=200 GeV at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

For the search of the chiral magnetic effect (CME), STAR previously presented the results from isobar collisions ($^{96}_{44}$Ru + $^{96}_{44}$Ru, $^{96}_{40}$Zr + $^{96}_{40}$Zr) obtained through a blind analysis. The ratio of results in Ru+Ru to Zr+Zr collisions for the CME-sensitive charge-dependent azimuthal correlator (Δ⁢𝛾), normalized by elliptic anisotropy (𝑣2), was observed to be close to but systematically larger than the inverse multiplicity ratio. The background baseline for the isobar ratio, 𝑌= (Δ⁢𝛾/𝑣2) Ru /(Δ⁢𝛾/𝑣2) Zr , is naively expected to be (1/𝑁) Ru /(1/𝑁) Zr ; however, genuine two- and three-particle correlations are expected to alter it. We estimate the contributions to 𝑌 from those correlations, utilizing both the isobar data and hijing simulations. After including those contributions, we arrive at a final background baseline for 𝑌, which is consistent with the isobar data. Here, we extract an upper limit for the CME fraction in the Δ⁢𝛾 measurement of approximately 10% at a 95% confidence level on in isobar collisions at $\sqrt{S_{NN}}$=200 GeV, with an expected 15% difference in their squared magnetic fields.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Exclusive J / ψ , ψ ( 2 s ) , and e + e - pair production in Au + Au ultraperipheral collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Measurements of exclusive J/ψ, ψ(2⁢s), and electron-positron (e + ⁢e - ) pair photoproduction in Au+Au ultraperipheral collisions are reported by the STAR experiment at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200GeV. Here, we report several first measurements at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which are (i) J/ψ photoproduction with large momentum transfer up to 2.2⁢(GeV/c) 2 , (ii) coherent J/ψ photoproduction associated with neutron emissions from nuclear breakup, (iii) the rapidity dependence of incoherent J/ψ photoproduction, (iv) the ψ⁡(2⁢s) photoproduction cross section at midrapidity, and (v) e + ⁢e - pair photoproduction up to high invariant mass of 6GeV/c 2 . For measurement (ii), the coherent J/ψ total cross section of γ + Au → J/ψ + Au as a function of the center-of-mass energy W γN has been obtained without photon energy ambiguities. The data are quantitatively compared with the Monte Carlo models STARlight, Sartre, BeAGLE, and theoretical calculations of gluon saturation with color glass condensate, nuclear shadowing with leading twist approximation, quantum electrodynamics, and the next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD. At the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 25.0 GeV, the coherent and incoherent J/ψ cross sections of Au nuclei are found to be 71% ± 10% and 36% ± 7%, respectively, of that of free protons. These data provide an important experimental constraint for nuclear parton distribution functions and a unique opportunity to advance the understanding of the nuclear modification effect at the top RHIC energy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Correlations of event activity with hard and soft processes in p + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV at the RHIC STAR experiment

With the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, we characterize $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200GeV p + Au collisions by event activity (EA) measured within the pseudorapidity range η ϵ[–5,–3.4] in the Au-going direction and report correlations between this EA and hard- and soft-scale particle production at midrapidity (η ϵ[–1,1]). At the soft scale, charged particle production in low-EA p + Au collisions is comparable to that in p + p collisions and increases monotonically with increasing EA. At the hard scale, we report measurements of high transverse momentum (p T ) jets in events of different EAs. In contrast with the soft particle production, high-p T particle production and EA are found to be inversely related. Furthermore, to investigate whether this is a signal of jet quenching in high-EA events, we also report ratios of p T imbalance and azimuthal separation of dijets in high- and low-EA events. Within our measurement precision, no significant differences are observed, disfavoring the presence of jet quenching in the highest 30% EA p + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200GeV.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Production of protons and light nuclei in Au +Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV with the STAR detector

We report the systematic measurement of protons and light nuclei production in Au +Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 3 GeV by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The transverse momentum (𝑝 𝑇 ) spectra of protons (𝑝) , deuterons (𝑑) , tritons (𝑡) , 3 He , and 4 He have been measured from midrapidity to target rapidity for different collision centralities. We present the rapidity and centrality dependence of particle yields (𝑑⁢𝑁/𝑑⁢𝑦), average transverse momentum (⟨𝑝 𝑇 ⟩), yield ratios (𝑑/𝑝, 𝑡/𝑝, 3 He/𝑝, 4 He/𝑝), as well as the coalescence parameters (𝐵 2 ,𝐵 3 ). The 4⁢𝜋 yields for various particles are determined by utilizing the measured rapidity distributions, 𝑑⁢𝑁/𝑑⁢𝑦. Furthermore, we present the energy, centrality, and rapidity dependence of the compound yield ratios (𝑁 𝑝 ×𝑁 𝑡 /𝑁$^{2}_{d}$) and compare them with various model calculations. Furthermore, the physics implications of these results on the production mechanism of light nuclei and the QCD phase structure are discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of flow coefficients in high-multiplicity 𝑝 + Au, 𝑑 + Au, and 3 He + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV

Flow coefficients (𝑣 2 and 𝑣 3 ) are measured in high-multiplicity 𝑝 + Au, 𝑑 + Au, and 3 He + Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV using the STAR detector. The measurements utilize two-particle correlations with a pseudorapidity requirement of |𝜂| < 0.9 and a pair gap of |Δ⁢𝜂| > 1.0. The primary focus is on analysis methods, particularly the subtraction of nonflow contributions. Four established nonflow subtraction methods are applied to determine 𝑣 𝑛 , validated using the HIJING event generator. 𝑣 𝑛 values are compared across the three collision systems at similar multiplicities; this comparison cancels the final-state effects and isolates the impact of initial geometry. While 𝑣 2 values show differences among these collision systems, 𝑣 3 values are largely similar, consistent with expectations of subnucleon fluctuations in the initial geometry. The ordering of 𝑣 𝑛 differs quantitatively from previous measurements using two-particle correlations with a larger rapidity gap, which, according to model calculations, can be partially attributed to the effects of longitudinal flow decorrelations. As a result, the prospects for future measurements to improve our understanding of flow decorrelation and subnucleonic fluctuations are also discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of directed flow in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s{NN}}$ = 19.6 and 27 GeV with the STAR event plane detector

In heavy-ion collision experiments, the global collectivity of final-state particles can be quantified by anisotropic flow coefficients (𝑣 𝑛 ) . The first-order flow coefficient, also referred to as the directed flow (𝑣 1 ), describes the collective sideward motion of produced particles and nuclear fragments in heavy-ion collisions. It carries information on the very early stage of the collision, especially at large pseudorapidity (𝜂), where it is believed to be generated during the nuclear passage time. Directed flow therefore probes the onset of bulk collective dynamics during thermalization, providing valuable experimental guidance to models of the pre-equilibrium stage. In 2018, the Event Plane Detector (EPD) was installed in STAR and used for the Beam Energy Scan phase-II (BES-II) data taking. The combination of EPD (2.1 < |𝜂| < 5.1) and high-statistics BES-II data enables us to extend the 𝑣 1 measurement to the forward and backward 𝜂 regions. In this paper, we present the measurement of 𝑣 1 over a wide 𝜂 range in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 and 27 GeV using the STAR EPD. The results of the analysis at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 19.6 GeV exhibit excellent consistency with the previous PHOBOS measurement, while elevating the precision of the overall measurement. The increased precision of the measurement also revealed finer structures in heavy-ion collisions, including a potential observation of the first-order event-plane decorrelation. Multiple physics models were compared to the experimental results. Only a transport model and a three-fluid hybrid model can reproduce a sizable 𝑣 1 at large 𝜂 as was observed experimentally. The model comparison also indicates 𝑣 1 at large 𝜂 might be sensitive to the QGP phase transition.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy dependence of polarized 𝛾⁢𝛾 → 𝑒 + ⁢ 𝑒− in peripheral Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 54.4 and 200 GeV with the STAR experiment at RHIC

We report the differential yields at mid-rapidity of the Breit-Wheeler process (𝛾⁢𝛾 → 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − ) in peripheral Au+Aucollisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 54.4 and 200 GeV with the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), as a function of energy $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$, 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − transverse momentum 𝑝 T , 𝑝$^{2}_{T}$, invariant mass 𝑀 𝑒⁢𝑒 , and azimuthal angle. In the invariant mass range of 0.4 < 𝑀 𝑒⁢𝑒 < 2.6GeV/𝑐 2 at low transverse momentum (𝑝 T < 0.15GeV/𝑐), the yields increase while the pair √⟨𝑝$^{2}_{T}$⟩ decreases with increasing $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$, a feature that is correctly predicted by the QED calculation. Here, the energy dependencies of the measured quantities are sensitive to the nuclear form factor, infrared divergence and photon polarization. The data are compiled and used to extract the charge radius of the Au nucleus.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for high-mass resonances in final states with a τ-lepton and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector

A search for high-mass resonances decaying into a τ-lepton and a neutrino using proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ =13 TeV is presented. The full run 2 data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 recorded by the ATLAS experiment in the years 2015–2018 is analyzed. The τ-lepton is reconstructed in its hadronic decay modes and the total transverse momentum carried out by neutrinos is inferred from the reconstructed missing transverse momentum. The search for new physics is performed on the transverse mass between the τ-lepton and the missing transverse momentum. No excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is observed and upper exclusion limits are set on the W' →τ⁢v production cross section. Heavy W' vector bosons with masses up to 5.0 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming that they have the same couplings as the Standard Model W boson. For nonuniversal couplings, W' bosons are excluded for masses less than 3.5–5.0 TeV, depending on the model parameters. In addition, model-independent limits on the visible cross section times branching ratio are determined as a function of the lower threshold on the transverse mass of the τ-lepton and missing transverse momentum.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

First measurement of the total inelastic cross section of positively charged kaons on argon at energies between 5.0 and 7.5 GeV

ProtoDUNE Single-Phase (ProtoDUNE-SP) is a 770-ton liquid argon time projection chamber that operated in a hadron test beam at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2018. We present a measurement of the total inelastic cross section of charged kaons on argon as a function of kaon energy using 6 and 7 GeV/𝑐 beam momentum settings. The flux-weighted average of the extracted inelastic cross section at each beam momentum setting was measured to be 380 ± 26 mbarns for the 6 GeV/𝑐 setting and 379 ± 35 mbarns for the 7 GeV/𝑐 setting.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Up and down quark structure of the proton

We report an improved measurement of the valence u and d quark distributions from the forward-backward asymmetry in the Drell-Yan process using 8.6 fb − 1 of data collected with the D0 detector in p p ¯ collisions at s = 1.96 . This analysis provides the values of new structure parameters that are directly related to the valence up and down quark distributions in the proton. In other experimental results measuring the quark content of the proton, d quark contributions are mixed with those from other quark flavors. In this measurement, the u and d quark contributions are separately extracted by applying a factorization of the QCD and electroweak portions of the forward-backward asymmetry. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Supernova pointing capabilities of DUNE

The determination of the direction of a stellar core collapse via its neutrino emission is crucial for the identification of the progenitor for a multimessenger follow-up. A highly effective method of reconstructing supernova directions within the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is introduced. The supernova neutrino pointing resolution is studied by simulating and reconstructing electron-neutrino charged-current absorption on 40 Ar and elastic scattering of neutrinos on electrons. Procedures to reconstruct individual interactions, including a newly developed technique called “brems flipping,” as well as the burst direction from an ensemble of interactions are described. Performance of the burst direction reconstruction is evaluated for supernovae happening at a distance of 10 kpc for a specific supernova burst flux model. The pointing resolution is found to be 3.4 degrees at 68% coverage for a perfect interaction-channel classification and a fiducial mass of 40 kton, and 6.6 degrees for a 10 kton fiducial mass respectively. Assuming a 4% rate of charged-current interactions being misidentified as elastic scattering, DUNE’s burst pointing resolution is found to be 4.3 degrees (8.7 degrees) at 68% coverage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗