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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Insight into Strong QCD and the Emergence of Mass from N* Experiments

Studies of nucleon resonance (N*) electroexcitation amplitudes (?vpN* electrocouplings) within a broad range of virtual photon four-momentum squared Q2 offer unique information on many facets of the strong interaction in the regime of large QCD running coupling (sQCD regime) seen in the generation of different resonances. The results on the ?vpN* electrocouplings from exclusive meson electroproduction data measured with the CLAS detector at JLab and their impact on understanding of sQCD dynamics will be presented in this talk. These CLAS data have provided the first and only available results on the evolution of the ?vpN* electrocouplings with Q2 to 5 GeV2 for most N* states in the mass range up to 1.8 GeV. A successful description of the CLAS results on the Q2-evolution of the ?(1232)3/2+, N(1440)1/2+, and ?(1600)3/2+ electrocouplings has been achieved within the continuum Schwinger method (CSM) by employing the same momentum dependence of the dressed quark mass inferred from the QCD Lagrangian, which also reproduces the experimental results on the pion elastic electromagnetic form factor and parton distribution function, and the nucleon elastic form factor. This success has demonstrated the capability for gaining insight into the emergence of hadron mass (EHM) from the exploration of the Q2-evolution of the ?vpN* electrocouplings. These studies also allow us to establish either universality or environmental sensitivity of the dressed quark mass function and to explore qq-correlation amplitudes of different spin-parities and the mixing between configurations of different orbital angular momentum. Exploration of the resonance electroexcitation with the CLAS12 detector and in the future with a possible 22 GeV machine at JLab offer the only foreseen opportunity to extend information on the ?vpN* electrocouplings for Q2 from 5-30 GeV2. Analyses of these results will cover the full range of distances where the dominant part of hadron mass and N* structure emerge from QCD.

Mokeev, Victor↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extremely massive disc galaxies in the nearby Universe form through gas-rich minor mergers

ABSTRACT In our hierarchical structure-formation paradigm, the observed morphological evolution of massive galaxies – from rotationally supported discs to dispersion-dominated spheroids – is largely explained via galaxy merging. However, since mergers are likely to destroy discs, and the most massive galaxies have the richest merger histories, it is surprising that any discs exist at all at the highest stellar masses. Recent theoretical work by our group has used a cosmological, hydrodynamical simulation to suggest that extremely massive (M* > 1011.4 M⊙) discs form primarily via minor mergers between spheroids and gas-rich satellites, which create new rotational stellar components and leave discs as remnants. Here, we use UV-optical and H i data of massive galaxies, from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS), and Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA surveys, to test these theoretical predictions. Observed massive discs account for ∼13 per cent of massive galaxies, in good agreement with theory (∼11 per cent). ∼64 per cent of the observed massive discs exhibit tidal features, which are likely to indicate recent minor mergers, in the deep DECaLS images (compared to ∼60 per cent in their simulated counterparts). The incidence of these features is at least four times higher than in low-mass discs, suggesting that, as predicted, minor mergers play a significant (and outsized) role in the formation of these systems. The empirical star formation rates agree well with theoretical predictions and, for a small galaxy sample with H i detections, the H i masses and fractions are consistent with the range predicted by the simulation. The good agreement between theory and observations indicates that extremely massive discs are indeed remnants of recent minor mergers between spheroids and gas-rich satellites.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Convergent expansions of keystone gene families drive metabolic innovation in Saccharomycotina yeasts

Many remarkable phenotypes have repeatedly occurred across vast evolutionary distances. When convergent traits emerge on the tree of life, they are sometimes driven by the same underlying gene families, while other times, many different gene families are involved. Conversely, a gene family may be repeatedly recruited for a single trait or many different traits. To understand the general rules governing convergence at both genomic and phenotypic levels, we systematically tested associations between 56 binary metabolic traits and gene count in 14,785 gene families from 993 Saccharomycotina yeasts. Using a recently developed phylogenetic approach that reduces spurious correlations, we found that gene family expansion and contraction were significantly linked to trait gain and loss in 45/56 (80%) traits. While 595/739 (81%) significant gene families were associated with only one trait, we also identified several “keystone” gene families that were significantly associated with up to 13/56 (23%) of all traits. Strikingly, most of these families are known to encode metabolic enzymes and transporters, including all members of the industrially relevant MAL tose fermentation loci in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These results indicate that convergent evolution on the gene family level may be more widespread across deeper timescales than previously believed.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Constraints on Cosmological Parameters with a Sample of Type Ia Supernovae from JWST

We investigate the potential of using a sample of very high-redshift (2 ≲ z ≲ 6) (VHZ) Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) attainable by JWST on constraining cosmological parameters. At such high redshifts, the age of the universe is young enough that the VHZ SN Ia sample comprises the very first SNe Ia of the universe, with progenitors among the very first generation of low-mass stars that the universe has made. We show that the VHZ SNe Ia can be used to disentangle systematic effects due to the luminosity distance evolution with redshifts intrinsic to SN Ia standardization. Assuming that the systematic evolution can be described by a linear or logarithmic formula, we found that the coefficients of this dependence can be determined accurately and decoupled from cosmological models. Systematic evolution as large as 0.15 mag and 0.45 mag out to z = 5 can be robustly separated from popular cosmological models for linear and logarithmic evolution, respectively. The VHZ SNe Ia will lay the foundation for quantifying the systematic redshift evolution of SN Ia luminosity distance scales. When combined with SN Ia surveys at comparatively lower redshifts, the VHZ SNe Ia allow for the precise measurement of the history of the expansion of the universe from z ~ 0 to the epoch approaching reionization.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electrochemical Modeling of PID Leakage Current of PV Modules: Steady-State Current, Transient Current, and RC-Equivalent Circuit

Potential-induced degradation (PID) remains a significant reliability concern for photovoltaic (PV) modules, arising when a voltage difference between the module frame and the solar cells drives unintended leakage current through the glass-encapsulant stack. Although PID ultimately manifests as PID-s, PID-p, or PID-c, the underlying behavior of the leakage current-its magnitude and time dependence-requires clearer electrochemical interpretation. Traditional explanations attribute the initial transient current to bulk capacitive elements of the glass, encapsulant, and antireflection coatings, and the steady-state current according to their effective ohmic resistance. More recent studies, however, indicate that electrochemical charge-transfer processes at the encapsulant-metallization interface can play a dominant role in defining the leakage-current path. This paper develops a unified electrochemical framework for modeling PID leakage current. First, an RC-equivalent circuit is formulated by combining conventional RC elements with a Randles-type interface to capture transient leakage current through double-layer capacitance and faradaic processes at ionic-electronic boundaries. Second, the steady-state current-voltage behavior is explained using a linearized Butler-Volmer relationship, showing that the measured ohmic response corresponds to the low-overpotential limit of charge-transfer kinetics. Analytical results demonstrate that, for typical module materials-3.2-mm soda-lime glass and 0.45-mm encapsulant-the dominant modulators to PID leakage current are the glass surface resistance (under dry-surface conditions), the glass bulk capacitance, and the encapsulant resistance (under wet-surface conditions), with soda lime glass surface and EVA/POE encapsulant resistances primarily governing steady-state current. The proposed electrochemical model is validated against measured leakage-current data, showing good agreement in both the magnitude and the time-dependent evolution of PID leakage current.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Developing a Lagrangian Frame Transformation on Satellite Data to Study Cloud Microphysical Transitions in Arctic Marine Cold Air Outbreaks

Abstract Arctic marine cold air outbreaks (CAOs) generate distinct and dynamic cloud regimes due to intense air‐sea interactions. To understand the temporal evolution of CAO cloud properties and compare different CAO events, a Lagrangian perspective is particularly useful. We developed a novel technique that enables the conversion of inherently Eulerian satellite data into a Lagrangian framework, combining the broad spatiotemporal coverage of satellite observations with the advantages of Lagrangian tracking. This technique was applied to eight CAO cases associated with a recent field campaign. Our results reveal a striking contrast among the cases in terms of cloud‐top phase transitions, providing new insights into the evolution of CAO cloud properties.

Lagrangian analysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Processing behavior evolution of recycled polypropylene: An integrated experimental and Computer-Aided engineering simulation study

Polypropylene (PP) comprises 21% of global plastics production and 18% of plastics waste, yet less than 1% of solid-waste PP is recycled in the United States (U.S.), representing significant environmental and economic challenges. Mechanical recycling, the most prevalent recycling method, subject's materials to thermomechanical stresses, which typically degrade polymer properties, affecting the quality of polymer products. This study replicates the impact of mechanical recycling through multiple extrusion cycles to examine the effects on PP's processing behavior. Dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements showed stable melting behavior across all processing conditions, while crystallization analysis exhibited consistent shifts in kinetic parameters. Rheological characterization demonstrated progressive viscosity reductions through successive cycles, particularly pronounced at elevated reprocessing temperatures. Here, the integration of this experimental data into injection molding simulations showed that recycled PP maintains viable processing characteristics. Our findings establish quantitative correlations between processing history and material behavior, enabling optimization of processing parameters directly rather than relying on trial-and-error approaches. While these results reflect idealized recycling conditions with minimal contamination, they provide a framework for understanding fundamental property evolution during mechanical recycling.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observation of nearly identical superconducting transition temperatures in the pressurized Weyl semimetals MIrTe 4 (M=Nb and Ta)

In this work, we report the observation of pressure-induced superconductivity in type-II Weyl semimetal (WSM) candidate NbIrTe 4 and the evolution of its Hall coefficient (R H ), magnetoresistance (MR), and lattice with increasing pressure to ~ 63 GPa. These results provide a significant opportunity to investigate the universal high-pressure behavior of ternary WSMs, including the sister compound TaIrTe 4 that has been known through our previous studies. We find that the pressure-tuned evolution from the WSM to the superconducting (SC) state in these two compounds exhibit the same trend, i.e., a pressure-induced SC state emerges from the matrix of the non-superconducting WSM state at ~ 27 GPa, and then the WSM state and the SC state coexist up to 40 GPa. Above this pressure, an identical high-pressure behavior, characterized by almost the same value of R H and MR in its normal state and the same value of T c in its SC state, appears in both compounds. Our results not only reveal the evolution from the WSM state to the SC state, but also demonstrate that NbIrTe 4 and TaIrTe 4 can make the same contribution to the normal and SC states that inhabit in the high-pressure phase, although these two compounds have dramatically different band structure at ambient pressure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Strained-Induced Morphological Reconstruction of RuO 2 (110) Thin-Film Electrocatalysts

Strain is a widely used strategy for electrocatalyst engineering. Overstraining, however, can lead to unintentional materials transformation. We investigate the impact of strain on the surface morphology of a rutile RuO 2 (110) film grown on a symmetry-matching rutile TiO 2 (110) substrate. When the film thickness exceeds 9 nm, the RuO 2 surface relaxes by forming step edges that expose the {011} plane. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation shows that the (011) facet is among the lower energy surfaces of rutile RuO 2 , suggesting that this formation incurs minimal energetic penalties. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that the film maintains the (110) structure of the terrace during electrochemistry. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) further reveals the insensitivity of the Ru dissolution to strain. Here, our findings show a strain-relieving pathway via surface reconstruction in RuO 2 (110) and provide an example of a strain-relieving mechanism that does not affect dissolution.

Evolution reactions↗
DOE OSTI2023

Continuous observations of the surface energy budget and meteorology over the Arctic sea ice during MOSAiC

Abstract The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) was a yearlong expedition supported by the icebreaker R/V Polarstern , following the Transpolar Drift from October 2019 to October 2020. The campaign documented an annual cycle of physical, biological, and chemical processes impacting the atmosphere-ice-ocean system. Of central importance were measurements of the thermodynamic and dynamic evolution of the sea ice. A multi-agency international team led by the University of Colorado/CIRES and NOAA-PSL observed meteorology and surface-atmosphere energy exchanges, including radiation; turbulent momentum flux; turbulent latent and sensible heat flux; and snow conductive flux. There were four stations on the ice, a 10 m micrometeorological tower paired with a 23/30 m mast and radiation station and three autonomous Atmospheric Surface Flux Stations. Collectively, the four stations acquired ~928 days of data. This manuscript documents the acquisition and post-processing of those measurements and provides a guide for researchers to access and use the data products.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Universal and interpretable classification of atomistic structural transitions via unsupervised graph learning

Materials processing often occurs under extreme dynamic conditions leading to a multitude of unique structural environments. These structural environments generally occur at high temperatures and/or high pressures, often under non-equilibrium conditions, which results in drastic changes in the material's structure over time. Computational techniques, such as molecular dynamics simulations, can probe the atomic regime under these extreme conditions. However, characterizing the resulting diverse atomistic structures as a material undergoes extreme changes in its structure has proved challenging due to the inherently non-linear relationship between structures as large-scale changes occur. Here, we introduce SODAS++, a universal graph neural network framework, that can accurately and intuitively quantify the atomistic structural evolution corresponding to the transition between any two arbitrary phases. We showcase SODAS++ for both solid–solid and solid–liquid transitions for systems of increasing geometric and chemical complexity, such as colloidal systems, elemental Al, rutile and amorphous TiO 2 , and the non-stoichiometric ternary alloy Ag 26 Au 5 Cu 19 . Finally, we show that SODAS++ can accurately quantify all transitions in a physically interpretable manner, showcasing the power of unsupervised graph neural network encodings for capturing the complex and non-linear pathway, a material's structure takes as it evolves.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probing Intra-Halo Light with Galaxy Stacking in CIBER Images

We study the stellar halos of 0.2 ≲ $z$ ≲ 0.5 galaxies with stellar masses spanning $M$* ~ 10 10.5 to 10 12 $M$ ⊙ (approximately $L$* galaxies at this redshift) using imaging data from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER). A previous CIBER fluctuation analysis suggested that intra-halo light (IHL) contributes a significant portion of the near-infrared extragalactic background light (EBL), the integrated emission from all sources throughout cosmic history. In this work, we carry out a stacking analysis with a sample of ~30,000 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometric galaxies from CIBER images in two near-infrared bands (1.1 and 1.8 $μ$m) to directly probe the IHL associated with these galaxies. We stack galaxies in five sub-samples split by brightness and detect an extended galaxy profile beyond the instrument point-spread function (PSF) derived by stacking stars. We jointly fit a model for the inherent galaxy light profile plus large-scale one- and two-halo clustering to measure the extended galaxy IHL. We detect nonlinear one-halo clustering in the 1.8 $μ$m band at a level consistent with numerical simulations. Furthermore, by extrapolating the fraction of extended galaxy light, we measure to all galaxy mass scales, we find ~30%/15% of the total galaxy light budget from galaxies is at radius $r$ > 10/20 kpc, respectively. These results are new at near-infrared wavelengths at the $L$* mass scale and suggest that the IHL emission and one-halo clustering could have appreciable contributions to the amplitude of large-scale EBL background fluctuations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

YeastWGD2025

Supplementary data for Discovery of additional ancient genome duplications in yeasts wgd_syn / - directory containing wgd syn output for all contiguous genomes [dataset] Tree - phylogeny [dataset]Duplications - duplication table from OrthoFinder output KOannotations - KEGG annotations used for enrichment analysis IPRannotations - InterPro annotations used for enrichment analysis DipodascalesOrthogroups - formatted orthogroup assignments for Dipodascales genes.fa and .gff3 files for each new genome assembly are also provided, those these are not required to replicate the analysis

Genomics↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Stellar Mass Function for Nine Massive Galaxy Clusters in the Local Universe

We measure galaxy stellar mass functions (SMFs) for nine of the most massive galaxy clusters in the local Universe (0.07 < z < 0.11) using deep and complete spectroscopy from the MAssive Cluster Survey with Hectospec (MACH). We construct the cluster SMFs down to log (M * /M ⊙ ) ≳ 8.5. For comparison, we measure the SMF for field galaxies, complete to log (M * /M ⊙ ) ≳ 10.5, based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy over the same redshift range. The mean MACH SMF shows a shape similar to that of the field SMF but with a significantly higher amplitude at log (M * /M ⊙ ) < 11.4. At log (M * /M ⊙ ) > 11.4, the MACH SMF shows a clear excess, indicating the contribution of massive galaxies, including brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Based on homogeneous MACH spectroscopy, we compare SMF shapes for quiescent and star-forming members as a function of the cluster-centric distance. The quiescent SMFs display a curved shape with a peak at log (M * /M ⊙ ) ≈ 10.5; the star-forming SMFs decline monotonically with increasing stellar mass. We further compare the mean MACH SMF with SMFs derived from similarly massive clusters in the IllustrisTNG-300 simulations. The shape of the observed and simulated SMFs agrees well overall. However, the MACH clusters contain roughly a factor of 2 more galaxies at 9.0 < log (M * /M ⊙ ) < 10.5. These results demonstrate that constructing cluster SMFs from complete spectroscopic samples can test simulations and provide powerful constraints on galaxy formation and evolution in dense environments.

Park, Jong-In [Seoul National University (Korea, R↗
DOE OSTI2025

Universal Magnetic Phases in Twisted Bilayer MoTe 2

Twisted bilayer MoTe 2 (tMoTe 2 ) has emerged as a robust platform for exploring correlated topological phases, yet the evolution of its magnetism and topology with twist angle remains an open question. Here, we systematically map the magnetic phase diagram of tMoTe 2 by using local optical spectroscopy and scanning nanoSQUID-on-tip magnetometry. We identify spontaneous ferromagnetism at filling factors ν = −1 and −3 across twist angles from 2.1° to 3.7°, revealing a universal, twist-angle-insensitive ferromagnetic phase. At 2.1°, we further observe robust ferromagnetism at ν = −5, absent at larger twist angles. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal a contrasting twist-angle dependence of the Curie temperatures between ν = −1 and −3, indicating a distinct interplay between the exchange interactions and bandwidth for the two Chern bands. Despite broken time-reversal symmetry, no topological gap is detected at ν = −3. Furthermore, our results establish a global framework for understanding and controlling magnetic order in tMoTe 2 .

Insulators↗
DOE OSTI2025

Backlighting extended gas halos around luminous red galaxies: Kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect from DESI Y1 and ACT data

The gas density profile around galaxies, shaped by feedback and affecting the galaxy lensing signal, is imprinted on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect (kSZ). We precisely measure this effect (𝑆/𝑁 ≈ 10) via velocity stacking with 825,283 spectroscopically confirmed luminous red galaxies (LRG) from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Year 1 (DESI Y1) survey, which overlap with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 temperature maps over ≥ 4,000 deg 2 . We explore the kSZ dependence with various galaxy parameters and find no significant trend with redshift but clear trends with stellar mass and absolute magnitude in 𝑔, 𝑟, and 𝑧 bands. Our analysis suggests that the gas extends beyond the dark matter halo (99.5% confidence level, i.e., probability to exceed (PTE)⁢ = 0.005). We find a tentative preference for hydrodynamical simulation models with stronger feedback that drives gas further out (Illustris 𝑧 = 0.5, PTE⁢ = 0.37) over weaker-feedback cases (IllustrisTNG 𝑧 = 0.8, PTE⁢ = 0.045), though with limited statistical significance. In all cases, a free multiplicative amplitude was fit to the simulated profiles, and further modeling work is required to firm up these conclusions. We find consistency between kSZ profiles around spectroscopic and photometric LRG, with comparable statistical power, thus increasing our confidence in the photometric analysis. Additionally, we present the first kSZ measurement around the DESI Y1 bright galaxy sample (BGS) and the emission-line galaxies (ELG) whose features match qualitative expectations. Finally, we forecast 𝑆/𝑁 ∼ 50 for future stacked kSZ measurements using data from the ACT, the DESI Y3, and the Rubin Observatory. Furthermore, these measurements will serve as an input for galaxy formation models and baryonic uncertainties in galaxy lensing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Synthesis of NiRu-Layered Double Hydroxide for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Nickel−ruthenium layered double hydroxide (NiRu-LDH) was synthesized by coprecipitation using formamide as both solvent and intercalant. The synthesis was performed at various temperatures to study the impact of temperature on electrochemical performance. Temperature plays a vital role in optimizing LDH synthesis to enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) efficiency. The optimal temperature yielded a well-defined morphology with balanced crystallinity, leading to more active sites and improved charge transfer. Electrochemical tests indicated that the NiRu-LDH sample prepared at 50 °C (NiRu-LDH-50) required only 280 mV overpotential versus the reversible hydrogen electrode to achieve 10 mA/cm 2 and exhibited a low Tafel slope of 52 mV/dec, demonstrating excellent catalytic kinetics. This study presents the synthesis of NiRu-LDH via coprecipitation and emphasizes how reaction temperature influences LDH structural properties and OER performance.

Catalysts↗
DOE OSTI2025

Collins function for pion-in-jet production in polarized pp collisions: a test of universality and factorization

We present an updated study of the Collins azimuthal asymmetries for pion-in-jet production in polarized pp collisions. To this aim, we employ a recent extraction of the transversity and Collins fragmentation functions from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering and e + e - annihilation into hadron pairs processes, obtained within a simplified transverse momentum dependent (TMD) approach at leading order in the strong coupling constant α s . In the present case we adopt a collinear configuration for the initial state, keeping transverse momentum effects only in the fragmentation mechanism. Our theoretical estimates, when compared against 200 GeV and 510 GeV data from the STAR Collaboration, show a generally good agreement for the distributions in the transverse momentum of the jet, the pion longitudinal momentum fraction and its transverse momentum with respect to the jet direction. While not being a proof, due the assumptions and limitations behind the entire approach, these findings corroborate the hypothesis of TMD factorization for such processes as well as of the universality of the Collins function and, once again, of a reduced impact of the proper TMD evolution on azimuthal asymmetries. We will also present predictions based on an extraction of the Collins and transversity distributions where information from data on single spin asymmetry for inclusive pion production in p ↑ p collisions is included through a Bayesian reweighting procedure.

Azimuthal asymmetries↗