Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “mass accuracy”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

Laser Interferometry for Gravitational Wave Observation: LISA and LISA Pathfinder

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a planned NASA-ESA gravitational wave observatory in the frequency range of 0.1mHz-100mHz. This observation band is inaccessible to ground-based detectors due to the large ground motions of the Earth. Gravitational wave sources for LISA include galactic binaries, mergers of supermasive black-hole binaries, extreme-mass-ratio inspirals, and possibly from as yet unimagined sources. LISA is a constellation of three spacecraft separated by 5 million km in an equilateral triangle, whose center follows the Earth in a heliocentric orbit with an orbital phase offset oF 20 degrees. Challenging technology is required to ensure pure geodetic trajectories of the six onboard test masses, whose distance fluctuations will be measured by interspacecraft laser interferometers with picometer accuracy. LISA Pathfinder is an ESA-launched technology demonstration mission of key LISA subsystems such us spacecraft control with micro-newton thrusters, test mass drag-free control, and precision laser interferometry between free-flying test masses. Ground testing of flight hardware of the Gravitational Reference Sensor and Optical Metrology subsystems of LISA Pathfinder is currently ongoing. An introduction to laser interferometric gravitational wave detection, ground-based observatories, and a detailed description of the two missions together with an overview of current investigations conducted by the community will bc discussed. The current status in development and implementation of LISA Pathfinder pre-flight systems and latest results of the ongoing ground testing efforts will also be presented

Guzman, Felipe↗
NASA NTRS2017

Determining the Products of Inertia for Small Scale UAVs

Moments of inertia and products of inertia often need to be determined for aircraft. As complex bodies, their mass properties need to be determined experimentally for best accuracy. While several moment of inertia experimental techniques have been developed, there are few to determine the products of inertia. Products of inertia can be easily determined mathematically if the angle between the aircraft x body axis and principal x axis is known. This method finds the principal inclination angle by mathematically correlating the measured moments of inertia about a range of axes of the aircraft. This correlation uses a least squares error minimization of a mathematical model that describes the ellipse of inertia in the aircraft's x-z axes plane. Results from a test conducted on a small scale UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center is also presented, which is an example of the intended application of this technique.

mass properties↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Extended Halo-based Group/Cluster Finder: Application to the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys DR8

We extend the halo-based group finder developed by Yang et al. (2005c) to use data simultaneously with either photometric or spectroscopic redshifts. A mock galaxy redshift survey constructed from a high-resolution N-body simulation is used to evaluate the performance of this extended group finder. For galaxies with magnitude z ≤ 21 and redshift 0 < z ≤ 1.0 in the DESI legacy imaging surveys (the Legacy Surveys), our group finder successfully identifies more than 60% of the members in about 90% of halos with mass ≳10 12.5 h –1 M ⊙ . Detected groups with mass ≳10 12.0 h –1 M ⊙ have a purity (the fraction of true groups) greater than 90%. The halo mass assigned to each group has an uncertainty of about 0.2 dex at the high-mass end ≳10 13.5 h –1 M ⊙ and 0.45 dex at the low-mass end. Groups with more than 10 members have a redshift accuracy of ~0.008. We apply this group finder to the Legacy Surveys DR8 and find 6.4 million groups with at least three members. About 500,000 of these groups have at least 10 members. Furthermore, the resulting catalog containing 3D coordinates, richness, halo masses, and total group luminosities is made publicly available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Three Dimensional Cross-Sectional Properties From Bone Densitometry

Bone densitometry has previously been used to obtain cross-sectional properties of bone in a single scan plane. Using three non-coplanar scans, we have extended the method to obtain the principal area Moments of inertia and orientations of the principal axes at each cross-section along the length of the scan. Various 5 aluminum phantoms were used to examine scanner characteristics to develop the highest accuracy possible for in vitro non-invasive analysis of mass distribution. Factors considered included X-ray photon energy, initial scan orientation, the included angle of the 3 scans, and Imin/Imax ratios. Principal moments of inertia were accurate to within 3.1% and principal angles were within 1 deg. of the expected value for phantoms scanned with included angles of 60 deg. and 90 deg. at the higher X-ray photon energy. Low standard deviations in error also 10 indicate high precision of calculated measurements with these included angles. Accuracy and precision decreased slightly when the included angle was reduced to 30 deg. The method was then successfully applied to a pair of excised cadaveric tibiae. The accuracy and insensitivity of the algorithms to cross-sectional shape and changing isotropy (Imin/Imax) values when various included angles are used make this technique viable for future in vivo studies.

Cleek, Tammy M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-Throughput Large-Scale Targeted Proteomics Assays for Quantifying Pathway Proteins in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Targeted proteomics is a mass spectrometry-based protein quantification technique with high sensitivity, accuracy, and reproducibility. As a key component in the multi-omics toolbox of systems biology, targeted liquid chromatography-selected reaction monitoring (LC-SRM) measurements are critical for enzyme and pathway identification and design in metabolic engineering. To fulfill the increasing need for analyzing large sample sets with faster turnaround time in systems biology, high-throughput LC-SRM is greatly needed. Even though nanoflow LC-SRM has better sensitivity, it lacks the speed offered by microflow LC-SRM. Recent advancements in mass spectrometry instrumentation significantly enhance the scan speed and sensitivity of LC-SRM, thereby creating opportunities for applying the high speed of microflow LC-SRM without losing peptide multiplexing power or sacrificing sensitivity. Here, we studied the performance of microflow LC-SRM relative to nanoflow LC-SRM by monitoring 339 peptides representing 132 enzymes in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 grown on various carbon sources. The results from the two LC-SRM platforms are highly correlated. In addition, the response curve study of 248 peptides demonstrates that microflow LC-SRM has comparable sensitivity for the majority of detected peptides and better mass spectrometry signal and chromatography stability than nanoflow LC-SRM.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Predicting images for the dynamics of stellar clusters ( π-DOC ): a deep learning framework to predict mass, distance, and age of globular clusters

ABSTRACT Dynamical mass estimates of simple systems such as globular clusters (GCs) still suffer from up to a factor of 2 uncertainty. This is primarily due to the oversimplifications of standard dynamical models that often neglect the effects of the long-term evolution of GCs. Here, we introduce a new approach to measure the dynamical properties of GCs, based on the combination of a deep-learning framework and the large amount of data from direct N-body simulations. Our algorithm, π-DOC (Predicting Images for the Dynamics Of stellar Clusters) is composed of two convolutional networks, trained to learn the non-trivial transformation between an observed GC luminosity map and its associated mass distribution, age, and distance. The training set is made of V-band luminosity and mass maps constructed as mock observations from N-body simulations. The tests on π-DOC demonstrate that we can predict the mass distribution with a mean error per pixel of 27 per cent, and the age and distance with an accuracy of 1.5 Gyr and 6 kpc, respectively. In turn, we recover the shape of the mass-to-light profile and its global value with a mean error of 12 per cent, which implies that we efficiently trace mass segregation. A preliminary comparison with observations indicates that our algorithm is able to predict the dynamical properties of GCs within the limits of the training set. These encouraging results demonstrate that our deep-learning framework and its forward modelling approach can offer a rapid and adaptable tool competitive with standard dynamical models.

Chardin, Jonathan↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evaluation of ERBE scanner pointing accuracy based upon a coastline detection algorithm

Measurements from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) scanning radiometers must be accurately located at the top of the Earth's atmosphere for proper interpretation of derived longwave and shortwave components of the Earth radiation field. The accuracy of the location calculations is affected by the orbit characteristics and attitude control systems of the three spacecraft, ERBS, NOAA-9, and NOAA-10. A technique was developed which makes use of the longwave scanner measurements to detect the thermal gradients at the boundaries of ocean and land masses. By analyzing many such coastline boundaries, estimates of the overall accuracy of the scanner measurement location calculations have been derived for the three satellites. The resulting measurement location errors are found to be smaller than the resolution of the radiometers, and this accuracy is well within the required location knowledge for useful science analysis of the ERBE scanner data.

Weaver, William L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

230Th/234U radiochronometry for uranium materials by alpha spectrometry for nuclear forensics analysis

We have developed an alpha spectrometry method for 230Th/234U radiochronometry to determine the model separation age for uranium materials. This method offers an alternative to the more commonly used, but significantly more resource intensive multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) while providing similar accuracy and precision. The development included radiochemical separation of uranium and thorium, calibration of the 232U tracer and the alpha spectrometry measurement. The method was validated by analyzing a certified reference material, CRM 125-A, which is a uranium oxide pellet assay, isotopic, and radiochronometric standard. The results were compared to those obtained by our routine MC-ICP-MS 230Th/234U radiochronometry analysis method to assess the performance parameters for alpha spectrometry compared to the state-of-the-art technique.

Macsik, Zsuzsanna [Los Alamos National Laboratory ↗
DOE OSTI2026

A case study on the use of carbon sticky tabs for microbeam uranium isotope measurement with an emphasis on understanding the influence of subtle variations in substrate composition

In this paper we integrate laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), large geometry secondary ion mass spectrometry (LG-SIMS), laser ablation—multi collector—inductively coupled plasma—mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS), and trace elemental compositions obtained by bulk digestion from a suite of commercially available carbon sticky tabs to determine if subtle variations in the tab’s composition can be tied to shifts in the observed uranium isotopic composition of the IRMM-2020 standard relative to its ‘true’ value. The results suggest that, although clear differences exist in the relative abundances of carbon and hydrogen across the various carbon sticky tabs examined, as well as differences in their trace elemental and total uranium concentrations, these differences do not appear to influence the LG-SIMS or LA-MC-ICP-MS uranium isotope ratio measurements, or the appearance of the uranium mass spectrum scans. Instead, the quality (i.e., precision and accuracy) of the LG-SIMS and LA-MC-ICP-MS results are directly proportional to the observed signal intensity at the time of analysis. For the LG-SIMS measurements, there does appear to be a direct correlation between 235U1H hydride formation rates and vacuum conditions within the instrument’s analytical chamber. Furthermore, none of the carbon sticky tabs examined by LG-SIMS displayed evidence of elevated background uranium content. While a preliminary correlation was observed between the uranium isotope background signal during LA-MC-ICP-MS and the total uranium concentrations determined by isotope dilution, none of the tabs displayed a high enough analytical background to affect the isotope ratio measurements.

Zirakparvar, Alex [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000337797730)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Weak boundary conditions for Lagrangian shock hydrodynamics: A high-order finite element implementation on curved boundaries

Here, we propose a new Nitsche-type approach for weak enforcement of normal velocity boundary conditions for a Lagrangian discretization of the compressible shock-hydrodynamics equations using high-order finite elements on curved boundaries. Specifically, the variational formulation is appropriately modified to enforce free-slip wall boundary conditions, without perturbing the structure of the function spaces used to represent the solution, with a considerable simplification with respect to traditional approaches. Total energy is conserved and the resulting mass matrices are constant in time. The robustness and accuracy of the proposed method are validated with an extensive set of tests involving nontrivial curved boundaries.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Electron Thermal Conductivity of Pu and Zr Substituted $\mathcal{γ}$-U

Uranium alloys are attractive recycled nuclear fuels because of their high thermal conductivity (𝑘) and fissile density. Limited experimental studies of the 𝑘 of U-Pu-Zr alloys in the range of 15 to 20 wt% Pu and 6 to 15 wt% Zr indicate that increasing the content of either Zr or Pu tends to lower 𝑘. However, which element has the greater effect on 𝑘, and the associated mechanisms, remains unclear. Here, in this study, the electron thermal conductivity (𝑘 𝑒 ) of U-Pu-Zr compositions are calculated using density functional theory. The electronic structure is evaluated to understand the effects of plutonium (Pu) and zirconium (Zr) substitution on the 𝑘 𝑒 of 𝛾-U. Alloys of up to 37.5 at. % Pu and 37.5 at. % Zr are examined. Two methods are applied to calculate 𝑘 𝑒 ; we find that the accuracy of each method depends on the electronic and mass similarities between the solute and solvent atoms. Specifically, when the solute atom is similar in electronic structure and mass, the more accurate method is that which employs the electron relaxation time of 𝛾-U, while if the elements are dissimilar, a mixed method that mixes several parameters associated with JNW_S⁢3033426825100132 from each element in the alloy is best. The introduction of all alloying elements decreases 𝑘 𝑒 ; however, in binary compounds, Pu and Zr have different effects. Pu flattens the electronic bands but compensates for this deleterious effect by increasing electron density near the Fermi level. Zr flattens the electronic bands more severely without adding electron density near the Fermi level. Therefore, Zr decreases 𝑘 𝑒 more than Pu in binary compounds. In ternary compounds, the difference between Pu and Zr is minimal due to the phononic change from the large mass change of Zr substitution, even at 12.5 at. %. Thus, we predict that higher loadings of Pu, and potentially other actinides, can be added to U-Pu-Zr compositions for faster recycling of spent fuel without sacrificing 𝑘. We also note that these 𝑘 𝑒 calculation methods can be applied to non-fuel alloys that require 𝑘 𝑒 predictions, such as cladding, heat exchanger, and structural materials.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heavy flavor jet substructure at lepton colliders

We provide a detailed analysis of event-shape observables, namely the energy correlation function and jet angularity, for heavy-flavor jets produced in electron-positron collisions, focusing on quantum chromodynamics (QCD) interactions. Using modern jet substructure techniques, we investigate the dead-cone effect, where QCD radiation is suppressed around a heavy quark within an angle proportional to its mass. Our analysis achieves next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy, combined with partial fixed-order contributions, to improve the description of the transition near the dead-cone threshold. To ensure a comprehensive perspective, we compare our analytical results with predictions from the pythia, herwig, and sherpa Monte Carlo simulations at past and future lepton colliders.

Perturbative QCD↗
DOE OSTI2023

Low-order aquifer thermal energy storage model for geothermal system simulation

This paper presents a low-order aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) model for simulation of combined subsurface and above-surface energy systems. The model is included in the Modelica IBPSA Library, which is a free open-source library with basic models for building and district energy and control systems. The model uses a lumped-component method, in which the transient conductive-convective heat and mass transfer equation is radially discretized. To verify the accuracy of the model, we present an inter-model comparison from a simulation test suite. Results show that the Modelica ATES model is in good agreement, with a normalized mean bias error for yearly variation of aquifer temperatures of 1.6×10−2 and 9×10−5 at 1 m and 10 m distance from the well.

Maccarini, Alessandro↗
DOE OSTI2025

Initial Characterization of the NREL Large-Amplitude Motion Platform

The Large Amplitude Motion Platform (LAMP) at NREL represents a significant advancement in the controlled testing of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) under laboratory conditions. Originally designed by E2M as a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) Stewart platform for flight simulation, LAMP has been adapted by NREL to facilitate the mounting and evaluation of WECs. This adaptation enables dry testing of WECs using motion profiles similar to the ocean, facilitating the iterative design, testing, and validation of WEC performance prior to ocean deployments. This report presents the initial work completed to characterize LAMP, with particular emphasis on its stability and operational capabilities across various single and multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion profiles. The report includes planned comparisons at three distinct mass payloads, aimed at assessing the platform's positional accuracy, frequency response, and endurance over extended runtime periods. These experimental tests are critical for establishing the platform's limitations and ensuring that the data generated during WEC validation is both accurate and reproducible. The outcomes of this study not only contribute to a deeper understanding of LAMP's capabilities but also lay the groundwork for future advancements in WEC testing methodologies. By providing robust and reliable performance data within a controlled laboratory setting, the findings are expected to significantly enhance the development and commercialization of marine energy technologies. This report presents the initial findings of the LAMP Characterization work and proposed steps to further understand and characterize LAMP. Data collected during this work can be found on MHKDR at: https://mhkdr.openei.org/submissions/602 Note that this report shares the measured/found instantaneous maximum operating range of LAMP. For most applications the maximum operating range cannot be used for system health and longevity. The operating range and capabilities of LAMP will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, single-DOF position, velocity, and acceleration values presented in Table 4a-c, and Table 5 should be taken as instantaneous absolute maximum values. Future use of LAMP will likely be limited to smaller values.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2021

The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. III. Cosmological Zoom-in Simulation of a Milky Way–mass Halo

In this work, we present a suite of high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations to z = 4 of a 10 12 M⊙ halo at z = 0, obtained using seven contemporary astrophysical simulation codes (Art-I, Enzo, Ramses, Changa, Gadget-3, Gear, and Gizmo) widely used in the numerical galaxy formation community. The physics prescriptions for gas cooling and heating and star formation are the same as the ones used in our previous Assembling Galaxies of Resolved Anatomy (AGORA) disk comparison but now account for the effects of cosmological processes such as the expansion of the universe, intergalactic gas inflow, and the cosmic ultraviolet background radiation emitted by massive stars and quasars. In this work, we introduce the most careful comparison yet of galaxy formation simulations run by different code groups, together with a series of four calibration steps each of which is designed to reduce the number of tunable simulation parameters adopted in the final run. In the first two steps, we methodically calibrate the gas physics, such as cooling and heating, in simulations without star formation. In the third step, we seek agreement on the total stellar mass produced with the common star formation prescription used in the AGORA disk comparison, in stellar-feedback-free simulations. In the last calibration step, we activate stellar feedback, where each code group is asked to set the feedback prescription to as close to the most widely used one in its code community as possible, while aiming for convergence in the stellar mass at z = 4 to the values predicted by semiempirical models. After all the participating code groups successfully complete the calibration steps, we achieve a suite of cosmological simulations with similar mass assembly histories down to z = 4. With numerical accuracy that resolves the internal structure of a target halo (≲100 physical pc at z = 4), we find that the codes overall agree well with one another, e.g., in gas and stellar properties, but also show differences, e.g., in circumgalactic medium (CGM) properties. We argue that, if adequately tested in accordance with our proposed calibration steps and common parameters, high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations can have robust and reproducible results. New code groups are invited to join and enrich this comparison by generating equivalent models or to test the code's compatibility on their own, by adopting the common initial conditions, the common easy-to-implement physics package, and the proposed calibration steps. Further analyses of the zoom-in simulations presented here will be presented in forthcoming reports from the AGORA Collaboration, including studies of the CGM, simulations by additional codes, and results at lower redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Collisional Excitation and Non-LTE Modeling of Interstellar Chiral Propylene Oxide

Abstract The first set of theoretical rotational cross sections for propylene oxide (CH 3 CHCH 2 O) colliding with cold He atoms has been obtained at the full quantum level using a high-accuracy potential energy surface. By scaling the collision reduced mass, rotational rate coefficients for collisions with para-H 2 are deduced in the temperature range 5–30 K. These collisional coefficients are combined with radiative data in a non-LTE radiative transfer model in order to reproduce observations of propylene oxide made toward the Sagittarius B2(N) molecular cloud with the Green Bank and Parkes radio telescopes. The three detected absorption lines are found to probe the cold (∼10 K) and translucent ( n H ∼ 2000 cm −3 ) gas in the outer edges of the extended Sgr B2(N) envelope. The derived column density for propylene oxide is N tot ∼ 3 × 10 12 cm −2 , corresponding to a fractional abundance relative to total hydrogen of ∼2.5 × 10 −11 . The present results are expected to help our understanding of the chemistry of propylene oxide, including a potential enantiomeric excess, in the cold interstellar medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Improvement of modal scaling factors using mass additive technique

A general investigation into the improvement of modal scaling factors of an experimental modal model using additive technique is discussed. Data base required by the proposed method consists of an experimental modal model (a set of complex eigenvalues and eigenvectors) of the original structure and a corresponding set of complex eigenvalues of the mass-added structure. Three analytical methods,i.e., first order and second order perturbation methods, and local eigenvalue modification technique, are proposed to predict the improved modal scaling factors. Difficulties encountered in scaling closely spaced modes are discussed. Methods to compute the necessary rotational modal vectors at the mass additive points are also proposed to increase the accuracy of the analytical prediction.

Zhang, Qiang↗
NASA NTRS1993

What determines the stellar mass functions in globular clusters?

We analyze the dependence of stellar mass function slopes for a sample of 17 globular clusters on a variety of cluster parameters. The principal novelty of our approach is the use of appropriate multivariate statistical methods to disentangle the complex situation which is present in this problem: the slopes depend simultaneously on more than one variable, and many cluster parameters are mutually correlated. We find that the mass function slopes in the range M/M(solar) = 0.5-0.8 are largely determined by the position in the Galaxy and to a lesser extent by the cluster metallicity. Clusters closer to the Galactic center or plane have shallower mass function slopes. At a given distance to the Galactic center, clusters closer to the Galactic plane have shallower mass function slopes. At a given R(GC) and/or Z(GP), more metal-rich clusters have shallower mass function slopes. Thus, the monovariate correlations with the position or metallicity are both correct, but only partial, and in terms of slopes, biased descriptions of the situation. We present trivariate least-squares solutions where the mass function slopes can be predicted within the measurement accuracy. This relation can serve as a powerful observational constraint for theories of globular cluster formation and evolution, and it is one of the tightest correlations between globular cluster properties now known.

Djorgovski, S.↗