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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 307 records · Page 17

All-optical image denoising using a diffractive visual processor

Abstract Image denoising, one of the essential inverse problems, targets to remove noise/artifacts from input images. In general, digital image denoising algorithms, executed on computers, present latency due to several iterations implemented in, e.g., graphics processing units (GPUs). While deep learning-enabled methods can operate non-iteratively, they also introduce latency and impose a significant computational burden, leading to increased power consumption. Here, we introduce an analog diffractive image denoiser to all-optically and non-iteratively clean various forms of noise and artifacts from input images – implemented at the speed of light propagation within a thin diffractive visual processor that axially spans <250 × λ, where λ is the wavelength of light. This all-optical image denoiser comprises passive transmissive layers optimized using deep learning to physically scatter the optical modes that represent various noise features, causing them to miss the output image Field-of-View (FoV) while retaining the object features of interest. Our results show that these diffractive denoisers can efficiently remove salt and pepper noise and image rendering-related spatial artifacts from input phase or intensity images while achieving an output power efficiency of ~30–40%. We experimentally demonstrated the effectiveness of this analog denoiser architecture using a 3D-printed diffractive visual processor operating at the terahertz spectrum. Owing to their speed, power-efficiency, and minimal computational overhead, all-optical diffractive denoisers can be transformative for various image display and projection systems, including, e.g., holographic displays.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Future of plasma etching for microelectronics: Challenges and opportunities

Plasma etching is an essential semiconductor manufacturing technology required to enable the current microelectronics industry. Along with lithographic patterning, thin-film formation methods, and others, plasma etching has dynamically evolved to meet the exponentially growing demands of the microelectronics industry that enables modern society. At this time, plasma etching faces a period of unprecedented changes owing to numerous factors, including aggressive transition to three-dimensional (3D) device architectures, process precision approaching atomic-scale critical dimensions, introduction of new materials, fundamental silicon device limits, and parallel evolution of post-CMOS approaches. The vast growth of the microelectronics industry has emphasized its role in addressing major societal challenges, including questions on the sustainability of the associated energy use, semiconductor manufacturing related emissions of greenhouse gases, and others. The goal of this article is to help both define the challenges for plasma etching and point out effective plasma etching technology options that may play essential roles in defining microelectronics manufacturing in the future. The challenges are accompanied by significant new opportunities, including integrating experiments with various computational approaches such as machine learning/artificial intelligence and progress in computational approaches, including the realization of digital twins of physical etch chambers through hybrid/coupled models. These prospects can enable innovative solutions to problems that were not available during the past 50 years of plasma etch development in the microelectronics industry. To elaborate on these perspectives, the present article brings together the views of various experts on the different topics that will shape plasma etching for microelectronics manufacturing of the future.

Engineering↗

Physics-Guided Machine Learning (PGML) for Improved Aerostructure Manufacturing

The Physics-Guided Machine Learning (PGML) for Improved Aerostructure Manufacturing project objective is to automatically tune machining parameter predictions from physics-based models using process data and Bayesian machine learning. The intent is to enable a step change in aerospace manufacturing by combining machine learning, physics-based process models, and sensors/data in a comprehensive digital environment that simultaneously considers the computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining center capabilities, the workpiece material and geometry, and the workpiece support (fixturing). The project hypothesis is that this combination will enable improved performance in machining operations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Collaborative Defense of Transmission and Distribution Protection and Control Devices Against Cyber Attacks (CODEF) DE-OE0000674. ABB Inc. Final Scientific/Technical Report

This report summarizes the activities conducted under the DOE-OE funded project DEOE0000674, where ABB Inc. (ABB), in collaboration with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Ameren-Illinois (Ameren-IL) pursued the development of a system of collaborative defense of electrical substation’s intelligent electronic devices against cyber-attacks (CODEF). An electrical substation with CODEF features will be more capable of mitigating cyber-attacks especially those that seek to control switching devices. It leverages the security extensions of IEC 61850 to empower existing devices to collaborate in identifying and blocking malicious intents to trip circuit breakers, mis-coordinate devices settings, even though the commands and the measurements comply with correct syntax. The CODEF functions utilize the physics of electromagnetic systems, electric power engineering principles, and computer science to bring more in depth cyber defense closer to the protected substation devices.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Digital Three Level Space Vector Modulator for High Frequency Vector Sequence Generation

This letter proposes a digital high-speed three-level space vector pulse width modulator (3L-SVPWM). A conventional 3L-SVPWM is typically computation-based, involving a sequential execution of sub-tasks on a digital signal processor (DSP) based controller. The resulting high computation time of 5.4 μs limits the implementation of additional control blocks for switching frequencies greater than 100 kHz. This is overcome by transforming sub-tasks into digital blocks with 1-0 decisions and simpler arithmetic operations. The sub-task blocks are executed concurrently on a programmable logic device (PLD). Hence, a fast 3L-SVPWM execution in 140 ns is achieved. The proposed digital 3L-SVPWM enables high switching frequency operation of wide bandgap (WBG) device-based 3 L inverters to generate high fundamental frequency waveforms. A finite state machine is an integral part of the proposed implementation with the ability to generate any vector sequence, maximizing the usage of redundant vector states in 3L-SVPWM. Here, the proposed digital 3L-SVPWM operation is demonstrated with a GaN-based 3 L active neutral point clamped (3L-ANPC) inverter. Experimental results are presented at 250 kHz switching frequency to generate vector sequences for center-aligned SVPWM (CA-SVPWM) and common mode voltage reduced SVPWM (CMVR-SVPWM). The results also showcase a high fundamental frequency generation capability of 10 kHz.

active neutral point clamped inverter↗

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS AND CASE STUDIES: Addressing the Public Outreach Responsibilities of the National Historic Preservation Act: Argonne National Laboratory’s Box Digital Display Platform

Federal agencies are made responsible for managing the historic properties under their jurisdiction by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. A component of this responsibility is to mitigate the effect of a federal undertaking on historic properties through mitigation often through documentation. Providing public access to this documentation has always been a challenge. To address the issue of public access to mitigation information, personnel from Argonne National Laboratory created the Box Digital Display Platform, a system for communicating information about historic properties to the public. The platform, developed for the US Army Dugway Proving Ground, uses short introductory videos to present a topic but can also incorporate photos, drawings, GIS information, and documents. The system operates from a small, self-contained computer that can be attached to any digital monitor via an HDMI cable. The system relies on web-based software that allows the information to be republished as a touch-screen device application or as a website. The system does not connect to the Internet, and this increases security and eliminates the software maintenance fees associated with websites. The platform is designed to incorporate the products of past documentation to make this information more accessible to the public; specifically those documentations developed using the Historic American Building Survey/ Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) standards. Argonne National Laboratory’s Box Digital Display Platform can assist federal agencies in complying with the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act. Environmental Practice 18: 209–213 (2016)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MPLBM-UT: Multiphase LBM library for permeable media analysis

MPLBM-UT is a specialized lattice-Boltzmann library that makes running single- and two-phase flow simulations in porous media accessible to everyone. We provide a suite of tools to pre-process computational domains for simulation, to set up custom boundary conditions, to run simulations, to post-process simulation outputs, and to visualize simulation results and data. All of these tools are easily accessible to users through the mplbm_utils Python package included in and automatically installed with MPLBM-UT. The high-performance, highly parallel library Palabos is used as the solver backend. MPLBM-UT is easily deployed in a variety of systems, from laptops to supercomputer clusters. MPLBM-UT also features multiple examples and benchmark templates that allow for fast prototyping of different porous media problems. We also provide an interface for reading in different file types and downloading domains from the Digital Rocks Portal to perform simulations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Late Breaking Results: COPPER: Computation Obfuscation by Producing Permutations for Encoding Randomly

Deployed embedded devices face security risks due to increased ease of physical access to the devices by unauthorized users. Capable adversaries can intercept a device to recover the data in memory, including results of performed sensitive computations. Device owners require data confidentiality on their physically insecure devices. To satisfy this goal we implement a novel method, COPPER (Computation Obfuscation by Producing Permutations for Encoding Randomly), to create data which never exists on the device digitally in plaintext format and which is subsequently used for computation. In this paper we utilize COPPER to calculate a moving average computation on encoded data.

embedded systems↗

An Analog Preconditioner for Solving Linear Systems [Slides]

This presentation concludes in situ computation enables new approaches to linear algebra problems which can be both more effective and more efficient as compared to conventional digital systems. Preconditioning is well-suited to analog computation due to the tolerance for approximate solutions. When combined with prior work on in situ MVM for scientific computing, analog preconditioning can enable significant speedups for important linear algebra applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Immersive Visualization for Scientific Data Analysis

We will present the use of immersive visualization at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), showcasing how immersive visualization is advancing scientific research and engineering practices and transforming our day-to-day operations. We are leveraging immersive visualization to support scientific discovery and engineering in various domains, including material design, computational fluid dynamics, immersive analytics, grid modernization, digital twins, and situated visualization. We have observed several benefits across four key areas: enhanced spatial judgments, improved understanding through interaction, increased capacity to embed high-dimensional data, and improved collaboration.

immersive analytics↗

Emulation of complex open quantum systems using superconducting qubits

With quantum computers being out of reach for now, quantum simulators are alternative devices for efficient and accurate simulation of problems that are challenging to tackle using conventional computers. Quantum simulators are classified into analog and digital, with the possibility of constructing “hybrid” simulators by combining both techniques. Here we focus on analog quantum simulators of open quantum systems and address the limit that they can beat classical computers. In particular, as an example, we discuss simulation of the chlorosome light-harvesting antenna from green sulfur bacteria with over 250 phonon modes coupled to each electronic state. Furthermore, we propose physical setups that can be used to reproduce the quantum dynamics of a standard and multiple-mode Holstein model. The proposed scheme is based on currently available technology of superconducting circuits consist of flux qubits and quantum oscillators.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Digital Modeling on Large Kernel Metamaterial Neural Network

Deep neural networks (DNNs) utilized recently are physically deployed with computational units (e.g., CPUs and GPUs). Such a design might lead to a heavy computational burden, significant latency, and intensive power consumption, which are critical limitations in applications such as Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and usage of drones. Recent advances in optical computational units (e.g., metamaterial) have shed light on energy-free and light-speed neural networks. However, the digital design of the metamaterial neural network (MNN) is fundamentally limited by its physical limitations, such as precision, noise, and bandwidth during fabrication. Moreover, the unique advantages of MNN’s (e.g., light-speed computation) are not fully explored via standard 3×3 convolution kernels. In this paper, we propose a novel large kernel metamaterial neural network (LMNN) that maximizes the digital capacity of the state-of-the-art (SOTA) MNN with model re-parametrization and network compression, while also considering the optical limitation explicitly. The new digital learning scheme can maximize the learning capacity of MNN while modeling the physical restrictions of meta-optics. With the proposed LMNN, the computation cost of the convolutional front-end can be offloaded to fabricated optical hardware. The experimental results on two publicly available datasets demonstrate that the optimized hybrid design improved classification accuracy while reducing computational latency. In conclusion, the development of the proposed LMNN is a promising step towards the ultimate goal of energy-free and light-speed AI.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Livermore Brain: Massive Deep Learning Networks Enabled by High Performance Computing

The proliferation of inexpensive sensor technologies like the ubiquitous digital image sensors has resulted in the collection and sharing of vast amounts of unsorted and unexploited raw data. Companies and governments who are able to collect and make sense of large datasets to help them make better decisions more rapidly will have a competitive advantage in the information era. Machine Learning technologies play a critical role for automating the data understanding process; however, to be maximally effective, useful intermediate representations of the data are required. These representations or “features” are transformations of the raw data into a form where patterns are more easily recognized. Recent breakthroughs in Deep Learning have made it possible to learn these features from large amounts of labeled data. The focus of this project is to develop and extend Deep Learning algorithms for learning features from vast amounts of unlabeled data and to develop the HPC neural network training platform to support the training of massive network models. This LDRD project succeeded in developing new unsupervised feature learning algorithms for images and video and created a scalable neural network training toolkit for HPC. Additionally, this LDRD helped create the world’s largest freely-available image and video dataset supporting open multimedia research and used this dataset for training our deep neural networks. This research helped LLNL capture several work-for-others (WFO) projects, attract new talent, and establish collaborations with leading academic and commercial partners. Finally, this project demonstrated the successful training of the largest unsupervised image neural network using HPC resources and helped establish LLNL leadership at the intersection of Machine Learning and HPC research.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Nonlinear analog processing with anisotropic nonlinear films

Digital signal processing is the cornerstone of several modern-day technologies, yet in multiple applications it faces critical bottlenecks related to memory and speed constraints. Thanks to recent advances in metasurface design and fabrication, light-based analog computing has emerged as a viable option to partially replace or augment digital approaches. Several light-based analog computing functionalities have been demonstrated using patterned flat optical elements, with great opportunities for integration in compact nanophotonic systems. So far, however, the available operations have been restricted to the linear regime, limiting the impact of this technology to a compactification of Fourier optics systems. In this paper, we introduce nonlinear operations to the field of metasurface-based analog optical processing, demonstrating that nonlinear optical phenomena, combined with nonlocality in flat optics, can be leveraged to synthesize kernels beyond linear Fourier optics, paving the way to a broad range of new opportunities. As a practical demonstration, we report the experimental synthesis of a class of nonlinear operations that can be used to realize broadband, polarization-selective analog-domain edge detection.

analog image processing↗