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NASA NTRS2007

Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES)

Cassini and Huygens have made exciting discoveries at Titan and Enceladus, and at the same time made us aware of how little we understand about these bodies. For example, the source, and/or recycling mechanism, of methane in Titan's atmosphere is still puzzling. Indeed, river beds (mostly dry) and lakes have been spotted, and occasional clouds have been seen, but the physics to explain the observations is still mostly lacking, since our "image" of Titan is still sketchy and quite incomplete. Enceladus, only -500 km in extent, is even more puzzling, with its fiery plumes of vapor, dust and ice emanating from its south polar region, "feeding" Saturn's E ring. Long term variability of magnetospheric plasma, neutral gas, E-ring ice grain density, radio emissions, and corotation of Saturn's planetary magnetic field in response to Enceladus plume activity are of great interest for Saturn system science. Both Titan and Enceladus are bodies of considerable astrobiological interest in view of high organic abundances at Titan and potential subsurface liquid water at Enceladus. We propose to develop a new mission to Titan and Enceladus, the Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission with Enceladus Science (TOAMES), to address these questions using novel new technologies. TOAMES is a multi-faceted mission that starts with orbit insertion around Saturn using aerobraking with Titan's extended atmosphere. We then have an orbital tour around Saturn (for 1-2 years) and close encounters with Enceladus, before it goes into orbit around Titan (via aerocapture). During the early reconnaissance phase around Titan, perhaps 6 months long, the orbiter will use altimetry, radio science and remote sensing instruments to measure Titan's global topography, subsurface structure and atmospheric winds. This information will be used to determine where and when to release the Aerorover, so that it can navigate safely around Titan and identify prime sites for surface sampling and analysis. In situ instruments will sample the upper atmosphere which may provide the seed population for the complex organic chemistry on the surface. The Aerorover will probably use a "hot air" Montgolfier balloon concept using the waste heat from the MMRTG 1-2 kwatts. New technologies will need to be developed and miniaturization will be required to maintain functionality while controlling mass, power and cost. Duty cycling will be used. The Aerorover will have all the instruments needed to sample Titan's atmosphere and surface with possible methane lakes-rivers. It will e.g., use multi-spectral imagers and for last 6 months of mission, balloon payload will land on surface at predetermined site to take core samples of the surface and use seismometers to help probe the interior. All remote (and active) sensors on the orbiter will share a - 1 meter telescope, called MIDAS (Multiple Instrument Distributed Aperture Sensor). MIDAS observations in stable orbit at Titan can provide full global maps of Titan's surface and could additionally provide long term observations of the Saturn system including Enceladus for extended mission phases over many years, potentially for decades. Experience from the Hubble Space Telescope has shown strong public interest and commitment to exciting generational missions.

Sittler, Edward C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Construction and Analysis of Electronic circuits

The Aviation Environmental Technical Branch produces many various types of aeronautical research that benefits the NASA mission for space exploration and in turn, produces new technology for our nation. One of the present goals of the Aviation Environmental Technical Branch is to create better engines for airplanes by testing supersonic jet propulsion and safe fuel combustion. During the summer of 2004, I was hired by Vincent Sattenvhite Chief executive of the Aviation Environmental Technical Branch to Assist Yves Lamothe with a fuel igniter circuit. Yves Lamothe is an electrical engineer who is currently working on safe fuel combustion testing. This testing is planned to determine the minimum ignition energy for fuel and air vapors of current and alternative fuels under simulated flight conditions. An air temperature bath will provide simulated flight profile temperatures and the heat fluxes to the test chamber. I was assigned with Yves to help complete the igniter circuit which consists of a 36k voltage supply an oscilloscope, and a high voltage transistor switch. During my tenure in the L.E.C.I.R.P. program I studied the basics of electricity and circuitry along with two other projects that I completed. In the beginning of my internship, I devote all of my time to research the aspects of circuitry so that I would be prepared for the projects that I was assigned to do. I read about lessons on; the basic physical concepts of electronics, Electrical units, Basic dc circuits, direct current circuit analysis, resistance and cell batteries, various types of magnetism , Alternating current basics, inductance, and power supplies. I received work sheets and math equations from my Mentor so that I could be able to apply these concepts into my work. After I complete my studies, I went on to construct a LED chaser circuit which displays a series of light patterns using a 555 timer. I incorporated a switch and motion detector into the circuit to create basic alarm system. This project challenged my ability to interpret a schematic and expand it. While I was still completing the LED chaser circuit I Also was given A Basic Stamp Toddler Robot to build and program. The Toddler robot can walk in 36 various styles using advanced robotics. I used many different programs to create movement and direction of the robot. Also the Toddler can use infrared vision to sense objects. This enables the robot to maneuver indefinitely without running into objects. During my tenure at the NASA Glen Research Center I definite utilized the NASA mission to educate. I learned valuable information to help in my up coming year as a freshman in college.

Thomas, Ashley N.↗

NASA NTRS2023

ICARUS: in-Situ Studies of the Solar Corona Beyond Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

The primary scientific goal of ICARUS (Investigation of Coronal AcceleRation and heating of solar wind Up to the Sun), a mother-daughter satellite mission, proposed in response to the ESA “Voyage 2050” Call, will be to determine how the magnetic field and plasma dynamics in the outer solar atmosphere give rise to the corona, the solar wind, and the entire heliosphere. Reaching this goal will be a Rosetta Stone step, with results that are broadly applicable within the fields of space plasma physics and astrophysics. Within ESA’s Cosmic Vision roadmap, these science goals address Theme 2: “How does the Solar System work?” by investigating basic processes occurring “From the Sun to the edge of the Solar System”. ICARUS will not only advance our understanding of the plasma environment around our Sun, but also of the numerous magnetically active stars with hot plasma coronae. ICARUS I will perform the first direct in situ measurements of electromagnetic fields, particle acceleration, wave activity, energy distribution, and flows directly in the regions in which the solar wind emerges from the coronal plasma. ICARUS I will have a perihelion altitude of 1 solar radius and will cross the region where the major energy deposition occurs. The polar orbit of ICARUS I will enable crossing the regions where both the fast and slow winds are generated. It will probe the local characteristics of the plasma and provide unique information about the physical processes involved in the creation of the solar wind. ICARUS II will observe this region using remote-sensing instruments, providing simultaneous, contextual information about regions crossed by ICARUS I and the solar atmosphere below as observed by solar telescopes. It will thus provide bridges for understanding the magnetic links between the heliosphere and the solar atmosphere. Such information is crucial to our understanding of the plasma physics and electrodynamics of the solar atmosphere. ICARUS II will also play a very important relay role, enabling the radio-link with ICARUS I. It will receive, collect, and store information transmitted from ICARUS I during its closest approach to the Sun. It will also perform preliminary data processing before transmitting it to Earth. Performing such unique in situ observations in the area where presumably hazardous solar energetic particles are energized, ICARUS will provide fundamental advances in our capabilities to monitor and forecast the space radiation environment. Therefore, the results from the ICARUS mission will be extremely crucial for future space explorations, especially for long-term crewed space missions.

Solar wind↗

DOE OSTI2024

Scalable bottom-up synthesis of Co-Ni–doped graphene

Introducing heteroatoms into graphene is a powerful strategy to modulate its catalytic, electronic, and magnetic properties. At variance with the cases of nitrogen (N)– and boron (B)–doped graphene, a scalable method for incorporating transition metal atoms in the carbon (C) mesh is currently lacking, limiting the applicative interest of model system studies. This work presents a during-growth synthesis enabling the incorporation of cobalt (Co) alongside nickel (Ni) atoms in graphene on a Ni(111) substrate. Single atoms are covalently stabilized within graphene double vacancies, with a Co load ranging from 0.07 to 0.22% relative to C atoms, controllable by synthesis parameters. Structural characterization involves variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio calculations. The Co- and Ni-codoped layer is transferred onto a transmission electron microscopy grid, confirming stability through scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. This method holds promise for applications in spintronics, gas sensing, electrochemistry and catalysis, and potential extension to graphene incorporation of similar metals.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

NASA NTRS2008

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2008

Topics covered include: Gas Sensors Based on Coated and Doped Carbon Nanotubes; Tactile Robotic Topographical Mapping Without Force or Contact Sensors; Thin-Film Magnetic-Field-Response Fluid-Level Sensor for Non-Viscous Fluids; Progress in Development of Improved Ion-Channel Biosensors; Simulating Operation of a Complex Sensor Network; Using Transponders on the Moon to Increase Accuracy of GPS; Controller for Driving a Piezoelectric Actuator at Resonance; Coaxial Electric Heaters; Dual-Input AND Gate From Single-Channel Thin-Film FET; High-Density, High-Bandwidth, Multilevel Holographic Memory; Fabrication of Gate-Electrode Integrated Carbon-Nanotube Bundle Field Emitters; Hydroxide-Assisted Bonding of Ultra-Low-Expansion Glass; Photochemically Synthesized Polyimides; Optimized Carbonate and Ester-Based Li-Ion Electrolytes; Compact 6-DOF Stage for Optical Adjustments; Ultrasonic/Sonic Impacting Penetrators; Miniature, Lightweight, One-Time-Opening Valve; Supplier Management System; Improved CLARAty Functional-Layer/Decision-Layer Interface; JAVA Stereo Display Toolkit; Remote-Sensing Time Series Analysis, a Vegetation Monitoring Tool; PyPele Rewritten To Use MPI; Data Assimilation Cycling for Weather Analysis; Hydrocyclone/Filter for Concentrating Biomarkers from Soil; Activating STAT3 Alpha for Promoting Healing of Neurons; and Probing a Spray Using Frequency-Analyzed Light Scattering.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

Precise positioning and compliance synthesis for automatic assembly using Lorentz levitation

Many manufacturing assembly tasks require fine compliant motion and fast, accurate positioning. Conventional robots perform poorly in these tasks because of their large mass, friction and backlash in gears, cogging in drive motors and other deleterious effects. Even robots equipped with special control systems enabling compliant operation offer only partial solutions. It is difficult or impossible to automate many product assemblies requiring fine, compliant motion. This problem can be greatly alleviated by dividing the manipulation system into coarse and fine domains. In this scenario, a standard industrial robot can serve as a coarse positioner which in turn carries a six degrees of freedom fine motion wrist. Thus the robot can access a workspace measured in meters at low bandwidth and low resolution while the wrist can move over millimeters at high bandwidth and high resolution during the final phase of the assembly operation. Work indicates that fine motion wrists using Lorentz levitation can greatly augment the accuracy and dexterity of robots because they are frictionless, have high bandwidths and have a single back drivable moving part. Also, since there is no contact between the moving and stationary parts, wear and contamination can be eliminated. The use of six Lorentz force actuators in combination with real time position and orientation sensing offers several important advantages over magnetic bearing approaches.

Hollis, R. L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Correlated nanoelectronics and the second quantum revolution

The growing field of correlated nanoelectronics exists at the intersection of two established fields: correlated oxide electronics and semiconductor nanoelectronics. The development of quantum technologies that exploit quantum coherence and entanglement for the purposes of computation, simulation, and sensing will require complex material properties to be controlled at nanoscale dimensions. Heterostructures and nanostructures formed at the interface between LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 exhibit striking behavior that arises from the ability to program the conductive behavior at extreme nanoscale dimensions. The active electronic layer, SrTiO 3 , exhibits a wide range of gate-tunable phenomena such as ferroelectricity, ferroelasticity, magnetism, superconductivity, and spin–orbit coupling, all of which can be controlled at the nanoscale using two reversible methods: conductive atomic force microscope lithography and ultra-low-voltage electron beam lithography. Mesoscopic devices such as single-electron transistors and quasi-one-dimensional electron waveguides can be “sketched” using these techniques, and the properties of these devices differ significantly from those created from traditional semiconductors, such as Si or GaAs. The strongly correlated nature of the SrTiO 3 system is evident from superconducting behavior as well as a state in which electrons are paired outside the superconducting state. A highly exotic phase was discovered in which a degenerate quantum liquid is formed from bound states of n = 2, 3, 4, … electrons. Further development of correlated nanoelectronics based on the LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 system can potentially lead to a general platform for quantum simulation as well as a pathway for the development of highly entangled states of multiple photons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Electrical Control of the Nuclear Spin States of Rare-Earth Adatoms

Rare-earth adatoms on surfaces have been studied for potential atomic-scale magnetic storage, quantum sensing, and quantum computing applications. Despite accumulating experimental efforts, a comprehensive description of the electronic configurations of the adatoms remains elusive. Here, we investigate two charge states and several electronic configurations, including 5d and 6s valence shells, for a Sm adatom on a MgO substrate using multiconfigurational ab initio methods, for the possibility of using the Sm nuclear spin levels as qubits. For the configurations in a neutral charge state, we find that the electronic ground state is a singlet, and thus the hyperfine interaction associated with the 147 Sm nucleus is absent, which may greatly enhance nuclear spin coherence time. The degeneracy of the nuclear levels is lifted by the nuclear quadrupole interaction. We show that the splitting of the nuclear levels can be controlled by a static electric field, and that Rabi oscillations between the nuclear levels can be induced by a time-dependent electric field. For the configurations in a singly charged state, electronic Kramers doublets are formed. The electronic configurations including an unpaired 6s orbital exhibit a strong hyperfine Stark effect due to a large Fermi contact contribution to the hyperfine interaction. In these configurations, electric-field-induced Rabi oscillations between the electronic-nuclear levels can occur at frequencies up to 3 orders of magnitude higher than those for the neutral charge state. The proposed system may be experimentally observed within scanning tunneling microscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1991

The in-flight calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope attitude sensors

A detailed review of the in-flight calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope attitude sensors is presented. The review, which covers the period from the April 24, 1990, launch of the spacecraft until the time of this writing (June 1991), describes the calibrations required and accuracies achieved for the four principal attitude sensing systems on the spacecraft: the magnetometers, the fixed head star trackers, the gyroscopes, and the fine guidance sensors (FGS's). In contrast to the other three sensor groups, the Hubble Telecope's FGS's are unique in the precision and performance levels being attempted; spacecraft control and astrometric research at the near-milliarcsecond level are the ultimate goals. FGS calibration accuracies at the 20-milliarcsecond level have already been achieved, and plans for new data acquisitions and reductions that should substantially improve these results are in progress. A summary of the basic attributes of each of the four sensor groups with respect to its usage as an attitude measuring system is presented, followed by a discussion of the calibration items of interest for that group. The calibration items are as follows: for the magnetometers, the corrections for the spacecraft's static and time-varying magnetic fields; for the fixed-head star trackers, their relative alignments and use in performing onboard attitude updates; for the gyroscopes, their scale factors, alignments, and drift rate biases; and for the FGS's, their magnifications, optical distortions, and alignments. The discussion covers the procedures used for each calibration, as well as the order of the calibrations within the general flow of orbital verification activities. It also includes a synopsis of current plans for the eventual calibration of the FGS's to achieve their near-milliarcsecond design accuracy. The conclusions include a table indicating the current and predicted ultimate accuracies for each of the calibration items.

Welter, Gary L.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Spin-Correlated Radical Pairs as Magnetic Switches for Controlling Emissive Triplet States via Triplet–Triplet Energy Transfer

Magnetic fields offer a powerful means to control molecular emission, enabling quantum sensing and spin-level control of chemical reactions. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to magnetically control red to near-infrared phosphorescence via triplet–triplet energy transfer (TTET) from donor–chiral bridge–acceptor (D−χ–A) molecules that generate spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs) upon photoexcitation. These SCRPs yield non-emissive triplet excited states whose formation is sensitive to magnetic fields. Here, by transferring this energy to emissive Pt- and Pd-based π-extended porphyrins, we enable magnetic control over phosphorescence that would otherwise be unresponsive to weak magnetic fields (<1 T). This approach establishes a platform for quantifying magnetic field effects on silent triplet states while extending magnetically responsive emission into the near-infrared. Coupling SCRP-based molecular magnetic switches to long-wavelength emissive acceptors offers a new way for probing and modulating spin-dependent processes and triplet-state populations in molecular systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS1986

Magnetic configuration of the Venus magnetosheath

A data set consisting of nearly six Venus years of Pioneer Venus Orbiter magnetometer data is analyzed in order to describe the configuration of the magnetosheath. A coordinate system is developed which isolates the effects of the solar wind flow and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The data indicate that the magnetosheath field magnitude is responsive to solar wind dynamic pressure and that the compression of the upstream field is controlled by magnetosonic Mach number. The draping of the field is similar to that predicted by gasdynamic modeling; specific draping features include distinct dependence on the radial and the transverse components of the IMF, and a tendency of the field to encircle the planet at low altitude. Certain features of the processes of mass loading by magnetosheath fluctuations and by the motional electric field are examined. Magnetic fluctuations can dominate the magnetosheath field for periods of low interplanetary cone angle and in general for the magnetosheath regions near the quasi-parallel part of the bow shock. The magnetosheath magnetic field magnitude displays a hemispherical asymmetry; the sense of this asymmetry is controlled by the cross-flow component of the IMF in a manner which indicates that ion pickup by the convective electric field occurs preferentially in one hemisphere. The results of this survey indicate that mass loading is a significant process which should be incorporated into computational models but that a fluid treatment of the planetary ion component may not be appropriate.

Phillips, J. L.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Physics and applications of dusty plasmas: The Perspectives 2023

Dusty plasmas are electrically quasi-neutral media that, along with electrons, ions, neutral gas, radiation, and electric and/or magnetic fields, also contain solid or liquid particles with sizes ranging from a few nanometers to a few micrometers. These media can be found in many natural environments as well as in various laboratory setups and industrial applications. As a separate branch of plasma physics, the field of dusty plasma physics was born in the beginning of 1990s at the intersection of the interests of the communities investigating astrophysical and technological plasmas. An additional boost to the development of the field was given by the discovery of plasma crystals leading to a series of microgravity experiments of which the purpose was to investigate generic phenomena in condensed matter physics using strongly coupled complex (dusty) plasmas as model systems. Finally, the field has gained an increasing amount of attention due to its inevitable connection to the development of novel applications ranging from the synthesis of functional nanoparticles to nuclear fusion and from particle sensing and diagnostics to nano-contamination control. The purpose of the present perspectives paper is to identify promising new developments and research directions for the field. As such, dusty plasmas are considered in their entire variety: from classical low-pressure noble-gas dusty discharges to atmospheric pressure plasmas with aerosols and from rarefied astrophysical plasmas to dense plasmas in nuclear fusion devices. Both fundamental and application aspects are covered.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Acoustic Sensing Fiber Coupled with Highly Magnetostrictive Ribbon for Small-Scale Magnetic-Field Detection

Fiber-optic sensing has shown promising development for use in detecting magnetic fields for downhole and biomedical applications. Coupling existing fiber-based strain sensors with highly magnetostrictive materials allows for a new method of magnetic characterization capable of distributed and high-sensitivity field measurements. This study investigates the strain response of the highly magnetostrictive alloys Metglas® 2605SC and Vitrovac® 7600 T70 using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) acoustic sensors and an applied AC magnetic field. Sentek Instrument’s picoDAS interrogated the distributed FBG sensors set atop a ribbon of magnetostrictive material, and the corresponding strain response transferred to the fiber was analyzed. Using the Vitrovac® ribbon, a minimal detectable field amplitude of 60 nT was achieved. Using Metglas®, an even better sensitivity was demonstrated, where detected field amplitudes as low as 3 nT were measured via the strain response imparted to the FBG sensor. Distributed FBG sensors are readily available commercially, easily integrated into existing interrogation systems, and require no bonding to the magnetostrictive material for field detection. The simple sensor configuration with nanotesla-level sensitivity lends itself as a promising means of magnetic characterization and demonstrates the potential of fiber-optic acoustic sensors for distributed measurements.

Dejneka, Zach (ORCID:0000000179415708)↗

NASA NTRS2005

Using Wind Driven Tumbleweed Rovers to Explore Martian Gully Features

Gully features have been observed on the slopes of numerous Martian crater walls, valleys, pits, and graben. Several mechanisms for gully formation have been proposed, including: liquid water aquifers (shallow and deep), melting ground ice, snow melt, CO2 aquifers, and dry debris flow. Remote sensing observations indicate that the most likely erosional agent is liquid water. Debate concerns the source of this water. Observations favor a liquid water aquifer as the primary candidate. The current strategy in the search for life on Mars is to "follow the water." A new vehicle known as a Tumbleweed rover may be able to conduct in-situ investigations in the gullies, which are currently inaccessible by conventional rovers. Deriving mobility through use of the surface winds on Mars, Tumbleweed rovers would be lightweight and relatively inexpensive thus allowing multiple rovers to be deployed in a single mission to survey areas for future exploration. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is developing deployable structure Tumbleweed concepts. An extremely lightweight measurement acquisition system and sensors are proposed for the Tumbleweed rover that greatly increases the number of measurements performed while having negligible mass increase. The key to this method is the use of magnetic field response sensors designed as passive inductor-capacitor circuits that produce magnetic field responses whose attributes correspond to values of physical properties for which the sensors measure. The sensors do not need a physical connection to a power source or to data acquisition equipment resulting in additional weight reduction. Many of the sensors and interrogating antennae can be directly placed on the Tumbleweed using film deposition methods such as photolithography thus providing further weight reduction. Concepts are presented herein for methods to measure subsurface water, subsurface metals, planetary winds and environmental gases.

Antol, Jeffrey↗

NASA NTRS2004

Using Wind Driven Tumbleweed Rovers to Explore Martian Gully Features

Antol, Jeffrey↗

NASA NTRS2011

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2011

Topics covered include: Multi-Segment Radius Measurement Using an Absolute Distance Meter Through a Null Assembly; Fiber-Optic Magnetic-Field-Strength Measurement System for Lightning Detection; Photocatalytic Active Radiation Measurements and Use; Computer Generated Hologram System for Wavefront Measurement System Calibration; Non-Contact Thermal Properties Measurement with Low-Power Laser and IR Camera System; SpaceCube 2.0: An Advanced Hybrid Onboard Data Processor; CMOS Imager Has Better Cross-Talk and Full-Well Performance; High-Performance Wireless Telemetry; Telemetry-Based Ranging; JWST Wavefront Control Toolbox; Java Image I/O for VICAR, PDS, and ISIS; X-Band Acquisition Aid Software; Antimicrobial-Coated Granules for Disinfecting Water; Range 7 Scanner Integration with PaR Robot Scanning System; Methods of Antimicrobial Coating of Diverse Materials; High-Operating-Temperature Barrier Infrared Detector with Tailorable Cutoff Wavelength; A Model of Reduced Kinetics for Alkane Oxidation Using Constituents and Species for N-Heptane; Thermally Conductive Tape Based on Carbon Nanotube Arrays; Two Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Contaminant Gases; Nanoscale Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Gas Sensing; Lightweight, Ultra-High-Temperature, CMC-Lined Carbon/Carbon Structures; Sample Acquisition and Handling System from a Remote Platform; Improved Rare-Earth Emitter Hollow Cathode; High-Temperature Smart Structures for Engine Noise Reduction and Performance Enhancement; Cryogenic Scan Mechanism for Fourier Transform Spectrometer; Piezoelectric Rotary Tube Motor; Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Technology for High-Altitude Airships; Combustor Computations for CO2-Neutral Aviation; Use of Dynamic Distortion to Predict and Alleviate Loss of Control; Cycle Time Reduction in Trapped Mercury Ion Atomic Frequency Standards; and A (201)Hg+ Comagnetometer for (199)Hg+ Trapped Ion Space Atomic Clocks.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2023

Ice Cryo-Encapsulation Balloon (Project ICEBall) Field Campaign Report

The Ice Cryo-Encapsulation Balloon (ICEBall) field campaign was designed to sample the ice crystals that compose high-altitude cirrus with a passive device. The campaign made use of a new instrument, ICEBall, which is a balloon-borne ice crystal sampling system. The ice crystal sounding system is capable of measuring ice crystal concentration, temperature, atmospheric pressure, ice crystal habit, aerosol particle morphology, and residual composition. The 3-kg instrument is carried upwards at 5 m s-1 by a high-altitude balloon. The instrument can be cut down from the balloon at any altitude up to 20 km, and the apparatus returns to the surface by parachute. Basic measurements such as temperature and pressure are recorded onboard, and high-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) records altitude and latitude/longitude. Ice crystal concentrations are measured through the use of a high-resolution video camera mounted on the device. Ice crystals are collected through an open aperture leading to insulated collection chambers cooled with dry ice. Upon exiting the top of the cloud system, the chamber aperture is closed, and the ~1 mm3 sample cell is magnetically sealed and isolated at -78 °C, ensuring that ice particles do not sublimate or grow after collection. Once the crystals are returned to the surface, they are double-sealed and immersed at liquid nitrogen temperature in “dry-cryo shippers” before being transported back to the laboratory. Dr. Magee’s laboratory at The College of New Jersey contains a cryo-stage scanning electron microscope (SEM), which was used to interrogate the crystals and aerosol particles. The main purpose of this pilot field campaign was to provide an unprecedented level of detail on the crystal habits and ice surface complexity in mid-latitude cirrus, which may help resolve issues associated with habit identification and classification in cirrus. The ICEBall campaign was originally scheduled to run from March 28 to April 18 of 2021 at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains observatory. The COVID-19 pandemic intervened and caused us to shift the dates of the experiment to October 16-November 6 of 2021. This period is also climatologically favorable for cirrus. The approximately six-month gap between our original field campaign dates and the actual dates afforded us the opportunity to build two new ICEBall payload instruments. These instruments were tested during an August 2021 trip to The College of New Jersey. During this field testing phase, we decided to launch the ICEBall payload upstream from the ARM SGP site with the goal of landing in the vicinity of the site. Our goal was to sample the ice crystals before the cirrus were advected over the remote-sensing instruments at the SGP site. The team assembled for the field campaign consisted of the Principle Investigator (PI) and Co-Principle Investigator (Co-PI) (Drs. Harrington and Magee), The Pennsylvania State University research scientist Dr. Alfred Moyle, and two graduate students (Ms. Marley Majetic and Gwenore Pokrifka). The team operated out of a house rented in Enid, Oklahoma. We successfully sampled seven cirrus cloud systems during the three-week field campaign (October 21, 23-26, 31, and November 1). This was a much higher success rate than either of the PIs anticipated (our goal was closer to sampling three or four cases). The balloon was typically launched from oil pads or farm fields northwest of Enid and the payload was typically retrieved somewhat north of the SGP site. We never landed directly at the SGP site, and so did not need regular access to the SGP facilities. Our greatest concern going into the field campaign was the longer-term storage of crystals in the -196°C cryo dry-shipper dewars and the subsequent transport across the country. We had tested storage and transport prior to the field campaign, but we had never stored crystals for a few weeks nor had we transported the dewars over long distances. To our great relief, the storage and transport worked flawlessly and we were able to image a large number of crystals from six of the seven cases. Working with the staff at the ARM SGP office was excellent. They not only helped us find the sources we needed for helium, liquid nitrogen, and other materials, but also helped with contacts within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Vance Air Force Base. One goal of our field project was to tie the in situ measurements of ice crystal habits to the radar signatures derived from the Ka-band ARM Zenith-pointing Radar (KAZR). Unfortunately KAZR was down for the duration of our experiment. However, the Ka-band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (KASACR) was put into vertically pointing mode during the ICEBall campaign and those data, along with Doppler lidar measurements, have proved very useful.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

A fluorescent-protein spin qubit

Quantum bits (qubits) are two-level quantum systems that support initialization, readout and coherent control1. Optically addressable spin qubits form the foundation of an emerging generation of nanoscale sensors. The engineering of these qubits has mainly focused on solid-state systems. However, fluorescent proteins, rather than exogenous fluorescent probes, have become the gold standard for in vivo microscopy because of their genetic encodability. Although fluorescent proteins possess a metastable triplet state, they have not been investigated as qubits. Here we realize an optically addressable spin qubit in enhanced yellow fluorescent protein. A near-infrared laser pulse enables triggered readout of the triplet state with up to 20% spin contrast. Using coherent microwave control of the enhanced-yellow-fluorescent-protein spin at liquid-nitrogen temperatures, we measure a (16 ± 2) μs coherence time under Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill decoupling. We express the qubit in mammalian cells, maintaining contrast and coherent control despite the complex intracellular environment. Finally, we demonstrate optically detected magnetic resonance in bacterial cells at room temperature with contrast up to 8%. Our results introduce fluorescent proteins as a powerful qubit platform that paves the way for applications in the life sciences, such as nanoscale field sensing and spin-based imaging modalities.

Feder, Jacob S. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United Stat↗