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At least 325 records · Page 18

Metrics and extrapolation of resonant magnetic perturbation thresholds for ELM suppression

This large database study of resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) edge localized mode (ELM) suppression thresholds in the AUG, DIII-D, EAST, and KSTAR tokamaks details the key strengths and weaknesses of RMP metrics. The RMP ELM suppression database used for this work contains plasma information at the time of transition from ELMing to ELM suppressed states where a clear experimental threshold is identified. The experimental threshold distributions are compared for five metrics: (1) the island overlap width, (2) pedestal top Chirikov overlap, (3) peeling edge displacement, (4) pedestal top resonant drive, and (5) edge dominant mode overlap. The distributions, the regularity of the dependence on RMP coil currents, and the sensitivities of a given metric to equilibrium reconstruction details are compared. The overlap metric proves to be a good compromise between including the appropriate plasma response physics and maintaining a numerical robustness. This quantity does not exhibit clear power-law scalings for projection, but machine learning can assist in predicting thresholds within the existing parameter ranges and providing uncertainty quantification of those predictions. Two new first-principles models, one utilizing a threshold from the non-linear Modified Rutherford equation evaluated at the pedestal top and one utilizing the SLAYER code to calculate the linear tearing threshold from torque balance, offer possible paths to extrapolation beyond the existing database parameter space.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SDSS-IV MaStar: theoretical atmospheric parameters for the MaNGA stellar library

ABSTRACT We calculate the fundamental stellar parameters effective temperature, surface gravity, and iron abundance – Teff, log g, [Fe/H] – for the final release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) Stellar Library (MaStar), containing 59 266 per-visit-spectra for 24 290 unique stars at intermediate resolution (R ∼ 1800) and high S/N (median = 96). We fit theoretical spectra from model atmospheres by both MARCS and BOSZ-ATLAS9 to the observed MaStar spectra, using the full spectral fitting code pPXF. We further employ a Bayesian approach, using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique to map the parameter space and obtain uncertainties. Originally in this paper, we cross match MaStar observations with Gaia photometry, which enable us to set reliable priors and identify outliers according to stellar evolution. In parallel to the parameter determination, we calculate corresponding stellar population models to test the reliability of the parameters for each stellar evolutionary phase. We further assess our procedure by determining parameters for standard stars such as the Sun and Vega and by comparing our parameters with those determined in the literature from high-resolution spectroscopy (APOGEE and SEGUE) and from lower resolution matching template (LAMOST). The comparisons, considering the different methodologies and S/N of the literature surveys, are favourable in all cases. Our final parameter catalogue for MaStar cover the following ranges: 2592 ≤ Teff ≤ 32 983 K; −0.7 ≤ log g ≤ 5.4 dex; −2.9 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 1.0 dex and will be available with the last SDSS-IV Data Release, in 2021 December.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

2D end-to-end modelling of kilonovae from binary neutron star merger remnants

We investigate the kilonova emission resulting from outflows produced in a 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulation of a hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnant. We map the outflows into the flash hydrodynamics code to model their expansion in axisymmetry, and study the effects of employing different r-process heating rates. Except for the highest heating rate prescription, we find no significant differences with respect to overall ejecta dynamics and morphology compared to the simulation without heating. Once homologous expansion is attained, typically after ~2s for these ejecta, we map the outflows to the sedona radiative transfer code and compute the spectral evolution of the kilonova and broad-band light curves in various Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) bands. The kilonova properties depend on the remnant lifetime, with peak luminosities and peak time-scales increasing for longer lived remnants that produce more massive ejecta. For all models, there is a strong dependence of both the bolometric and broad-band light curves on the viewing angle. While the short-lived (12 ms) remnant produces higher luminosities when viewed from angles closer to the pole, longer lived remnants (240 ms and 2.5 s) are more luminous when viewed from angles closer to the equator. Our results highlight the importance of self-consistent, long-term modelling of merger ejecta, and taking viewing-angle dependence into account when interpreting observed kilonova light curves. We find that magnetized outflows from an HMNS – if it survives long enough – could explain blue kilonovae, such as the blue emission seen in AT2017gfo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Efficient end-to-end simulation of time-dependent coherent X-ray scattering experiments

Physical optics simulations for beamlines and experiments allow users to test experiment feasibility and optimize beamline settings ahead of beam time in order to optimize valuable beam time at synchrotron light sources like NSLS-II. Further, such simulations also help to develop and test experimental data processing methods and software in advance. The Synchrotron Radiation Workshop ( SRW ) software package supports such complex simulations. We demonstrate how recent developments in SRW significantly improve the efficiency of physical optics simulations, such as end-to-end simulations of time-dependent X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy experiments with partially coherent undulator radiation (UR). The molecular dynamics simulation code LAMMPS was chosen to model the sample: a solution of silica nanoparticles in water at room temperature. Real-space distributions of nanoparticles produced by LAMMPS were imported into SRW and used to simulate scattering patterns of partially coherent hard X-ray UR from such a sample at the detector. The partially coherent UR illuminating the sample can be represented by a set of orthogonal coherent modes obtained by simulation of emission and propagation of this radiation through the coherent hard X-ray (CHX) scattering beamline followed by a coherent-mode decomposition. GPU acceleration is added for several key functions of SRW used in propagation from sample to detector, further improving the speed of the calculations. The accuracy of this simulation is benchmarked by comparison with experimental data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Heat Pipe Modeling with Sockeye

A presentation for the symposium "The heat pipe, the microreactor, and space" at the University of Stuttgart, Germany on March 21, 2025, on the topic of modeling heat pipes with the code Sockeye.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Simulation of 24,000 Electron Dynamics: Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) with the Real-Space Multigrids (RMG)

Here, we present the theory, implementation, and benchmarking of a real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) module within the RMG code, designed to simulate the electronic response of molecular systems to external perturbations. Our method offers insights into nonequilibrium dynamics and excited states across a diverse range of systems, from small organic molecules to large metallic nanoparticles. Benchmarking results demonstrate excellent agreement with established TDDFT implementations and showcase the superior stability of our time integration algorithm, enabling long-term simulations with minimal energy drift. The scalability and efficiency of RMG on massively parallel architectures allow for simulations of complex systems, such as plasmonic nanoparticles with thousands of atoms. Future extensions, including nuclear and spin dynamics, will broaden the applicability of this RT-TDDFT implementation, providing a powerful toolset for studies of photoactive materials, nanoscale devices, and other systems where real-time electronic dynamics is essential.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Comparing pion production in transport simulations of heavy-ion collisions at 270⁢𝐴 MeV under controlled conditions

Within the TMEP, we present a detailed study of the performance of different transport models in Sn+Sn collisions at 270A MeV, and put particular emphasis on the production of pions and Delta resonances, which have been used as probes of the nuclear symmetry energy. We prescribe a common and rather simple physics model, and follow in detail the results of 4 BUU models and 6 QMD models. The nucleonic evolution of the collision and the nucleonic observables in these codes do not completely converge, but the differences among the codes can be understood as being due to several reasons: the basic differences between BUU and QMD models in the representation of the phase-space distributions, computational differences in the mean-field evaluation, and differences in the adopted strategies for the Pauli blocking in the collision integrals. For pionic observables, we find that a higher maximum density leads to an enhanced pion yield and a reduced pi- pi+ yield ratio, while a more effective Pauli blocking generally leads to a slightly suppressed pion yield and an enhanced pi- pi+ yield ratio. We specifically investigate the effect of the Coulomb force, and find that it increases the total pi- pi+ yield ratio but reduces the ratio at high pion energies, although differences in its implementations do not have a dominating role in the differences among the codes. Taking into account only the results of codes that strictly follow the homework specifications, we find a convergence of the codes in the final charged pion yield ratio to a 1 sigma deviation of about 5%. Furthermore, the uncertainty is expected to be reduced to about 1.6% if the same or similar strategies and ingredients, i.e., an improved Pauli blocking and calculation of the non-linear term in the mean-field potential, are similarly used in all codes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

GX: a GPU-native gyrokinetic turbulence code for tokamak and stellarator design

GX is a code designed to solve the nonlinear gyrokinetic system for low-frequency turbulence in magnetized plasmas, particularly tokamaks and stellarators. In GX, our primary motivation and target is a fast gyrokinetic solver that can be used for fusion reactor design and optimization along with wide-ranging physics exploration. Here, this has led to several code and algorithm design decisions, specifically chosen to prioritize time to solution. First, we have used a discretization algorithm that is pseudospectral in the entire phase space, including a Laguerre–Hermite pseudospectral formulation of velocity space, which allows for smooth interpolation between coarse gyrofluid-like resolutions and finer conventional gyrokinetic resolutions and efficient evaluation of a model collision operator. Additionally, we have built GX to natively target graphics processors (GPUs), which are among the fastest computational platforms available today. Finally, we have taken advantage of the reactor-relevant limit of small $\rho _*$ by using the radially local flux-tube approach. In this paper we present details about the gyrokinetic system and the numerical algorithms used in GX to solve the system. We then present several numerical benchmarks against established gyrokinetic codes in both tokamak and stellarator magnetic geometries to verify that GX correctly simulates gyrokinetic turbulence in the small $\rho _*$. Moreover, we show that the convergence properties of the Laguerre–Hermite spectral velocity formulation are quite favourable for nonlinear problems of interest. Coupled with GPU acceleration, which we also investigate with scaling studies, this enables GX to be able to produce useful turbulence simulations in minutes on one (or a few) GPUs and higher fidelity results in a few hours using several GPUs. GX is open-source software that is ready for fusion reactor design studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Characterizing electrical panel capacity, breaker space, and loads in U.S. single-family homes

Electrical panels distribute electricity to appliances, equipment, and other building loads and maintain safety by preventing overloads of branch circuits, feeders, and utility service wires connecting homes to the grid. Load calculations in the National Electrical Code (NEC) determine the capacity of installed electrical panels in the United States, which are rated in amps (A). Circuit breakers within electrical panels affect the magnitude and number of loads that panels can serve. In home retrofits and renovations, existing electrical panels may not accommodate new electrical loads, either due to insufficient electrical capacity or a lack of available breaker spaces. Homes with these panel constraints may need to replace existing panels with new panels that have greater capacity and breaker space.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Bridging the gap between experiments and simulations using machine learning

The physics of inertial confinement fusion is rich and complex. Simulation codes that are used to design experiments are computationally expensive and lack the predictive capability required for extensive parameter exploration in search of a high-performing design for laser direct drive. In this work we use deep learning to build a fast emulator of experiments. To facilitate the development of the deep-learning model, an autoencoder is used to reduce the dimensionality of the input space. Two deep learning models are developed. One model is trained on a vast array of simulation data and is subsequently calibrated to expensive and limited experimental data using a technique known as “transfer learning.” The other model is trained on a statistical model and is subsequently calibrated using experimental data. A comparative study of the two predictive models is carried out. The models potentially reproduce key experimental observables with high accuracy and unprecedented inference times relative to those achieved with simulation codes. These models facilitate rapid exploration of a high dimensional input parameter space.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Plant Engineers Solar Energy Handbook: Southern California Region

Discussed in order after the introduction are solar components and systems (collectors, storage, service hot water systems, space heating with liquid and air systems, space cooling, heat pumps and controls); computer programs for system optimization; local solar and weather data; a description of buildings and plants in Southern California applying solar technology; current Federal and California solar legislation; standards, codes and performance testing information; a listing of manufacturers, distributors, and professional services available in Southern California region; and information access. Finally, solar design check lists for those engineers who wish to design their own systems. The program for the Solar Workshop for the Plant Engineer, March 30, 1978, Los Angeles, California is included.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

TDCOSMO. X. Automated modeling of nine strongly lensed quasars and comparison between lens-modeling software

When strong gravitational lenses are to be used as an astrophysical or cosmological probe, models of their mass distributions are often needed. We present a new, time-efficient automation code for the uniform modeling of strongly lensed quasars with GLEE, a lens-modeling software for multiband data. By using the observed positions of the lensed quasars and the spatially extended surface brightness distribution of the host galaxy of the lensed quasar, we obtain a model of the mass distribution of the lens galaxy. We applied this uniform modeling pipeline to a sample of nine strongly lensed quasars for which images were obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 of the Hubble Space Telescope. The models show well-reconstructed light components and a good alignment between mass and light centroids in most cases. We find that the automated modeling code significantly reduces the input time during the modeling process for the user. The time for preparing the required input files is reduced by a factor of 3 from ~3 h to about one hour. The active input time during the modeling process for the user is reduced by a factor of 10 from ~ 10 h to about one hour per lens system. This automated uniform modeling pipeline can efficiently produce uniform models of extensive lens-system samples that can be used for further cosmological analysis. A blind test that compared our results with those of an independent automated modeling pipeline based on the modeling software Lenstronomy revealed important lessons. Quantities such as Einstein radius, astrometry, mass flattening, and position angle are generally robustly determined. Other quantities, such as the radial slope of the mass density profile and predicted time delays, depend crucially on the quality of the data and on the accuracy with which the point spread function is reconstructed. Better data and/or a more detailed analysis are necessary to elevate our automated models to cosmography grade. Nevertheless, our pipeline enables the quick selection of lenses for follow-up and further modeling, which significantly speeds up the construction of cosmography-grade models. This important step forward will help us to take advantage of the increase in the number of lenses that is expected in the coming decade, which is an increase of several orders of magnitude.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Improved natural convection heat transfer correlations for reactor cavity cooling systems of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors: From computational fluid dynamics to Pronghorn

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) is a common reactor safety system in High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors (HTGR) that removes heat from the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) by radiation ($\sim 80\%$) and natural convection ($\sim 20\%$). For simulation of accident scenarios of HTGRs, intermediate fidelity and system codes models must be employed for limiting the models' execution time. While accurate quantification of the radiative heat transfer is available in these models, quantification of natural convection must rely on correlations of questionable accuracy for the Nusselt number. Commonly used correlations are based in experiments performed at low Rayleigh numbers and/or using isothermal walls in simplified geometries. Here, this work improves on the accuracy of natural convection heat transfer correlations in support for HTGR designs. These correlations include both local and average Nusselt numbers as a function of the global Rayleigh number, the local Rayleigh number, and the temperature profile at the hot wall of the RCCS. In the absence of dedicated experiments and the difficulty of performing high-fidelity simulations at realistic Rayleigh numbers, the data to fit the correlations are generated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. First, a careful selection of the RANS turbulence model is performed by comparing the results obtained with different RANS turbulence models against high fidelity simulations of natural convection at $Ra \ 1 \times 10^{11}$ in a rectangular cavity. Next, the selected model is used to perform simulations of an HTGR cavity at different high Rayleigh numbers $\in [6.1 \times 10^{11},2.9 \times 10^{13}]$ to encompass several HTGR designs, assuming an isothermal RPV wall. The results obtained are used to fit a correlation for the average and space-varying Nusselt number as a function of the global and local Rayleigh numbers via a sparsity-promoting least-squares method. The selected RANS model is then used to perform simulations of a PBMR 400 HTGR cavity with the temperature profiles at the RPV wall obtained during a PLOFC transient. We use the results obtained to fit a temperature-dependent correction to the space-varying Nusselt number with the sparsity-promoting least-squares method. The results obtained in this work, enable system-level codes, such as Pronghorn, to perform higher-fidelity simulations of the heat exchange process in the RCCS while still maintaining a low computational cost.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Interpenetration and kinetic effects in converging, high-energy plasma jets

In this work, we report on numerical simulations of laser-driven convergent plasma fusion targets. These “inverted corona” fusion targets are useful for the study of counter-streaming and converging rarefied plasma flows, and previous experiments have demonstrated their potential as neutron sources. The scheme consists of a fuel layer lined along the interior surface of a hollow plastic shell that is laser-ablated and expands inward towards the target center. The plasma streams generated in these targets are initially nearly collisionless as they converge, leading to wide interaction length scales and long interaction time scales as the jets interpenetrate. Such kinetic effects impact mixing of constituent ions - a phenomenon not properly captured by single-fluid hydrodynamic simulations. Here we conduct numerical simulations using two different methods: (1) single-fluid simulations in HYDRA, and (2) kinetic-ion, fluid-electron hybrid particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in the code Chicago. It is shown that the initially nearly collisionless plasma fronts interpenetrate deeply and lead to broader interaction regions in space and time resulting in significant beam-beam fusion. The two approaches make different, testable predictions for the effect of fuel-layer thickness on neutron yield.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Simulation budgeting for hybrid effective field theories

In this work, we forecast the number of, and requirements on, N-body simulations needed to train hybrid effective field theory (HEFT) emulators for a range of use cases, using a hybrid of HMcode and perturbation theory as a surrogate model. Our accuracy goals, determined with careful consideration of statistical and systematic uncertainties, are 1% accurate in the high-likelihood range of cosmological parameters, and 2% accurate over a broader parameter space volume for k < 1 h Mpc -1 and z < 3. Focusing in part on the 8-parameter w 0 w a CDM+ m ν cosmological model, we find that < 225 simulations are required to meet our error goals over our wide parameter space, including models with rapidly evolving dark energy, given our simulation and emulator recommendations. For a more restricted parameter space volume, as few as 80 simulations are sufficient. We additionally present simulation forecasts for example use cases, and make the code used in our analyses publicly available. These results offer practical guidance for efficient emulator design and simulation budgeting in future cosmological analyses.

cosmological parameters from LSS↗

TEAMER: Numerical Modeling and Optimization of the iProTech Pitching Inertial Pump (PIP) Wave Energy Converter (WEC)

This project focused on developing an automated workflow to evaluate and optimize the iProTech Pitching Inertial Pump (PIP) wave energy converter (WEC) using open-source Python packages and the MATLAB/Simulink tool, WEC-Sim. The process involved parameterizing key design variables, running time-domain simulations, and performing sensitivity analyses to determine their impact on power output. The workflow, designed for the PIP device, is generalized and can be extended to optimize other WECs that can be simulated in WEC-Sim. This work establishes a foundation for future time-domain-based WEC design optimizations. Included in this submission are all figures from the final report and the model inputs required to generate them. This includes Python scripts with inputs that produce the meshes, boundary element method (BEM) models, hydrodynamic coefficients, and the WEC-Sim models used for time-domain analyses. Although data for every single run is not included to save space, all of it can be reproduced using the provided models. Detailed instructions for setting up the environment and running the codes are also included.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Coupled Experimental/Computational Investigation of the Dynamics of Interacting Magnetized Plasmas

The interaction, or interpenetration, of magnetized plasmas of different density and/or pressure occurs in a wide variety of natural and man-made systems. Such systems include extragalactic jets propagating into the intergalactic medium, solar coronal mass ejections into background solar wind, compact toroid (CT) fueling of magnetic fusion plasmas, and jets of capsule shell impurities into DT fusion fuel, which can lead to enhanced impurity mix in inertial fusion implosions. These plasmas may take the form of jets, with open, helical magnetic structure, or plasma “bubbles” with closed magnetic fields (B-fields), such as spheromaks or CT’s. Such structures, both open and closed B-field cases, can transport heat, particles and magnetic flux or magnetic helicity into background plasma regions. For example, the origin of extragalactic magnetic fields may be due, at least in part, to transport by astrophysical jets. The goal of this proposed work was to elucidate the detailed plasma and magnetic field dynamics of high-density plasma jets (open B-field) and bubbles (closed B-field) propagating into lower density background magnetized plasma through controlled laboratory experiments and closely coupled nonlinear MHD modeling. These experiments were conducted in the HelCat (Helicon-Cathode) linear plasma device at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Plasma jets and bubbles were launched via an existing compact coaxial plasma gun, mounted on the HelCat device. This gun produced plasmas tens of cm in scale and lasting tens of microseconds, thereby allowing detailed multipoint, space- and time-resolved measurements to be made routinely. The experiments were directly modeled using the extended magnetohydrodynamic (XMHD) PERSEUS code, developed at Cornell University [23,24]. Both experimental and numerical modeling work are ongoing. The main results to date are reported here. Additional supplemental funding for one year (8/1/2019 – 7/31/2020) supported numerical investigation of photoionization processes important in many low temperature plasmas, including the HelCat device. Initial results of this modeling work is also reported.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Overview on Shielding Analyses for the VENUS Instrument at SNS

VENUS, a world‐class versatile neutron imaging instrument, is under construction and is expected to be completed and ready to start commissioning in 2023. The range of cold to epithermal neutrons at SNS will give users of VENUS access to novel imaging methods, as well as to significantly improved existing methods. The instrument is being built on beam line 10 at Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) First Target Station (FTS) facing a decoupled poisoned hydrogen moderator. Instrument design, which includes optics, Front-End components and instrument enclosure components and shape started over 10 years ago and during this time had significant changes. All changes were supported by neutronics analyses to provide adequate shielding for both Front-End and instrument enclosure.Final optics design will provide the field of view (FOV) at the detector position (where the image is formed) to be as high as 0.20 by 0.20 m. Both the beam, which contains a large fraction of high-energy neutrons, and the desire for a large footprint on the detector are challenges for shielding design and budget, because the driving cost for the instrument is the beam line and enclosure shielding. For cost reason VENUS baseline design is optimized with respect to both the instrument cave footprint and its wall thickness, and Front-End shielding is tailored along the beam. Analyses are performed with the Monte Carlo particle transport code MCNPX version 2.7.0 to make choices on materials, thicknesses and configurations of the shielding. Numerous calculations are performed to meet space and coast constrain and to satisfy instrument physics needs and to comply with radiation protection requirements.

Gallmeier, Franz X.↗