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At least 37 records · Page 2

Birefringence tests of gravity with multimessenger binaries

Extensions to General Relativity (GR) allow the polarization of gravitational waves (GW) from astrophysical sources to suffer from amplitude and velocity birefringence, which respectively induce changes in the ellipticity and orientation of the polarization tensor. Here, we introduce a multi-messenger approach to test this polarization behavior of GWs during their cosmological propagation using binary sources, for which the initial polarization is determined by the inclination and orientation angles of the orbital angular momentum vector with respect to the line of sight. In particular, we use spatially resolved radio imaging of the jet from a binary neutron star (BNS) merger to constrain the orientation angle and hence the emitted polarization orientation of the GW signal at the site of the merger, and compare to that observed on Earth by GW detectors. For GW170817, using past measurements of the inclination angle, we constrain the deviation from GR due to amplitude birefringence to κ A = $-0.12^{+0.60}_ {-0.61}$, while the velocity birefringence parameter κ V remains unconstrained. The inability to constrain κ V is due to the low amplitude of GW170817 in the Virgo detector, and measurements of the polarization orientation require information from a combination of multiple detectors with different alignments. For this reason, we also mock future BNS mergers with resolved afterglow proper motion and project that κ V could be constrained to a precision of 5 rad (corresponding to an angular shift of the GW polarization of δ φV ≈ 0.2 rad for a BNS at 100 Mpc) by a future network of third-generation ground-based GW detectors such as Cosmic Explorer and the radio High Sensitivity Array. Crucially, this velocity birefringence effect cannot be constrained with dark binary mergers as it requires polarization information at the emission time, which can be provided only by electromagnetic emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

Single-Molecule Tracking Measurements Reveal the Detailed Mechanisms of Molecular Diffusion in Solvent Mixtures under Nanoconfinement

Understanding mass transport mechanisms in nanopores is important for developing advanced materials for chemical separations, chemical sensing, and energy storage. This paper reports a novel imaging platform that is employed for the first time to investigate the detailed diffusion dynamics of single rhodamine B (RhB) dye molecules confined within solution-filled cylindrical anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanopores. The imaging platform relies on illumination of horizontally-oriented AAO nanopores in a highly inclined and laminated optical (HILO) light sheet microscopy geometry. The method was used to investigate the translational and orientational dynamics of single rhodamine B (RhB) molecules within horizontally-oriented 5- and 10-nm diameter AAO nanopores filled with water–ethanol mixtures. The established platform enabled the observation of one-dimensional motion along the pore axis involving occasional short- or long-term immobilization at the single-molecule level. Analysis of cumulative squared-displacement distributions revealed fast (5 – 30 µm²/s), intermediate (1 – 5 µm²/s), and slow (< 1 µm²/s) diffusion components. From the effects of mixture composition and pore size on the contributions of these three components, we inferred that the fast, intermediate, and slow components could be assigned to desorption-mediated hopping, crawling, and wiggling motions, respectively. The platform based on the horizontally-oriented AAO nanopores also permitted single-molecule emission polarization measurements that revealed the negligible steric confinement of individual diffusing RhB molecules within the AAO nanopores. The imaging platform based on AAO membranes and HILO microscopy provided a unique means to investigate how solvation-mediated surface interactions and nanoconfinement govern molecular transport in nanoporous environments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH

Utah FORGE: Fluid Injection Induced Shearing Experiments on Fractured Granitoid at Elevated Temperatures

This repository contains experimental data from a series of fluid injection-induced shearing tests conducted on Utah FORGE granitoid. The experiments were performed using an aluminum triaxial pressure vessel (TEMCO) apparatus at Pennsylvania State University. The primary aim was to investigate the impact of temperature on fault seismicity and to explore how different pre-stress ratios influence shearing behavior. The data includes results from experiments conducted under varying conditions of temperature, pre-stress ratios, and pore pressure increments. The rock samples used in these experiments were 60-grit granitoid with a single inclined fracture oriented at 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal cross-section. The dataset also includes measurements of normal stiffness at different temperatures and images of the experimental apparatus. The included README file details each experiential setup and outlines which data files represent which experimental conditions.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Subvoxel Control of Fiber Orientation via Multidirectional Shearing in 3D Printing

Anisotropy, the characteristic of materials exhibiting different properties based on their direction, is widespread in nature. Conventional manufacturing techniques often fall short in recreating such complex anisotropy. While 3D printing allows for precise fiber deposition in anisotropic composites, previous studies have only achieved bulk reorientation of fibers at the voxel level in two dimensions. This limits the replication of localized 3D anisotropies found in natural materials. To address this, a novel 3D printing technique is presented that enables subvoxel control of fiber orientation in all three directions using multidirectional shearing via nozzle rotation and inclination. The fiber orientation control in these experimental tests is driven by a numerical model, enabling a fully digital approach to program microstructures within a strand. This programmability is demonstrated through mechanical and thermal tests, illustrating a localized and controllable response to external stimuli. Achieving such complex anisotropy holds potential across several fields, including wearables and biomedical implants, lightweight composite structures, and energy storage technologies such as batteries and supercapacitors.

3D printing

A model for oblique impacts on material surfaces

Many practical situations of material damage, wear, and erosion involve collisions between small particles and surfaces at inclined angles. While there are many well-validated models of normal incidence impact situations, elastic-plastic models for oblique incidence impact events are lacking. Here the finite element method is used to predict the normal and tangential coefficient of restitution in oblique impacts for hard, elastic spheres impacting an elastic-perfectly plastic material surface. The proposed model covers various impact angles ranging from 0° to 45°, within a limiting impact velocity below which the effects of heating are negligible. The normal coefficient of restitution follows power-laws with respect to normalized values of the impact velocity. Interestingly, the tangential coefficient of restitution follows a linear relationship with impact velocity. Together, these results provide a semi-empirical set of equations predicting oblique impact rebounds (both velocity and trajectory) for a wide range of conditions and material properties, with which experimental results can be rapidly interpreted. As a result, Laser-Induced Particle Impact Test (LIPIT) data are also presented for aluminum particles impacting aluminum substrates, at impact angles of 25° and 40°; the results compare favorably with the model and validate the general use of such models for the analysis of experimental data.

Coefficient of restitution

Beyond curvature-driven grain growth: Insights from fully anisotropic Monte Carlo Potts simulations

Grain boundary (GB) motion away from the center of curvature, termed anti-curvature behavior, has recently been observed in 3D experiments but is not predicted by classical grain growth theory. In this study, we investigate this behavior using a novel, fully anisotropic Monte Carlo Potts (MCP) model that incorporates both misorientation and inclination dependencies of GB energy. We perform 3D grain growth simulations with isotropic and anisotropic GB energies to explore the relationship between GB velocity and curvature. Contrary to the classical relation that velocity is a product of reduced mobility and mean curvature, we observe no consistent correlation between velocity and mean curvature for individual GBs, even under isotropic conditions, though there is correlation between the average velocity and curvature for some cases. The 3D simulations exhibit frequent anti-curvature motion regardless of GB energy anisotropy including with isotropic GBs, though larger curvatures occur with anisotropic GB energy functions that promote low-energy GBs. In 2D simulations, anti-curvature behavior only occurs with the anisotropic functions that favor low-energy GBs. This difference between 2D and 3D results suggests that anti-curvature behavior results in part from the increased freedom of motion intrinsic in 3D GB networks. Furthermore, our results support recent experimental observations that demonstrate that simple curvature-driven models are insufficient for describing GB migration in polycrystals.

Anti-curvature

An adaptive, data-driven multiscale approach for dense granular flows

The accuracy of coarse-grained continuum models of dense granular flows is limited by the lack of high-fidelity closure models for granular rheology. One approach to addressing this issue, referred to as the hierarchical multiscale method, is to use a high-fidelity fine-grained model to compute the closure terms needed by the coarse-grained model. The difficulty with this approach is that the overall model can become computationally intractable due to the high computational cost of the high-fidelity model. In this work, we describe a multiscale modeling approach for dense granular flows that utilizes neural networks trained using high-fidelity discrete element method (DEM) simulations to approximate the constitutive granular rheology for a continuum incompressible flow model. Our approach leverages an ensemble of neural networks to estimate predictive uncertainty that allows us to determine whether the rheology at a given point is accurately represented by the neural network model. Additional DEM simulations are only performed when needed, minimizing the number of additional DEM simulations required when updating the rheology. This adaptive coupling significantly reduces the overall computational cost of the approach while controlling the error. In addition, the neural networks are customized to learn regularized rheological behavior to ensure well-posedness of the continuum solution. We first validate the approach using two-dimensional steady-state and decelerating inclined flows. We then demonstrate the efficiency of our approach by modeling three-dimensional sub-aerial granular column collapse for varying initial column aspect ratios, where our multiscale method compares well with the computationally expensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-DEM simulation.

Dense granular flows

Impact of molten salt inflow on the temperature distribution in thermal energy storage tanks at startup for central receiver concentrating solar power plants

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems with molten salt thermal energy storage (TES) tanks are one of the most promising, renewable-based energy conversion technologies for larger-scale power generation. The TES tank is one of the most critical components in CSP plants due to its high-temperature operation (up to 565 °C), daily thermal cycling, and intermittent solar radiation conditions. The plant startup is one of the most challenging operation conditions that could lead to damaging thermal gradients due to low salt inventory levels. In this study an analytical model for the sparger ring was developed and integrated with a detailed computational fluid dynamics model of a commercial-scaled molten salt tank. The integrated model allows an accurate representation of the tank operation to evaluate the effect of molten salt inflow on the mixing process. The tank filling process during plant startup was analyzed considering sparger rings with variations in design features, including inlet orifice configurations, number of orifices, direction of the inlets, and orifice diameter. The results demonstrated that higher temperature gradients are obtained in the tank floor during the plant startup. A sparger ring configuration with a predetermined orifice inlet inclination (30°, 45° and 60°) leads to significant temperature differences in the floor, between 57 °C and 62 °C, but better homogeneity in the temperature of the salt inventory. Lower salt inflow velocities result in a more homogeneous floor temperature, with maximum temperature differences under 38 °C. The sparger ring configuration with 52 orifices of 1-in. diameter and vertical flow showed better homogeneity in the temperature differences as a function of the salt level and lower temperature gradients in the tank floor. Because large temperature gradients in the tank's floor have been identified as one of the main factors contributing to tank failures, assessing various sparger ring design features is fundamental to determining proper inflow conditions that lead to low-temperature gradients and reducing failure susceptibility.

14 SOLAR ENERGY

Fuel cells for single-aisle regional aircraft: System configuration, performance and cost

A hydrogen fuel cell propelled electric aircraft can compete with incumbent turbofan technologies for single-aisle regional aircraft by coupling design of stack, air handling, thermal management, propulsion, and airframe to optimize performance. The stack operates at 95°C to facilitate heat rejection during take-off and below 75°C during cruise to extend lifetime and is oversized to satisfy power requirements at end of life. A multi-stage turbocompressor with a compression ratio >10 is selected to reach high stack power density at 11,300-m cruise altitude. The propulsion system is configured to accommodate air handling within the core duct, an inclined heat exchanger in the outer duct to limit the nacelle size, and variable area nozzles to independently control mass flows through the core and bypass ducts. The airframe is modified for maximum lift coefficient and longer balanced field length for dramatically reduced thrust during take-off, and the fuselage is stretched by 20% to store liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ). Modularization of power systems promotes safety in one engine inoperative scenarios and allows reaching specific power metrics for stack, balance-of-plant and fuel cell system (FCS), necessary for acceptable take-off weight. In conclusion, cost parity requires increase in FCS lifetime, LH 2 cost reduction, and improved FCS specific power.

Catalyst durability

Property optimized energy absorber for automotive bumpers utilizing multi-material and structural design strategies

This study proposes a novel design for automotive bumper using optimized lattice structures and multi-materials to balance low-speed collision and high-speed pedestrian impact performance. Different blends of 20 % carbon fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene with thermoplastic polyurethane were used to tailor material properties. The energy absorber features lattice structures with customized mechanical responses, created by varying the incline angle θ from 0 to 180°. We conducted 576 finite element simulations on a half-scale model to optimize energy absorption and stiffness, leading to 66 optimized designs that met both low-speed and high-speed impact criteria. Two sub-scale optimized energy absorbers with different peak forces—both meeting low-speed impact requirements—were 3D printed and validated through drop-weight testing. The one with lower peak stress demonstrated a more compliant response, exhibiting approximately 90 % lower initial peak force and an increase in energy absorption of around 33 % (from 24 J to 32 J). Compared to the baseline triangular lattice, the optimized absorber increased energy absorption by 68 % from (19 J to 32 J) and reduced peak stress by 70 %. It also showed near-complete recovery with minimal fractures, making it suitable for repeated use. This design improves safety while offering a lightweight, durable, and cost-effective bumper system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Development of thin-gap GEM- μ RWELL hybrid detectors

Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are used for tracking in High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics because of their large area, excellent spatial resolution capabilities and low cost. However, for high energy charged particles impacting at a large angle with respect to the axis perpendicular to detector plane, the spatial resolution degrades significantly because of the long trail of ionization charges produced in clusters all along the track in the drift region of the detector. The long ionization charge trail results in registering hits from large number of strips in the readout plane which makes it challenging to precisely reconstruct the particle’s position using simple center of gravity algorithm. As a result, the larger the drift gap, the more severe the deterioration of spatial resolution for inclined tracks. For the same reason, the position resolution is also severely degraded in a large magnetic field, where the Lorentz E x B effect causes the ionization charges to follow a curved and longer path in the detector gas volume. In this paper, we report on the development of thin-gap MPGDs as a way to maintain excellent spatial resolution capabilities of MPGD detectors over a wide angular range of incoming particles. In a thin-gap MPGD, the thickness of the gas volume in the drift region is reduced from typically 3 mm to 1 mm or less. We present preliminary test beam results demonstrating the improvement in spatial resolution from 400 m with a standard 3 mm gap μ RWELL prototype to ~140 μ m with a double amplification GEM- μ RWELL thin-gap hybrid detector. Here, we also discuss the impact of a thin-gap drift volume on other aspects of the performance of MPGD technologies such as the efficiency and detector stability.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND

Performance assessment after long-term irradiation of ATLAS Micromegas detectors using 120 GeV muons at the Gamma Irradiation Facility at CERN

The ATLAS muon spectrometer will face an increased particle rate as a result of the increased instantaneous luminosity expected during the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade. The HL-LHC will provide a luminosity of $\mathscr{L}$ = 7.5 × 10 34 cm −2 s −1 and 3000 fb −1 of integrated luminosity in 10 years, about 9 times more data of the ones so far collected by the ATLAS experiment. Micromegas chambers are used in the New Small Wheel(s), the first forward muon spectrometer station, to provide tracking and triggering at the intense particle rates expected. The detectors are operated with a ternary gas mixture composed of Ar + 5%CO 2 + 2%iC 4 H 10 , providing good high voltage stability and a large pulse height, important for inclined track reconstruction of particles crossing the detector. To ensure the long-term stable operation of the detector during the whole HL-LHC period, and due to the hydrocarbon content in the mixture, an extensive aging campaign has been ongoing since 2021 at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility, where spare production chambers are long-term exposed to a 14 TBq 137 Cs 𝛾-source, accumulating so far, a charge equivalent to five years of HL-LHC operations under the highest expected background rate. This paper describes the results of the Micromegas chamber performance studies after two years of gamma irradiation and using the SPS/H4 120 GeV muon beams at CERN.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND

Recent progress on coarse graining simulations

We focus on coarse graining simulations based on the primary conservation equations, effectively codesigned physics and algorithms, and low-Mach-number corrected (LMC) hydrodynamics. Simulation methods involve LANL’s x-Radiation-Adaptive-Grid-Eulerian Large-Eddy Simulation, Besnard-Harlow-Rauenzahn (BHR) Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach, and Dynamic BHR – a paradigm bridging RANS and LES. A relevant question addressed relates to whether 3D RANS and RANS/LES hybrids – the industry standards for aerospace and automotive research, are presently relevant for practical variable-density applications involving shocked and accelerated interface instabilities. Furthermore, recent simulations of the GaTECH inclined mixing-layer shock-tube and NIF ICF-capsule experiments are used to demonstrate issues, challenges, and potential for 3D coarse grained LMC simulation strategies for robustly simulating complex transitional and coupled hydrodynamics-multiphysics with coarser resolution. Present LES readiness to provide accurate predictions at scale is demonstrated – whereas 3D RANS and RANS/LES bridging do not appear impactful in this context.

42 ENGINEERING

Formation and degradation mechanism of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite thin film fabricated by electrospray technique

Electrospray deposition technique has been reported previously for fabricating effective and stable perovskite thin film, leading to efficient perovskite solar cells. Here, in this work, a comprehensive investigation of the formation mechanism of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) film by electrospray technique is demonstrated and compared to the formation mechanism through the conventional spin coating technique. In the electrospray process, charged MAI nanoparticles are gradually introduced onto the PbI 2 film, intercalating within the PbI 2 structure to produce the perovskite film. In contrast, the spin-coating method involves supplying the MAI solution in bulk, leading to perovskite crystal formation through the dissolution of the PbI 2 layer by the MAI solution, followed by recrystallization into perovskite oriented in the [110] direction, 30° inclined to the substrate. The impact of charge and the electric field on the formation of perovskite film using the electrospray is explored. Furthermore, the intrinsic stability of perovskite films is monitored in real-time in a highly humid environment (≥80 % relative humidity (RH)) using in-situ Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (GIWAXS), and a degradation mechanism is proposed to enhance the durability of the perovskite-based devices. The study further delves into the comparison of the stability of electrosprayed and spin-coated perovskite film, and the impact of humidity level and the presence of a hole-transporting layer on the stability of the perovskite layer. Overall, this work provides a detailed understanding of the formation and humidity-induced degradation mechanism of electrosprayed perovskite films, offering insights that can extend to various applications of perovskite materials.

14 SOLAR ENERGY

Architecture-Dependent Thin Film Self-Assembly of Star Polystyrene-poly(2-vinylpyridine) Block Copolymers

Controlling the orientation of nanostructured block copolymer (BCP) thin films is essential for their use in templating, transport, and pattern transfer. Conventional efforts mainly focus on adjusting enthalpic interactions between the blocks and interfaces, while entropic contributions are often overlooked. Here, we show that the morphology of BCP thin films can be precisely tuned by the architectural design of star BCPs. Specifically, we synthesized multiarm star BCPs with a polystyrene (PS) core and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) corona, which exhibits a lamellar microdomain morphology. The entropic penalty associated with a parallel orientation of the microdomains to the substrate is controlled by varying the number of arms comprising the star BCPs, from 2-arms (triblock) to 3-arms and 4-arms. We systematically investigated the thin film morphology at different depths using grazing incidence small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (GISAXS and GISANS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA), and interference microscopy. The results show that 2-arm star BCPs show a parallel orientation, the 3-arm star BCPs form a uniform PS film at the air surface with a vertical orientation of the microdomains underneath, and the 4-arm star BCPs exhibit a parallel microdomain orientation at the air surface with mixed parallel and perpendicular microdomain orientation in the bulk. Additionally, we found that the inclination angle of microdomains at the edges of islands and holes, resulting from the incommensurability between film thickness and the characteristic period of the microdomain morphology, increases with a higher number of arms. This suggests a greater grain boundary tilt angle in the microdomains of star-shaped block copolymers (BCPs). When silicon substrates were modified with PS homopolymer, the selective interaction between substrate and core blocks promotes a parallel orientation for the 4-arm star BCPs. In conclusion, this work shows that control of arm number in star BCPs affords diverse BCP thin film morphologies, offering insights into the star BCP conformations in thin films across different depths.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Sn-InAs Nanowire Shadow-Defined Josephson Junctions

Hybrid superconductor–semiconductor platforms are foundational to advancing quantum information technologies, motivating the integration of materials with clean interfaces, robust superconductivity, and scalable architectures. Here, in this work, we report the synthesis and analysis of inclined InAs nanowires, conformally coated with β-Sn shells. These nanowires extend in opposite in-plane directions, forming a self-aligned, criss-cross network. This enables the deterministic formation of nanowire-shadow Josephson junctions through angle-controlled, low-temperature Sn deposition. Structural characterization shows uniform polycrystalline β-Sn shells forming a sharp, diffusion-free interface with InAs. Low-temperature transport measurements reveal a hard induced superconducting gap ≈ 600 μeV, switching currents up to ≈ 500 nA, and parallel magnetic field resilience beyond 1T. These results establish β-Sn/InAs nanowire networks as a promising platform for superconducting qubits, low-noise microwave devices, and the exploration of exotic superconducting phases including triplet pairing and topological superconductivity.

B-Sn

Direct Determination of 3C/4H Silicon Carbide Heterophase Interfaces by Electron Ptychography

Silicon carbide is a technologically relevant material that can exist in various structural polymorphs, each with its own electronic properties. Through the controlled growth of abrupt interfaces between the polymorphs, systems with emergent properties arise from differences in local bonding and stacking sequences. Determining the structure of these interfaces provides important insights into predicting and ultimately controlling their properties. Here, in this study, we use multislice electron ptychography (MEP) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze interfaces between 3C and 4H silicon carbide in three dimensions. Two distinct interfaces are investigated: a coherent interface between $(1\bar{1}1)$ (3C) and $(0001)$ (4H) , and an incoherent interface between $(1\bar{1}2)$ (3C) and $(1\bar{1}00)$ (4H) . At the coherent interface, MEP enables direct quantification of a sharp boundary with an inclined step, whereas at the incoherent interface, local atomic displacements are determined along dislocation cores. By quantifying the spatial distribution and atomic-scale structure of these interfaces in three dimensions, this study provides insight into the complexity of silicon carbide heteropolytype interfaces, paving the way for theoretical modeling and the development of design rules to achieve desired properties.

heterophase interface

Atomic Evolution of Hydrogen Intercalation Wave Dynamics in Palladium Nanocrystals Revealed by Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Solute-intercalation-induced phase separation creates spatial heterogeneities in host materials, a phenomenon ubiquitous in batteries, hydrogen storage, and other energy devices. Despite many efforts, probing intercalation processes at the atomic scale has been a significant challenge. By utilizing liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we study hydrogen (de)intercalation in palladium nanocrystals as a model system and have achieved unprecedented atomic-resolution imaging of hydrogen intercalation wave dynamics. Our observations reveal that intercalation wave mechanisms, instead of shrinking-core mechanisms, prevail at ambient temperature for palladium nanocubes ranging from ∼60 nm down to ∼10 nm. Systematic image analysis uncovers the atomic evolution of the hydrogen intercalation wave, transitioning from nonplanar and inclined boundaries to those closely aligned with {100} planes. Our kinetic Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the observed intercalation wave dynamics correspond to sorption pathways minimizing the lattice mismatch strain at the phase boundary. In conclusion, unveiling the atomic intercalation pathways holds profound implications for engineering intercalation-mediated devices and advancements in energy sciences.

Lee, Daewon [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory