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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2

Potential Effects of Climate Change and Solar Radiation Modification on Renewable Energy Resources

Solar radiation modification (SRM) is a possible deliberate approach to decrease or reflect incoming solar radiation with the goal of reducing global temperatures, which have increased over the last decades due to high atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Stratospheric aerosol injection, specifically, has shown potential for successfully reducing global temperatures in climate model simulations. Despite the growing literature in the areas of climate change and SRM, their combined effects on renewable energy generation, a climate change mitigation strategy, have not been addressed. In this review paper, we synthesize previous literature on the possible effects of climate change and SRM on renewable energy resources (i.e., wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy, and hydropower), review the status of climate change and SRM research, and explore potential effects of SRM on renewable energy primarily in the Continental United States (CONUS), but with global perspectives as well. We discuss the research challenges and impacts of SRM on renewable energy and conclude by discussing the potential implications of SRM for renewables for SRM governance and policy. This work is not advocating for or against SRM. It is highlighting an important potential impact for future decision makers.

Kumler, Andrew [National Renewable Energy Laborato↗

A Perspective on Quantum Computing Applications in Quantum Chemistry Using 25-100 Logical Qubits

The intersection of quantum computing and quantum chemistry represents a promising frontier for achieving quantum utility in domains of both scientific and societal relevance. Owing to the exponential growth of classical resource requirements for simulating quantum systems, quantum chemistry has long been recognized as a natural candidate for quantum computation. This perspective focuses on identifying scientifically meaningful use cases where early fault-tolerant quantum computers, which are considered to be equipped with approximately 25-100 logical qubits, could deliver tangible impact. While recent advances in classical computing have pushed the boundaries of tractable simulations to unprecedented scales, this logical-qubit regime represents the first window where quantum devices can pursue qualitatively distinct strategies, such as polynomial-scaling phase estimation, direct simulation of quantum dynamics, and active-space embedding, that remain challenging for classical solvers, such as multireference charge-transfer and conical-intersection states central to photochemistry and materials design. We highlight near-term opportunities in algorithm and software design, discuss representative chemical problems suited for quantum acceleration, and propose strategic roadmaps and collaborative pathways for advancing practical quantum utility in quantum chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Short Life of Upvalley Wind in a High‐Altitude Valley in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Thermally driven upvalley (UV) wind in the upper East River Valley in the Colorado Rocky Mountains often unexpectedly stops in midmorning and reverses back to downvalley (DV) wind. We use a comprehensive observational data set for a nearly two‐year long period to analyze the wind system and boundary layer evolution in this high‐altitude valley and determine the reason for this early wind reversal. Days with short UV wind predominantly occur during the warm season when the valley floor is free of snow and the convective boundary layer (CBL) grows well above the height of the surrounding ridges. UV wind persists throughout the day only on a few days during the warm season. We link differences in valley wind evolution to wind direction at upper levels at and above ridge height and propose forced channeling mechanisms to describe coupling between valley and upper‐level wind when the CBL grows above ridge height. The frequency distribution of upper‐level wind direction is such that channeling in the DV direction is favored, which explains the predominance of days with short UV wind. The deep CBL is supported by the presence of a deep weakly stably stratified residual layer with high aerosol content, which is regularly present over the mountain range during the warm season. On days when the CBL does not grow above ridge height, for example, when the valley floor is covered by snow, thermally driven UV wind is able to persist throughout the day independent of upper‐level wind direction.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A universal language for finding mass spectrometry data patterns

Despite being information rich, the vast majority of untargeted mass spectrometry data are underutilized; most analytes are not used for downstream interpretation or reanalysis after publication. The inability to dive into these rich raw mass spectrometry datasets is due to the limited flexibility and scalability of existing software tools. Here, in this study, we introduce a new language, the Mass Spectrometry Query Language (MassQL), and an accompanying software ecosystem that addresses these issues by enabling the community to directly query mass spectrometry data with an expressive set of user-defined mass spectrometry patterns. Illustrated by real-world examples, MassQL provides a data-driven definition of chemical diversity by enabling the reanalysis of all public untargeted metabolomics data, empowering scientists across many disciplines to make new discoveries. MassQL has been widely implemented in multiple open-source and commercial mass spectrometry analysis tools, which enhances the ability, interoperability and reproducibility of mining of mass spectrometry data for the research community.

Damiani, Tito [Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Pr↗

Author Correction: A universal language for finding mass spectrometry data patterns

Correction to: Nature Methodshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-025-02660-z, published online 12 May 2025. This article was originally published under standard Springer Nature license (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.). It is now available as an open-access paper under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, © The Author(s). The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

Damiani, Tito↗

Chemical templates of the Central Molecular Zone

Context . The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way exhibits extreme conditions, including high gas densities, elevated temperatures, enhanced cosmic-ray ionization rates, and large-scale dynamics. This makes it a perfect laboratory for astrochemical studies. With large-scale molecular surveys revealing increasing chemical and physical complexity in the CMZ, it is essential to develop robust methods to decode the chemical information embedded in this extreme region. Aims . A key step to interpreting the molecular richness found in the CMZ is building chemical templates tailored to its diverse conditions. In particular, understanding how CMZ environments affect shock and protostellar chemistry is crucial. The combined impact of high ionization, elevated temperatures, and dense gas remains insufficiently explored for observable tracers. Methods . For this study, we utilized UCLCHEM , a gas-grain time-dependent chemical model, to link physical conditions with their corresponding molecular signatures and identify key tracers of temperature, density, ionization, and shock activity. To achieve this, we ran a grid of models of shocks and protostellar objects representative of typical CMZ conditions, focusing on 24 species, including complex organic molecules. Results . Shocked and protostellar environments show distinct evolutionary timescales (≲10 4 vs. ≳10 4 years); 300 K emerges as a key temperature threshold for chemical differentiation. We find that cosmic-ray ionization and temperature are the main drivers of chemical trends. HCO + , H 2 CO, and CH 3 SH trace ionization, while HCO, HCO + , CH 3 SH, CH 3 NCO, and HCOOCH 3 show consistent abundance contrasts between shocks and protostellar regions over similar temperature ranges. Conclusions . We characterized the behavior of 24 species in protostellar and shock-related environments. While our models underpredict some complex organics in shocks, they reproduce observed trends for most species, supporting scenarios involving a need for recurring shocks in Galactic Center clouds and enhanced ionization toward Sgr B2(N2). Future work should assess the role of shock recurrence and metallicity in shaping chemistry.

Galaxy: center↗

Cryosectioning-enhanced super-resolution microscopy for single-protein imaging across cells and tissues

DNA-points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (DNA-PAINT) enables nanoscale imaging with virtually unlimited multiplexing and molecular counting. Here, we address challenges, such as variable imaging performance and target accessibility, that can limit its broader applicability. Specifically, we enhance its capacity for robust single-protein imaging and molecular counting by optimizing the integration of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy with physical sectioning, in particular, Tokuyasu cryosectioning. Our method, tomographic and kinetically enhanced DNA-PAINT (tkPAINT), achieves 3 nm localization precision across diverse samples, enhanced imager binding, and improved cellular integrity. tkPAINT can facilitate molecular counting with DNA-PAINT inside the nucleus, as demonstrated through its quantification of the in situ abundance of RNA Polymerase II in both HeLa cells as well as mouse tissues. Anticipating that tkPAINT could become a versatile tool for the exploration of biomolecular organization and interactions across cells and tissues, we also demonstrate its capacity to support multiplexing, multimodal targeting of proteins and nucleic acids, and three-dimensional (3D) imaging.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

SARS-CoV-2 wastewater variant surveillance: pandemic response leveraging FDA’s GenomeTrakr network

ABSTRACT Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a crucial public health tool for population-level pathogen surveillance. Supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the FDA‘s genomic epidemiology program, GenomeTrakr, was leveraged to sequence SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater sites across the United States. This initiative required the evaluation, optimization, development, and publication of new methods and analytical tools spanning sample collection through variant analyses. Version-controlled protocols for each step of the process were developed and published on protocols.io. A custom data analysis tool and a publicly accessible dashboard were built to facilitate real-time visualization of the collected data, focusing on the relative abundance of SARS-CoV-2 variants and sub-lineages across different samples and sites throughout the project. From September 2021 through June 2023, a total of 3,389 wastewater samples were collected, with 2,517 undergoing sequencing and submission to NCBI under the umbrella BioProject,PRJNA757291. Sequence data were released with explicit quality control (QC) tags on all sequence records, communicating our confidence in the quality of data. Variant analysis revealed wide circulation of Delta in the fall of 2021 and captured the sweep of Omicron and subsequent diversification of this lineage through the end of the sampling period. This project successfully achieved two important goals for the FDA’s GenomeTrakr program: first, contributing timely genomic data for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic response, and second, establishing both capacity and best practices for culture-independent, population-level environmental surveillance for other pathogens of interest to the FDA. IMPORTANCE This paper serves two primary objectives. First, it summarizes the genomic and contextual data collected during a Covid-19 pandemic response project, which utilized the FDA’s laboratory network, traditionally employed for sequencing foodborne pathogens, for sequencing SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater samples. Second, it outlines best practices for gathering and organizing population-level next generation sequencing (NGS) data collected for culture-free, surveillance of pathogens sourced from environmental samples.

Microbiology↗

Quantum information meets high-energy physics: input to the update of the European strategy for particle physics

Some of the most astonishing and prominent properties of Quantum Mechanics, such as entanglement and Bell nonlocality, have only been studied extensively in dedicated low-energy laboratory setups. The feasibility of these studies in the high-energy regime explored by particle colliders was only recently shown and has gathered the attention of the scientific community. For the range of particles and fundamental interactions involved, particle colliders provide a novel environment where quantum information theory can be probed, with energies exceeding by about 12 orders of magnitude those employed in dedicated laboratory setups. Furthermore, collider detectors have inherent advantages in performing certain quantum information measurements and allow for the reconstruction of the state of the system under consideration via quantum state tomography. Here, we elaborate on the potential, challenges, and goals of this innovative and rapidly evolving line of research and discuss its expected impact on both quantum information theory and high-energy physics.

Physics↗

A Grassroots Network and Community Roadmap for Interconnected Autonomous Science Laboratories for Accelerated Discovery

Scientific discovery is being revolutionized by AI and autonomous systems, yet current autonomous laboratories remain isolated islands unable to collaborate across institutions. We present the Autonomous Interconnected Science Lab Ecosystem (AISLE), a grassroots network transforming fragmented capabilities into a unified system that shorten the path from ideation to innovation to impact and accelerates discovery from decades to months. AISLE addresses five critical dimensions: (1) cross-institutional equipment orchestration, (2) intelligent data management with FAIR compliance, (3) AI-agent driven orchestration grounded in scientific principles, (4) interoperable agent communication interfaces, and (5) AI/ML-integrated scientific education. By connecting autonomous agents across institutional boundaries, autonomous science can unlock research spaces inaccessible to traditional approaches while democratizing cutting-edge technologies. This paradigm shift toward collaborative autonomous science promises breakthroughs in sustainable energy, materials development, and public health.

Ferreira da Silva, Rafael [Oak Ridge National Labo↗

INFN LASA in-kind contribution to PIP-II

This paper reports the status and recent progress of INFN LASA’s in-kind contribution to the PIP-II project at Fermilab, with updates on key activities and major procurements. Production efforts for the 38 INFN LASA-designed, 5-cell cavities (β=0.61) for the LB650 section of the linac are underway and two pre-series prototypes are being realized as a first step to validate the manufacturing and treatment sequence. Concurrently, preliminary testing on existing prototypes is progressing to gain a deeper understanding of the surface preparation and qualification procedures, including cross-validation at different infrastructures. Series LB650 cavities will be industrially produced and surface-treated to achieve the stringent performance targets, qualified via vertical cold tests at DESY AMTF, and delivered installation-ready for string assembly.

Paparella, Rocco [INFN, Pisa; LASA, Segrate]↗

Design Initiative for a 10 TeV pCM Wakefield Collider

This document outlines a community-driven Design Study for a 10 TeV pCM Wakefield Accelerator Collider. The 2020 ESPP Report emphasized the need for Advanced Accelerator R&D, and the 2023 P5 Report calls for the ``delivery of an end-to-end design concept, including cost scales, with self-consistent parameters throughout." This Design Study leverages recent experimental and theoretical progress resulting from a global R&D program in order to deliver a unified, 10 TeV Wakefield Collider concept. Wakefield Accelerators provide ultra-high accelerating gradients which enables an upgrade path that will extend the reach of Linear Colliders beyond the electroweak scale. Here, we describe the organization of the Design Study including timeline and deliverables, and we detail the requirements and challenges on the path to a 10 TeV Wakefield Collider.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

MuCol Milestone Report No. 7: Consolidated Parameters

This document is comprised of a collection of consolidated parameters for the key parts of the muon collider. These consolidated parameters follow on from the October 2024 Preliminary Parameters Report. Attention has been given to a high-level consistent set of baseline parameters throughout all systems of the complex, following a 10 TeV center-of-mass design. Additional details of the designs contributing to this baseline design are featured in the appendix. Likewise, explorative variations from this baseline set can be found in the appendix. The data is collected from a collaborative spreadsheet and transferred to overleaf.

Taylor, Rebecca [CERN]↗

Automated Image Segmentation and Processing Pipeline Applied to X–Ray Computed Tomography Studies of Pitting Corrosion in Aluminum Wires

Understanding pitting corrosion is critical, yet its kinetics and morphology remain challenging to study from X-ray computed tomography (XCT) due to manual segmentation barriers. To address this, an automated pipeline leveraging deep learning for efficient large-scale XCT analysis is developed, revealing new corrosion insights. The pipeline enables pit segmentation, 3D reconstruction, statistical characterization, and a topological transformation for visualization. Here, the pipeline is applied to 87 648 XCT images capturing commercial purity aluminum (1100 Al) wire exposed to sodium chloride (NaCl) salt particles over a period of 122 h. The pipeline achieves complete feature extraction and statistical quantification across the entire XCT dataset, leveraging distributed computing environment for high efficiency. Global growth kinetics such as high-level stepwise sigmoidal volume loss patterns and granular individual pit developments are both captured for 36 detected pits. By combining automation, computer vision, and extensive XCT datasets, this research accelerates precise corrosion assessment to enable materials science discoveries at scale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase Transitions of Eutectic High Entropy Alloy AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 Under Shock Compression

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of metals that exhibit unique mechanical performance. Among HEAs, additively manufactured eutectic high entropy alloys (AM EHEAs) have recently emerged as candidate materials for use in extreme conditions due to their simultaneous high strength and ductility. However, the deformation and structural evolution of AM EHEAs under conditions of high pressure have not been well characterized, limiting their use in extreme applications. Dynamic compression experiments and molecular dynamics simulations are presented to study the structural evolution of AM EHEA AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 when compressed to pressures up to 400 GPa. In situ X-ray diffraction measurements capture the appearance of face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic phases at different pressure conditions, with pure- and mixed-phase regions. Furthermore, understanding the phase stability and structural evolution of the AM EHEA offers new insights to guide the development of high-performance complex materials for extreme conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗