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NASA NTRS1973

Flight test measurements and analysis of sonic boom phenomena near the shock wave extremity

The sonic boom flight test program conducted at Jackass Flats, Nevada, during the summer and fall of 1970 consisted of 121 sonic-boom-generating flights over the 1500 ft instrumented BREN tower. This test program was designed to provide information on several aspects of sonic boom, including caustics produced by longitudinal accelerations, caustics produced by steady flight near the threshold Mach number, sonic boom characteristics near lateral cutoff, and the vertical extent of shock waves attached to near-sonic airplanes. The measured test data, except for the near-sonic flight data, were analyzed in detail to determine sonic boom characteristics for these flight conditions and to determine the accuracy and the range of validity of linear sonic boom theory. The caustic phenomena observed during the threshold Mach number flights and during the transonic acceleration flights are documented and analyzed in detail. The theory of geometric acoustics is shown to be capable of predicting shock wave-ground intersections, and current methods for calculating sonic boom pressure signature away from caustics are shown to be reasonably accurate.

Haglund, G. T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Molecular photoionization processes of astrophysical and aeronomical interest

An account is given of aspects of photoionization processes in molecules, with particular reference to recent theoretical and experimental studies of partial cross sections for production of specific final electronic states and of parent and fragment ions. Such cross sections help provide a basis for specifying the state of excitation of the ionized medium, are useful for estimating the kinetic energy distributions of photoejected electrons and fragment ions, provide parent-and fragment-ion yields, and clarify the possible origins of neutral fragments in highly excited rovibronic states. A descriptive account is given of photoionization phenomena, including tabulation of valence- and inner-shell potentials for some molecules of astrophysical and aeronomical interest. Cross sectional expressions are given. Various approximations currently employed in computational studies are described briefly, threshold laws and high-energy limits are indicated, and distinction is drawn between resonant and direct photoionization phenomena. Recent experimental and theoretical studies of partial photoionization cross sections in selected compounds of astrophysical and aeronomical relevance are described and discussed.

Langhoff, P. W.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Evaluation of Mechanistic and Empirical Models against Existing FFRD and LOCA Experimental Databases

The desire of the nuclear industry to improve the economics of existing nuclear power plants has necessitated research into the potential of a phenomenon known as fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD). This phenomenon is possible during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) at relatively high burnup. The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program has been developing simulation capabilities for FFRD and LOCA in the BISON fuel performance code for multiple years. This year, the effort has been focused on evaluating new lower length scale informed pulverization thresholds as well as updating and adding new empirical models for various phenomena. Models added or updated this year include a preliminary transient fission gas release model, new high-temperature Zircaloy creep models, a Zircaloy rupture opening area model, and a temperature-dependent emissivity during radiation from the fuel rod to the surrounding atmosphere. The models are verified through implementation tests to demonstrate code correctness after addition to BISON. The models are then assessed against a subset of the existing BISON validation suite for LOCA and FFRD cases. Two new cases, Studsvik Rods 192 and 193, have been added. The results indicate that the inclusion of a bubble pressure evolution model in the bubbles in the high-burnup structure has the largest impact compared to the 3D fracture criterion on reducing the calculated amount of pulverized fuel.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Lowering the Energy Threshold of the CUORE Experiment: Benefits in the Surface Alpha Events Reconstruction

CUORE is a tonne-scale cryogenic experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that exploits bolometric technique to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te. Thanks to its very low background and large mass, CUORE is also a powerful tool to study a broad class of phenomena, such as solar axions and WIMP scattering. The ability to conduct such sensitive searches crucially depends on the energy threshold, which has to be kept as low as possible. Here, we show how the trigger algorithm affects the sensitivity to low-energy phenomena and the interpretation of the energy spectrum. In particular, we focus on the impact that the trigger algorithm has on the identification of the coincidence events among different crystals and, consequently, on the reconstruction of the background.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS1976

Estimates of the wind speeds required for particle motion on Mars

Threshold wind speeds for setting particles into motion on Mars are estimated by evaluating experimentally observed threshold friction velocities and determining the ratio of this velocity to the threshold wind speed at the top of earth's atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Turning angles between the direction of the wind at the top of the ABL and the wind stress at the surface are also estimated. Detailed consideration is given to the dependence of the threshold wind speed at the top of the ABL on particle diameter, surface pressure, air temperature, atmospheric stability and composition, surface roughness, and interparticle cohesion. The results are applied to interpret a number of phenomena that have been observed on Mars and are attributable to aeolian processes. It is shown that: (1) minimum threshold wind speeds of about 50 to 100 m/sec are required to cause particle motion on Mars under 'favorable' conditions; (2) particle motion should be infrequent and strongly correlated with proximity to small topographical features; (3) in general, particle motion occurs more readily at night than during the day, in winter polar areas than equatorial areas around noon, and for H2O or CO2 ice particles than for silicate particles; and (4) the boundary between saltating and suspendible particles is located at a particle diameter of about 100 microns.

Pollack, J. B.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Quantum Sensing for Energy Applications: Review and Perspective

On its revolutionary threshold, quantum sensing is creating potentially transformative opportunities to exploit intricate quantum mechanical phenomena in new ways to make ultrasensitive measurements of multiple parameters. Concurrently, growing interest in quantum sensing has created opportunities for its deployment to improve processes pertaining to energy production, distribution, and consumption. Safe and secure utilization of energy is dependent upon addressing challenges related to material stability and function, secure monitoring of infrastructure, and accuracy in detection and measurement. A summary of well-established and emerging quantum sensing materials and techniques, as well as the corresponding sensing platforms that have been developed for their deployment is provided here. Specifically, the enhancement of existing advanced sensing technologies with quantum methods and materials is focused on, enabling the realization of an unprecedented level of sensitivity, placing an emphasis on relevance to the energy industry. The review concludes with a discussion on high-value applications of quantum sensing to the energy sector, as well as remaining barriers to sensor deployment.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS2019

Testbed Requirements to Enable New Observing Strategies

Emerging capabilities to integrate instruments on smallsats, airborne platforms and in situ devices into an intelligent, distributed observing strategy show great promise for measuring Earth science natural phenomena and physical processes that have not previously been characterized. To reduce the threshold for success in deploying such an intelligent, integrated observing strategy, a ground-based testbed system is proposed. Virtually all of the technologies needed for using such a tool have matured to the point of being used, individually. Virtually none of the technologies have been deployed, working together. The technologies to be deployed should be integrated into a working "breadboard" where the components can be debugged and performance and behavior characterized and tuned-up. A system of this complexity should not be expected to work without full integration and experimental characterization. Further, and perhaps more importantly, in order to successfully propose a space-based element to this strategy, teams must convince the relevant science community that the risk is low enough to warrant the investment. The main benefit of the testbed is to retire the risk of integrating these new technologies and increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of each component as well as the System Readiness Level (SRL) of the integrated system.

Little, Mike↗

DOE OSTI2020

Control of electron recollision and molecular nonsequential double ionization

Abstract Intense laser pulses lasting a few optical cycles, are able to ionize molecules via different mechanisms. One such mechanism involves a process whereby within one optical period an electron tunnels away from the molecule, and is then accelerated and driven back as the laser field reverses its direction, colliding with the parent molecule and causing correlated non-sequential double ionization (NSDI). Here we report control over NSDI via spectral-phase pulse shaping of femtosecond laser pulses. The measurements are carried out on ethane molecules using shaped pulses. We find that the shaped pulses can enhance or suppress the yield of dications resulting from electron recollision by factors of 3 to 6. This type of shaped pulses is likely to impact all phenomena stemming from electron recollision processes induced by strong laser fields such as above threshold ionization, high harmonic generation, attosecond pulse generation, and laser-induced electron diffraction.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Renormalization scale setting for heavy quark pair production in $e^+e^–$ annihilation near the threshold region

Heavy fermion pair production in e + e – annihilation is a fundamental process in hadron physics and is of considerable interest for various phenomena. In this paper, we will apply the principle of maximum conformality (PMC) to provide a comprehensive analysis of these processes. The PMC provides a systematic, unambiguous method for determining the renormalization scales of the QCD coupling constant for single-scale and multiple-scale applications. The resulting predictions eliminate any renormalization scheme-and-scale ambiguities, eliminate the factorial renormalon divergences, and are consistent with the requirements of the renormalization group. It is remarkable that two distinctly different scales are determined by using the PMC for heavy fermion pair production near the threshold region. One scale is the order of the fermion mass m f , which enters the hard virtual corrections, and the other scale is of order v m f , where v is the quark velocity, which enters the Coulomb rescattering amplitude. The PMC scales yield the correct physical behavior and reflect the virtuality of the propagating gluons (photons) for the QCD (QED) processes. Moreover, we demonstrate the consistency of PMC scale setting from QCD to QED. Perfect agreement between the Abelian unambiguous Gell-Mann-Low and the PMC scale-setting methods in the limit of zero number of colors is demonstrated.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Tailoring the Thickness‐Dependent Optical Properties of Conducting Nitrides and Oxides for Epsilon‐Near‐Zero‐Enhanced Photonic Applications

Abstract The unique properties of the emerging photonic materials, conducting nitrides and oxides, especially their tailorability, large damage thresholds, and, importantly, the so‐called epsilon‐near‐zero (ENZ) behavior, have enabled novel photonic phenomena spanning optical circuitry, tunable metasurfaces, and nonlinear optical devices. This work explores direct control of the optical properties of polycrystalline titanium nitride (TiN) and aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) by tailoring the film thickness, and their potential for ENZ‐enhanced photonic applications. This study demonstrates that TiN–AZO bilayers support Ferrell–Berreman modes using the thickness‐dependent ENZ resonances in the AZO films operating in the telecom wavelengths spanning from 1470 to 1750 nm. The bilayer stacks also act as strong light absorbers in the ultraviolet regime using the radiative ENZ modes and the Fabry–Perot modes in the constituent TiN films. The studied Berreman resonators exhibit optically induced reflectance modulation of 15% with picosecond response time. Together with the optical response tailorability of conducting oxides and nitrides, using the field enhancement near the tunable ENZ regime can enable a wide range of nonlinear optical phenomena, including all‐optical switching, time refraction, and high‐harmonic generation.

Saha, Soham↗

DOE OSTI2025

Implications of point defect accumulation on UO 2 thermal conductivity and fission gas release under accelerated fuel irradiation

Evaluation of thermal properties is a crucial factor for nuclear fuel performance. During reactor operation, the accumulation of fission products and irradiation-induced lattice defects are responsible for degradation in thermal conductivity. Consequently, it affects fuel temperature and fission gas release (FGR) among other Multiphysics processes important for economics and safety analysis. We analyze the implications of point defects (PD) accumulation described using a rate theory (RT) Model on lattice thermal conductivity of UO 2 . Here, we demonstrate that fission rate-dependent point defect concentrations have the largest impact on in-pile thermal conductivity in the periphery of light water reactor fuels below a temperature threshold governed by the migration barrier of defects. Our analysis provides a mechanistic description of this phenomena which current fuel performance codes treat empirically. The reduction of thermal conductivity in the low -temperature rim region acts as additional thermal resistance and leads to a temperature notably larger than suggested by Lucuta thermal conductivity correlation. These effects are anticipated to have notable impacts when fuels are exposed to accelerated radiation. The impact of such point defect-informed treatment of thermal conductivity on fuel performance is evaluated by a detailed analysis of fission gas behavior and its release. We consider several models capturing different stages of fission gas bubble evolution and fission gas release (FGR). Finally, a new fission rate-dependent correction to the Lucuta correlation is proposed. The results show a significant reduction in thermal conductivity at the fuels’ periphery and an increase in fuel centerline temperature specifically at low burnups. Ultimately a modified LC shows a higher FGR compared to the original LC, while the acceleration process results in a reduction in overall FGR.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Physics Guided Simulation of Electrostatic Discharge: Technical Report

Triboelectrically-charged objects may create threshold sparks, electrostatic discharge (ESD) events, to equilibrate charge between themselves and other relatively charged objects. ESD events exhibit many complex physical phenomena. They are a nexus of several fields of physics with disparate characteristic scales: plasma physics, chemical kinetics, hydrodynamics, circuit models, etc. These scales can span many orders of magnitude from the varied collisions thermalizing information within a plasma on the $\mathcal{O}(fs/ps)$ to the physical size of the plasma channel on the $\mathcal{O}(100µm)$, to the speed of a nonlinear hydrodynamic wave propagating at $\mathcal{O}(µm, ns)$. These threshold ESD events may occur in situations of programmatic importance, delivering energy and power profiles to a “victim load” generating deleterious consequences. To predict and mitigate these consequences we must answer questions about the spark’s energy budget: how much energy goes into producing the spark channel; how much gets radiated away; how much energy is advected away into the hydrodynamics; and how much energy is delivered to a victim load. An ESD simulation toolset has been created and evolved in order to answer these questions. An appropriate, physics guided implementation for simulation can be done by gaining insight into its constituent physics and leveraging that intuition to choose a suitable numerical operator. We examine in detail the chemical kinetics, circuit discharge, and hydrodynamics to deter mine dominant regimes, values, timescales, and interactions to uncover the underlying physical dynamics. We also examine and propose model reduction schemes for high-dimensional chemical kinetics. We use past and current work with experimentally validated and theoretically-verified hydrodynamics to calculate applicability limits of the non-ionizing strong shock limit. We quantify the energy budget from a hydrodynamic perspective and demonstrate that a significant fraction of the stored energy is “earmarked” for hydrodynamic advection as an energy terminus. Lastly, we combine the constituent physics of an ESD event (chemical kinetics, circuit model, and hydrodynamics) into a cohesive, actionable toolset and obtain promising results from an isothermal test case. We then propose a viable, modular evolution of the ESD toolset based upon the performed examination of the physics uncovering dominant physical scales and the stiffness of the compositional differential system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

A variational phase-field framework for thermal softening and dynamic ductile fracture

A variational phase field model for dynamic ductile fracture is presented. Here, the model is designed for elasto-viscoplastic materials subjected to rapid deformations in which the effects of heat generation and material softening are dominant. The variational framework allows for the consistent inclusion of plastic dissipation in the heat equation as well as thermal softening. It employs a coalescence function to degrade fracture energy during regimes of high plastic flow. A variationally consistent form of the Johnson–Cook model is developed for use with the framework. Results from various benchmark problems in dynamic ductile fracture are presented to demonstrate capabilities. In particular, the ability of the model to regularize shear band formation and subsequent damage evolution in two- and three-dimensional problems is demonstrated. Importantly, these phenomena are naturally captured through the underlying physics without the need for phenomenological criteria such as stability thresholds for the onset of shear band formation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Understanding Microstructure Variability in Vapor-Deposited Energetic Materials by Using Phase-Field Methods

Critical components, such as detonators, in Sandia's stockpile contain heterogeneous materials whose performance and reliability depend on accurate, predictive models of coupled, complex phenomena to predict their synthesis, processing, and operation. Ongoing research in energetic materials has shown that microstructural properties, such as density, pore-size, morphology, and specific surface area are correlated to their initiation threshold and detonation behavior. However, experiments to study these specific characteristics of energetic materials are challenging and time consuming. Therefore, in this work, we turn to mesoscale modeling methods that may be capable of reproducing some observed phenomena to refine and predict outcomes beforehand. Even so, we have no physics-based modeling capability to predict how the microstructure of an energetic material will evolve over near- and long-term time scales. Thus, the goal of this work is to (i) identify any knowledge gaps in how the underlying microstructure forms and evolves during the synthesis process, and (ii) develop and test a mesoscale phase-field model for vapor deposition to capture critical mechanisms of microstructure formation, evolution, and variability in vapor-deposited energetic materials, such as processing conditions, material properties, and substrate interactions. Based on this work, the phase-field method is shown to be a valuable tool for developing the necessary models containing coupled, complex phenomena to investigate and understand the synthesis and processing of energetic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2026

Roadmap for the future of extreme wildfire events

Background Extreme wildfire events (EWEs) represent a growing threat globally, posing substantial risks to ecosystems, human communities, and infrastructure. Despite increased recognition of their ecological, social, and economic significance, current definitions of EWEs vary widely, reflecting disciplinary biases and regional contexts. This article emerges from an interdisciplinary workshop convened to reassess and refine the definition of EWEs, examine their impacts across ecological and social dimensions, and identify critical knowledge gaps impeding our understanding of these infrequent but important events. Results Our synthesis highlights significant limitations with existing definitions, particularly their reliance on subjective thresholds and their emphasis on extreme fire behavior alone. EWEs encompass a spectrum of complex, multi-dimensional phenomena that extend beyond immediate biophysical characteristics to include cumulative social, economic, and ecological impacts. These impacts often manifest over extended timeframes and include hazardous environmental contamination, severe geomorphic disturbances, ecosystem transformations, and unintended consequences of post-fire management actions. Current wildfire modeling frameworks inadequately capture these compounding factors, particularly the interactions among social systems, ecological conditions, and extreme fire behavior. To overcome these issues, we advocate for an interdisciplinary and context-sensitive approach to defining and studying EWEs. This revised definition emphasizes wildfires exhibiting anomalies in fire behavior, ecological outcomes, or social impacts relative to historically observed baselines, accommodating variability across different geographic regions and ecological settings. Conclusions Adopting an interdisciplinary framework that integrates biophysical and social sciences will enhance the predictive capability of wildfire models and improve resilience planning and response strategies. Filling identified knowledge gaps—such as limited high-quality empirical fire behavior data and insufficient integration of social dynamics into modeling—will better prepare communities and ecosystems to cope with and adapt to EWEs. This inclusive approach underscores the necessity for collaboration across disciplines and sectors, essential to managing extreme wildfires in an era of increasing climatic and ecological uncertainty.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1984

Experimental techniques for cross-section measurements

Attention is given to electron collision phenomena which can be studied under single-collision conditions at low and intermediate electron impact energies, ranging from threshold to a few hundred eV, using gas phase molecular targets. Several of the experimental methods discussed were first developed and applied to atoms, but are equally applicable to molecules with minor modifications in the interpretation of the data, due to the greater complexity of molecular systems.

Trajmar, S.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Maximum Likelihood Time-of-Arrival Estimation of Optical Pulses via Photon-Counting Photodetectors

Many optical imaging, ranging, and communications systems rely on the estimation of the arrival time of an optical pulse. Recently, such systems have been increasingly employing photon-counting photodetector technology, which changes the statistics of the observed photocurrent. This requires time-of-arrival estimators to be developed and their performances characterized. The statistics of the output of an ideal photodetector, which are well modeled as a Poisson point process, were considered. An analytical model was developed for the mean-square error of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, demonstrating two phenomena that cause deviations from the minimum achievable error at low signal power. An approximation was derived to the threshold at which the ML estimator essentially fails to provide better than a random guess of the pulse arrival time. Comparing the analytic model performance predictions to those obtained via simulations, it was verified that the model accurately predicts the ML performance over all regimes considered. There is little prior art that attempts to understand the fundamental limitations to time-of-arrival estimation from Poisson statistics. This work establishes both a simple mathematical description of the error behavior, and the associated physical processes that yield this behavior. Previous work on mean-square error characterization for ML estimators has predominantly focused on additive Gaussian noise. This work demonstrates that the discrete nature of the Poisson noise process leads to a distinctly different error behavior.

Erkmen, Baris I.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Coupling of Carbon Nanotubes to Metallic Contacts

The modeling of carbon nanotube-metal contacts is important from both basic and applied view points. For many applications, it is important to design contacts such that the transmission is dictated by intrinsic properties of the nanotube rather than by details of the contact. In this paper, we calculate the electron transmission probability from a nanotube to a free electron metal, which is side-contacted. If the metal-nanotube interface is sufficiently ordered, we find that k-vector conservation plays an important role in determining the coupling, with the physics depending on the area of contact, tube diameter, and chirality. The main results of this paper are: (1) conductance scales with contact length, a phenomena that has been observed in experiments and (2) in the case of uniform coupling between metal and nanotube, the threshold value of the metal Fermi wave vector (below which coupling is insignificant) depends on chirality. Disorder and small phase coherence length relax the need for k-vector conservation, thereby making the coupling stronger.

Anantram, M. P.↗