Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “interchangeable”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Investigating nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics in an optimized, reactor-scale quasi-axisymmetric stellarator

We use the new simulation capabilities of the extended-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code, M3D-C1, to investigate the nonlinear MHD properties of a reactor-scale quasisymmetric stellarator equilibrium. Our model captures the self-consistent evolution of the magnetic field, temperature, density, and flow profiles without imposing restrictions on the structure of the first. We include the effects of resistivity using a realistic temperature-dependent Spitzer model, along with a model for heat transport that captures the key physical characteristic, namely, strongly anisotropic diffusion in directions perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. We consider a quasi-axisymmetric, finite-pressure equilibrium that was optimized for self-consistent bootstrap current, quasi-symmetry, and energetic particle confinement. Our assessment finds that the equilibrium is highly unstable to interchange-like pressure-driven instabilities near the plasma edge. The initially unstable modes rapidly destabilize other modes in the direction of the N-fold rotational symmetry (toroidal, in this case). For this equilibrium, N = 2, meaning destabilization of a large number of even-numbered toroidal Fourier modes. Thus, field-periodicity is likely to be an important factor in the nonlinear MHD stability characteristics of optimized stellarators.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integration of fixed-frequency and FM-CW (frequency-modulated continuous-wave) reflectometers for coincident turbulence measurements on LTX- β (Lithium Tokamak eXperiment- β )

The fixed-frequency and frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FM-CW) reflectometers on LTX-β (Lithium Tokamak eXperiment-β) have been configured to use the same transmission lines and antenna arrays for coincident views of the core and edge plasma. The fixed-frequency channels (13.1–20.5 and 20–40 GHz, tunable between discharges) provide time-resolved measurements of density fluctuations, while the FM-CW channels (13.1–20.2 and 19.5–33.5 GHz) measure the density profile and fluctuations, with high spatial resolution and a sampling rate determined by the frequency sweep interval (5 μs). Data from both reflectometers are synchronously acquired to simultaneously leverage the wide bandwidth and high spatial resolution of the respective systems. Experiments showed that mutual crosstalk interference is momentary and does not diminish the capability of either system. Spectral analysis indicated broad power spectra (several hundreds of kHz) and suggests that the signals from the FM-CW system are consistent with under-sampled fixed-frequency signals. Radial correlations were explored using data from the two reflectometers, as well as from the FM-CW system alone. The core channels showed high levels of agreement between these two comparisons, suggesting that the data from the reflectometers are interchangeable for statistical estimates. For the edge channels, comparisons using data from the FM-CW reflectometer alone showed significant decorrelation due to time lag caused by the finite frequency up-sweep duration. Alternatively, this effect is eliminated when cross-correlating data from the different reflectometers. Finally, these results highlight the advantages of operating the fixed-frequency and FM-CW reflectometers in this manner, where the combined system can overcome the limitations of each separate system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Room temperature buffer gas beam of metastable state titanium atoms

We produce beams of neutral titanium (Ti) atoms in their metastable 3d3(F4)4sa5F5 state by laser ablation into He, N2, and Ar buffer gases. The high temperatures associated with the ablation process populate the a5F5 level without the need for optical pumping. Remarkably, we observe that Ti atoms in the a5F5 state survive thousands of collisions with He and Ar buffer gas atoms without being quenched to lower-energy states. We study the yield of Ti atoms when ablated into buffer gases of varying species and pressure, quantify quenching rates and diffusion cross sections based on simple models, and provide insight into optimal design parameters for an ablation cell. Using a 3.3 cm ablation cell with interchangeable exit apertures, we produce metastable atom beams and quantify their brilliance and velocity distributions as functions of buffer gas pressure.

Schrott, Jackson↗
DOE OSTI2025

Direct measurement of thermal Knudsen forces in rarefied gas environments

At micro- and nanoscales, momentum transfer between surfaces is influenced by various physical mechanisms, including quantum fluctuations, electromagnetic interactions, electric charges, and the dynamics of (rarefied) gases. Under non-isothermal conditions, rarefied gases give rise to thermal Knudsen forces whose magnitudes strongly depend on the gas species and surface characteristics. Knudsen forces are particularly relevant in nanotechnology, optical manipulation, and aerospace systems, where gas rarefaction occurs due to highly confined geometries, sub-micrometer length scales, and reduced particle densities. Despite their significance, predictive modeling of Knudsen forces is limited by a lack of comprehensive experimental data across diverse materials and surface morphologies. Here, in this work, we present a highly sensitive and adaptable measurement platform capable of directly quantifying Knudsen forces using a suspended, interchangeable micro-cantilever within controlled rarefied helium and nitrogen environments. The system integrates optical fiber interferometry to precisely capture out-of-plane displacements at sub-micrometer resolution, driven by Knudsen forces. From the empirical data, we derive a robust correlation linking the magnitudes of Knudsen forces to energy accommodation coefficients, offering deeper insights into the underlying gas–surface interaction mechanisms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

A study of resistive peeling–ballooning modes across spherical tokamaks

We investigate how non-ideal-magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effects, in particular plasma resistivity, impact the peeling–ballooning stability thresholds in spherical tokamaks. This analysis follows the discovery of resistive kink-peeling modes in ELMing National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) discharges. In the present study we extend this modeling to ELMing pulses in the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) and MAST—Upgrade (MAST-U), where we find a clear resistive scaling for peeling–ballooning modes. While in NSTX ideal-MHD predicts stability for ELMing discharges, in MAST-U we find that the plasma is slightly unstable to peeling–ballooning modes, but is fully stabilized once diamagnetic effects are considered in terms of a growth rate normalization. A resistive power law scaling is calculated for these modes on MAST-U, which lies in between that of tearing modes and resistive interchange modes. A comparison between M3D-C1 and NIMROD shows reasonable agreement for this scaling. Resistivity destabilizes the modes and the peeling–ballooning unstable domain is considerably expanded in both, MAST and MAST-U. In addition to the MAST/-U pulses we also analyze resistive PB stability in a NSTX-similarity discharge on DIII-D. While having a different aspect ratio from NSTX, this discharge uses NSTX-like shaping parameters, toroidal field and plasma current. By considering these discharges alongside NSTX cases, we identify conditions influencing the onset of resistive peeling–ballooning modes. Furthermore, our findings indicate that magnetic shear in the pedestal region is closely linked to the emergence of resistive edge modes.

MAST-U↗
DOE OSTI2024

Generation of shear flows induced by AE / EPM in LHD plasma

The generation of shear flows (SFs) by Alfven Eigenmodes (AEs) and energetic particle modes (EPMs) have important effects on the operation of future nuclear fusion reactors, because SFs regulate the saturation of the AEs/EPMs, the transport of EPs and thermal plasma, as well as the formation of transport barriers among other consequences. The aim of this study is the analysis of SFs generation during the saturation phase of AEs and EPMs in LHD plasma. Experiments performed in the 23rd and 24th LHD experimental campaigns are dedicated to explore the destabilization of AEs/EPMs in discharges with different heating patterns, thermal plasma and magnetic field configurations. In particular, the shots 176490 and 179697 show the destabilization of MHD bursts and energetic-ion-driven resistive interchange modes (EIC), respectively. Charge exchange spectroscopy measurements in both discharges indicate that the generation of SFs by AE/EPM is uncorrelated with the perturbation induced by the neutral beam injector (NBI). Nonlinear simulations performed using the gyro-fluid code FAR3d show the generation of zonal structures, especially SFs, induced during the saturation phase of Toroidal Alfven Eigenmodes (TAEs) triggered in the MHD burst as well as by the 1/1 EIC in the bursting phase. The simulations indicate that SFs are caused by the radial electric fields powered by energy transfers from the unstable AE/EPM towards the thermal plasma. The strongest SFs are measured during the EIC bursting phase once the 1/1 EPM overlaps with nearby resonances at the plasma periphery. Likewise, the largest SFs during the MHD burst are observed once TAEs radially overlap in the inner-middle plasma region.

AE↗
DOE OSTI2025

51 V NMR evidence for interlayer-modulated charge order and a first-order low-temperature transition in CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5

Charge order in the kagome superconductor CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5 exhibits a complex three-dimensional organization and intermediate-temperature anomalies whose bulk character has remained unsettled. We use orientation-dependent 51 V NMR as a site-selective probe to determine the stacking of the charge density wave (CDW) state and its thermal evolution. Below 𝑇 CDW ≈ 94K, the field-linear splitting of the 51 V central transition together with the anisotropy of the Knight shift tensor identify an interlayer-modulated 3⁢𝑞 CDW whose local environments are consistent with a four-layer 2 × 2 × 4 stacking with mixed trihexagonal/Star-of-David distortions, in agreement with synchrotron x-ray determinations. For comparison, RbV 3 ⁢Sb 5 serves as a reference exhibiting a uniform trihexagonal 2 × 2 × 2 stacking, allowing us to isolate features unique to the 2 × 2 × 4 state in CsV 3 ⁢Sb 5 . With 𝐻 0 ∥ 𝑐, the 51 V quadrupolar satellites through the intermediate temperature scale near 𝑇 CO ≈ 65K reorganize into two well-resolved electric-field-gradient manifolds that coexist over a finite interval; their relative spectral weights interchange on cooling while the total integrated satellite intensity remains conserved and 𝜈 𝑄 within each manifold is nearly temperature independent. The coexistence without critical broadening, together with conserved intensity, provides bulk evidence consistent with a first-order charge-order transition near 𝑇 CO . Our measurements do not resolve whether this lower-temperature transition corresponds to a distinct in-plane order or a reorganization of the 3⁢𝑞 state; rather, they delimit this window and provide bulk, site-resolved constraints that connect prior reported anomalies to a thermodynamic first-order transition.

Wang, Xiaoling [California State Univ., East Bay, ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flavor diagonal nucleon charges using clover fermions on MILC HISQ ensembles

We present lattice results for the flavor diagonal charges of the proton from the analysis of eight ensembles generated using 2+1+1-flavors of highly improved staggered quarks by the MILC Collaboration. The calculation includes all the needed connected and disconnected contributions to nucleon three-point function. For extracting matrix elements using fits to the spectral decomposition of these correlation functions, two strategies to remove excited state contributions are employed and compared. To renormalize these charges, the 2+1-flavor mixing matrix is calculated in the regularization independent symmetric momentum subtraction intermediate scheme on the lattice. The final results are presented in the $\overline{MS}$ scheme at scale 2 GeV. The axial charges for the proton are $𝑔$$^{𝑢}_{𝐴}$ = 0.781⁢(25), $𝑔$$^{𝑑}_{𝐴}$ =−0.440⁢(39), and $𝑔$$^{𝑠}_{𝐴}$ = −0.055⁢(9); the tensor charges are $𝑔$$^{𝑢}_{𝑇}$ = 0.782⁢(28), $𝑔$$^{𝑑}_{𝑇}$ = −0.195⁢(16), and $𝑔$$^{𝑠}_{𝑇}$ = −0.0016⁢(12); and the scalar charges are $𝑔$$^{𝑢}_{𝑆}$ = 9.39⁢(88), $𝑔$$^{𝑑}_{𝑆}$ = 8.84⁢(93), and $𝑔$$^{𝑠}_{𝑆}$ = 0.37⁢(14). Results for the neutron are given by the 𝑢 ↔ 𝑑 interchange. Results for the sigma terms are 𝜎 𝜋⁢𝑁 | standard = 42⁢(6) MeV from a “standard” analysis and 𝜎 𝜋⁢𝑁 | 𝑁⁢𝜋 = 61⁢(6) MeV from an “𝑁⁢𝜋” analysis that includes the contributions of multihadron 𝑁⁢𝜋 excited states as motivated by chiral perturbation theory. Our preferred value 𝜎 𝜋⁢𝑁 | 𝑁⁢𝜋 is consistent with the phenomenological extraction from 𝜋 −𝑁 scattering data. The strangeness content of the proton, for which the standard analysis is appropriate, is 𝜎 𝑠 | standard = 35⁢(13) MeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Partial-wave projection of relativistic three-body amplitudes

We derive the integral equations for partial-wave projected three-body scattering amplitudes, starting from the integral equations for three-body amplitudes developed for lattice QCD analyses. The results, which hold for generic three-body systems of spinless particles, build upon the recently derived partial-wave projected one-particle exchange, a primary component of the relativistic framework proven to satisfy 𝑆 matrix unitarity. We derive simplified expressions for factorizable short-distance interactions, 𝒦 3 , in two equivalent formalisms—one symmetric under particle interchange and one asymmetric. For the asymmetric case, we offer parametrizations useful for amplitude analysis. Finally, we examine toy models for 3⁢𝜋 systems at unphysically heavy pion masses with total isospins 0, 1, and 2.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Turbulence Transition in Magnetically Confined Hydrogen and Deuterium Plasmas

In this study, we discovered a turbulence transition in a large helical device. The turbulence level and turbulence-driven energy transport decrease to a specific transition density and increase above it. The ruling turbulences below and above the transition density were ion-temperature gradient (ITG) and resistive-interchange (RI) turbulences, consistent with the predictions of gyrokinetic theory and two-fluid MHD model, respectively. Isotope experiments on hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) clarified the role of transitions. In the ITG regime, turbulence levels and energy transport were comparable in the H and D plasmas. In contrast, in the RI regime, they were clearly suppressed in the D plasma. The results provide crucial knowledge for understanding isotope effects and future optimization of stellarator and heliotron devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving Property Graph Layouts by Leveraging Attribute Similarity for Structurally Equivalent Nodes

Many real-world networks contain structurally-equivalent nodes. These are defined as vertices that share the same set of neighboring nodes, making them interchangeable with a traditional graph layout approach. However, many real-world graphs also have properties associated with nodes, adding additional meaning to them. We present an approach for swapping locations of structurally-equivalent nodes in graph layout so that those with more similar properties have closer proximity to each other. This improves the usefulness of the visualization from an attribute perspective without negatively impacting the visualization from a structural perspective. We include an algorithm for finding these sets of nodes in linear time, as well as methodologies for ordering nodes based on their attribute similarity, which works for scalar, ordinal, multidimensional, and categorical data.

graph drawing, network visualization, property gra↗
DOE OSTI2025

A nut-and-bolt assembly of the bimodular large progenitor botulinum neurotoxin complex

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) is naturally produced by bacteria along with four nontoxic neurotoxin-associated proteins (NTNH, HA70, HA33, and HA17), forming a bimodular large progenitor toxin complex (L-PTC). The BoNT/A–NTNH complex protects the toxin from adverse environment, while the complex consisting of HA proteins facilitates toxin absorption during oral intoxication. How these two independent modules assemble into the L-PTC remains unclear. Here, we report the crystal structure of the BoNT/A–NTNH–HA70 complex at ~2.9-Å resolution. The structure reveals that the BoNT/A–NTNH complex is anchored into a concentric double β-barrel channel of trimeric HA70 through a short β-hairpin of NTNH (termed nLoop), resembling a nut-and-bolt attachment. We find that the nLoop of NTNH is strictly conserved across HA-containing BoNT complexes and that NTNH–HA70 binding is interchangeable among them. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the nLoop functions as a minimal motif enabling attachment of a protein-of-interest to the HA complex, with potential applications in oral biologics delivery.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2025

The role of AdhE mutations in Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum

ABSTRACT Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum is a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that natively ferments a variety of hemicellulose substrates to organic acids and alcohols. It has recently been engineered to produce ethanol at high yield and titer; however, it uses a unique metabolic pathway for ethanol production that is poorly characterized. One of the distinctive aspects of this pathway is the presence of acetyl-CoA as an intermediate metabolite. In this organism, acetyl-CoA is converted to ethanol by a bifunctional AdhE enzyme. This enzyme has been a frequent target for mutations, and in many cases, the function of these mutations was unknown. Using a combination of genetic modifications, enzyme assays, and computational analysis, we have developed a better understanding of how mutations in AdhE affect ethanol production in the engineered homoethanologen strain. We identify a set of approximately interchangeable AdhE mutations (G544D, T597K, T597I, and T605I), whose function is to disrupt the activity of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) domain of AdhE. This reduces NADH-linked ADH activity, which dramatically increases ethanol tolerance and changes the overall stoichiometry of acetaldehyde to ethanol conversion. Furthermore, our improved understanding of the function of these AdhE mutations calls into question a proposed feature of AdhE enzymes known as substrate channeling—direct transfer of acetaldehyde between the two domains of the AdhE enzyme. This improved the understanding of the role of AdhE mutations in T. saccharolyticum and provides deeper insights into the function of the unique ethanol production pathway in this organism. IMPORTANCE Many anaerobic bacteria maintain redox equilibrium by producing reduced organic compounds such as ethanol. The final two steps of ethanol production are mediated by a bifunctional enzyme, AdhE, and this enzyme is a frequent target of mutations in strains engineered for increased ethanol production. Paradoxically, these mutations increase ethanol production by eliminating the activity of one domain of the AdhE enzyme (the ADH domain). This provides additional support for a redox-imbalance theory of alcohol tolerance, which challenges the prevailing hypothesis that alcohol tolerance is associated with cell membrane effects.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Vertical Velocity under Shallow Cumulus

Vertical velocity distribution below cloud is one of the key determinants of cloud life cycle, but observations of this variable are extremely sparse in space. Doppler lidar retrievals and large-eddy simulations at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility Southern Great Plains site are used to determine whether vertical velocity statistics from temporally dense profiles at a single location can be substituted for spatial vertical velocity statistics. We show that even a small number (five) of widely distributed [ O (1°) latitude/longitude spacing] lidars is sufficient sampling to reconstruct domainwide spatial vertical velocity variance, but not higher moments of the vertical velocity distribution. Spatial and temporal vertical velocity variances in the Doppler lidar observations are nearly interchangeable as long as the spatial variance is temporally averaged and the temporal variance is averaged across lidars. This is true even though the dominant spatial scales of vertical velocity variability are ≲ 3 km, more than an order of magnitude smaller than the spacing between the lidars. Further, in the limit where the temporal variance does not vary across a spatial domain (e.g., if the meteorological and surface forcing of the atmospheric turbulence is homogeneous across the domain) and the domain-mean vertical velocity is zero, the commonly available retrieval of temporal vertical velocity variance at one site is equivalent to the spatial variance over the domain. We use an updraft parcel model to show that substituting temporal for spatial vertical velocity statistics will have a relatively minor effect on cloud droplet number concentrations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Interregional Electricity Transmission in the United States: Realized Savings and Opportunities for Increased Value, 2014 to 2023

Interregional electricity trade in the United States reduces total energy costs, but falls short of maximizing the economic potential of existing transmission infrastructure. This analysis of thirty-two U.S. electricity system interfaces crossing grid or market seams finds an average achieved cost savings of at least $1,226 million per year. This positive impact is offset by an average annual cost of uneconomic interchange of $551 million. Additional value of at least $238 million per year could be enabled by increasing utilization. Notably, uneconomic flows and low utilization rates can persist even when the price spread between regions is large. These conclusions are derived from historical (2014–2023) data on the magnitude and direction of interregional price spreads, the magnitude and direction of net energy transfers, and how these variables coincide, but do not account for all system constraints. These findings motivate the development and deployment of solutions that improve interregional transmission operations, in parallel with robust transmission infrastructure planning. JEL Classification: Q40 Energy: General

Q40 Energy: General↗
DOE OSTI2025

Generalizable, fast, and accurate DeepQSPR with fastprop

Abstract Quantitative Structure–Property Relationship studies (QSPR), often referred to interchangeably as QSAR, seek to establish a mapping between molecular structure and an arbitrary target property. Historically this was done on a target-by-target basis with new descriptors being devised to specifically map to a given target. Today software packages exist that calculate thousands of these descriptors, enabling general modeling typically with classical and machine learning methods. Also present today are learned representation methods in which deep learning models generate a target-specific representation during training. The former requires less training data and offers improved speed and interpretability while the latter offers excellent generality, while the intersection of the two remains under-explored. This paper introduces , a software package and general Deep-QSPR framework that combines a cogent set of molecular descriptors with deep learning to achieve state-of-the-art performance on datasets ranging from tens to tens of thousands of molecules. provides both a user-friendly Command Line Interface and highly interoperable set of Python modules for the training and deployment of feedforward neural networks for property prediction. This approach yields improvements in speed and interpretability over existing methods while statistically equaling or exceeding their performance across most of the tested benchmarks. is designed with Research Software Engineering best practices and is free and open source, hosted at github.com/jacksonburns/fastprop.

Burns, Jackson W. (ORCID:0000000206579426)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Truck Platooning Performance with ADAS and Onboard Camera Data Describing Traffic Interactions

This project was part of the Characterizing Behaviors and Capabilities for Emerging Connected and Automated Vehicle Technologies, Sensors, and Connectivity project. The National Laboratory of the Rockies partnered with Cummins Inc. to collect data from Class 8 tractor trailer combinations in platoon (cooperative adaptive cruise control) operations on public roads in southern Indiana. Data collected include J1939 CAN bus, radar, intervehicle position, and video data. The video data could not be shared in the raw form, so they were processed to extract information on the other vehicles on the road, their relative positions, and intrusion events. This information was then columnized for modeling use and further enhanced by appending road information including road type, speed limit, altitude, and grade. The test route included free-flowing traffic, highway interchanges, and construction zones, as well as low-, medium-, and high-grade sections. Individual test conditions varied by day, with advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) features engaged or disengaged and different combined vehicle masses tested in addition to uncontrolled variables such as weather and traffic interactions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

2009 Interstate 95 Express Phase 1A Survey

# 2009 Interstate 95 Express Phase 1A Survey The 2009 Phase 1A Survey focused on commuters using Interstate 95 express lanes between downtown Miami and the Golden Glades Interchange in Florida. Survey participants answered questions about their trip's purpose, frequency, and mode as well as demographics such as their age, race/ethnicity, and income. It also asked if and why or why not they had used Interstate 95 before and/or after the installation of two high-occupancy toll lanes, if they were satisfied with the upgrade, and about their related perceptions of safety. ## Data Collection Agency The survey was conducted by and for the Florida Department of Transportation. ## Survey Methodology The survey was conducted online in May 2009. ## Survey Records, Data, and Documentation Survey records include 9,156 participants.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗