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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 397 records · Page 22

Improving coastal water level estimation by merging nadir-only satellite altimetry data into a hydrodynamic model

Providing robust real time flood warnings is of paramount importance to coastal communities. Although state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models are capable of robustly predicting Coastal Water Levels (CWL), unresolved drivers affecting level fluctuations are often not represented by the model governing equations. This work evaluates a novel method to improve the performance of the ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) hydrodynamic model by assimilating observations from four nadir-only satellite altimetry missions against a set of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gauge stations located across the entire U.S. East Coast. Two different types of simulations were performed – Open Loop (OL) and Data Assimilation (DA). Five different simulations were performed where four different satellite altimetry observations were assimilated individually and combined with two different scenarios – with and without considering the data quality flags. Results indicate that, despite their limited spatial coverage, merging nadir-only observations into ADCIRC from the newly launched Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)’s nadir altimeter can improve the model performance at 76% of the gauge locations, whereas Sentinel-6 improves 73% of the total locations, Jason-3 74%, and SARAL 21%. Furthermore, combining observations from SWOT-nadir, Jason-3, and Sentinel-6 can improve the ADCIRC performance at more than 80% of the gauge locations for 107-day simulation. Nadir-only satellite altimetry observations can be useful for improving the model performance even if flagged as “poor quality” near the coast. When the flagged data are disregarded, SWOT can improve ADCIRC at 78%, Sentinel-6 at 73%, Jason-3 at 53%, and SARAL at 21% of the gauge locations. The ability to improve the model simulations largely depends on the availability of a satellite overpass nearby. Therefore, model performance can be further enhanced if satellite observations are available during a storm surge event, stressing the importance of frequent satellite overpasses.

Aafnan Bhuiyan, Soelem↗

A machine learning photon detection algorithm for coherent x-ray ultrafast fluctuation analysis

X-ray free electron laser experiments have brought unique capabilities and opened new directions in research, such as creating new states of matter or directly measuring atomic motion. One such area is the ability to use finely spaced sets of coherent x-ray pulses to be compared after scattering from a dynamic system at different times. This enables the study of fluctuations in many-body quantum systems at the level of the ultrafast pulse durations, but this method has been limited to a select number of examples and required complex and advanced analytical tools. By applying a new methodology to this problem, we have made qualitative advances in three separate areas that will likely also find application to new fields. As compared to the “droplet-type” models, which typically are used to estimate the photon distributions on pixelated detectors to obtain the coherent x-ray speckle patterns, our algorithm achieves an order of magnitude speedup on CPU hardware and two orders of magnitude improvement on GPU hardware. We also find that it retains accuracy in low-contrast conditions, which is the typical regime for many experiments in structural dynamics. Finally, it can predict photon distributions in high average-intensity applications, a regime which up until now has not been accessible. Our artificial intelligence-assisted algorithm will enable a wider adoption of x-ray coherence spectroscopies, by both automating previously challenging analyses and enabling new experiments that were not otherwise feasible without the developments described in this work.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing of composite fermions

Topological pairing of composite fermions has led to remarkable ideas, such as excitations obeying non-Abelian braid statistics and topological quantum computation. Here, we construct a p-wave paired Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) wave function for composite fermions in the torus geometry, which is a convenient geometry for formulating momentum space pairing as well as for revealing the underlying composite-fermion Fermi sea. Following the standard BCS approach, we minimize the Coulomb interaction energy at half filling in the lowest and the second Landau levels, which correspond to filling factors ν = 1/2 and ν = 5/2 in GaAs quantum wells, by optimizing two variational parameters that are analogous to the gap and the Debye cut-off energy of the BCS theory. Our results show no evidence for pairing at ν = 1/2 but a clear evidence for pairing at ν = 5/2. To a good approximation, the highest overlap between the exact Coulomb ground state at ν = 5/2 and the BCS state is obtained for parameters that minimize the energy of the latter, thereby providing support for the physics of composite-fermion pairing as the mechanism for the 5/2 fractional quantum Hall effect. We discuss the issue of modular covariance of the composite-fermion BCS wave function, and calculate its Hall viscosity and pair correlation function. By similar methods, we look for but do not find an instability to s-wave pairing for a spin-singlet composite-fermion Fermi sea at half-filled lowest Landau level in a system where the Zeeman splitting has been set to zero.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Resource-Efficient Chemistry on Quantum Computers with the Variational Quantum Eigensolver and The Double Unitary Coupled-Cluster approach

Applications of quantum simulation algorithms to obtain electronic energies of molecules on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices require careful consideration of resources describing the complex electron correlation effects. In modeling second-quantized problems, the biggest challenge confronted is that the number of qubits scales linearly with the size of molecular basis. This poses a significant limitation on the size of the basis sets and the number of correlated electrons included in quantum simulations of chemical processes. To address this issue and to enable more realistic simulations on NISQ computers, we employ the double unitary coupled-cluster (DUCC) method to effectively downfold correlation effects into the reduced-size orbital space, commonly referred to as the active space. Using downfolding techniques, we demonstrate that properly constructed effective Hamiltonians can capture the effect of the whole orbital space in small-size active spaces. Combining the downfolding pre-processing technique with the Variational Quantum Eigensolver, we solve for the ground-state energy of H2 and Li2 in the cc-pVTZ basis using the DUCC-reduced active spaces. We compare these results to full configuration-interaction and high-level coupled-cluster reference calculations.

quantum computing, variational quantum solver, cou↗

Complete collision data set for electrons scattering on molecular hydrogen and its isotopologues: II. Fully vibrationally-resolved electronic excitation of the isotopologues of H 2 (X 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$)

Here, we present a comprehensive set of vibrationally-resolved cross sections for electron-impact electronic excitation of the isotopologues of molecular hydrogen (D 2 , T 2 , HD, HT, and DT) initially in the ground electronic state. We apply the adiabatic-nuclei molecular convergent close-coupling (MCCC) method to calculate cross sections from threshold to 500 eV for excitation of all bound vibrational levels and dissociative excitation of the B 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, C 1 Π u , EF 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, B' 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, GK 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, I 1 Π g , J 1 Δ g , D 1 Π u , H 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, b 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, c 3 Π u , a 3 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, e 3 $Σ^{+}_{u}$, d 3 Π u , h 3 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, g 3 $Σ^{+}_{g}$, i 3 Π g , and j 3 Δ g electronic states from all bound vibrational levels of the ground electronic (X 1 $Σ^{+}_{g}$) state. Including the previously-published MCCC e-H2 cross sections the data set contains cross sections for over 60,000 electronic and vibrational transitions. The cross sections are presented in graphical form and provided as both numerical values and analytic fit functions in supplementary data files. The data can also be downloaded from the MCCC database at mccc-db.org.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The Challenges of Air Monitoring at a Soil Remediation Project in a Suburban Setting - 20448

Air monitoring during soil excavation at a chemically and radiologically impacted site in a suburban setting presents unique challenges. Site activities were conducted in a manner that minimized the release of airborne particulates of concern, principally radionuclides of concern (ROC). Dust and air monitoring were performed to ensure the public was not being exposed to the soil contaminants. The project team collected representative air and dust data while being mindful to not impose on the lives of residents in the area. Due to the close proximity to the public, there was a high level of oversight from the client and regulatory agencies. The challenges involved with air sampling at this soil remediation site located in a suburban setting included the number of contaminants, the ranges of risks and hazards presented by the contaminants and the method of remediation, the concerns of the regulators and the public, and the perception of risk from the public. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Uncertainty quantification methodology for hyperbolic systems with application to blood flow in arteries

We present a Stochastic Finite Volume - ADER (SFV-ADER) methodology for Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) in the general framework of systems of hyperbolic balance laws with uncertainty in parameters. The resulting method is weakly intrusive, meaning that deterministic solvers need minor modifications to include random contributions, and has no theoretical accuracy barrier. An illustration of the second-order version for the viscous Burgers equation with uncertain viscosity coefficient is first given in detail, under different deterministic initial conditions; the attainment of the theoretically expected convergence rate is demonstrated empirically; results and features of our scheme are discussed. We then extend the SFV-ADER method to a non-linear hyperbolic system with source terms that models one-dimensional blood flow in arteries, assuming uncertainties in a set of parameters of the problem. Results are then compared with measurements in a well-defined 1:1 experimental replica of the network of largest arteries in the human systemic circulation. For a 99%-confidence level, severe influence of parameter fluctuations is seen in pressure profiles, while secondary effects on flow rate profiles become visible, particularly in terminal branches. In conclusion, results suggest that the proposed methodology could successfully be applied to other physical problems involving hyperbolic balance laws.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Comparison of Spectroscopic Techniques for Determining the Peroxide Value of 19 Classes of Naturally Aged, Plant-Based Edible Oils

The peroxide value of edible oils is a measure of the degree of oxidation, which directly relates to the freshness of the oil sample. Several studies previously reported in the literature have paired various spectroscopic techniques with multivariate analyses to rapidly determine peroxide values using field portable and process instrumentation; those efforts presented “best-case scenarios” with oils from narrowly defined training and test sets. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of near- and mid-infrared absorption and Raman scattering spectroscopies on oil samples from different oil classes, including seasonal and vendor variations, to determine which measurement technique or combination thereof is best for predicting peroxide values. Following peroxide value assays of each oil class using an established titration-based method, global and global-subset calibration models were constructed from spectroscopic data collected on the 19 oil classes used in this study. Spectra from each optical technique were used to create partial least squares regression calibration models to predict the peroxide value of unknown oil samples. A global peroxide value model based on near-infrared (8 mm optical path length) oil measurements produced the lowest RMSEP (4.9), followed by 24 mm optical path length near infrared (5.1), Raman (6.9) and 50 µm optical path length mid-infrared (7.3). However, it was determined that the Raman RMSEP resulted from chance correlations. Global peroxide value models based on low-level fusion of the NIR (8 and 24 mm optical path length) data and all infrared data produced the same RMSEP of 5.1. Global subset models, based on any of the spectroscopies and olive oil training sets from any class (pure, extra light, extra virgin), all failed to extrapolate to the non-olive oils. However, the near-infrared global subset model built on extra virgin olive oil could extrapolate to test samples from other olive oil classes. This work demonstrates the difficulty of developing a truly global method for determining peroxide value of oils.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Can fractal dimensions objectivize gastropod shell morphometrics? A case study from Lake Lugu (SW China)

1. Morphometrics are fundamental for the analysis of size and shape in fossils, particularly because soft parts or DNA are rarely preserved and hard parts such as shells are commonly the only source of information. Geometric morphometrics, that is, landmark analysis, is well established for the description of shape but it exhibits a couple of shortcomings resulting from subjective choices during landmarking (number and position of landmarks) and from difficulties in resolving shape at the level of micro-sculpture. 2. With the aid of high-resolution 3D scanning technology and analyses of fractal dimensions, we test whether such shortcomings of linear and landmark morphometrics can be overcome. As a model group, we selected a clade of modern viviparid gastropods from Lake Lugu, with shells that show a high degree of sculptural variation. Linear and landmark analyses were applied to the same shells in order to establish the fractal dimensions. 3. The genetic diversity of the gastropod clade was assessed. The genetic results suggest that the gastropod clade represents a single species. The results of all morphometric methods applied are in line with the genetic results, which is that no specific morphotype could be delimited. Apart from this overall agreement, landmark and fractal dimension analyses do not correspond to each other but represent data sets with different information. Generally, the fractal dimension values quantify the roughness of the shell surface, the resolution of the 3D scans determining the level. In our approach, we captured the micro-sculpture but not the first-order sculptural elements, which explains that fractal dimension and landmark data are not in phase. 4. We can show that analyzing fractal dimensions of gastropod shells opens a window to more detailed information that can be considered in evolutionary and ecological contexts. We propose that using low-resolution 3D scans may successfully substitute landmark analyses because it overcomes the subjective landmarking. Analyses of 3D scans with higher resolution than used in this study will provide surface roughness information at the mineralogical level. We suggest that fractal dimension analyses of a combination of differently resolved 3D models will significantly improve the quality of shell morphometrics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Positivity Limiters for Filtered Spectral Approximations of Linear Kinetic Transport Equations

We analyze the properties and compare the performance of several positivity limiters for spectral approximations with respect to the angular variable of linear transport equations. It is well-known that spectral methods suffer from the occurrence of (unphysical) negative spatial particle concentrations due to the fact that the underlying polynomial approximations are not always positive at the kinetic level. Positivity limiters address this defect by enforcing positivity of the polynomial approximation on a finite set of preselected points. With a proper PDE solver, they ensure positivity of the particle concentration at each step in a time integration scheme. We review several known positivity limiters proposed in other contexts and also introduce a modification for one of them. We give error estimates for the consistency of the positive approximations produced by these limiters and compare the theoretical estimates to numerical results. We then solve two benchmark problems with these limiters, make qualitative and quantitative observations about the solutions, and then compare the efficiency of the different limiters.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Going Forward with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Transient Survey: Validation of Precision Forward-modeling Photometry for Undersampled Imaging

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) is an observatory for both wide-field observations and coronagraphy that is scheduled for launch in the mid-2020s. Part of the planned survey is a deep, cadenced field or fields that enable cosmological measurements with type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). With a pixel scale of 0$_.^"$11, the Wide Field Instrument will be undersampled, presenting a difficulty for precisely subtracting the galaxy light underneath the SNe. We use simulated data to validate the ability of a forward-model code (such codes are frequently also called “scene-modeling” codes) to perform precision supernova photometry for the Roman SN survey. Our simulation includes over 760,000 image cutouts around SNe Ia or host galaxies (~10% of a full-scale survey). To have a realistic 2D distribution of underlying galaxy light, we use the VELA simulated high-resolution images of galaxies. We run each set of cutouts through our forward-modeling code which automatically measures time-dependent SN fluxes. Given our assumed inputs of a perfect model of the instrument point-spread functions and calibration, we find biases at the millimagnitude level from this method in four red filters (Y106, J129, H158, and F184), easily meeting the 0.5% Roman inter-filter calibration requirement for a cutting-edge measurement of cosmological parameters using SNe Ia. Simulated data in the bluer Z087 filter shows larger ~ 2–3 mmg biases, also meeting this requirement, but with more room for improvement. Our forward-model code has been released on Zenodo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Power increases using wind direction spatial filtering for wind farm control: Evaluation using FLORIS, modified for dynamic settings

As wind energy plays a growing role in the energy sector, new methods for controlling wind turbines and wind farms to maximize performance are garnering industry interest. A developing body of research treats the entire wind farm as a control system, with individual turbines acting as agents in a network, allowing farm-level objectives to be considered. Two promising developments in this research are wake steering control, which seeks to increase the power generated at a wind farm by directing the wakes of upstream turbines away from downstream ones, and communication-based spatial filtering, which seeks to improve the quality of information used by turbine- and farm-level controllers by combining measurements of the wind field collected at the individual turbines. The latter method has been shown to improve the estimates of wind direction at the turbines; however, the resulting potential for increased power capture warrants further investigation. With this paper, we begin to address this gap by combining wake steering with wind direction spatial filtering. To do so, we present a preliminary method for assessing the power capture of dynamic controllers using wind farm codes designed for time-averaged simulation. This allows us to generate results much more rapidly than would be possible using high-fidelity wind farm simulators and may be useful in many wind farm control design applications.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Discovering invariant spatial features in electron energy loss spectroscopy images on the mesoscopic and atomic levels

Over the last two decades, Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) imaging with a scanning transmission electron microscope has emerged as a technique of choice for visualizing complex chemical, electronic, plasmonic, and phononic phenomena in complex materials and structures. The availability of the EELS data necessitates the development of methods to analyze multidimensional data sets with complex spatial and energy structures. Traditionally, the analysis of these data sets has been based on analysis of individual spectra, one at a time, whereas the spatial structure and correlations between individual spatial pixels containing the relevant information of the physics of underpinning processes have generally been ignored and analyzed only via the visualization as 2D maps. Here, we develop a machine learning-based approach and workflows for the analysis of spatial structures in 3D EELS data sets using a combination of dimensionality reduction and multichannel rotationally invariant variational autoencoders. This approach is illustrated for the analysis of both the plasmonic phenomena in a system of nanowires and in the core excitations in functional oxides using low loss and core-loss EELS, respectively. The code developed in this manuscript is open sourced and freely available and provided as a Jupyter notebook for the interested reader.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Accurate Binding Energies for Lithium Polysulfides and Assessment of Density Functionals for Lithium–Sulfur Battery Research

Lithium–sulfur batteries have high theoretical energy density, but a better knowledge of their intimate structural details will be helpful in improving their conductivity and long-term cycling behavior. In order to identify the stationary configurations of lithium polysulfides (Li 2 S n , 2 ≤ n ≤ 8) formed in the charging and discharging processes of the lithium–sulfur batteries, ab initio molecular dynamics was employed to sample the configuration space of Li 2 S n , followed by optimization of structures by CCSD(T)-F12b/aug-cc-pVDZ. Here, using the optimized stationary points, we have created the LiSAE38 benchmark database of atomization energies (AEs) of 38 lithium polysulfide isomers by using the higher-level WMS and W3X-L methods. In addition, the performances of 39 density functionals have been assessed against the benchmark AEs and the relative stabilities of Li 2 S n isomers. On the basis of the assessments with the def2-QZVP basis set, the PW6B95, B97-1, B3LYP-D3, TPSS, and DSD-PBEP86 density functionals are the most accurate for the AEs, whereas the mPW2-PLYP-D, DSD-PBEP86, PW6B95, HSE06, and PBEQIDH functionals are most accurate for the relative energies. Local functionals are of special interest because of their lower cost (faster timings in terms of computer resources) for large systems; among the tested local functionals, MN15-L and revM06-L are the most accurate for the calculations of relative stabilities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Ground State Electronic Energy of Benzene

We report here on the findings of a blind challenge devoted to determining the frozen-core, full configuration interaction (FCI) ground-state energy of the benzene molecule in a standard correlation-consistent basis set of double-ζ quality. As a broad international endeavor, our suite of wave function-based correlation methods collectively represents a diverse view of the high-accuracy repertoire offered by modern electronic structure theory. In our assessment, the evaluated high-level methods are all found to qualitatively agree on a final correlation energy, with most methods yielding an estimate of the FCI value around -863 mE H . However, we find the root-mean-square deviation of the energies from the studied methods to be considerable (1.3 mE H ), which in light of the acclaimed performance of each of the methods for smaller molecular systems clearly displays the challenges faced in extending reliable, near-exact correlation methods to larger systems. While the discrepancies exposed by our study thus emphasize the fact that the current state-of-the-art approaches leave room for improvement, we still expect the present assessment to provide a valuable community resource for benchmark and calibration purposes going forward.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

From minimum-viable-products to full models: a step-wise development of diagnostic forward models in support of design, analysis and modelling on the ST40 tokamak

Like most magnetic confined fusion experiments, the ST40 tokamak started off with a small subset of diagnostics and gradually increased the diagnostic set to include more complex and comprehensive systems. To make the most of each operational phase, forward models of various diagnostics are used and developed to aid design, provide consistency-checks during commissioning, test analysis methods, and build workflows to constrain high-level parameters to inform interpretation, theory and modelling. For new models and new analysis workflows, minimum-viable-products are released early, and their complexity is increased in a step-wise manner, facilitating the support of all programme phases on multiple parallel applications, while enabling learning opportunities and feedback loops. In this contribution we review the philosophy, scope and architecture of the framework under development. We discuss the details of some forward models, with examples on how they are used to aid diagnostic design, to investigate analysis methodologies through synthetic data, and how they are embedded in experimental analysis workflows. We compare previously published experimental results with new, more advanced analysis workflows employing more recent, detailed models and new diagnostic data, providing confirmation of the published material from the 2021–22 experimental campaign.

integrated data analysis↗

Search for single production of vector-like quarks decaying to a top quark and a $\mathrm {W} $ boson in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13 \,\text {TeV} $

A search is presented for the single production of vector-like quarks in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {TeV} $. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 $\,\text {fb}^{-1}$, were recorded with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analysis focuses on the vector-like quark decay into a top quark and a $\mathrm {W} $ boson, with one muon or electron in the final state. The mass of the vector-like quark candidate is reconstructed from hadronic jets, the lepton, and the missing transverse momentum. Methods for the identification of $\mathrm {b}$ quarks and of highly Lorentz boosted hadronically decaying top quarks and $\mathrm {W} $ bosons are exploited in this search. No significant deviation from the standard model background expectation is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction as a function of the vector-like quark mass, which range from 0.3 to 0.03 $\,\text {pb}$ for vector-like quark masses of 700 to 2000 $\,\text {GeV}$. Mass exclusion limits up to 1660 $\,\text {GeV}$ are obtained, depending on the vector-like quark type, coupling, and decay width. Furthermore, these represent the most stringent exclusion limits for the single production of vector-like quarks in this channel.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Conotoxin Prediction: New Features to Increase Prediction Accuracy

Conotoxins are toxic, disulfide-bond-rich peptides from cone snail venom that target a wide range of receptors and ion channels with multiple pathophysiological effects. Conotoxins have extraordinary potential for medical therapeutics that include cancer, microbial infections, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular disorders. Despite the potential for these compounds in novel therapeutic treatment development, the process of identifying and characterizing the toxicities of conotoxins is difficult, costly, and time-consuming. This challenge requires a series of diverse, complex, and labor-intensive biological, toxicological, and analytical techniques for effective characterization. While recent attempts, using machine learning based solely on primary amino acid sequences to predict biological toxins (e.g., conotoxins and animal venoms), have improved toxin identification, these methods are limited due to peptide conformational flexibility and the high frequency of cysteines present in toxin sequences. This results in an enumerable set of disulfide-bridged foldamers with different conformations of the same primary amino acid sequence that affect function and toxicity levels. Consequently, a given peptide may be toxic when its cysteine residues form a particular disulfide-bond pattern, while alternative bonding patterns (isoforms) or its reduced form (free cysteines with no disulfide bridges) may have little or no toxicological effects. Similarly, the same disulfide-bond pattern may be possible for other peptide sequences and result in different conformations that all exhibit varying toxicities to the same receptor or to different receptors. We present here new features, when combined with primary sequence features to train machine learning algorithms to predict conotoxins, that significantly increase prediction accuracy.

collisional cross section↗