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At least 397 records · Page 22

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NASA NTRS2010

Fiber-Coupled Planar Light-Wave Circuit for Seed Laser Control in High Spectral Resolution Lidar Systems

Precise laser remote sensing of aerosol extinction and backscatter in the atmosphere requires a high-power, pulsed, frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser that is wavelength- stabilized to a narrow absorption line such as found in iodine vapor. One method for precise wavelength control is to injection seed the Nd:YAG laser with a low-power CW laser that is stabilized by frequency converting a fraction of the beam to 532 nm, and to actively frequency-lock it to an iodine vapor absorption line. While the feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated using bulk optics in NASA Langley s Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) program, an ideal, lower cost solution is to develop an all-waveguide, frequency-locked seed laser in a compact, robust package that will withstand the temperature, shock, and vibration levels associated with airborne and space-based remote sensing platforms. A key technology leading to this miniaturization is the integration of an efficient waveguide frequency doubling element, and a low-voltage phase modulation element into a single, monolithic, planar light-wave circuit (PLC). The PLC concept advances NASA's future lidar systems due to its compact, efficient and reliable design, thus enabling use on small aircraft and satellites. The immediate application for this technology is targeted for NASA Langley's HSRL system for aerosol and cloud characterization. This Phase I effort proposes the development of a potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) waveguide phase modulator for future integration into a PLC. For this innovation, the proposed device is the integration of a waveguide-based frequency doubler and phase modulator in a single, fiber pigtail device that will be capable of efficient second harmonic generation of 1,064-nm light and subsequent phase modulation of the 532 nm light at 250 MHz, providing a properly spectrally formatted beam for HSRL s seed laser locking system. Fabrication of the integrated PLC chip for NASA Langley, planned for the Phase II effort, will require full integration and optimization of the waveguide components (SHG waveguide, splitters, and phase modulator) onto a single, monolithic device. The PLC will greatly reduce the size and weight, improve electrical- to-optical efficiency, and significantly reduce the cost of NASA Langley s current stabilized HSRL seed laser system built around a commercial off-the-shelf seed laser that is free-space coupled to a bulk doubler and bulk phase modulator.

Cook, Anthony↗

DOE OSTI2022

Lewis Acid Site Assisted Bifunctional Activity of Tin Doped Gallium Oxide and Its Application in Rechargeable Zn‐Air Batteries

The enhanced safety, superior energy, and power density of rechargeable metal‐air batteries make them ideal energy storage systems for application in energy grids and electric vehicles. However, the absence of a cost‐effective and stable bifunctional catalyst that can replace expensive platinum (Pt)‐based catalyst to promote oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the air cathode hinders their broader adaptation. Here, in this work, it is demonstrated that Tin (Sn) doped β‐gallium oxide (β‐Ga 2 O 3 ) in the bulk form can efficiently catalyze ORR and OER and, hence, be applied as the cathode in Zn‐air batteries. The Sn‐doped β‐Ga 2 O 3 sample with 15% Sn (Sn x =0.15 ‐Ga 2 O 3 ) displayed exceptional catalytic activity for a bulk, non‐noble metal‐based catalyst. When used as a cathode, the excellent electrocatalytic bifunctional activity of Sn x =0.15 ‐Ga 2 O 3 leads to a prototype Zn‐air battery with a high‐power density of 138 mW cm −2 and improved cycling stability compared to devices with benchmark Pt‐based cathode. The combined experimental and theoretical exploration revealed that the Lewis acid sites in β‐Ga 2 O 3 aid in regulating the electron density distribution on the Sn‐doped sites, optimize the adsorption energies of reaction intermediates, and facilitate the formation of critical reaction intermediate (O*), leading to enhanced electrocatalytic activity.

Lewis acid sites↗

DOE OSTI2020

Bayesian Structural Time Series for Behind-the-Meter Photovoltaic Disaggregation: Preprint

Distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation often occurs ``behind the meter": a grid operator can only observe the net load, which is the sum of the gross load and distributed PV generation. This lack of observability poses a challenge to system operation at both bulk level and distribution level. The lack of real-time or near-future disaggregated estimates of gross load and PV generation will lead to over scheduling of energy production and regulation reserves, reliability constraints violations, wear and tear of controller devices, and potentially cascading failures of a system. In this paper we propose the use of a Bayesian Structural Time Series (BSTS) model with local solar irradiance measurements to disaggregate the summed PV generation and gross load signals at a downstream measurement site. BSTSs are a highly expressive model class that blends classic time series models with the powerful Bayesian state space estimation framework. Disaggregation is done probabilistically, which automatically quantifies the uncertainties of the estimated PV generation and gross load consumption. Depending on the data availability in real-time, it can be used to disaggragate PV and gross load at customer site, or can be used at the feeder level. In this paper, we focus on solving the problem at feeder level. We compare the performance of a BSTS model as well as a handful of state-of-the-art methods on a Pecan Street AMI dataset, using the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB) to estimate local irradiance.

Bayesian structural time series↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Importance of Sample Return in Establishing Chemical Evidence for Life on Mars or Other Solar System Bodies

The search for evidence of life on Mars and elsewhere will continue to be one of the primary goals of NASA s robotic exploration program over the next decade. NASA and ESA are currently planning a series of robotic missions to Mars with the goal of understanding its climate, resources, and potential for harboring past or present life. One key goal will be the search for chemical biomarkers including complex organic compounds important in life on Earth. These include amino acids, the monomer building blocks of proteins and enzymes, nucleobases and sugars which form the backbone of DNA and RNA, and lipids, the structural components of cell membranes. Many of these organic compounds can also be formed abiotically as demonstrated by their prevalence in carbonaceous meteorites [1], though, their molecular characteristics may distinguish a biological source [2]. It is possible that in situ instruments may reveal such characteristics, however, return of the right sample (i.e. one with biosignatures or having a high probability of biosignatures) to Earth would allow for more intensive laboratory studies using a broad array of powerful instrumentation for bulk characterization, molecular detection, isotopic and enantiomeric compositions, and spatially resolved chemistry that may be required for confirmation of extant or extinct Martian life. Here we will discuss the current analytical capabilities and strategies for the detection of organics on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite and how sample return missions from Mars and other targets of astrobiological interest will help advance our understanding of chemical biosignatures in the solar system.

Glavin, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS2012

TPSAS-NF1676L-13680-DND

The International Space Station will require a continuous supply of replacement parts for ongoing maintenance and repair after the retirement of the Space Shuttle. These parts, existing line-replaceable items collectively called Orbital Replacement Units, include heavy and oversized items such as Control Moment Gyroscopes and stowed radiator arrays originally intended for delivery aboard the Space Shuttle. Current resupply spacecraft have limited to no capability to deliver these external logistics. In support of NASA?s Exploration Systems Architecture Study, a team at Langley Research Center designed an Unpressurized Cargo Delivery Vehicle to deliver bulk cargo to the Space Station. The Unpressurized Cargo Delivery Vehicle was required to deliver at least 13,200 lb of cargo mounted on at least 18 Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms. The baseline vehicle design developed here has a cargo capacity of 16,000 lbs mounted on up to 20 Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms. Major vehicle components are a 5.5m-diameter cargo module containing two detachable cargo pallets with the payload, a Service Module to provide propulsion and power, and an aerodynamic nose cone. To reduce cost and risk, the Service Module is identical to the one used for the Crew Exploration Vehicle design. The Crew Launch Vehicle design recommended in the Exploration Systems Architecture Study was used to launch one annual resupply flight to the International Space Station.

K Chauncey Wu↗

DOE OSTI2025

Black-Starting Microgrids Using Inverter-Based Distributed Energy Resources

Recent trends in power systems show increasing deployment of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) at the distribution level. Efforts have also been made to use inverter-based DERs for system restoration of critical sections of distribution feeders. In the past few years, there has been active consideration of using local grid-forming (GFM) DERs, which can form their own voltage and frequency, to black-start microgrids instead of waiting for the bulk system for supply restoration. However, using current-limited inverter-based DERs for black-start operations with high inrush currents can pose some technical challenges. This paper presents detailed electromagnetic transient studies on a digital real-time simulator to assess the operational feasibility of using local inverter-based GFM DERs for microgrid black-start operations as a bottom-up approach instead of a top-down approach where the substation is used to restore critical sections of the feeder. The paper presents key modeling details for distribution system components for studying GFM DER-based microgrid black-start operations. The paper presents simulation results comparing different black-start approaches using GFM DERs for two test systems: i) a simple test microgrid and ii) a real-world utility microgrid currently being designed and deployed by Holy Cross Energy in Colorado.

black start↗

DOE OSTI2024

Geomagnetic Disturbance Uncertainty Quantification Modeling: An Electromagnetic Transient and Steady-State Simulation Based Approach

Geomagnetic disturbances have been shown to disrupt the operation of the bulk electrical system through low-frequency effects in the earth's magnetic field that in turn induce changing electrical fields on the earth's surface. As a result, geomagnetically induced currents flow in transmission lines, introducing the risk for widespread damage to high-voltage transformers and voltage collapse due to induced reactive power loss. In a previous paper, the authors showed how certain modeling assumptions can lead to results that are unacceptable in certain edge case scenarios. In this paper, the authors build on their previous results using modeling uncertainty quantification in order to compare the results from electromagnetic transient program modeling software, ATP, to the positive-sequence calculation software, PowerWorld.

Bretas, Arturo Suman↗

DOE OSTI2019

Magnetic Reconnection in High-Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas

This project involved theoretical research on radiative magnetic reconnection in High-Energy Density (HED) plasmas, with applications to laboratory laser-plasma experiments [on facilities like OMEGA (LLE) and NIF (LLNL)] and to astrophysical systems, such as accreting black hole coronae and magnetospheres of strongly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars and pulsars). Relativistic magnetic reconnection is a leading candidate mechanism for powering high-energy flares and persistent emission in various astrophysical systems.The extremely high energy density found in many of these systems dictates that reconnection should proceed in the radiative regime, where radiation back reaction on the electrons (and, if present, positrons), manifested, e.g., as radiative cooling and radiative drag on reconnection-driven bulk flows, plays an important role. Moreover, under some conditions, the energy of the emitted photons is so high that they can readily produce electron-positron pairs, e.g., in black-hole accretion disk coronae and in pulsar and magnetar magnetospheres. Due to recent rapid developments of experimental capabilities in HED physics, we can now for the first time seriously contemplate studying these exciting physical processes in the laboratory. This project investigated fundamental physics of magnetic reconnection in this novel regime, by performing several computational [using radiative particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations] and theoretical studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Multiwavelength Study of the Extreme AGN J2310-437

We present new X-ray, radio, and optical data for the unusual galaxy/cluster system J2310-437. Our results confirm the presence of an active nucleus and suggest an interpretation as an anomalous BL Lac object of bulk relativistic Doppler factor <2, with an optically deficient radio to X-ray spectrum. The radio, optical, and soft X-ray flux densities could lie along a single power-law function, lacking the curvature typical of BL Lac objects. Compared with other known sources that may have comparable multi-frequency spectra, J2310-437 is the most extreme. Its low isotropic optical/Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is consistent with the intensity of external photons governing the electron spectral break through Compton cooling; in this source the external photon density would be too low to produce a spectral break below the X-ray.

Worrall, D. M.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Wave climate and energy resources in the Mariana Islands from a 42-year high-resolution hindcast

We report a high-resolution wave hindcast from 1979 to 2020 was developed for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which are influenced by mesoscale and synoptic weather systems from the western Pacific Rim to the Central Pacific. The spectral wave modeling utilized structured global and unstructured regional grids with improved resolution in nearshore waters, where wave resources development is most feasible. The hindcast demonstrates its capability in capturing multi-modal seas through reproduction of bulk and partitioned wave parameters derived from altimetry and buoy measurements. The local wave climate is influenced by the year-round trade winds and tropical cyclones as well as seasonal monsoons, frontal systems, and mid-latitude high- and low-pressure systems. The strong intra-annual variation of the significant wave height and power flux reflects transitions between local and distant weather systems, which account for the diverse wave conditions comprised of short-period wind waves, intermediate-period seas, and long-period swells around the islands. Among the Pacific island regions, spectral partitioning is particularly important for describing the dominant wave components by period and direction with pertinent information conducive to energy resources characterization and coastal zone management in the Mariana Islands.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2023

SCOMAP-XD : atomistic deuterium contrast matching for small-angle neutron scattering in biology

The contrast-variation method in small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a uniquely powerful technique for determining the structure of individual components in biomolecular systems containing regions of different neutron scattering length density ρ . By altering the ρ of the target solute and the solvent through judicious incorporation of deuterium, the scattering of desired solute features can be highlighted. Most contrast-variation methods focus on highlighting specific bulk solute elements, but not on how the scattering at specific scattering vectors q , which are associated with specific structural distances, changes with contrast. Indeed, many systems exhibit q -dependent contrast effects. Here, a method is presented for calculating both bulk contrast-match points and q -dependent contrast using 3D models with explicit solute and solvent atoms and SASSENA , an explicit-atom SANS calculator. The method calculates the bulk contrast-match points within 2.4% solvent D 2 O accuracy for test protein–nucleic acid and lipid nanodisc systems. The method incorporates a general model for the incorporation of deuterium at non-exchangeable sites that was derived by performing mass spectrometry on green fluorescent protein. The method also decomposes the scattering profile into its component parts and identifies structural features that change with contrast. The method is readily applicable to a variety of systems, will expand the understanding of q -dependent contrast matching and will aid in the optimization of next-generation neutron scattering experiments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2011

Carbon Nanofiber-Based, High-Frequency, High-Q, Miniaturized Mechanical Resonators

High Q resonators are a critical component of stable, low-noise communication systems, radar, and precise timing applications such as atomic clocks. In electronic resonators based on Si integrated circuits, resistive losses increase as a result of the continued reduction in device dimensions, which decreases their Q values. On the other hand, due to the mechanical construct of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators, such loss mechanisms are absent, enabling higher Q-values for both BAW and SAW resonators compared to their electronic counterparts. The other advantages of mechanical resonators are their inherently higher radiation tolerance, a factor that makes them attractive for NASA s extreme environment planetary missions, for example to the Jovian environments where the radiation doses are at hostile levels. Despite these advantages, both BAW and SAW resonators suffer from low resonant frequencies and they are also physically large, which precludes their integration into miniaturized electronic systems. Because there is a need to move the resonant frequency of oscillators to the order of gigahertz, new technologies and materials are being investigated that will make performance at those frequencies attainable. By moving to nanoscale structures, in this case vertically oriented, cantilevered carbon nanotubes (CNTs), that have larger aspect ratios (length/thickness) and extremely high elastic moduli, it is possible to overcome the two disadvantages of both bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators. Nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) that utilize high aspect ratio nanomaterials exhibiting high elastic moduli (e.g., carbon-based nanomaterials) benefit from high Qs, operate at high frequency, and have small force constants that translate to high responsivity that results in improved sensitivity, lower power consumption, and im - proved tunablity. NEMS resonators have recently been demonstrated using topdown, lithographically fabricated ap - proaches to form cantilever or bridgetype structures. Top-down approaches, however, rely on complicated and expensive e-beam lithography, and often require a release mechanism. Reso - nance effects in structures synthesized using bottom-up approaches have also recently been reported based on carbon nanotubes, but such approaches have relied on a planar two-dimensional (2D) geometry. In this innovation, vertically aligned tubes synthesized using a bottom- up approach have been considered, where the vertical orientation of the tubes has the potential to increase integration density even further. The simulation of a vertically oriented, cantilevered carbon nanotube was performed using COMSOL Multi - physics, a finite element simulation package. All simulations were performed in a 2D geometry that provided consistent results and minimized computational complexity. The simulations assumed a vertically oriented, cantilevered nanotube of uniform density (1.5 g/cu cm). An elastic modulus was assumed to be 600 GPa, relative permittivity of the nanotube was assumed to be 5.0, and Poisson s ratio was assumed to be 0.2. It should be noted that the relative permittivity and Poisson s ratio for the nanotubes of interest are not known accurately. However, as in previous simulations, the relative permittivity and Poisson s ratios were treated as weak variables in the simulation, and no significant changes were recognized when these variables were varied.

Kaul, Anupama B.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Planetary Radar Astronomy

Radar is a powerful technique that has furnished otherwise unavailable information about solar system bodies for three decades. The advantages of radar in planetary astronomy result from: (1) the observer's control of all the attributes of the coherent signal used to illuminate the target, especially the wave form's time/frequency modulation and polarization; (2) the ability of radar to resolve objects spatially via measurements of the distribution of echo power in time delay and Doppler frequency; (3) the pronounced degree to which delay-Doppler measurements constrain orbits and spin vectors; and (4) centimeter-to-meter wavelengths, which easily penetrate optically opaque planetary clouds and cometary comae, permit investigation of near-surface macrostructure and bulk density, and are sensitive to high concentrations of metal or, in certain situations, ice. Planetary radar astronomy has primarily involved observations with Earth-based radar telescopes, but also includes some experiments with a spaceborne transmitter or receiver. In addition to providing a wealth of information about the geological and dynamical properties of asteroids, comets, the inner planets, and natural satellites, radar experiments have established the scale of the solar system, have contributed significantly to the accuracy of planetary ephemerides, and have helped to constrain theories of gravitation. This review outlines radar astronomical techniques and describes principal observational results.

Ostro, Steven J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Bayesian constraints on the origin and geology of exoplanetary material using a population of externally polluted white dwarfs

ABSTRACT White dwarfs that have accreted planetary bodies are a powerful probe of the bulk composition of exoplanetary material. In this paper, we present a Bayesian model to explain the abundances observed in the atmospheres of 202 DZ white dwarfs by considering the heating, geochemical differentiation, and collisional processes experienced by the planetary bodies accreted, as well as gravitational sinking. The majority (>60 per cent) of systems are consistent with the accretion of primitive material. We attribute the small spread in refractory abundances observed to a similar spread in the initial planet-forming material, as seen in the compositions of nearby stars. A range in Na abundances in the pollutant material is attributed to a range in formation temperatures from below 1000 K to higher than 1400 K, suggesting that pollutant material arrives in white dwarf atmospheres from a variety of radial locations. We also find that Solar System-like differentiation is common place in exoplanetary systems. Extreme siderophile (Fe, Ni, or Cr) abundances in eight systems require the accretion of a core-rich fragment of a larger differentiated body to at least a 3σ significance, whilst one system shows evidence that it accreted a crust-rich fragment. In systems where the abundances suggest that accretion has finished (13/202), the total mass accreted can be calculated. The 13 systems are estimated to have accreted masses ranging from the mass of the Moon to half that of Vesta. Our analysis suggests that accretion continues for 11 Myrs on average.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2016

The Geology of Pluto and Charon as Revealed by New Horizons

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed that Pluto and Charon exhibit strikingly different surface appearances, despite their similar densities and presumed bulk compositions. Much of Pluto's surface can be attributed to surface-atmosphere interactions and the mobilization of volatile ices by insolation. Many valley systems appear to be the consequence of glaciation involving nitrogen ice. Other geological activity requires or required internal heating. The convection and advection of volatile ices in Sputnik Planum can be powered by present-day radiogenic heat loss. On the other hand, the prominent mountains at the western margin of Sputnik Planum, and the strange, multi-km-high mound features to the south, probably composed of H2O, are young geologically as inferred by light cratering and superposition relationships. Their origin, and what drove their formation so late in Solar System history, is under investigation. The dynamic remolding of landscapes by volatile transport seen on Pluto is not unambiguously evident on Charon. Charon does, however, display a large resurfaced plain and globally engirdling extensional tectonic network attesting to its early endogenic vigor.

New Horizons↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Geology of Pluto and Charon as Revealed by New Horizons

Moore, Jefrey M.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Active and Transfer Learning of High-Dimensional Neural Network Potentials for Transition Metals

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations represent a very popular and powerful tool for materials modeling and design. The predictive power of MD hinges on the ability of the interatomic potential to capture the underlying physics and chemistry. There have been decades of seminal work on developing interatomic potentials, albeit with a focus predominantly on capturing the properties of bulk materials. Such physics-based models, while extensively deployed for predicting the dynamics and properties of nanoscale systems over the past two decades, tend to perform poorly in predicting nanoscale potential energy surfaces (PESs) when compared to high-fidelity first-principles calculations. These limitations stem from the lack of flexibility in such models, which rely on a predefined functional form. Machine learning (ML) models and approaches have emerged as a viable alternative to capture the diverse size-dependent cluster geometries, nanoscale dynamics, and the complex nanoscale PESs, without sacrificing the bulk properties. Here, in this study, we introduce an ML workflow that combines transfer and active learning strategies to develop high-dimensional neural networks (NNs) for capturing the cluster and bulk properties for several different transition metals with applications in catalysis, microelectronics, and energy storage, to name a few. Our NN first learns the bulk PES from the high-quality physics-based models in literature and subsequently augments this learning via retraining with a higher-fidelity first-principles training data set to concurrently capture both the nanoscale and bulk PES. Our workflow departs from status-quo in its ability to learn from a sparsely sampled data set that nonetheless covers a diverse range of cluster configurations from near-equilibrium to highly nonequilibrium as well as learning strategies that iteratively improve the fingerprinting depending on model fidelity. All the developed models are rigorously tested against an extensive first-principles data set of energies and forces of cluster configurations as well as several properties of bulk configurations for 10 different transition metals. Our approach is material agnostic and provides a methodology to transfer and build upon the learnings from decades of seminal work in molecular simulations on to a new generation of ML-trained potentials to accelerate materials discovery and design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Disordered topological graphs enhancing nonlinear phenomena

Complex networks play a fundamental role in understanding phenomena from the collective behavior of spins, neural networks, and power grids to the spread of diseases. Topological phenomena in such networks have recently been exploited to preserve the response of systems in the presence of disorder. We propose and demonstrate topological structurally disordered systems with a modal structure that enhances nonlinear phenomena in the topological channels by inhibiting the ultrafast leakage of energy from edge modes to bulk modes. We present the construction of the graph and show that its dynamics enhances the topologically protected photon pair generation rate by an order of magnitude. Disordered nonlinear topological graphs will enable advanced quantum interconnects, efficient nonlinear sources, and light-based information processing for artificial intelligence.

42 ENGINEERING↗