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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 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum vacuum processes in the extremely intense light of relativistic plasma mirror sources

Abstract The advent of petawatt-class laser systems allows generating electromagnetic fields of unprecedented strength in a controlled environment, driving increasingly more efforts to probe yet unobserved processes through their interaction with the quantum vacuum. Still, the lowest intensity scale governing these effects lies orders of magnitude beyond foreseen capabilities, so that such endeavor is expected to remain extremely challenging. In recent years, however, plasma mirrors have emerged as a promising bridge across this gap, by enabling the conversion of intense infrared laser pulses into coherently focused Doppler harmonic beams lying in the X-UV range. In this work, we present predictions on the quantum vacuum signatures produced when such beams are focused to intensities between 10 24 and 10 28 W cm −2 , specifically photon–photon scattering and electron–positron pair creation. These signatures are computed via the stimulated vacuum formalism, combined with a model of perfectly focused beam built from PIC-generated harmonics spectra, and implemented on state-of-the-art massively parallel numerical tools. In view of identifying experimentally favorable configurations, we also consider the coupling of the focused harmonic beam with an auxiliary optical beam, and provide comparison with other established schemes. Our results show that a single coherently focused harmonic beam can produce as much scattered photons as two infrared pulses in head-on collision, and confirm that the coupling of the harmonic beam to an auxiliary beam gives rise to significant levels of inelastic scattering, and hence holds the potential to strongly improve the attainable signal to noise ratios in experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Efficiency-optimized relativistic plasma harmonics for extreme fields

Bright harmonic radiation from relativistically oscillating laser plasmas offers a direct route for generating extreme electromagnetic fields. Theory predicts that under optimized conditions, the plasma medium can support strong spatiotemporal compression of laser energy in a coherent harmonic focus (CHF), delivering intensity boosts many orders of magnitude greater than the incident driving laser pulse. Although diffraction-limited performance (spatial compression) and attosecond phase locking (temporal compression) have been demonstrated experimentally, efficient coupling of relativistically intense laser pulse energy into the emitted harmonic cone has not been realized so far. Here we demonstrate that this highly nonlinear interaction can be tailored to deliver the maximum conversion efficiencies predicted from simulations. By fine-tuning the temporal profile of the driving laser on sub-picosecond (<10 −12 s) timescales, energies >9 mJ between the 12th and 47th harmonics are observed. These results are in agreement with the theoretically expected efficiency dependence on harmonic order, verifying that optimal conditions have been achieved in the generation process. This is the important final element required to achieve the expected intensity boosts from a CHF in experiments. Although obtaining spatiotemporal compression and optimal efficiency simultaneously remains challenging, the path to realizing extreme optical field strengths approaching the critical field of quantum electrodynamics (the Schwinger limit at >10 16 V cm −1 or >10 29 W cm −2 ) is now open, permitting all-optical studies of the quantum vacuum and new frontiers for intense attosecond science.

High-harmonic generation↗
DOE OSTI2022

Radio transients and variables in the tenth Deeper, Wider, Faster observing run

The Deeper, Wider, Faster (DWF) program coordinates observations with telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum, searching for transients on time-scales of milliseconds to days. The tenth DWF observing run was carried out in near real-time during September 2021, and consisted of six consecutive days of observations of the NGC 6744 galaxy group and a field containing the repeating fast radio burst FRB 190711 with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, the Dark Energy Camera, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, and the Parkes 64-m ‘Murriyang’ radio telescope. Here, in this work, we present the results of an image-domain search for transient, variable, and circularly polarized sources carried out with ASKAP, using data from the observing run along with test observations prior to the run and follow-up observations carried out during and after the run. We identified eight variable radio sources, consisting of one pulsar, six stellar systems (five of which exhibit circularly polarized emission), and one previously uncatalogued source. Of particular interest is the detection of pulses from the ultra-cool dwarf SCR J1845–6357 with a period of 14.2 ± 0.3 h in good agreement with the known optical rotation period, making this the slowest rotating radio-loud ultra-cool dwarf discovered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A DESGW Search for the Electromagnetic Counterpart to the LIGO/Virgo Gravitational-wave Binary Neutron Star Merger Candidate S190510g

In this work, we present the results from a search for the electromagnetic counterpart of the LIGO/Virgo event S190510g using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). S190510g is a binary neutron star (BNS) merger candidate of moderate significance detected at a distance of 227 ± 92 Mpc and localized within an area of 31 (1166) square degrees at 50% (90%) confidence. While this event was later classified as likely nonastrophysical in nature within 30 hours of the event, our short latency search and discovery pipeline identified 11 counterpart candidates, all of which appear consistent with supernovae following offline analysis and spectroscopy by other instruments. Later reprocessing of the images enabled the recovery of six more candidates. Additionally, we implement our candidate selection procedure on simulated kilonovae and supernovae under DECam observing conditions (e.g., seeing and exposure time) with the intent of quantifying our search efficiency and making informed decisions on observing strategy for future similar events. This is the first BNS counterpart search to employ a comprehensive simulation-based efficiency study. We find that using the current follow-up strategy, there would need to be 19 events similar to S190510g for us to have a 99% chance of detecting an optical counterpart, assuming a GW170817-like kilonova. We further conclude that optimization of observing plans, which should include preference for deeper images over multiple color information, could result in up to a factor of 1.5 reduction in the total number of follow-ups needed for discovery.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Deuterated polyethylene nanowire arrays for high-energy density physics

Abstract The interaction of intense, ultrashort laser pulses with ordered nanostructure arrays offers a path to the efficient creation of ultra-high-energy density (UHED) matter and the generation of high-energy particles with compact lasers. Irradiation of deuterated nanowires arrays results in a near-solid density environment with extremely high temperatures and large electromagnetic fields in which deuterons are accelerated to multi-megaelectronvolt energies, resulting in deuterium–deuterium (D–D) fusion. Here we focus on the method of fabrication and the characteristics of ordered arrays of deuterated polyethylene nanowires. The irradiation of these array targets with femtosecond pulses of relativistic intensity and joule-level energy creates a micro-scale fusion environment that produced $2\times {10}^6$ neutrons per joule, an increase of about 500 times with respect to flat solid CD 2 targets irradiated with the same laser pulses. Irradiation with 8 J laser pulses was measured to generate up to 1.2 × 10 7 D–D fusion neutrons per shot.

Optics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum simulations of hydrodynamics via the Madelung transformation

Developing numerical methods to simulate efficiently nonlinear fluid dynamics on universal quantum computers is a challenging problem. In this paper, a generalization of the Madelung transform is defined to solve quantum relativistic charged fluid equations interacting with external electromagnetic forces via the Dirac equation. The Dirac equation is discretized into discrete-time quantum walks which can be efficiently implemented on universal quantum computers. A variant of this algorithm is proposed to implement simulations using current noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) devices in the case of homogeneous external forces. High resolution (up to N=2 17 grid points) numerical simulations of relativistic and nonrelativistic hydrodynamical shocks on current IBM NISQs are performed with this algorithm. Here, this paper demonstrates that fluid dynamics can be simulated on NISQs, and opens the door to simulating other fluids, including plasmas, with more general quantum walks and quantum automata.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

AT2025ulz and S250818k: Leveraging DESI Spectroscopy in the Hunt for a Kilonova Associated with a Subsolar-mass Gravitational-wave Candidate

On 2025 August 18, the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration reported a subthreshold gravitational-wave candidate detection consistent with a subsolar-mass neutron star merger, denoted S250818k. An optical transient, AT2025ulz, was discovered within the localization region. AT2025ulz initially appeared to meet the expected behavior of kilonova emission, the telltale signature of a binary neutron star merger. The transient subsequently rebrightened after ∼5 days and was classified as a Type IIb supernova. In this work, we analyze the observations of its host galaxy obtained by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). From the DESI spectrum, we obtain a secure redshift of z = 0.084840 ± 0.000006. If S250818k has an astrophysical origin, this places the transient within 2σ of the gravitational-wave distance and results in an integral overlap between the gravitational-wave alert and the transient location of log 10 $\mathcal{I} ≈ 3.9 - 4.2$. Our analysis of the host galaxy’s spectral energy distribution reveals a star-forming, dusty galaxy with stellar mass ∼10 10 M ⊙ , broadly consistent with the population of both short gamma-ray bursts and core-collapse supernova host galaxies. We also present our follow-up of DESI-selected candidate host galaxies using the Fraunhofer Telescope at the Wendelstein Observatory, and show the promise of DESI for associating or rejecting candidate electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational-wave alerts. These results emphasize the value of DESI’s extensive spectroscopic dataset in rapidly characterizing host galaxies, enabling spectroscopic host subtraction, and guiding targeted follow-up.

Hall, Xander J. [Carnegie Mellon University, Pitts↗
DOE OSTI2023

Giant enhancement of nonreciprocity in gyrotropic heterostructures

Abstract Nonreciprocity is a highly desirable feature in photonic media since it allows for control over the traveling electromagnetic waves, in a way that goes far beyond ordinary filtering. One of the most conventional ways to achieve nonreciprocity is via employing gyrotropic materials; however, their time-reversal-symmetry-breaking effects are very weak and, hence, large, bulky setups combined with very strong magnetic biases are required for technologically useful devices. In this work, artificial heterostructures are introduced to enhance the effective nonreciprocal behavior by reducing the contribution of the diagonal susceptibilities in the collective response; in this way, the off-diagonal ones, that are responsible for nonreciprocity, seem bigger. In particular, alternating gyrotropic and metallic or plasmonic films make an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) effective-medium by averaging the diagonal permittivities of opposite sign, representing the consecutive layers. The homogenization process leaves unaltered the nonzero off-diagonal permittivities of the original gyrotropic substance, which become dominant and ignite strong nonreciprocal response. Realistic material examples that could be implemented experimentally in the mid-infrared spectrum are provided while the robustness of the enhanced nonreciprocity in the presence of actual media losses is discussed and bandwidth limitations due to the unavoidable frequency dispersion are elaborated. The proposed concept can be extensively utilized in designing optical devices that serve a wide range of applications from signal isolation and wave circulation to unidirectional propagation and asymmetric power amplification.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Effect of the Velocity Distribution on Kilonova Emission

Abstract The electromagnetic emission from the nonrelativistic ejecta launched in neutron star mergers (either dynamically or through a disk wind) has the potential to probe both the total mass and composition of this ejecta. These observations are crucial in understanding the role of these mergers in the production of r -process elements in the Universe. However, many properties of the ejecta can alter the light curves and we must both identify which properties play a role in shaping this emission and understand the effects these properties have on the emission before we can use observations to place strong constraints on the amount of r -process elements produced in the merger. This paper focuses on understanding the effect of the velocity distribution (amount of mass moving at different velocities) for lanthanide-rich ejecta on the light curves and spectra. The simulations use distributions guided by recent calculations of disk outflows and compare the velocity-distribution effects to those of ejecta mass, velocity, and composition. Our comparisons show that uncertainties in the velocity distribution can lead to a factor of 2–4 uncertainties in the inferred ejecta mass based on peak infrared luminosities. We also show that early-time UV or optical observations may be able to constrain the velocity distribution, reducing the uncertainty in the ejecta mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Effect of the Velocity Distribution on Kilonova Emission

The electromagnetic emission from the nonrelativistic ejecta launched in neutron star mergers (either dynamically or through a disk wind) has the potential to probe both the total mass and composition of this ejecta. These observations are crucial in understanding the role of these mergers in the production of r-process elements in the Universe. However, many properties of the ejecta can alter the light curves and we must both identify which properties play a role in shaping this emission and understand the effects these properties have on the emission before we can use observations to place strong constraints on the amount of r-process elements produced in the merger. This paper focuses on understanding the effect of the velocity distribution (amount of mass moving at different velocities) for lanthanide-rich ejecta on the light curves and spectra. The simulations use distributions guided by recent calculations of disk outflows and compare the velocity-distribution effects to those of ejecta mass, velocity, and composition. Our comparisons show that uncertainties in the velocity distribution can lead to a factor of 2–4 uncertainties in the inferred ejecta mass based on peak infrared luminosities. We also show that early-time UV or optical observations may be able to constrain the velocity distribution, reducing the uncertainty in the ejecta mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bending Magnet Synchrotron Radiation Imaging with Large Orbital Collection Angles

Synchrotron radiation (SR) from bending magnets, wigglers, and undulators is now extensively produced for users at storage ring based light sources, with unique properties in terms of average brightness and stability. Here, we present a profound study of bending magnet SR intensity distribution in the image plane of a focusing optical system. Measurements of this intensity distribution at the MAX-IV low emittance storage ring are compared to theoretical predictions, and found to be in excellent agreement. This work shows upon the possibility of performing high resolution emittance diagnostics with visible or near-visible SR on upcoming low-emittance storage ring based light sources. As a byproduct of our study, we derive a closed analytical expression for the intensity distribution from a zero-emittance beam, in the limiting case of wide orbital collection angles. This expression finally allows us to demonstrate the meeting between classical electrodynamics applied to SR emission and focusing, and the Landau and Lifshitz prediction of radiation intensity distribution nearby a caustic.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrochromic Properties of Perovskite NdNiO 3 Thin Films for Smart Windows

Semiconductors with electrically tunable band gaps are of great interest in controlling transparency to electromagnetic radiation. Thin films of perovskite nickelate NdNiO 3 (NNO), a class of correlated oxides, were deposited on single-crystal (LaAlO 3 (LAO)) and polycrystalline (fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass (FTO)) substrates by magnetron sputtering, chemical solution deposition (CSD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Their electrochromic behaviors were investigated using a three-electrode setup in basic (KOH solution, pH = 12) electrolyte. During bleaching/coloration process, the proton intercalation/deintercalation and simultaneous electron compensation in the NNO lattice under electrical bias led to crossover of the material between the pristine-conducting phase (Ni 3+ ) and the strongly correlated insulating phase (Ni 2+ ), which serves as the working principle for electrochromic (tunable opacity in the visible range) behavior. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) scans demonstrate that NNO films are electrochemically stable in basic solutions for all three film deposition methods explored here. CV scans at varying rates enabled the extraction of diffusion coefficient of protons in thin film NNO, which is similar to 10 –7 cm 2 s –1 among all films studied. Large light transmittance modulation by bleaching and coloration was observed on films grown on both LAO and FTO substrates, suggesting its potential as an electrochromic material candidate for smart windows and optical shutter applications. Here, porous NNO films obtained by chemical solution deposition tend to demonstrate stronger electrochromic activity than dense films grown by sputtering or ALD.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

A line-binned treatment of opacities for the spectra and light curves from neutron star mergers

ABSTRACT The electromagnetic observations of GW170817 were able to dramatically increase our understanding of neutron star mergers beyond what we learned from gravitational waves alone. These observations provided insight on all aspects of the merger from the nature of the gamma-ray burst to the characteristics of the ejected material. The ejecta of neutron star mergers are expected to produce such electromagnetic transients, called kilonovae or macronovae. Characteristics of the ejecta include large velocity gradients, relative to supernovae, and the presence of heavy r-process elements, which pose significant challenges to the accurate calculation of radiative opacities and radiation transport. For example, these opacities include a dense forest of bound–bound features arising from near-neutral lanthanide and actinide elements. Here we investigate the use of fine-structure, line-binned opacities that preserve the integral of the opacity over frequency. Advantages of this area-preserving approach over the traditional expansion–opacity formalism include the ability to pre-calculate opacity tables that are independent of the type of hydrodynamic expansion and thus eliminate the computational expense of calculating opacities within radiation-transport simulations. Tabular opacities are generated for all 14 lanthanides as well as a representative actinide element, uranium. We demonstrate that spectral simulations produced with the line-binned opacities agree well with results produced with the more accurate continuous Monte Carlo Sobolev approach, as well as with the commonly used expansion–opacity formalism. The agreement between the line-binned and expansion–opacity results is explained as arising from the similarity in their opacities in the limit of low optical depth, where radiation transport is important in the ejecta. Additional investigations illustrate the convergence of opacity with respect to the number of included lines, and elucidate sensitivities to different atomic physics approximations, such as fully and semirelativistic approaches.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer Eigenmodes

The near-field electromagnetic interaction between nanoscale objects produces enhanced radiative heat transfer that can greatly surpass the limits established by far-field blackbody radiation. Here, we present a theoretical framework to describe the temporal dynamics of the radiative heat transfer in ensembles of nanostructures, which is based on the use of an eigenmode expansion of the equations that govern this process. Using this formalism, we identify the fundamental principles that determine the thermalization of collections of nanostructures, revealing general but often unintuitive dynamics. Overall, our results provide an elegant and precise approach to efficiently analyze the temporal dynamics of the near-field radiative heat transfer in systems containing a large number of nanoparticles.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Correlation polarimeter-interferometer in the DIII-D tokamak

A correlation polarimeter-interferometer system has been developed for the DIII-D tokamak to detect small amplitude magnetic and density fluctuations. Two collinear, frequency-offset (5–15 MHz), orthogonally polarized (right- and left-handed, circularly polarized) electromagnetic waves at 650 GHz probing the plasma are used to detect the Faraday effect. A third, linearly polarized, electromagnetic wave serves as the local-oscillator to provide a measure of the line-averaged density. Correlation polarimetric measurement is accomplished by correlating the Faraday effect measured along the same line of sight using two independent detectors, whereas simultaneous correlation interferometric measurement is realized by correlating the line-averaged density measured at two different intermediate frequencies. The noise floor of the correlation polarimeter-interferometer has been demonstrated to be more than one order of magnitude lower than that of a standard polarimeter-interferometer measurement. Line-averaged correlation polarimetric-interferometric measurements in DIII-D H-mode plasmas show broadband (up to 750 kHz) magnetic and density fluctuations with amplitudes as low as 0.03 $Gauss$/$\sqrt{kHz}$ and 4 × 10 13 m –3 /$\sqrt{kHz}$, respectively.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering Super–Poissonian Photon Statistics of Spatial Light Modes

The nature of light sources is defined by the statistical fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. As such, the photon statistics of light sources are typically associated with distinct emitters. Here, the possibility of producing light beams with various photon statistics through the spatial modulation of coherent light is demonstrated. This is achieved by the sequential encoding of controllable Kolmogorov phase screens in a digital micromirror device. Interestingly, the flexibility of this scheme allows for the shaping of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics at different spatial positions. The performance of this scheme is assessed through the photon-number-resolving characterization of different families of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics. Furthermore, it is believed that the possibility of controlling the photon fluctuations of the light field at arbitrary spatial locations has important implications for quantum spectroscopy, sensing, and imaging.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Gravity Collective: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Electromagnetic Search for the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW190425

We present an ultraviolet to infrared search for the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart to GW190425, the second ever binary neutron star merger discovered by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. GW190425 was more distant and had a larger localization area than GW170817, so we use a new tool, Teglon, to redistribute the GW190425 localization probability in the context of galaxy catalogs within the final localization volume. We derive a 90th percentile area of 6688 deg 2 , a ∼1.5× improvement relative to the LIGO/Virgo map, and show how Teglon provides an order-of-magnitude boost to the search efficiency of small (≤1 deg 2 ) field-of-view instruments. We combine our data with a large, publicly reported imaging data set, covering 9078.59 deg 2 of unique area and 48.13% of the LIGO/Virgo-assigned localization probability, to calculate the most comprehensive kilonova (KN), short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) afterglow, and model-independent constraints on the EM emission from a hypothetical counterpart to GW190425 to date under the assumption that no counterpart was found in these data. If the counterpart were similar to AT 2017gfo, there would be a 28.4% chance of it being detected in the combined data set. We are relatively insensitive to an on-axis sGRB, and rule out a generic transient with a similar peak luminosity and decline rate as AT 2017gfo to 30% confidence. Finally, across our new imaging and publicly reported data, we find 28 candidate optical counterparts that we cannot rule out as being associated with GW190425, finding that four such counterparts discovered within the localization volume and within 5 days of merger exhibit luminosities consistent with a KN.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗