Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “spectral functions”

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 523 records · Page 29

Scalable Interpolation on GPUs for Thermal Fluids Applications

The need for efficient interpolation arises in many use cases for spectral element simulations. Towards this end, we present a fast and robust GPU-enable interpolation utility for NekRS, a spectral-element, Navier-Stokes solver. This utility is based on the findpts and findpts eval routines from the gslib library. To demonstrate the functionality, we added support for particle tracking. The GPU implementation of the interpolation allows for tracking 100 times more particles for the same computational cost.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Full spectrum (350-2500 nm) leaf and canopy spectral reflectance, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2019

Full-range (350 - 2500 nm) leaf and canopy reflectance spectra of various Arctic tundra ecosystem endmembers, including species-level leaf reflectance, canopy-scale species endmember spectra, plot-scale spectra, and transect spectra. These data were collected in support of ongoing NASA ABoVE AVIRIS data synthesis work. The datasets were collected at the NGEE-Arctic watershed sites, Kougarok MM64 and MM80, and Teller MM27 on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The data were collected in July 2019 using a full-range Spectra Vista Corporation (SVC) HR-1024i spectroradiometer. Leaf-level spectra were collected with the original SVC leaf clip/plant probe connected to the spectrometer through a 1.15 meter long fiber optic cable, while canopy-scale reflectance was collected with an 8-degree field-of-view (FOV) foreoptic lens. All spectral measurements were collected as calibrated surface radiance and converted to surface reflectance using a 99.99% reflective Spectralon white reference standard. For those canopy spectra collected with associated functional trait data, the FOV of the instrument was positioned to include the same leaves harvested for functional trait measurements, including leaf mass per area (LMA) and foliar carbon and nitrogen content (see leaf trait data package for these data). Canopy spectra were obtained for 23 different species, and leaf spectra for 8 species. This data package includes processed canopy and leaf spectra (*.csv), processed dGPS locations (*.csv and *.kmz), digital photographs of spectral targets (*.jpg) and raw data from spectroradiometer and dGPS instruments (compressed as tar.gz). Metadata files include data descriptions (_dd.csv) for tabular data and a key to species symbols used in data files. All included files are listed and described in NGA212_flmd.csv.The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a 15-year research effort (2012-2027) to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Light–matter interaction of a molecule in a dissipative cavity from first principles

Cavity-mediated light–matter coupling can dramatically alter opto-electronic and physico-chemical properties of a molecule. Ab initio theoretical predictions of these systems need to combine non-perturbative, many-body electronic structure theory-based methods with cavity quantum electrodynamics and theories of open-quantum systems. Here, we generalize quantum-electrodynamical density functional theory to account for dissipative dynamics of the cavity and describe coupled cavity–single molecule interactions in the weak-to-strong-coupling regimes. Specifically, to establish this generalized technique, we study excited-state dynamics and spectral responses of benzene and toluene under weak-to-strong light–matter coupling. By tuning the coupling, we achieve cavity-mediated energy transfer between electronically excited states. This generalized ab initio quantum-electrodynamical density functional theory treatment can be naturally extended to describe cavity-mediated interactions in arbitrary electromagnetic environments, accessing correlated light–matter observables and thereby closing the gap between electronic structure theory, quantum optics, and nanophotonics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Controlling the Fluctuating Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectra of Chloramben on Silver Nanocubes

Tip-enhanced Raman (TER) scattering from molecules residing at plasmonic junctions can be used to detect, identify, and image single molecules. This is most evident for flat molecules interrogated under extreme conditions of temperatures and pressure. It is also the case for (bio)molecular systems that feature preferred orientations/conformations under ambient laboratory conditions. More complex molecules that can adopt multiple conformations and/or that feature different protonation and/or charge states give rise to complex TER spectra. Here we illustrate how the latter can be controlled in the case of chloramben molecules coated onto plasmonic silver nanocubes. We show that characteristic molecular Raman spectra cannot be obtained when tunneling plasmons are operative, i.e., when the tip is in direct contact with the chemically functionalized plasmonic nanoparticles. We rationalize these observations and propose an approach to less invasive, and hence, more analytical TER spectral imaging.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Selective steroidogenic cytochrome P450 haem iron ligation by steroid-derived isonitriles

Alkyl isonitriles, R—NC, have previously been shown to ligate the heme (haem) iron of cytochromes P450 in both accessible oxidation states (ferrous, Fe 2+ , and ferric, Fe 3+ ). Herein, the preparation of four steroid-derived isonitriles and their interactions with several P450s, including the steroidogenic CYP17A1 and CYP106A2, as well as the more promiscuous drug metabolizers CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, is described. It was found that successful ligation of the heme iron by the isonitrile functionality for a given P450 depends on both the position and stereochemistry of the isonitrile on the steroid skeleton. Spectral studies indicate that isonitrile ligation of the ferric heme is stable upon reduction to the ferrous form, with reoxidation resulting in the original complex. A crystallographic structure of CYP17A1 with an isonitrile derived from pregnanalone further confirmed the interaction and identified the absolute stereochemistry of the bound species.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Aqueous-soluble bipyridine cobalt($\tiny{II}$/$\tiny{III}$) complexes act as direct redox mediators in photosystem I-based biophotovoltaic devices

Sustainable energy production is critical for meeting growing worldwide energy demands. Due to its stability and reduction potential, photosystem I (PSI) is attractive as the photosensitizer in biophotovoltaic devices. Herein, we characterize aqueous and organic solvent soluble synthetic bipyridine-based cobalt complexes as redox mediators for PSI-based biophotovoltaics applications. Cobalt-based complexes are not destructive to protein and have appropriate midpoint potentials for electron donation to PSI. We report on PSI stability in organic solvents commonly used in biophotovoltaics. We also show the effects of a mixed organic solvent phase on PSI reduction kinetics, slowing reduction rates approximately 8–38 fold as compared to fully aqueous systems, with implications for dye regeneration rates in PSI-based biophotovoltaics. Further, we show evidence of direct electron transfer from cobalt complexes to PSI. Finally, we report on photocurrent generation from Co mediator-PSI biophotovoltaic devices. Taken together, we discuss the development of novel Co complexes and our ability to fine-tune their characteristics via functional groups and counteranion choice to drive interaction with a biological electron acceptor on multiple levels from redox midpoints, spectral overlap, and solvent requirements, among others. This work suggests that fine-tuning of redox active species for interaction with a biological partner is possible for the creation and improvement of low cost, carbon-neutral energy production in the future.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Dynamics retrieval from stochastically weighted incomplete data by low-pass spectral analysis

Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) provides access to protein dynamics on sub-picosecond timescales, and with atomic resolution. Due to the nature of the experiment, these datasets are often highly incomplete and the measured diffracted intensities are affected by partiality. To tackle these issues, one established procedure is that of splitting the data into time bins, and averaging the multiple measurements of equivalent reflections within each bin. This binning and averaging often involve a loss of information. Here, we propose an alternative approach, which we call low-pass spectral analysis (LPSA). In this method, the data are projected onto the subspace defined by a set of trigonometric functions, with frequencies up to a certain cutoff. This approach attenuates undesirable high-frequency features and facilitates retrieving the underlying dynamics. A time-lagged embedding step can be included prior to subspace projection to improve the stability of the results with respect to the parameters involved. Subsequent modal decomposition allows to produce a low-rank description of the system's evolution. Using a synthetic time-evolving model with incomplete and partial observations, we analyze the LPSA results in terms of quality of the retrieved signal, as a function of the parameters involved. We compare the performance of LPSA to that of a range of other sophisticated data analysis techniques. We show that LPSA allows to achieve excellent dynamics reconstruction at modest computational cost. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of dynamics retrieval by LPSA compared to time binning and merging, which is, to date, the most commonly used method to extract dynamical information from TR-SFX data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Prospects for detecting UF6 hydrolysis intermediates by mass spectrometry, resonance Raman, and NQR spectroscopy

Simulations are performed to consider several spectrometric and spectroscopic candidates for elucidating the mechanism of the hydrolysis of uranium hexafluoride (UF6). This study is among the first to benchmark the def-mTZVP basis sets for actinide-containing molecules, and it is shown to be a suitable basis set for surveying geometrical structures and vibrational spectra when used in conjunction with density functional theory. An experiment is proposed coupling mass spectrometric ion selection with vibrational spectroscopy, and supporting infrared and Raman spectral simulations demonstrate that ionization blue-shifts bands and can change their qualitative features. Ultraviolet resonance Raman is shown to have good prospects for discriminating U–O–U bridged intermediates, evidence for which was observed recently [L. E. McNamara et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 130, 775–786 (2026)]. As a more speculative approach, we also consider the prospect of addressing 233U or 235U nuclei by quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy for assigning early stage intermediate complexes. In doing so, we provide a first order-of-magnitude estimate for the collision-induced NQR signal for the UF6 dimer, which is of interest for the interpretation of a fast decoherence time observed in liquid-phase nuclear magnetic resonance. Having provided critical insights into the formation and stability of UF6 hydrolysis intermediates in previous studies, this computational spectroscopy survey is expected to help guide and expedite future laboratory campaigns.

Lutz, Jesse J. [Center for Computing Research, San↗

Colossal magnetoresistance from spin-polarized polarons in an Ising system

Recent experiments suggest a new paradigm toward novel colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in a family of materials EuM 2 X 2 (M = Cd, In, Zn; X = P, As), distinct from the traditional avenues involving Kondo–Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida crossovers, magnetic phase transitions with structural distortions, or topological phase transitions. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to explore their origin, particularly focusing on EuCd 2 P 2 . While the low-energy spectral weight royally tracks that of the resistivity anomaly near the temperature with maximum magnetoresistance ( T MR ) as expected from transport-spectroscopy correspondence, the spectra are completely incoherent and strongly suppressed with no hint of a Landau quasiparticle. Using systematic material and temperature dependence investigation complemented by theory, we attribute this nonquasiparticle caricature to the strong presence of entangled magnetic and lattice interactions, a characteristic enabled by the p - f mixing. Given the known presence of ferromagnetic clusters, this naturally points to the origin of CMR being the scattering of spin-polarized polarons at the boundaries of ferromagnetic clusters. These results are not only illuminating to investigate the strong correlations and topology in EuCd 2 X 2 family, but, in a broader view, exemplify how multiple cooperative interactions can give rise to extraordinary behaviors in condensed matter systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photoinduced band renormalization effects in the topological nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS

Out-of-equilibrium effects provide an elegant pathway for probing and understanding the underlying physics of topological materials. In particular, controlling electronic band structure properties using ultrafast optical pulses has shown promise for creating exotic states of matter. Of recent interest is band renormalization in Dirac and Weyl semimetals as it leads to direct physical observables through the enhancement of the effective mass or in the shift of resonant energies. Here, in this work, we provide experimental and theoretical signatures of photoinduced renormalization of the electronic band structure in the topological nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS. Specifically, we show how the change in the transient reflectivity spectra under femtosecond optical excitations is induced by out-of-equilibrium effects that renormalize the kinetic energy of electrons. We associate the observed spectral features with an enhancement of the effective mass and to a redshift of the resonant frequency as a function of pump field strength. Finally, we show that the transient relaxation dynamics of the reflectivity is primarily an electronic effect with a negligible phononic contribution. Our study presents conclusive modifications of electronic properties in ZrSiS using ultrashort pulses and demonstrates the potential of this approach in creating photoinduced phases in topological quantum matter through an all-optical route.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Computing Edge States without Hard Truncation

We present a numerical method which accurately computes the discrete spectrum and associated bound states of semi-infinite Hamiltonians which model electronic “edge” states localized at boundaries of one- and two-dimensional crystalline materials. The problem is nontrivial since arbitrarily large finite “hard” (Dirichlet) truncations of the Hamiltonian in the infinite bulk direction tend to produce spurious bound states partially supported at the truncation. Our method, which overcomes this difficulty, is to compute the Green's function of the semi-infinite Hamiltonian by imposing an appropriate boundary condition in the bulk direction; then, the spectral data is recovered via Riesz projection. We demonstrate our method's effectiveness by studies of edge states at a graphene zig-zag edge in the presence of defects modeled both by a discrete tight-binding model and a continuum PDE model under finite difference discretization. Our method may also be used to study states localized at domain wall-type edges in one- and two-dimensional materials where the edge Hamiltonian is infinite in both directions; we demonstrate this for the case of a tight-binding model of distinct honeycomb structures joined along a zig-zag edge. Here, we expect our method to be useful for designing novel devices based on precise wave-guiding by edge states.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

High-Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) Instrument Handbook

High-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) systems provide vertical profiles of optical depth, backscatter cross-section, depolarization, and backscatter phase function. All HSRL measurements are calibrated by reference to molecular scattering, which is measured at each point in the lidar profile. Like the Raman lidar (RL), but unlike simple backscatter lidars such as the micropulse lidar (MPL), this enables the HSRL to measure backscatter cross-sections and optical depths without prior assumptions about the scattering properties of the atmosphere. The depolarization observations allow robust discrimination between ice and water clouds. Rigorous error estimates can be computed for all measurements. A very narrow angular field of view reduces multiple scattering contributions. The small field of view, coupled with a narrow optical bandwidth, nearly eliminates noise due to scattered sunlight. The laser transmitter is a diode-pumped, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. Narrow-band, single-frequency operation is provided by injection seeding with a single-frequency, cw-diode-pumped diode laser. The main laser cavity is maintained in resonance with the seed laser by adjusting the cavity length to minimize the time between the Q-switch trigger and the emission of the laser pulse. The emission wavelength is tuned via temperature control of the seed laser crystal and is locked to line #1109 of the iodine absorption spectra. Locking is accomplished by minimizing the transmission through a 2-cm-long iodine absorption cell. Use of a high-repetition-rate laser and expansion of the transmitted beam through a 400-mm telescope reduces the transmitted energy density to eye-safe levels. It is possible to look directly into the output beam without hazard. The receiver and transmitter use the same afocal telescope, simplifying the maintenance of stable alignment of the transmitter and receiver although the angular FOV is only 100 μrad. The small FOV and the 4-kHz repetition rate also limit the near-field signal strength, making it possible to record continuous profiles that start at an altitude of ~100 m and extend to 30 km using photon counting detectors. The small FOV also suppresses multiple scattering contributions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Probing the Wind Component of Radio Emission in Luminous High-redshift Quasars

We discuss a probe of the contribution of wind-related shocks to the radio emission in otherwise radio-quiet quasars. Given (1) the nonlinear correlation between UV and X-ray luminosity in quasars, (2) that such a correlation leads to higher likelihood of radiation-line-driven winds in more luminous quasars, and (3) that luminous quasars are more abundant at high redshift, deep radio observations of high-redshift quasars are needed to probe potential contributions from accretion disk winds. We target a sample of 50 z ≃ 1.65 color-selected quasars that span the range of expected accretion disk wind properties as traced by broad C iv emission. 3 GHz observations with the Very Large Array to an rms of ≈10 μJy beam -1 probe to star formation rates of ~400 M ⊙ yr -1 , leading to 22 detections. Supplementing these pointed observations are survey data of 388 sources from the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey Data Release 1 that reach comparable depth (for a typical radio spectral index), where 123 sources are detected. These combined observations reveal a radio detection fraction that is a nonlinear function of C iv emission-line properties and suggest that the data may require multiple origins of radio emission in radio-quiet quasars. We find evidence for radio emission from weak jets or coronae in radio-quiet quasars with low Eddington ratios, with either (or both) star formation and accretion disk winds playing an important role in optically luminous quasars and correlated with increasing Eddington ratio. Additional pointed radio observations are needed to fully establish the nature of radio emission in radio-quiet quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quantum Hamilton-Jacobi theory, spectral path integrals, and exact WKB analysis

We propose a new way to perform path integrals in quantum mechanics by using a quantum version of Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) theory. In classical mechanics, Hamilton-Jacobi theory is a powerful formalism, however, its utility is not explored in quantum theory beyond approximation schemes. The canonical transformation enables one to set the new Hamiltonian to constant or zero, but keeps the information about solution in Hamilton’s characteristic function. To benefit from this in quantum theory, one must work with a formulation in which classical Hamiltonian is used. This uniquely points to phase space path integral. However, the main variable in HJ formalism is energy, not time. Thus, we are led to consider the Fourier transform of the path integral, the spectral path integral Z ˜ ( E ) . The evaluation of path integrals reduces to determining the quantum Hamilton characteristic functions (which can be achieved via an asymptotic analysis) and a discrete sum over the quantum period lattice, generalizing Gutzwiller’s sum. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Türe, Mustafa (ORCID:0009000975968618)↗

Efficient time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory: Semilocal adiabatic response

Orbital-free density functional theory and its time-dependent extension are efficient ab initio methods for calculating the electronic structure and dynamics of large systems. Through the calculation of the optical spectra of selected clusters, we reach three important conclusions: (1) The quality of the spectra is strongly affected by the quality of the corresponding ground-state electron density; (2) the adiabatic part of the electronic response to external perturbations can be safely evaluated at the semilocal level; and (3) the nonadiabatic, current-dependent part of the time-dependent Pauli potential is key to recover correct spectral envelopes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Consideration of temperature-dependent emissivity of selective emitters in thermophotovoltaic systems

Spectral emissivity control is paramount for designing a high-efficiency selective emitter surface required for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications. Owing to the temperature dependency of materials optical constants, the spectral properties of a selective emitter surface changes with the emitter temperature. This paper presents the fabrication of a multilayer metal-dielectric ( ${\rm Si}_{3}{\rm N}_{4}/\rm W/Si_{3}{\rm N_{4}}$ ) coated tungsten selective emitter aimed for GaSb-based TPV systems and studies the dependence of its surface spectral emissivity, $\varepsilon (\lambda)$ , upon a temperature ranging from 300 K to 1500 K. Both the simulation and experimental methods were used to characterize $\varepsilon (\lambda)$ as a function of temperature. For wavelengths less than 1.4 µm, $\varepsilon (\lambda)$ was found to have a minimal dependence on temperature. Beyond 1.4 µm, $\varepsilon (\lambda)$ increases with the temperature. At 1.55 µm, the simulation and experimental data estimated a ${\sim}{{4}}\%$ greater emissivity at 1500 K than at room temperature. At 1500 K, the increased $\varepsilon (\lambda)$ at longer wavelengths lowered the spectral conversion efficiency of the selective emitter from 58% to 47%. The output power density, sub-bandgap loss, and TPV conversion efficiency ( ${\eta _{\rm TPV}}$ ) for a GaSb cell illuminated by the selective thermal emitter at 1500 K were estimated. ${\eta _{\rm TPV}}$ drops from 13.7% to 11% due to the increased sub-bandgap emission at 1500 K. Essential approaches for mitigating the sub-bandgap losses to further improve ${\eta _{\rm TPV}}$ are also discussed.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Form factors and spectral densities from Lightcone Conformal Truncation

We use the method of Lightcone Conformal Truncation (LCT) to obtain form factors and spectral densities of local operators $\mathcal{O}$ in $\phi^4$ theory in two dimensions. We show how to use the Hamiltonian eigenstates from LCT to obtain form factors that are matrix elements of a local operator $\mathcal{O}$ between single-particle bra and ket states, and we develop methods that significantly reduce errors resulting from the finite truncation of the Hilbert space. We extrapolate these form factors as a function of momentum to the regime where, by crossing symmetry, they are form factors of $\mathcal{O}$ between the vacuum and a two-particle asymptotic scattering state. We also compute the momentum-space time-ordered two-point functions of local operators in LCT. These converge quickly at momenta away from branch cuts, allowing us to indirectly obtain the time-ordered correlator and the spectral density at the branch cuts. We focus on the case where the local operator $\mathcal{O}$ is the trace Θ of the stress tensor.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗