Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “transition probability”

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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Braiding for the win: Harnessing braiding statistics in topological states to play quantum games

Nonlocal quantum games provide proof of principle that quantum resources can confer an advantage at certain tasks. They also provide a compelling way to explore the computational utility of phases of matter on quantum hardware. In a recent paper [O. Hart et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 130602 (2025)], we demonstrated that a toric code resource state conferred advantage at a certain nonlocal game, which remained robust to small deformations of the resource state. In this paper we demonstrate that this robust advantage is a generic property of resource states drawn from topological or fracton ordered phases of quantum matter. To this end, we illustrate how several other states from paradigmatic topological and fracton ordered phases can function as resources for suitably defined nonlocal games, notably the three-dimensional toric-code phase, the X-cube fracton phase, and the double-semion phase. The key in every case is to design a nonlocal game that harnesses the characteristic braiding processes of a quantum phase as a source of contextuality. We unify the strategies that take advantage of mutual statistics by relating the operators to be measured to order and disorder parameters of an underlying generalized symmetry-breaking phase transition. Additionally, by connecting the win probability to twist products, we show that success at the game serves as a many-body entanglement witness. Namely, if the players implement a perfect quantum strategy on large length scales, the quantum state they share cannot be connected to a trivial product state via a constant-depth local unitary circuit. Lastly, we massively generalize the family of games that admit perfect strategies when codewords of homological quantum error-correcting codes are used as resources.

Fractons↗
NASA NTRS1983

Fluorescence yield from photodissociation of CH4 at 1060-1420 A

The photoabsorption and fluorescence cross sections of CH4 were measured using synchrotron radiation at 1060-1420 A. The fluorescence starts to appear at 1330 A, and its cross section increases with decreasing photon wavelengths. The fluorescence cross section at 1060 A is 0.38 x 10 to the -18th sq cm, which is much smaller than the theoretical expectation. It is unlikely that the CH2 production from CH4 photodissociation will have a population inversion in the singlet system. A vibrational structure observed at 1060-1120 A is probably the 1t2-3p Rydberg transition of CH4.

Lee, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Observations of Far-Infrared Molecular Emission Lines from the Orion Molecular Cloud

The Orion Nebula was the subject of intensive study for over one hundred years. Recently, several far infrared transitions among the low-lying levels of OH were observed toward IRc2. The OH is thought to be abundant, and plays an important role in the chemical evolution of shock and post-shock regions. The OH emission serves as a sensitive probe of the temperature and density for the shock-processed gas. A rigorous treatment of the radiative transfer of these measured transitions was performed using the escape probability formalism. From this analysis, the temperature of the OH-emitting region was determined to be on the order of 40K. This suggests that the gas is part of the post-shock gas that has cooled sufficiently, most likely by way of radiative cooling by CO. Such cooling from shock temperatures of several degrees can be accomplished in 100 years. A molecular hydrogen density of 3 million/cubic cm and an OH column density of 1.0 x 10 to the 17th /sq cm is found. The beam filling factor is determined to be 36%.

Viscuso, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The response of the high-latitude dayside ionosphere to an abrupt northward transition in the IMF

We examine the response of the high-latitude ionosphere in the prenoon sector to a northward turning of the IMF. The event was observed in the 11-13 UT interval on June 1, 1987, in the course of a multiday SUNDIAL campaign. The transition in the IMF was observed by the IMP-8 satellite which was located upstream of the earth at a distance of 36 Re. The ionospheric response in the 70-80 deg invariant latitude interval was monitored by two radars. The preexisting plasma convection observed by the radars exhibited large velocities (500-1000 m/s) and stable longterm trends, consistent with the inertial rotation of the convection pattern expected of the conditions then prevailing, B(z) less than 0, B(y) greater than 0. The plasma flow rapidly abated in response to the IMF transition. The electron density measurements made by radar in the meridional plane showed that the ionosphere had been rich in structure with the active deposition of ionization by particle precipitation. Subsequently it resembled an inactive, unstructured mid-latitude configuration. There was a dramatic decrease in the amount of backscatter observed by the HF radar. We analyze the times of transition in the various data sets and show that the ionosphere began to show the effects of the IMF transition about 2 min after its probable arrival at the magnetopause boundary.

Ruohoniemi, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Distinct Secondary Structures of the Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteoglycans Decorin and Biglycan: Glycosylation-Dependent Conformational Stability

Biglycan and decorin, closely related small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans, have been overexpressed in eukaryotic cers and two major glycoforms isolated under native conditions: a proteoglycan substituted with glycosaminoglycan chains; and a core protein form secreted devoid of glycosaminoglycans. A comparative biophysical study of these glycoforms has revealed that the overall secondary structures of biglycan and decorin are different. Far-UV Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy of decorin and biglycan proteoglycans indicates that, although they are predominantly Beta-sheet, biglycan has a significantly higher content of alpha-helical structure. Decorin proteoglycan and core protein are very similar, whereas the biglycan core protein exhibits closer similarity to the decorin glycoforms than to. the biglycan proteoglycan form. However, enzymatic removal of the chondroitin sulfate chains from biglycan proteoglycan does not induce a shift to the core protein structure, suggesting that the fmal form is influenced by polysaccharide addition only during biosynthesis. Fluorescence emission spectroscopy demonstrated that the single tryptophan residue, which is at a conserved position at the C-terminal domain of both biglycan and decorin, is found in similar microenvironments. This indicates that at least in this specific domain, the different glycoforms do exhibit apparent conservation of structure. Exposure of decorin and biglycan to 10 M urea resulted in an increase in fluorescent intensity, which indicates that the emission from tryptophan in the native state is quenched. Comparison of urea-induced protein unfolding curves provided further evidence that decorin and biglycan assume different structures in solution. Decorin proteoglycan and core protein unfold in a manner similar to a classic two-state model, in which there is a steep transition to an unfolded state between 1-2 M urea. The biglycan core protein also shows a similar steep transition. However, biglycan proteoglycan shows a broad unfolding transition between 1-6 M urea, probably indicating the presence of stable unfolding intermediates.

Krishnan, Priya↗
NASA NTRS2015

Comparative Habitability of Transiting Exoplanets

Exoplanet habitability is traditionally assessed by comparing a planet’s semimajor axis to the location of its host star’s “habitable zone,” the shell around a star for which Earth-like planets can possess liquid surface water. The Kepler space telescope has discovered numerous planet candidates near the habitable zone, and many more are expected from missions such as K2, TESS, and PLATO. These candidates often require significant follow-up observations for validation, so prioritizing planets for habitability from transit data has become an important aspect of the search for life in the universe. We propose a method to compare transiting planets for their potential to support life based on transit data, stellar properties and previously reported limits on planetary emitted flux. For a planet in radiative equilibrium, the emitted flux increases with eccentricity, but decreases with albedo. As these parameters are often unconstrained, there is an “eccentricity-albedo degeneracy” for the habitability of transiting exoplanets. Our method mitigates this degeneracy, includes a penalty for large-radius planets, uses terrestrial mass–radius relationships, and, when available, constraints on eccentricity to compute a number we call the “habitability index for transiting exoplanets” that represents the relative probability that an exoplanet could support liquid surface water. We calculate it for Kepler objects of interest and find that planets that receive between 60% and 90% of the Earth’s incident radiation, assuming circular orbits, are most likely to be habitable. Finally, we make predictions for the upcoming TESS and James Webb Space Telescope missions.

Planet and satellite surfaces↗
NASA NTRS1982

High density bit transition requirements versus the effects on BCH error correcting code

The design to achieve the required bit transition density for the Space Shuttle high rate multiplexes (HRM) data stream of the Space Laboratory Vehicle is reviewed. It contained a recommended circuit approach, specified the pseudo random (PN) sequence to be used and detailed the properties of the sequence. Calculations showing the probability of failing to meet the required transition density were included. A computer simulation of the data stream and PN cover sequence was provided. All worst case situations were simulated and the bit transition density exceeded that required. The Preliminary Design Review and the critical Design Review are documented. The Cover Sequence Generator (CSG) Encoder/Decoder design was constructed and demonstrated. The demonstrations were successful. All HRM and HRDM units incorporate the CSG encoder or CSG decoder as appropriate.

Ingels, F. M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

HOMES: Holographic Method for Exoplanet Spectroscopy

The search for habitable exoplanets in the "neighborhood," that is within 10 parsecs (pc),invites new observational techniques, because telescopes available today have significant limitations. For example, gravitational micro-lensing is a deep field method that has little or no utility within 10 pc. Photometry of transits reduces the availability of exoplanets to a probability of approximately a 1%, and fewer than 1 out of 100 earth twins would ever be seen. For the 1% of exoplanets seen in transit, spectra of albedos cannot be taken.Even more limiting, Doppler shift studies are indirect and cannot characterize exoplanets other than by their orbits and masses through stellar radial velocity (RV). Moreover, RV by Doppler shift cannot detect planets in orbits on a plane perpendicular to our line of sight. Astrometry can be used to measure stellar orbital wobble for those exoplanetary systems in the plane perpendicular to our line of sight, as was contemplated for the cancelled NASA SIM mission 1 and rests now with ESA's GAIA2. In either case, the exoplanets detected by stellar RV or astrometry would not be directly observed, so the assumption that the three phases of water could exist does not answer a key question of habitability. Is there water on the exoplanet? Moreover, the discovery of water on an exoplanet in the habitable zone, exciting though it would be, is insufficient to determine just how habitable the exoplanet might possibly be. Like Goldilocks' porridge - there are many other ingredients beyond water alone in a life-sustaining soup.We propose a new species of optical telescope that has as one of its capabilities the high resolution spectrographic characterization of exoplanets on stars within 10 pc of the observatory. To achieve this performance specification, we propose to break with convention by taking advantage of an optical technology unknown until relatively recent times: the hologram. In this Report we show how holograms used in primary and secondary can extract spectrograms from exoplanets at distances reaching 33 light years from our solar system. We describe a notional space telescope using these novel optics that could make its observations in a space deployment scenario.

Ditto, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1953

Flight Investigation of the Stability and Control Characteristics of a 0.13-Scale Model of the Convair XFY-1 Vertically Rising Airplane During Constant-Altitude Transitions, TED No. NACA DE 368

An investigation is being conducted to determine the dynamic stability and control characteristics of a 0.13-scale flying model of the Convair XFY-1 vertically rising airplane. This paper presents the results of flight tests to determine the stability and control characteristics of the model during constant-altitude slow transitions from hovering to normal unstalled forward flight. The tests indicated that the airplane can be flown through the transition range fairly easily although some difficulty will probably encountered in controlling the yawing motions at angles of attack between about 60 and 40. An increase in the size of the vertical tail will not materially improve the controllability of the yawing motions in this range of angle of attack but the use of a yaw damper will make the yawing motions easy to control throughout the entire transitional flight range. The tests also indicated that the airplane can probably be flown sideways satisfactorily at speeds up to approximately 33 knots (full scale) with the normal control system and up to approximately 37 knots (full scale) with both elevons and rudders rigged to move differentially for roll control. At sideways speeds above these values, the airplane will have a strong tendency to diverge uncontrollably in roll.

Lovell, Powell M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Accurate ab initio calculations which demonstrate a 3 Pi u ground state for Al2

The spectroscopic parameters and separations between the three low-lying X 3 Pi u, A 3 Sigma g -, and a 1 Sigma g + states of Al2 are studied as a function of both the one-particle and n-particle basis set. Approximate correlation treatments are calibrated against full Cl calculations correlating the six valence electrons in a double-zeta plus two d-function basis set. Since the CASSCF/MRCI 3 Pi u to 3 Sigma g - separation is in excellent agreement wtih the FCI value, the MRCI calculations were carried out in an extended (20s13p6d4f)/(6s5p3d2f) gaussian basis. Including a small correction for relativistic effects, the best estimate is that 3 Sigma g - state lies 174/cm above the 3 Pi u ground state. The 1 Sigma g + state lies at least 2000/cm higher in energy. At the CPF level, inclusion of 2s and 2p correlation has little effect on D sub e, reduces T sub e by only 26/cm, and shortens the bond lengths by about 0.02 a sub o. Further strong support for a 3 Pi u ground state comes from the experimental absorption spectra, since both observed transitions can be convincingly assigned as 3 Pi u yields 3 Pi g. The (2) 3 Pi g state is observed to be sensitive to the level of correlation treatment, and to have its minimum shifted to shorter rho values, such that the strongest experimental absorption peak probably corresponds to the 0 yields 2 transition.

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observation of far-infrared transitions between excited states of OH

Spectra of the Kleinmann-Low nebula in Orion detected the 84.42 and 84.60 micron transitions between the 2Pi(3/2) J = 7/2 and 2Pi(3/2) J = 5/2 levels of OH with respective fluxes of 1 x 10 to the -17th and 1.4 x 10 to the -17th W/sq cm. When compared to the 119 micron flux levels of OH discussed by Watson (1982) and the 163 micron flux levels of OH by Viscuso et al. (1985), these results suggest appreciable self-absorption of OH line radiation within the nebula. The CO emission due to the J = 31 to 30 rotational transition at 84.411 microns makes a substantial contribution to the observed 84.22 micron flux, and is probably at least partially absorbed at the 84.42 micron OH transition frequency.

Viscuso, P. J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Temperature-dependent solvent reorganization entropies, free energies, and transition dipole strengths for the photoexcitation of Reichardt’s dye B30

Absorption spectra of the solvatochromic dye 2,6-diphenyl-4-2,4,6-triphenyl-1-pyridinophenolate (B30) were measured in seven solvents of varying polarity over temperature ranging from each solvent’s freezing point to 300 K. The excitation energies and their variances allowed calculations of the solvent reorganization energies, reorganization free energies and reorganization entropies as functions of temperature. The entropies of solvent packing around the chromophore are found to make major contributions to the reorganization free energies. The variances of the excitation energies depend only weakly on temperature, in disagreement with an expression that is often used for solvent reorganization free energies. Polar solvents reduce the transition dipole strength of B30’s long-wavelength absorption band, probably because interactions with the solvent enhance the charge-transfer character of the transition. The dipole strength drops further at low temperatures.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2020

Assessing CLUBB PDF Closure Assumptions for a Continental Shallow-to-Deep Convective Transition Case Over Multiple Spatial Scales

Assumed-PDF (probability density function) higher-order turbulence closures (APHOCs) are now widely used for parameterizing boundary layer turbulence and shallow convection in Earth system models (ESMs). A better understanding of the resolution-dependent behavior of APHOCs is essential for improving the performance of next-generation ESMs with intended horizontal resolutions finer than 10 km. In this study, we evaluate the PDF family of Analytic double-Gaussian 1 implemented in Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB) over a range of spatial scales (Dx) from 2 to 100 km. A 120-km-wide large eddy simulation (LES) for a continental convection case during 2016 Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) field campaign serves as benchmark to evaluate the PDF closure using an off-line approach. We find during the shallow convection period, the CLUBB PDF closure tends to produce positive biases of cloud properties and liquid water flux near cloud base for all scales of analysis. It produces negative biases for these variables near cloud top that are more severe for Dx larger than 25 km. Results show that replacing the CLUBB-parameterized moisture and temperature skewnesses with LES-derived ones can fix most of the biases if clipping of input moments is allowed to prevent the occurrence of unrealizable solutions. Overall, the performance of the PDF closure is better for smaller Dx = 2–5 km than for larger Dx = 50–100 km; for a given grid spacing, it is better when the convective clouds become deeper in the late afternoon. Likely causes for the resolution dependence and implications for improving the PDF closure are discussed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

The time since land-use transition drives changes in fire activity in the Amazon-Cerrado region

Abstract Deforestation and climate change are expected to alter fire regimes along the Cerrado-Amazon transition, one of the world’s most active agricultural frontiers. Here we tested the hypothesis that the time since land-use transition (age of frontier) and agricultural intensification also drive changes in the region’s fire regimes by reducing fire probability in both drought and non-drought years. We modeled fire probability as a function of the time since land-use transitions based on MapBiomas Project datasets from 1986 to 2020. We find that, while burned area declined as pasturelands aged and croplands advanced, deforestation abruptly increased fire activity before (Amazon: 4 years; Cerrado: 3 years) and after (Amazon: 8 years; Cerrado: 7 years) land clearing for pasture, especially in the Amazon. Additionally, the combination of ignition risk, drought, and air-dryness increased the likelihood of large extents of burned areas associated with deforestation. Incorporating frontier age as a proxy for governance in fire modeling is crucial, given the ecological implications of changing fire regimes despite declining rates of fire probability. Most importantly, protecting against deforestation and preserving native vegetation are vital.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
DOE OSTI2022

Simulation of Stark-broadened Hydrogen Balmer-line Shapes for DA White Dwarf Synthetic Spectra

Abstract White dwarfs (WDs) are useful across a wide range of astrophysical contexts. The appropriate interpretation of their spectra relies on the accuracy of WD atmosphere models. One essential ingredient of atmosphere models is the theory used for the broadening of spectral lines. To date, the models have relied on Vidal et al., known as the unified theory of line broadening (VCS). There have since been advancements in the theory; however, the calculations used in model atmosphere codes have only received minor updates. Meanwhile, advances in instrumentation and data have uncovered indications of inaccuracies: spectroscopic temperatures are roughly 10% higher and spectroscopic masses are roughly 0.1 M ⊙ higher than their photometric counterparts. The evidence suggests that VCS-based treatments of line profiles may be at least partly responsible. Gomez et al. developed a simulation-based line-profile code Xenomorph using an improved theoretical treatment that can be used to inform questions around the discrepancy. However, the code required revisions to sufficiently decrease noise for use in model spectra and to make it computationally tractable and physically realistic. In particular, we investigate three additional physical effects that are not captured in the VCS calculations: ion dynamics, higher-order multipole expansion, and an expanded basis set. We also implement a simulation-based approach to occupation probability. The present study limits the scope to the first three hydrogen Balmer transitions (H α , H β , and H γ ). We find that screening effects and occupation probability have the largest effects on the line shapes and will likely have important consequences in stellar synthetic spectra.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

River Organic Carbon Fluxes Modulated by Hydrodynamic Sorting of Particulate Organic Matter

Rivers regulate the global carbon cycle by transferring particulate organic carbon (POC) from terrestrial landscapes to marine sedimentary basins, but the processes controlling the amount and composition of fluvially exported POC are poorly understood. We propose that hydrodynamic sorting processes modify POC fluxes during fluvial transit. We test this hypothesis by studying POC transported along a ~1,200 km reach of the Rio Bermejo, Argentina. Nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed that POC was either fine, mineral-associated organic matter, or coarse discrete organic particles. Mineral-associated POC is more resistant to oxidation and has a lower particle settling velocity than discrete POC. Consequently, hydraulic sorting and downstream fining amplify the proportion of fine, mineral-associated POC from ~55% to ~78% over 1,220 km of downstream transit. This suggests that mineral-associated POC has a greater probability of export and preservation in marine basins than plant detritus, which may be oxidized to CO 2 during transit.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heterovalent Substitution of K 2 SrP 2 O 7 :Cr 3+ to Achieve Anti-Thermal-Quenching Broadband Near-Infrared Luminescence

Broadband near-infrared (NIR) light sources based on phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes are highly desirable for biochemical analysis and medical diagnosis applications. However, thermal quenching remains a demanding challenge for developing efficient NIR phosphors. Herein, we report the enhancement of both quantum efficiency and thermal stability in Cr 3+ -activated K 2 SrP 2 O 7 phosphors through a heterovalent substitution strategy by replacing Sr 2+ with Al 3+ in K 2 Sr 1–x Al x P 2 O 7 (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) to obtain optimized broadband NIR emission. Structural modulation via Al 3+ substitution leads to the optimized composition, K 2 Sr 0.88 Al 0.1 P 2 O 7 :0.02Cr 3+ , which emits across a broad NIR range of 650–1100 nm peaking at 807 nm with a full width at half-maximum of ∼130 nm under 448 nm excitation. Remarkably, its emission intensity at 150 °C remains 120% of the initial value at room temperature, demonstrating a rare antithermal-quenching behavior. Temperature-dependent XRD studies further reveal that Al 3+ substitution effectively suppresses lattice expansion at elevated temperatures, indicating enhanced lattice stability under thermal excitation. Detailed structural and spectral analyses show that the substitution enhances local site symmetry, reduces electron–phonon coupling, increases thermally induced absorption probability, and fortifies energetic barriers against nonradiative transitions. These synergistic effects collectively endow this NIR phosphor with a superior thermal stability. Furthermore, NIR light-emitting diodes fabricated with this phosphor exhibit strong potential for applications in information identification, nondestructive detection, and night vision technologies. This study demonstrates a local structure engineering strategy for designing thermally robust Cr 3+ -activated NIR phosphors, offering valuable insights into material discovery and NIR spectroscopy device development.

Cr3+↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Arctic LDRD project: What happened?

This presentation overviews results from the 2019 LDRD Reserve project “Diagnosing near-future changes in Arctic sea ice and ocean conditions” and a follow-up 2020 CSES Rapid Response project “Multi- Model Risk Assessment for Arctic Navigability.” We analyzed Arctic simulations from 4 CMIP6 model ensembles (E3SM, CESM-CAM, CESM-WACCM and CESM-DPLE), comparing them with observations. We then applied a machine-learning approach using copulas to produce joint probabilities of adverse conditions along potential shipping transit routes through the Arctic. Here we compare and contrast the different models and examine the utility of the copula approach applied to these data sets.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗