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At least 541 records · Page 30

Task-specific sensor optical designs

A method and system architecture for designing a compressive sensing matrix for machine learning includes receiving an image associated with a classification task and; generating a sensing matrix. The sensing matrix includes an array of nonzero elements of the image. A prism array of prism elements is in communication with the sensing matrix. A row of values corresponding with an input angle of the prism array is mapped to a respective column corresponding with a detector. Then the detector detects light refracted at an output angle dictated by the physical shape of the prism element. A physical model of the detector is fabricated and generates a compressed representation of the image. A machine learning classification algorithm is applied to the compressed representation of the image and generates an optimized non-invertible final determination of the image.

Birch, Gabriel Carlisle↗

Hydrogen uptake in graphite matrix at high temperature

Tritium management is a critical challenge for the next generation of nuclear reactors, such as Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactors (FHRs) and High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs), due to the higher production rate (up to 10,000 times) than conventional Light Water Reactors (LWRs). Graphitic materials employed as moderator, reflector, and fuel pebbles offer a potential pathway for tritium recovery by serving as a sink for tritium. Prediction of uptake capacity under reactor relevant conditions remains a challenge due to a lack of low partial pressure data and significant inter-grade variability of graphite. This study addresses these gaps by providing a comprehensive characterization of hydrogen (as a tritium surrogate) uptake and release behavior in the A3-3 graphite matrix (GM) used in fuel pebbles. Uptake measurements are performed at reactor relevant temperatures of 600- 800 °C, 1-200 Torr hydrogen pressure, and 15-120 min equilibration time, followed by thermal desorption spectroscopy up to 1100 °C. Uptake experiments at different equilibration times demonstrate the role of kinetics in hydrogen uptake, which can be modeled as a diffusion-with-trapping process. In the thermodynamics limit, the Sips adsorption model is shown to capture the uptake in A3-3 GM well. Our campaign provides a set of new results for hydrogen uptake in A3-3, including limiting uptake capacity at 600 °C, apparent diffusion coefficient at 600 °C, and the first estimates of the FHR/HTGR relevant (600 °C, 20 Pa partial pressure) equilibrium uptake capacity and time to saturation. Desorption data highlights a new site for hydrogen uptake, not observed in nuclear graphite, which we attribute to the non-graphitized binder. Using the Kissinger method, we estimate activation energy for release from the desorption peaks, confirming the activation energy for release from the basal planes and providing the first estimate for the activation energy of release from the binder.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Embedded symmetric positive semi-definite machine-learned elements for reduced-order modeling in finite-element simulations with application to threaded fasteners

Here, we present a machine-learning strategy for finite element analysis of solid mechanics wherein we replace complex portions of a computational domain with a data-driven surrogate. In the proposed strategy, we decompose a computational domain into an “outer” coarse-scale domain that we resolve using a finite element method (FEM) and an “inner” fine-scale domain. We then develop a machine-learned (ML) model for the impact of the inner domain on the outer domain. In essence, for solid mechanics, our machine-learned surrogate performs static condensation of the inner domain degrees of freedom. This is achieved by learning the map from displacements on the inner-outer domain interface boundary to forces contributed by the inner domain to the outer domain on the same interface boundary. We consider two such mappings, one that directly maps from displacements to forces without constraints, and one that maps from displacements to forces by virtue of learning a symmetric positive semi-definite (SPSD) stiffness matrix. We demonstrate, in a simplified setting, that learning an SPSD stiffness matrix results in a coarse-scale problem that is well-posed with a unique solution. We present numerical experiments on several exemplars, ranging from finite deformations of a cube to finite deformations with contact of a fastener-bushing geometry. We demonstrate that enforcing an SPSD stiffness matrix drastically improves the robustness and accuracy of FEM–ML coupled simulations, and that the resulting methods can accurately characterize out-of-sample loading configurations with significant speedups over the standard FEM simulations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Polyproline peptide targets Klebsiella pneumoniae polysaccharides to collapse biofilms

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae is known for its increased extracellular polysaccharide production. Biofilm matrices of hyper- virulent K. pneumoniae have increased polysaccharide abundance and are uniquely susceptible to disruption by peptide bactenecin 7 (bac7 (1–35)). Here, using confocal microscopy, we show that poly- saccharides within the biofilm matrix collapse following bac7 (1–35) treatment. This collapse led to the release of cells from the biofilm, which were then killed by the peptide. Characterization of truncated peptide analogs revealed that their interactions with polysaccharide were responsible for the biofilm matrix changes that accompany bac7 (1–35) treatment. Ultraviolet photodissociation mass spec- trometry with the parental peptide or a truncated analog bac7 (10–35) reveal the important regions for bac7 (1–35) complexing with polysaccharides. Finally, we tested bac7 (1–35) using a murine skin abscess model and observed a significant decrease in the bacte- rial burden. These findings unveil the potential of bac7 (1–35) poly- saccharide interactions to collapse K. pneumoniae biofilms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Hemicellulose Modulates Nanoscale Lignin Architecture in Synthetic Plant Cell Walls

Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin─the most abundant biopolymers on Earth─compose the structural matrix of plant biomass, providing renewable resources critical to bioenergy and sustainable materials. Despite their importance, the nanoscale mechanochemical processes underlying lignocellulose assembly during plant secondary cell wall formation remain poorly understood, hindering advancements in biomass conversion technologies. Here, in this study, we synthesize a biomimetic model system comprising cellulose–hemicellulose nanofibrils (CHN) to examine guaiacyl lignin polymerization in a physiologically relevant context. Using advanced nanocharacterization─scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) with infrared nanospectroscopy coupled to solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)─we reveal that hemicellulose presence considerably modulates lignin deposition and alters its interunit bond distribution. Specifically, hemicellulose-rich environments dramatically reduce lignin deposition by approximately 50% and yield highly condensed lignin structures characterized by severely reduced β–O–4′ linkages (<2%) and suppressed β–β′ linkages. Conversely, cellulose-alone scaffolds support notably higher β–O–4′ content (∼10%), resulting in a more uniform nanoscale lignin coating. Our work helps explain how accessible hemicellulose sites, both sterically and chemically, direct radical coupling during lignification, fundamentally reshaping lignin’s nanoscale architecture. These findings deepen our mechanistic understanding of plant cell wall biosynthesis and inform strategies aimed at enhancing biomass deconstruction efficiency for sustainable bioenergy applications.

NMR↗

An eigenvalue-based method for computing the relaxed pressure in compressible multiphase flow with N phases

The modeling of compressible multiphase flows is a decades-old area of study with many applications across various fields. Many of these application areas use stiff pressure relaxation. This process involves the solution of a nonlinear system with N + 1 equations and N + 1 unknowns, where N is the number of phases. The resolution of this system with general equations of state (EOSs) is difficult. Furthermore, nonlinear systems can admit multiple solutions, and current solution methods do not address this possibility. Very recently, a thermodynamic relaxation method was introduced, which effectively maps a relatively simple predictor equation of state onto a more complex target equation of state. In this context, the target EOSs are the chosen EOSs for the thermodynamic model. Furthermore, this thermodynamic relaxation has the benefit of simplifying the stiff pressure relaxation system of equations. In this article, we show this system reduces to a polynomial of degree N, which can be recast as an eigenvalue problem through the use of the associated companion matrix. We show that although this eigenvalue method is generally less efficient than Newton–Raphson iteration, it does not suffer from convergence issues and finds all N roots of the polynomial. Hence, the method provides a fail-safe for root-finding iterative methods and a way to address the issue of multiple solutions to the nonlinear system of equations in stiff pressure relaxation.

Eigenvalue algorithm↗

Minimal dark 𝑆⁢𝑈⁡(2) origin of a massless Dirac neutrino

We propose a gauge-symmetry origin of a rank-two Dirac neutrino mass matrix that enforces one exactly massless neutrino, while being consistent with the oscillation data, as well as cosmological constraints. The mechanism relies on a minimal dark 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐷 gauge symmetry under which one right-handed neutrinolike Weyl fermion is charged, thereby forbidding its Standard Model Yukawa coupling. Quantum consistency then fixes the minimal dark-sector completion: Cancellation of the Witten anomaly requires a second fermionic 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐷 doublet, while a discrete 𝑍 4 symmetry that forbids Majorana masses allows the two dark doublets to form a vectorlike pair. This anomaly-free completion gives rise to a secluded, confining dark sector that can contain a potential dark matter candidate, linking the protected neutrino texture to dark infrared dynamics.

confinement↗

Neural network based emulation of galaxy power spectrum covariances: A reanalysis of BOSS DR12 data

We train neural networks to quickly generate redshift-space galaxy power spectrum covariances from a given parameter set (cosmology and galaxy bias). This covariance emulator utilizes a combination of traditional fully connected network layers and transformer architecture to accurately predict covariance matrices for the high redshift, north galactic cap sample of the BOSS DR12 galaxy catalog. We run simulated likelihood analyses with emulated and brute-force computed covariances, and we quantify the network’s performance via two different metrics: (1) difference in Χ 2 and (2) likelihood contours for simulated BOSS DR 12 analyses. We find that the emulator returns excellent results over a large parameter range. We then use our emulator to perform a reanalysis of the BOSS HighZ NGC galaxy power spectrum, and find that varying covariance with cosmology along with the model vector produces Ω m = $0.27⁢6$$^{+0.013}_{–0.015}$, H 0 = 70.2 ± 1.9 km/s/Mpc, and σ 8 = $0.67⁢4$$^{+0.058}_{–0.077}$. These constraints represent an average 0.46⁢σ shift in best-fit values and a 5% increase in constraining power compared to fixing the covariance matrix (Ω m = 0.293 ± 0.017, H 0 = 70.3 ± 2.0 km/s/Mpc, σ 8 = $0.70⁢2$$^{+0.063}_{–0.075}$). As a result, this work demonstrates that emulators for more complex cosmological quantities than second-order statistics can be trained over a wide parameter range at sufficiently high accuracy to be implemented in realistic likelihood analyses.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

BoBa

BoBa is a C++ software library for working with large matrices, tensors, and tensor decompositions. The library provides tools for dense matrix and tensor operations, tensor decompositions, and tensor decomposition methods that support modern CPU and GPU architectures. It includes portable abstractions for linear algebra, tensor algebra, and multidimensional computation. BoBa is intended for scientific computing applications that involve large multidimensional data sets or high dimensional mathematical models. Its capabilities support tasks such as data compression, linear algebra, efficient numerical computation, and the development of scalable algorithms for heterogeneous hardware. Tutorials, tests, and example applications are included to help users learn and apply the library.

Yao, Jin [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (↗

Adaptive Stiffness Power Take-Off System for a Hydraulic Hose-Pump Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter

Two crucial challenges faced in the design of ocean wave energy converters (WECs) are maintaining high capacity factors and remaining robust in everchanging, harsh ocean environments. This study introduces a novel mechanism for achieving reactive WEC control with a soft hydraulic power take-off, thereby addressing both challenges. The device of interest involves a hydraulic pump, constructed from a fluidic flexible matrix composite (F2MC), which is cyclically stretched by driving waves and pressurizes working fluid through a turbine-generator. This class of fiber-reinforced stretch hoses is established for ocean use as robust moorings and shock absorbers. The dynamic properties of the F2MC pump depend on internal pressure, which can be controlled by a continuously variable transmission between the turbine and generator, allowing the system to be adapted for better performance over a wide range of wave conditions. This work presents a dynamic model for operation and adaptive behavior of this power take-off system, experimentally validates components of the model, and performs dynamic simulations of the system that show increases in power production and capacity factor compared to non-adaptive operation for a variety of driving wave conditions. This work develops the basis for future large-scale experimental testing and controller design of this system.

Wave energy conversion, fluidic flexible matrix co↗

Conserved Macromolecular Architecture of Poplar Secondary Cell Walls Revealed by ssNMR and Atomistic Modeling

The macromolecular architecture of plant secondary cell walls governs wood's mechanical and biochemical properties, yet its natural intra-species variability remains poorly characterized. Here, we combined 13C solid-state NMR (ssNMR), multivariate statistical analysis, and molecular modeling to profile nanoscale structure across 13 genetically diverse Populus trichocarpa genotypes grown in 13C-enriched atmospheres. SsNMR-derived phenotypes spanning composition, structure, mobility, and inter-polymer proximities reveal a conserved architecture, with a subtle yet coordinated variation organizing into dominant structural and secondary mobility axes. A representative atomistic model captures these features and reproduces experimental metrics. Molecular dynamics simulations support a weak but consistent positive correlation between cellulose abundance and crystalline-like order, with interior cellulose chains enriched in tg (trans-gauche) conformations without expanding crystalline cores. Together, experiment and simulation reveal a genetically buffered, broadly conserved nanoscale architecture across genotypes, where subtle fine-tuning of cellulose bundling and matrix packing balances mechanical performance with biological function.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Two-fermion negativity and confinement in the Schwinger model

We consider the fermionic (logarithmic) negativity between two fermionic modes in the Schwinger model. Recent results pointed out that fermionic systems can exhibit stronger entanglement than bosonic systems, exhibiting a negativity that decays only algebraically. The Schwinger model is described by fermionic excitations at short distances, while its asymptotic spectrum is the one of a bosonic theory. We show that the two-mode negativity detects this confining, fermion-to-boson transition, shifting from an algebraic decay to an exponential decay at distances of the order of the de Broglie wavelength of the first excited state. We derive analytical expressions in the massless Schwinger model and confront them with tensor network simulations. We also perform tensor network simulations in the massive model, which is not solvable analytically, and close to the Ising quantum critical point of the Schwinger model, where we show that the negativity behaves as its bosonic counterpart. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Data readiness pipeline patterns for scientific AI at scale: Insights from climate, fusion, life sciences, and materials

This article examines how data readiness for AI principles apply to large scientific datasets used to train foundation models. We analyze archetypal workflows across four representative domains—climate, nuclear fusion, life sciences, and materials—to identify common preprocessing patterns and domain‐specific constraints. We introduce a two‐dimensional readiness model that combines canonical preprocessing patterns with a five‐level operational readiness scale, both tailored to high‐performance computing (HPC) environments. This construct helps outline key challenges in transforming large‐scale scientific data into formats suitable for scalable AI training. Together, these dimensions form a conceptual maturity matrix that characterizes scientific data readiness and guides infrastructure development toward standardized, cross‐domain support for scalable and reproducible AI for science. Finally, we evaluate this maturity matrix in the context of case studies including ClimaX (climate), AFLOW (materials), OpenFold (proteomics), and DIII‐D fusion disruption‐prediction workflows, from which we distill lessons learned and provide recommendations to guide practitioners in developing robust AI‐readiness pipelines. Finally, we discuss remaining cross‐cutting challenges that persist across scientific domains.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A high strength Al-2Ni-0.5Zr conductor alloy fabricated via laser powder bed fusion

There is a current need for new aluminum alloy design strategies to target applications requiring high strength and conductivity with reductions in mass. A new lightweight Al-2Ni-0.5Zr (wt. %) conductor alloy was fabricated using laser powder bed fusion. A design of experiments probed the alloy's solidification cracking susceptibility. It was observed that solidification cracking was generally reduced with fast scan speeds, above 1500 mm/s, and smaller hatch spacings. The different cooling rates throughout the melt pool produced a heterogeneous distribution of cellular and equiaxed Al 3 Ni precipitates in the as-printed alloy. Additionally, the rapid solidification characteristic of laser powder bed fusion created a super-saturated Zr solid solution. An aging heat treatment at 375 °C for 24 h imparted strengthening through the precipitation of L1 2 -Al 3 Zr nanoprecipitates, which counteracted the softening caused by the fragmentation and coarsening of Al 3 Ni precipitates. The yield strength increased from 138 MPa in the as-printed condition to 168 MPa after aging, while the ductility remained constant at ∼21%. The aging treatment simultaneously increased the electrical conductivity from 40.8% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) to 53.5% IACS. Modeling of the strengthening mechanisms and electrical conductivity contributions rationalized the simultaneous increase in strength and conductivity upon aging. Furthermore, the strengthening efficacy of the Al 3 Ni and L1 2 -Al 3 Zr precipitates, combined with the low Ni and Zr solubility in the FCC Al matrix, facilitated both high strength and electrical conductivity. Overall, the combination of strength and electrical conductivity positions this alloy as a suitable choice for additively manufactured lightweight conductors.

Additive manufacturing↗

SCF Framework, HF Stability, and RPA Correlation for Jordan–Wigner-Transformed Spin Hamiltonians on Arbitrary Coupling Topologies

Mapping spins to fermions via the Jordan–Wigner (JW) transformation can render mean-field (Hartree–Fock, HF) descriptions effective for strongly correlated spin systems. As established in recent work, the application of such approaches is not limited by the nonlocal structure of JW strings or by site ordering because string operators can be absorbed into Thouless rotations of a Slater determinant, and the variational optimization of a unitary Lie-algebraic similarity transformation removes any ordering dependence. Leveraging these ideas, we develop a self-consistent field (SCF) scheme that expresses the mean-field energy as a functional of the single-particle density matrix, providing an alternative to gradient-based optimization of Thouless parameters. We derive the analytical orbital Hessian to diagnose HF stability and compute the ground-state correlation energy through the random-phase approximation (RPA). Benchmark results for the XXZ and J 1 –J 2 model on one- and two-dimensional lattices demonstrate that RPA significantly improves mean-field accuracy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Open system approach to neutrinos propagating in an ultralight scalar background

We examine decoherence in neutrino oscillations induced by an ultralight scalar field coupled to neutrinos. The scalar induces time- and position-dependent shifts in the neutrino mass matrix. Neutrinos sample different field configurations throughout an experimental data-taking period, which leads to damping effects in the oscillation pattern in the form of decoherence. By recasting the neutrino-scalar dynamics within the open quantum systems framework, we establish a mapping between a complete model and phenomenological decoherence approaches. We find that the parameter driving decoherence scales as L 2 / E 2 , where L is the baseline and E is the neutrino energy, as opposed to L / E typically assumed in phenomenological studies of open system approaches to neutrino oscillations.

F.T. Airoldi, Lua [Sao Paulo U.; Fermilab] (ORCID:↗

Design Rules for Open-Shell Molecular Wires: Insights from Correlated Many-Body Transport

Open-shell π-conjugated systems have emerged as promising molecular wires that can sustain unusually high low-bias conductance over tens of nanometers. However, predictive design rules remain limited because near-degeneracy and spin polarization give rise to correlated electronic states that are not reliably captured by standard density functional theory and Landauer transport descriptions. Here, we establish physically transparent design rules for long-range, weakly length-dependent charge transport based on the interplay between bond-length alternation and electron–electron interactions. Using a fully correlated transport framework that combines density matrix renormalization group calculations with nonequilibrium Green’s function embedding, we show that weak dimerization maintains spatially extended edge states, while moderate on-site interaction stabilizes open-shell character without excessively separating transport-relevant resonances. This balance yields zero-bias transmission that is largely insensitive to molecular length, providing a route to connect chemically tunable structure to correlated transport beyond mean-field descriptions.

Charge transport↗

Fermionic mean-field dynamics for spin systems beyond free fermions

We introduce the fermionized time-dependent Hartree–Fock (fTDHF), a real-time quantum dynamics method for spin-1/2 Hamiltonians following their mapping to fermions via the Jordan-Wigner transformation. fTDHF is formally equivalent to exact dynamics in the case of free fermions, and can efficiently handle non-local string operators arising from long-range interactions via transition matrix elements between non-orthogonal Slater determinants. We show that the fTDHF method can be implemented on a classical computer with a cost that scales polynomially with system size, and linearly with the time steps. We benchmark fTDHF against exact dynamics on three separate spin-1/2 models, representing adiabatic preparation of states with long-range correlations, disorder-driven observation of many-body localization, and particle production in the Schwinger model. For each of these systems, fTDHF is shown to reproduce the qualitative dynamics generated by the exact evolutions, while maintaining a simple physical picture due to its mean-field nature.

Dutta, Rishab↗