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NASA NTRS2021

Quantifying the Impacts of PM2.5 Constituents and Relative Humidity on Visibility Impairment in a Suburban Area of Eastern Asia Using Long-Term In-Situ Measurements.

The deterioration of visibility due to air pollutants and relative humidity has been a serious environmental problem in eastern Asia. In most previous studies, chemical compositions of atmospheric particles were provided using filter-based offline analyses, which were unable to provide long-term and in-situ measurements that resolve sufficient temporal variations of air pollution and meteorology, hindering the resolution of the relationship between air quality and visibility. Here, we present a year-long continuously measured data from a comprehensive suite of online instruments to investigate diurnal and seasonal impacts of the aerosol chemical compositions in PM2.5 on visibility seasonally and diurnally. The measured dry aerosol extinction at λ = 550 nm reached a closure with that predicted by aerosol compositions within 12%. However, the hygroscopic growth of particles under ambient RH could enhance the aerosol extinction by a factor of 2 – 6, matching the perceptive visibility of the public. Particulate ammonium nitrate was most sensitive to reducing visibility, while ammonium sulfate contributed the most to the light extinction. In spring and winter, the monsoon and stagnant air masses reduced the visibility and increased PM2.5 (> 35 μg m-3).The moisture was found to substantially enhance the light extinction under RH = 60 – 90%,reducing visibility by approximately 15 km, largely attributed to hygroscopic inorganic salts.This study serves as a metric to highlight the need to consider the influence of RH, and aqueous reactions in producing secondary inorganic aerosols on atmospheric visibility, underpinning the more accurate mitigation strategies of air pollution.

visibility↗

NASA NTRS2010

Active Dust Control and Mitigation Technology for Lunar and Martian Exploration

Mars is covered with a layer of dust that has been homogenized by global dust storms. Dust, levitated by these storms as well as by the frequent dust devils, is the dominant weather phenomenon on Mars. NASA's Mars exploration rovers have shown that atmospheric dust falling on solar panels can decrease their efficiency to the point of rendering the rover unusable. Dust covering the surface of the moon is expected to be electrostatically charged due to the solar wind, cosmic rays, and the solar radiation itself through the photoelectric effect. Electrostatically charged dust has a large tendency to adhere to surfaces. The Apollo missions to the moon showed that lunar dust adhesion can hinder manned and unmanned exploration activities. In this paper, we report on our efforts to develop and electrodynamic dust shield to prevent the accumulation of dust on surfaces and to remove dust already adhering to those surfaces. The technology uses electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces to carry dust particles off surfaces and to generate an electrodynamic shield that prevents further accumulation of dust. The concept of the electrodynamic dust shield was introduced by NASA in the late 1960s and later reduced to practice during the 1970s for terrestrial applications. In 2003, our laboratory, in collaboration with several universities, applied this technology to space applications, specifically to remove dust from solar panels on Mars. We show how, with an appropriate design, we can prevent the electrostatic breakdown at the low Martian atmospheric pressures. We are also able to show that uncharged dust can be lifted and removed from surfaces under simulated Martian environmental conditions. We have also been able to develop a version of the electrodynamic dust shield working under hard vacuum conditions that simulate the lunar environment. We have implemented the electrodynamic dust shield on solar arrays, optical systems, spectrometers, viewports, thermal radiators, batteries, and power systems, as well as on fabrics for spacesuits. We present data on the design and optimization of the electrodynamic dust shields and provide data on the performance of the different implementations of the technology for lunar and Martian exploration activities.

Calle, C. I.↗

DOE OSTI2024

PINN surrogate of Li-ion battery models for parameter inference, Part II: Regularization and application of the pseudo-2D model

Bayesian parameter inference is useful to improve Li-ion battery diagnostics and can help formulate battery aging models. However, it is computationally intensive and cannot be easily repeated for multiple cycles, multiple operating conditions, or multiple replicate cells. To reduce the computational cost of Bayesian calibration, numerical solvers for physics-based models can be replaced with faster surrogates. A physics-informed neural network (PINN) is developed as a surrogate for the pseudo-2D (P2D) battery model calibration. For the P2D surrogate, additional training regularization was needed as compared to the PINN single-particle model (SPM) developed in Part I. Both the PINN SPM and P2D surrogate models are exercised for parameter inference and compared to data obtained from a direct numerical solution of the governing equations. A parameter inference study highlights the ability to use these PINNs to calibrate scaling parameters for the cathode Li diffusion and the anode exchange current density. By realizing computational speed-ups of ~2250x for the P2D model, as compared to using standard integrating methods, the PINN surrogates enable rapid state-of-health diagnostics. Finally, in the low-data availability scenario, the testing error was estimated to ~2 mV for the SPM surrogate and ~10 mV for the P2D surrogate which could be mitigated with additional data.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS2009

An Impact Sensor System for the Characterization of the Micrometeoroid and Lunar Secondary Ejecta Environment

The Impact Sensor for Micrometeoroid and Lunar Secondary Ejecta (IMMUSE) project aims to apply and integrate previously demonstrated impact sensing subsystems to characterize the micrometeoroid and lunar secondary (MMSE) environment on the surface of the Moon. Once deployed, data returned from IMMUSE will benefit: (1) Fundamental Lunar Science: providing data to improve the understanding of lunar cratering processes and dynamics of the lunar regolith. (2) Lunar Exploration Applied Science: providing an accurate MMSE environment definition for reliable impact risk assessments, cost-effective shielding designs, and mitigation measures for long-term lunar exploration activities. (3) Planetary Science: providing micrometeoroid data to aid the understanding of asteroidal collisions and the evolution of comets. A well-established link between micrometeoroid impacts and lunar regolith is also key to understanding other regolith-covered bodies from remote-sensing data. The IMMUSE system includes two components: (1) a large area (greater than or equal to 1 m2) micrometeoroid detector based on acoustic impact and fiber optic displacement sensors and (2) a 100 cm2 lunar secondary ejecta detector consisting of dual-layer laser curtain and acoustic impact sensors. The combinations of different detection mechanisms will allow for a better characterization of the MMSE environment, including flux, particle size/mass, and impact velocity. IMMUSE is funded by the NASA LASER Program through 2012. The project fs goal is to reach a Technical Readiness Level of 4 in preparation for a more advanced development beyond 2012. Several prototype subsystems have been constructed and subjected to low impact and hypervelocity impact tests. The presentation will include a status review and preliminary test results.

Liou, J.-C.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Electrostatic Power Generation from Negatively Charged, Simulated Lunar Regolith

Research was conducted to develop an electrostatic power generator for future lunar missions that facilitate the utilization of lunar resources. The lunar surface is known to be negatively charged from the constant bombardment of electrons and protons from the solar wind. The resulting negative electrostatic charge on the dust particles, in the lunar vacuum, causes them to repel each other minimizing the potential. The result is a layer of suspended dust about one meter above the lunar surface. This phenomenon was observed by both Clementine and Surveyor spacecrafts. During the Apollo 17 lunar landing, the charged dust was a major hindrance, as it was attracted to the astronauts' spacesuits, equipment, and the lunar buggies. The dust accumulated on the spacesuits caused reduced visibility for the astronauts, and was unavoidably transported inside the spacecraft where it caused breathing irritation [1]. In the lunar vacuum, the maximum charge on the particles can be extremely high. An article in the journal "Nature", titled "Moon too static for astronauts?" (Feb 2, 2007) estimates that the lunar surface is charged with up to several thousand volts [2]. The electrostatic power generator was devised to alleviate the hazardous effects of negatively charged lunar soil by neutralizing the charged particles through capacitive coupling and thereby simultaneously harnessing power through electric charging [3]. The amount of power generated or collected is dependent on the areal coverage of the device and hovering speed over the lunar soil surface. A thin-film array of capacitors can be continuously charged and sequentially discharged using a time-differentiated trigger discharge process to produce a pulse train of discharge for DC mode output. By controlling the pulse interval, the DC mode power can be modulated for powering devices and equipment. In conjunction with a power storage system, the electrostatic power generator can be a power source for a lunar rover or other systems. The negatively charged lunar soil would also be neutralized mitigating some of the adverse effects resulting from lunar dust.

Choi, Sang H.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Demonstrating the Effect of Particle Impact Dampers on the Random Vibration Response and Fatigue Life of Printed Wiring Assemblies

In a recent experimental study, small Particle Impact Dampers (PID) were bonded directly to the surface of printed circuit board (PCB) or printed wiring assemblies (PWA), reducing the random vibration response and increasing the fatigue life. This study provides data verifying practicality of this approach. The measured peak strain and acceleration response of the fundamental out of plane bending mode was significantly attenuated by adding a PID device. Attenuation of this mode is most relevant to the fatigue life of a PWA because the local relative displacements between the board and the supported components, which ultimately cause fatigue failures of the electrical leads of the board-mounted components are dominated by this mode. Applying PID damping at the board-level of assembly provides mitigation with a very small mass impact, especially as compared to isolation at an avionics box or shelf level of assembly. When compared with other mitigation techniques at the PWA level (board thickness, stiffeners, constrained layer damping), a compact PID device has the additional advantage of not needing to be an integral part of the design. A PID can simply be bonded to heritage or commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware to facilitate its use in environments beyond which it was originally qualified. Finite element analysis and test results show that the beneficial effect is not localized and that the attenuation is not due to the simple addition of mass. No significant, detrimental reduction in frequency was observed. Side-by-side life testing of damped and un-damped boards at two different thicknesses (0.070" and 0.090") has shown that the addition of a PID was much more significant to the fatigue life than increasing the thickness. High speed video, accelerometer, and strain measurements have been collected to correlate with analytical results.

Knight, Brent↗

NASA NTRS2017

Conjunction Assessment Techniques and Operational Results from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

This paper will describe the results that have been obtained to date during the MMS mission concerning conjunction assessment. MMS navigation makes use of a weak-signal GPS-based system: this allows signals to be received even when MMS is flying above the GPS orbits, producing a highly accurate determination of the four MMS orbits. This data is downlinked to the MMS Mission Operations Center (MOC) and used by the Flight Dynamics Operations Area (FDOA) for both maneuver design and conjunction assessment. The MMS fly in tetrahedron formations around apogee, in order to collect simultaneous particles and fields science data. The original plan was to fly tetrahedra between 10 and 160 km in size; however, after Phase 1a of the mission, the science team requested that smaller sizes be flown if feasible. After analysis (to be detailed in a companion paper), a new minimum size of 7 km was decided upon. Flying at this reduced scale size makes conjunction assessment between the MMS spacecraft even more important: the methods that are used by the MMS FDOA to address this problem will be described in the paper, and a summary given of the previous analyses that went into the development of these techniques. Details will also be given of operational experiences to date. Finally, two CA mitigation maneuver types that have been designed (but never yet required to actually be performed) will also be outlined.

conjunction Assessment↗

DOE OSTI2024

Improved constraints on hematite refractive index for estimating climatic effects of dust aerosols

Abstract Uncertainty in desert dust composition poses a big challenge to understanding Earth’s climate across different epochs. Of particular concern is hematite, an iron-oxide mineral dominating the solar absorption by dust particles, for which current estimates of absorption capacity vary by over two orders of magnitude. Here, we show that laboratory measurements of dust composition, absorption, and scattering provide valuable constraints on the absorption potential of hematite, substantially narrowing its range of plausible values. The success of this constraint is supported by results from an atmospheric transport model compared with station-based measurements. Additionally, we identify substantial bias in simulating hematite abundance in dust aerosols with current soil mineralogy descriptions, underscoring the necessity for improved data sources. Encouragingly, the next-generation imaging spectroscopy remote sensing data hold promise for capturing the spatial variability of hematite. These insights have implications for enhancing dust modeling, thus contributing to efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗

NASA NTRS2018

Multi-Scale Modeling of Low-Density Carbon-Phenolic Ablators

Protecting a spacecraft during atmospheric entry is one of highest risk factors that needs to be mitigated during design of a space exploration mission. At entry speeds from space, air turns into high-temperature plasma, and spacecraft Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are needed to protect the vehicle payload. Modern successful material architectures of spacecraft shields use a porous carbon fiber substrate impregnated with phenolic as an ablator material. In the lecture, efforts to build a Predictive Material Modeling framework for porous ablators from micro-scale to macro-scale will be presented. Several numerical methods and techniques will be summarized that use voxelized images to compute geometrical properties of the porous substrate. These computed properties include porosity, specific surface area and tortuosity that are otherwise indirectly measured through experimental techniques. Direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), a particle-based method for approximating the Boltzmann equation, is used to compute the permeability coefficient of the porous substrate based on its digitized representation. The method computes the flow within the microstructure, where the size of the pores may approach the mean-free-path of the flow. Finally, a high-fidelity model implemented in PATO (Porous-material Analysis Toolbox) is discussed, and some examples of ablative material response are presented, including for the first time 3D simulations of the full tiled heat shield for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) capsule.

Ablators↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electrostatic Charging of the Lunar Surface

Lunar regolith dust particles accumulate charge and interact electrostatically with rover wheels, astronaut boots, and equipment. We have developed instrumentation for in situ measurements of the electrostatic charge developed by the interactions of lunar regolith dust with the space-rated materials on these devices. This instrument is also capable of measuring the distribution of electric fields on or near the lunar surface and the ion currents present near the lunar surface. We also report on our efforts to characterize the charging behavior of lunar dust in low gravity environments. This behavior is nonintuitive due to complex interactions between individual dust grains. We are developing an experiment to study this interaction in a microgravity vacuum environment. Better understanding of this interaction will allow for improved dust mitigation on the lunar surface.

electrostatics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electrostatic charging of the lunar regolith

electrostatics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

The Space Radiation Element (SRE) of the Human Research Program (HRP) aims to establish a robust biospecimen and tissue sharing collection (BTSC) to improve sample collection, tracking, access, distribution, and usability to maximize scientific return with intention. Future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond will require the appropriate characterization and mitigation of the many of the health risks associated with cosmic radiation exposure. An ongoing partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and the Office of Science for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to create a space radiation ground-analog. NSRL provides the capability to use simulated space radiation with high energy ion beams for assessment of biological outcomes relevant space radiation risks as well as electronics testing for avionics safety. Current NSRL irradiation capabilities include a variety of exposure variables available for experimental needs: - Up to approximately 10 Gy/min dose-rates with a 20 × 20 cm 2 beam area. - Down to several hundred particles within a 60 × 60 cm 2 beam area. - Dose fractionation across multiple days is also possible. - For most radiobiology experiments the exposure structure, referred to as “spills”, has a 4 second repetition time where ions are extracted uniformly during a 0.3-0.4 second spill, followed by a ~3.6 second recovery time when the beam is off. - Both single or mixed-beam field irradiations are possible including a full 33-beam GCRSim and 6-beam SimGCRSim. Biological experiment capabilities: Two labs for Cell/tissue culture procedures can be conducted in two lab spaces with a separate lab available for sample processing that contains two chemical fume hoods. Sixteen fully equipped cell culture laboratories are available in the NSRL’s Long Term Support area in the Medical Building. The current vivarium configuration can support approximately 8,000 rodents/year for animal-based experiments. The NSRL area animal husbandry system includes five caging racks with 48 spaces in each coupled to a ventilation/filtration system in largest room, and two smaller rooms with conventional caging systems. Schedule: The NSRL is nominally open for experiment scheduling during three runs per year; Spring (March – May), Summer (May - June), and Fall (Sept – Nov). NASA funding is not required for biological and electronic testing experiments at the NSRL.

Jason M Weeks↗

DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of a TiC nanoprecipitate strengthened V Alloy

The V-4Cr-4Ti (V44) alloys have been proposed as the prime candidate structural material for self-cooled liquid Li blanket and other designs for fusion energy applications. However, the applications of the V44 alloy are limited to a narrow operation temperature window, due to reduction in creep strength at or above 700 °C and susceptibility to irradiation hardening and embrittlement when irradiated below 400 °C. Here, in this work, we explore the feasibility of designing a novel V alloy to form a high number density of TiC nanoprecipitates, in order to simultaneously improve creep strength and provide defect sinks to mitigate irradiation hardening. Computational thermodynamics was used to design a new alloy (V44C) to achieve our goal of high TiC nanoprecipitates density within the alloy V44 matrix. To ensure scalability, the new alloy was made through arc-melting and ingot-casting followed by hot forging, cold rolling and heat treatments of homogenization and precipitation aging. The microstructure was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and APT, confirming the existence of nanoprecipitates predicted in the thermodynamic calculations. In addition to microstructural evaluation tensile properties at room temperature and 700 °C, and Charpy impact energy at room temperature were measured. The microstructure and mechanical properties were then compared with those from a historic reference V44 alloy. The tensile strength improvement in V44C was rationalized based on particle and solid solution strengthening mechanism. The fracture behavior was discussed based on the fractography results and necking deformation behavior.

Alloys development↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Neuroimmune Responses to Space Radiation

One of the main health risks in human deep space exploration is central nervous system (CNS) damage by ionizing radiation due to exposure to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). In animal models, irradiation with simulated GCRs or their components has been shown to cause neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation associated with cognitive and behavioral dysfunction. The extent of CNS damage is partially mediated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which regulates the interaction between CNS and systemic responses to stressors in the rest of the body. The main cellular regulators of BBB permeability are astrocytes, which also modulate neuronal death, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. However, studies on BBB and astrocyte functions in regulating CNS responses to ionizing radiation have been limited, especially in human tissue/organ analogs. Therefore, we developed a high-throughput 3D organ-on-a-chip system to study human CNS and BBB impairments caused by deep space radiation. We investigated both immediate and delayed CNS responses to major GCR components: 600MeV/n 56Fe ions. We observed ionizing radiation-mediated dose-dependent increases in BBB permeability that was exacerbated by astrocyte presence and accompanied by altered cytokine expression including interleukin-1 receptor alpha downregulation, and increased oxidative stress. In particular, 600MeV/n 56Fe particle irradiation selectively increased damage and blood-brain barrier permeability only in models that contained astrocytes in addition to endothelial cells, indicating astrocytes as a particularly radiosensitive component of the CNS that could therefore be a suitable a target for neuroprotection. Future studies will compare human and mouse CNS model responses to simulated GCRs and evaluate the induction of an anti-inflammatory phenotype in astrocytes as a potential countermeasure. Furthermore, in our lab we have been exploring the individual variability, genomic associations and secreted biomarkers of responses to space radiation, which could eventually be combined to address personalized CNS health risk and develop individual countermeasures. Ultimately, we aim to expand upon these results to uncover novel cellular and mechanistic targets for countermeasure development to mitigate human CNS damage in deep space exploration.

space radiation↗

NASA NTRS2014

Path Toward a Unifid Geometry for Radiation Transport

The Direct Accelerated Geometry for Radiation Analysis and Design (DAGRAD) element of the RadWorks Project under Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) of NASA will enable new designs and concepts of operation for radiation risk assessment, mitigation and protection. This element is designed to produce a solution that will allow NASA to calculate the transport of space radiation through complex computer-aided design (CAD) models using the state-of-the-art analytic and Monte Carlo radiation transport codes. Due to the inherent hazard of astronaut and spacecraft exposure to ionizing radiation in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or in deep space, risk analyses must be performed for all crew vehicles and habitats. Incorporating these analyses into the design process can minimize the mass needed solely for radiation protection. Transport of the radiation fields as they pass through shielding and body materials can be simulated using Monte Carlo techniques or described by the Boltzmann equation, which is obtained by balancing changes in particle fluxes as they traverse a small volume of material with the gains and losses caused by atomic and nuclear collisions. Deterministic codes that solve the Boltzmann transport equation, such as HZETRN [high charge and energy transport code developed by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)], are generally computationally faster than Monte Carlo codes such as FLUKA, GEANT4, MCNP(X) or PHITS; however, they are currently limited to transport in one dimension, which poorly represents the secondary light ion and neutron radiation fields. NASA currently uses HZETRN space radiation transport software, both because it is computationally efficient and because proven methods have been developed for using this software to analyze complex geometries. Although Monte Carlo codes describe the relevant physics in a fully three-dimensional manner, their computational costs have thus far prevented their widespread use for analysis of complex CAD models, leading to the creation and maintenance of toolkit-specific simplistic geometry models. The work presented here builds on the Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) toolkit developed for use with the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code. The workflow for achieving radiation transport on CAD models using MCNP and FLUKA has been demonstrated and the results of analyses on realistic spacecraft/habitats will be presented. Future work is planned that will further automate this process and enable the use of multiple radiation transport codes on identical geometry models imported from CAD. This effort will enhance the modeling tools used by NASA to accurately evaluate the astronaut space radiation risk and accurately determine the protection provided by as-designed exploration mission vehicles and habitats

Lee, Kerry↗

DOE OSTI2026

Low-Energy Radon Backgrounds from Electrode Grids in Dual-Phase Xenon TPCs

The dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) is a powerful technology to detect rare interactions such as scatters of dark matter particles on nuclei. In particular, the built-in gain of ionization signals in a dual-phase TPC makes it sensitive to events in the few-electron regime, as expected from low-mass dark matter interactions. The pursuit of this low-energy sensitivity through ionization-only signal detection has so far been hindered by excessive electron backgrounds observed across experiments. Much of this background is attributed to the plate-out of $^{222}$Rn decay chain isotopes on the high voltage electrode grid surfaces that span the full cross section of the TPC. This work presents a first-principle model constructed for this background, the predictions of which are consistent with data from the LZ and LUX experiments. We then discuss mitigation strategies of this background in future dual-phase TPCs and the possibility of applying this grid background model to ionization-only dark matter searches.

Akerib, D. S. [SLAC; KIPAC, Menlo Park]↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Neuroimmune responses to space radiation

One of the main health risks in human deep space exploration is central nervous system (CNS) damage by ionizing radiation due to exposure to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). In animal models, irradiation with simulated GCRs or their components has been shown to cause neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation associated with cognitive and behavioral dysfunction. The extent of CNS damage is partially mediated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which regulates the interaction between CNS and systemic responses to stressors in the rest of the body. The main cellular regulators of BBB permeability are astrocytes, which also modulate neuronal death, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. However, studies on BBB and astrocyte functions in regulating CNS responses to ionizing radiation have been limited, especially in human tissue/organ analogs. Therefore, we developed a high-throughput 3D organ-on-a-chip system to study human CNS and BBB impairments caused by deep space radiation. We investigated both immediate and delayed CNS responses to major GCR components: 0.3-0.8Gy 600MeV/n 56Fe ions; as well as to 0.5-1Gy X-rays. We observed ionizing radiation-mediated increases in BBB permeability that was exacerbated by astrocyte presence and accompanied by damage to endothelial cells and tight junctions, altered cytokine expression including TNFalpha upregulation, and increased oxidative stress. In particular, 600MeV/n 56Fe particle irradiation selectively induced astrocyte damage and increased blood-brain barrier permeability only in models that contained astrocytes in addition to endothelial cells, indicating astrocytes as a particularly radiosensitive component of the CNS that could therefore be a suitable a target for neuroprotection. Future studies will compare human and mouse CNS model responses to simulated GCRs and evaluate the induction of an anti-inflammatory phenotype in astrocytes as a potential countermeasure. Furthermore, in our lab we have been exploring the individual variability, genomic associations and secreted biomarkers of responses to space radiation, which could eventually be combined to address personalized CNS health risk and develop individual countermeasures. Ultimately, we aim to expand upon these results to uncover novel cellular and mechanistic targets for countermeasure development to mitigate human CNS damage in deep space exploration.

space radiation↗

DOE OSTI2025

Neutrino-nucleus cross section impacts on neutrino oscillation measurements

The challenges in neutrino-nucleus cross section modeling and its impact on neutrino oscillation experiments are widely recognized. However, a comprehensive and theoretically robust estimation of cross section uncertainties has been lacking, and few studies have quantitatively examined their impact on oscillation measurements. In this work, we evaluate the effect of cross section uncertainties on oscillation parameters using setups inspired by NOvA and DUNE. To characterize these uncertainties, we adopt multiple neutrino-nucleus event generators and simulate a realistic experimental procedure that incorporates near-detector data and near-to-far-detector extrapolation. Our results confirm that cross section uncertainties cannot significantly bias oscillation results in current statistics-dominated experiments like NOvA. However, they could lead to substantial bias for future systematics-dominated experiments like DUNE, even when near-detector data are employed to mitigate uncertainties. These findings underscore the need for further studies on the quantitative impacts of cross section modeling, improved strategies to utilize near-detector data and the PRISM concept, and more robust cross section models to optimize the success of future experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗