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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Modulational instability in oppositely doubled-doped directed couplers with a non-kerr-like nonlinear refractive-index change

We theoretically investigate modulation instability (MI) in a two-core nonlinear oppositely directed coupler with a negative-index material channel in the presence of a non-kerr-like nonlinear refractive-index change. Using linear stability analysis, we obtain an expression for the instability gain. It is found that the MI in the nonlinear two-core oppositely directed coupler is significantly influenced by the ratio of the forward- to backward-propagating wave power, nonlinearity, power and saturation. In the normal dispersion regime, the septic nonlinearity is found to suppress the MI by reducing both the gain and width of the instability nonlinearity. But in anomalous dispersion regime, the situation is different because septic nonlinearity enhances the MI by increasing both the gain and width of MI. The increase of septic nonlinearity both in normal and anomalous dispersion regimes increases the gain of the instability nonlinearity. Thus, we report new ways to generate and manipulate the MI and solitons in two-core oppositely directed couplers with a particular emphasis on a negative-index material (NIM) channel in presence of septic nonlinearity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Bayesian inference of multi-messenger astrophysical data: Joint and coherent inference of gravitational waves and kilonovae

Multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star mergers can provide information on the neutron star’s equation of state (EOS) above the nuclear saturation density by directly constraining the mass-radius diagram. We present a Bayesian framework for joint and coherent analyses of multi-messenger binary neutron star signals. As a first application, we analyze the gravitational-wave GW170817 and the kilonova (kN) AT2017gfo data. These results are then combined with the most recent X-ray pulsar analyses of PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620 to obtain new EOS constraints.We extend the bajes infrastructure with a joint likelihood for multiple datasets, support for various semi-analytical kN models, and numerical-relativity (NR)-informed relations for the mass ejecta, as well as a technique to include and marginalize over modeling uncertainties. The analysis of GW170817 used the TEOBResumS effective-one-body waveform template to model the gravitational-wave signal. The analysis of AT2017gfo used a baseline multicomponent spherically symmetric model for the kN light curves. Various constraints on the mass-radius diagram and neutron star properties were then obtained by resampling over a set of ten million parameterized EOSs, which was built under minimal assumptions (general relativity and causality).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterizing Stress Orientations in Southern Kansas

We repot that Induced seismicity predominantly occurs along faults that are optimally oriented to the local principal compressive stress direction, and the characterization of these stress orientations is an important component of understanding seismic hazards. The seismicity rate in southern Kansas rapidly increased in 2013 primarily due to the disposal of large volumes of wastewater into the Arbuckle Group. Previously, local stress orientations in this area were poorly constrained, which limited our understanding of the complex faulting and diverse earthquake mechanisms in this region. We use shear-wave splitting and focal mechanism inversion techniques to create multiple, independent estimates of maximum horizontal stress directions (S Hmax ) and their spatial variation across the study area. We then create an integrated model of stress orientations for southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma using our local results in conjunction with previous, regional stress orientation estimates. We find that S Hmax in both southern Kansas and central Oklahoma exhibits an east-northeast (~N78°E) orientation, and these regions bound a northeast (~N59°E) rotation within a ~20km area in northern Oklahoma near the Nemaha ridge.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Broadband Asymmetric Transmission of Linearly Polarized Mid‐Infrared Light Based on Quasi‐3D Metamaterials

Abstract Metamaterials consisting of subwavelength resonators offer an exciting opportunity for realizing asymmetric transmission (AT) of linearly polarized light. However, to date, only moderate/narrow‐band AT responses have been obtained in metadevices based on stacked planar nanostructures. Here, leveraging a combination of a genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization method and a membrane projection lithography (MPL) fabrication approach, a quasi‐3D metamaterial for broadband AT of linearly polarized mid‐infrared light is demonstrated. Facilitated by the customized GA, an efficient exploration of 3D plasmonic meta‐atoms with broken mirror symmetry in the light propagation direction allows the satisfaction of the rigorous conditions for AT of linearly polarized waves over a broad wavelength range. Confirmed by surface current analysis, the observed AT behavior is attributed to the resonant coupling between the plasmonic nanostructures located on the two orthogonal walls of the MPL cavities. Incorporating an advanced inverse‐design method and a state‐of‐art fabrication technique, the methodology used in the present study provides a promising route for exploiting 3D metamaterials with sophisticated functionalities via effectively exploring the high‐dimensional parametric space offered by true 3D meta‐atoms.

Whiting, Eric B.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nonlinear dynamics of combustor azimuthal modes: Experiments and modeling

This paper provides an experimental and theoretical investigation of azimuthal instabilities in a lean, premixed combustor. It presents data from a high Reynolds number, industrial-scale facility with multiple fuel stages that enable variation of radial and azimuthal symmetries. The combustor exhibits a variety of behaviors – including standing, spinning, mixed waves, and intermittent behaviors, as well as periodic limit cycles and quasi-periodic oscillations – depending upon varying power and azimuthal symmetry. A second key objective of this paper is to present a weakly nonlinear framework that is used to understand and interpret these results, showing the influence of eigenmode degeneracy, background noise, and azimuthal non-uniformities in mean quantities such as temperature and flame-acoustic coupling. In particular, this analysis shows the importance of the linear instability growth/damping rate and azimuthal non-uniformities in controlling the relative prominence of standing, spinning, or mixed waves at the limit cycle, as well as the preference in the spinning direction. It also shows the conditions under which single frequency or quasi-periodic oscillations are dominant, and how these are more fundamentally influenced by azimuthal non-uniformities and background noise.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Study of the film boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow interface behavior using image processing

Here, in this study, based on a small-scale quench test facility, the two-phase flow interface behavior during quench transients is visualized and analyzed utilizing an image processing framework. The high-fidelity experimental results obtained for two-phase flow in the current framework can support various studies both in the time domain and in the frequency domain. In particular, visualization of the data obtained from different heating surfaces under different test conditions are used to perform a full-scale transient 2-D vapor film reconstruction. The liquid-vapor interface variations in various heat transfer regimes as well as at the initial film breakup point can be directly obtained through the processed data. Moreover, the temporal variation of the interfacial wave frequency approaching quench is investigated in detail. Based on the high-resolution data obtained for the liquid-vapor interface, the detailed phase velocity and temperature profiles are obtained through theoretic analysis, based on which the film boiling heat transfer coefficient (HTC) can be determined. In addition, an improved film boiling HTC model is developed considering the effects of wall superheat, liquid subcooling temperature, vapor film thickness as well as fluid properties. The model is found to predict film boiling HTC well within 15% error.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Global Hybrid Simulations of Interaction Between Interplanetary Rotational Discontinuity and Bow Shock/Magnetosphere: Can Ion-Scale Magnetic Reconnection be Driven by Rotational Discontinuity Downstream of Quasi-Parallel Shock?

Ion-scale magnetic reconnection has been observed downstream of the terrestrial quasi-parallel (Q-∥) shock. Whether it is driven by interplanetary discontinuities or turbulent Q-∥ shock, however, is unclear. Using three-dimensional global hybrid simulation, we investigate the generation of magnetic reconnection downstream of the Q-∥ shock, while an interplanetary rotational discontinuity (RD) is launched to the bow shock. Cases with various solar wind Alfvén Mach numbers, M A = 3.0 to 8, and propagation directions of the RD are presented. The propagation direction n is assumed to be in the GSE xz plane and pointing earthward, with n = (-sin(θ 12 /2),0,-cos(θ 12 /2)), where θ 12 is the angle between the upstream (B1) and downstream (B2) magnetic fields across the transmitted RD. It is found that magnetic reconnection occurs inside the RD downstream of the Q-∥ shock, forming flux ropes extending along the dawn-dusk direction about tens of ion inertial lengths. Large-amplitude low-frequency waves originated from the Q-∥ shock lead to the bending and squeezing of the field lines around the RD, which play an important role in triggering reconnection inside the RD. As the RD impacts the dayside magnetopause, magnetopause reconnection takes place between the field lines behind the RD and geomagnetic field lines. Nevertheless, no reconnection is found downstream of the Q-∥ shock itself or outside the RD in the magnetosheath. The existent and structure of reconnection in the magnetosheath are found to strongly depend on the parameters M A and n. Our simulation shows that ion-scale magnetic reconnection is driven by an external driver in the form of the compression of an RD around the bow shock and in the magnetosheath, rather than caused by the turbulent Q-∥ shock alone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Self-compression of laser pulses in a discrete medium

Using the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we study the laser radiation self-action dynamics in a nanostructured waveguide system. It is shown that for a laser pulse energy exceeding the critical value, the nonlinear evolution of the wave field markedly differs from the corresponding process in a continuous medium. While the pulse propagates in a discrete medium, its length decreases to values comparable to the scale of the structure and the velocity decreases to zero. The system parameters are determined at which the wave field after the laser pulse termination begins to propagate in the opposite direction in a compressed form. The process of slowing down and stopping the pulse is accompanied by strong radiation losses, so that about a third of the energy of the initial field distribution remains in the final compressed state. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nanoscale Imaging of Magnetotransport around a Circular 𝑝−𝑛 Junction in Graphene

Magnetoresistance studies of 2D systems are often shaped by the motion of electrons that occupy spatially confined wave functions, such as topological edge modes and disorder-induced bound states. Directly probing how such states form and behave in situ , under applied currents, provides a clear way of connecting microscopic physics to the macroscopic transport response. Here, in this Letter, scanning tunneling potentiometry is used to probe the local, current-induced electrochemical potential of carriers in graphene near circular 𝑝−𝑛 junctions in an out-of-plane magnetic field ranging from 0 to 1.4 T. These measurements provide detailed information about the motion of carriers at the nanometer scale, revealing how it evolves with increasing field. The electrochemical potential displays distinct patterns, such as dipoles, spirals, and concentric disks in weak, moderate, and high fields, respectively. The size and orientation of these patterns can be used to understand how local carrier dynamics change in different transport regimes as well as to directly extract physical parameters such as the electron mean free path and cyclotron diameter.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Induced axion-phason field in Weyl semimetals

Here, the Weyl semimetal in a constant magnetic field is investigated with the ground state for the lowest (n = 0) Landau levels corresponding to spin-down (σ 3 = -1). In the presence of an electron-phonon coupling in the ground state, an attractive interaction for the polarized spin and opposite chirality is generated. A two-body attractive interaction projected to the two lowest (n = 0) chiral Landau levels with the same spin polarization is obtained. The higher Landau level states (n ≠ 0) are treated at the one-loop approximation with the two chiralities containing spins polarized as σ 3 = ± 1. Using the chiral anomaly in one dimension we show that the sliding phase is controlled by the electric field. This theory, for a Weyl semimetal with two nodes in the direction of the applied magnetic field, gives rise to a sliding charge density wave observed by Gooth et al. [Nature (London) 575, 315 (2019)].

Axions↗
DOE OSTI2025

THz Radiation Generation to Enable Internal Magnetic Field Measurement of Burning Plasmas (Final Scientific Report)

A one-year experimental program was performed using the Multi-TeraWatt (MTW) laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) to investigate the efficiency and physical process of laser-driven—wire THz generation. This process was evaluated as a potential high-repetition-rate source of powerful THz pulses for use in THz pulsed polarimetry of a moderate-density magnetic-confinement fusion concept developed by TAE. The goal was to develop a source for short pulses in the THz regime (150 μm wavelength) containing 10’s of mJ. The campaign tested the impact of Cu wire diameter (25, 75, 160 μm), length (250 – 750 μm), and laser irradiation orientation on THz production efficiency in comparison to 20-μm thick Cu foils. Of these targets, the 160 µm diameter, 750 µm long wires with sharpened tips and irradiated at the base were found to produce the highest energy and shortest wavelength THz pulses, exceeding 2.5 Joule/sr and meeting the requirements for the polarimetry diagnostic. The brightest THz signal was radiated in the direction of the sharpened wire tip. A combination of two models – a traveling wave antenna combined with coherent transition radiation – describes the emission pattern, pulse energy, and spectrum observed in the experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Direct Shear Test Data for Investigating Seismic Precursors to Shear Failure of Fractures

This dataset includes results of direct shear tests to investigate the mechanical and geophysical response of dry and saturated fractures in Indiana limestone and Sierra White granite. Direct shear tests were performed on tensile-induced fractures in Indiana limestone and Sierra White granite in a custom water-pressurized chamber. The provided Excel files include the representative seismic wave signals and the normalized wave amplitudes of ultrasonic wave transducers. A link to the published journal article presenting the data and describing the experiment in detail is provided as well.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ultrabroadband Spacetime Nanoscopy of Terahertz Polaritons in a van der Waals Cavity

Guiding, storing, and processing light at the nanoscale hinges on understanding how polaritons — hybrid quasiparticles of light and matter — propagate and interfere in both space and time. This work introduces a synchrotron-based technique, SYnchrotron SpaceTimE Mapping (SYSTEM), which captures real-time evolution of polariton wave packets with ∼10 nm spatial and sub-100 fs temporal resolution across an ultrabroadband 5–50 THz range. Here, SYSTEM directly visualizes the creation, interference, and decay of multiple high-quality Fabry-Pérot phonon polariton cavity modes in an α-MoO 3 microcavity. These real-space, real-time observations reveal wave-packet dynamics and cavity resonances with record-high quality factors (Q ≈ 100) in the single-digit terahertz regime near 9 THz. SYSTEM thus offers a powerful and broadly applicable platform for probing and engineering ultraslow, deeply subwavelength polaritons, opening new avenues for tailoring light–matter interactions and advancing next-generation THz nanophotonic technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Variable magnetic field electron spectrometer to measure hot electrons in the range of 50–460 keV

Resonance absorption (RA) occurs when a p-polarized electromagnetic wave, obliquely incident on an inhomogeneous plasma, tunnels past its turning point and resonantly excites an electron plasma wave (EPW) at the critical density. This phenomenon is important, for instance, in the direct drive approach to inertial fusion energy and is a particular example of a wider phenomenon in plasma physics known as mode conversion, which is crucial for heating magnetic fusion devices, such as tokamaks, via RF heating. Direct measurement of these RA-generated EPW accelerated hot electrons, with energy in the range of a few tens to a few hundreds of keV, is a challenging task due to the relatively low deflecting magnetic fields needed. The solution described here is a magnetic electron spectrometer (MES) with a continually changing magnetic field, lower at the entrance of the MES and gradually increasing toward the end, that enables the measurement of a wide spectral range of electrons with energies between 50 and 460 keV. Electron spectra taken in a LaserNetUS RA experiment were acquired from plasmas generated by irradiating polymer targets with the combination of an ~300 ps pulse followed by a series of ten high intensity 50–200 fs duration laser pulses from the ALEPH laser at Colorado State University. In conclusion, the high intensity beam is designed as spike trains of uneven duration and delay pulses in order to modify the RA phenomenon.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Bayesian inferencing framework for ultrasound wave speed measurements in metal additive manufacturing

Process-related changes during metal additive manufacturing introduce microstructural variability in the material properties of printed parts, directly affecting component reliability. Accurate estimation of these property variations with part performance are essential for quality assurance. Ultrasound testing offers a non-destructive means to estimate mechanical properties and detect defects; however, conventional analysis methods often neglect the influence of microstructural variability, limiting their effectiveness. Here, this research presents a Bayesian inference technique for quantifying wave speed uncertainty from ultrasound measurements of metal additive manufactured parts. By integrating prior ultrasound data with a Bayesian model, the proposed approach generates posterior density estimates of wave speed that systematically account for manufacturing-induced variability and uncertainty. The novelty of this research lies in applying a Bayesian framework to analyze experimental ultrasound measurements within the context of metal additive manufacturing variability. The method enhances the accuracy of wave speed estimation by 64%, defect position by 50% and increases confidence associated with wave speed variance by 30% across different porosity levels, thereby providing a robust foundation for improved decision-making and increased reliability in additively manufactured components.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2020

First-principles prediction of incipient order in arbitrary high-entropy alloys: exemplified in Ti 0.25 CrFeNiAl

High-temperature disordered multi-component alloys, including high-entropy alloys, experience either segregation or partially-ordered phases to reach low-temperature phases. For Ti 0.25 CrFeNiAl x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), experiments suggest a partially-ordered B2 phase, whereas CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) predicts a region of L21+B2 coexistence. We employ first-principles KKR-CPA to assess stability of phases with arbitrary order and a KKR-CPA linear-response theory to predict atomic short-range order (SRO) in the disorder phase that reveals the competing long-range ordered (LRO) phases in a given Bravais lattice. The favorable SRO provides a specific concentration-waves (site occupation probabilities and partially-ordered unit cells) and estimated energy gains that can then be assess directly by KKR-CPA formation enthalpies. Our results are in good agreement with experiments and CALPHAD in Al-poor regions (x ≤ 0.75) and with CALPHAD in Al-rich region (1≥ x >0.75). Our first-principles KKR-CPA and SRO-based concentration-wave analysis is shown to be a powerful and fast method to assess competing LRO phases in complex solid-solution alloys, and our results suggests more careful experiments in Al-rich region are needed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Two types of superconducting pairs in stripe-ordered La 2 - x Ba x CuO 4 ( x = 1 / 8 ) : Evidence from resistivity measurements

Recent angle-resolved c-axis resistivity measurements of the stripe-ordered La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 (LBCO) with x = 1/8 revealed an unexpected dependence on the direction of the in-plane magnetic field. We argue that these and other available data for the c-axis transport point to the existence of superconducting pairs of two different types in the x = 1/8 LBCO below the stripe ordering temperature. The pairs of one type carry finite momentum and are confined to the Cu-O planes; the pairs of other type (probably the conventional d wave with zero momentum) propagate along narrow conducting channels traversing the sample in the c-axis direction. The evidence for this comes from the observed exponential temperature dependence of the c-axis resistivity ρ c (T ) which we attribute to the thermally excited slips of the superconducting phase and flux flows. We present a simple theory to fit the observed π/2-periodic dependence of ρ c on the direction of the in-plane magnetic field and the other data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Direct geometric probe of singularities in band structure

A quantum system’s energy landscape may have points where multiple energy surfaces are degenerate and that exhibit singular geometry of the wave function manifold, with major consequences for the system’s properties. Ultracold atoms in optical lattices have been used to indirectly characterize such points in the band structure. Here we measured the non-Abelian transformation produced by transport directly through the singularities. We accelerated atoms along a quasi-momentum trajectory that enters, turns, and then exits the singularities at linear and quadratic band-touching points of a honeycomb lattice. Measurements after transport identified the topological winding numbers of these singularities to be 1 and 2, respectively. Our work introduces a distinct method for probing singularities that enables the study of non-Dirac singularities in ultracold-atom quantum simulators.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗