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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 559 records · Page 31

Phase-controlled improvement of photon lifetime in coupled superconducting cavities

High-quality cavities are crucial for various fundamental physical studies and applications. Here we find that by coupling two cavities directly or via a phase-tunable coupling channel, the photon lifetime of the local field can exceed that of the bare cavities. The cavity photon lifetime is modified by the phases of the initial states and the phase accumulation on the coupling channel, which affect the interference between cavities. In experiments, by coupling superconducting radio-frequency cavities via phase-tunable cables, we realize a factor of 2 improvement in the cavity photon lifetime. The results can bring rich revenue to quantum information science, sensing, and high-energy physics.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Gauge theory of giant phonon magnetic moment in doped Dirac semimetals

Here, we develop a quantitative theory of phonon magnetic moment in doped Dirac semimetals. Our theory is based on an emergent gauge field approach to the electron-phonon coupling, applicable to gapless systems. We find that the magnetic moment is directly proportional to the electrical Hall conductivity through the phonon Hall viscosity. Our theory is combined with the first-principles calculations, allowing us to quantitatively implement it to realistic materials. Magnetic moments are found to be of the order of a Bohr magneton for Raman-active phonon modes in graphene and Cd 3 ⁢As 2 . Our results provide practical guidance for the dynamical generation of large magnetization in quantum materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dark matter from anomaly cancellation at the LHC

We discuss a class of theories that predict a fermionic dark matter candidate from gauge anomaly cancellation. As an explicit example, we study the predictions in theories where the global symmetry associated with baryon number is promoted to a local gauge symmetry. In this context, the symmetry-breaking scale has to be below the multi-TeV scale in order to be in agreement with the cosmological constraints on the dark matter relic density. The new physical “Cucuyo” Higgs boson in the theory has very interesting properties, decaying mainly into two photons in the low mass region, and mainly into dark matter in the intermediate mass region. We study the most important signatures at the Large Hadron Collider, evaluating the experimental bounds. We discuss the correlation between the dark matter relic density, direct detection, and collider constraints. We find that these theories are still viable and are susceptible to being probed in current, and future high-luminosity, running. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Butterworth, Jon (ORCID:0000000259055394)↗

Picturing QCD jets in anisotropic matter: from jet shapes to energy energy correlators

Abstract Recent theoretical developments in the description of jet evolution in the quark gluon plasma have allowed to account for the effects of hydrodynamic gradients in the medium modified jet spectra. These constitute a crucial step towards using jets as tomographic probes of the nuclear matter they traverse. In this work, we complement these studies by providing leading order calculations of widely studied jet observables, taking into account matter anisotropies. We show that the energy distribution inside a jet is pushed towards the direction of the largest matter anisotropy, while the away region is depleted. As a consequence, the jet mass and girth gain a non-trivial azimuthal dependence, with the average value of the distribution increasing along the direction of largest gradients. However, we find that, for these jet shapes, matter anisotropic effects can be potentially suppressed by vacuum Sudakov factors. We argue that the recently proposed measurements of energy correlations within jets do not suffer from such effects, with the azimuthal dependence being visible in a large angular window, regardless of the shape of the distribution.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Loss of $ZNF148$ enhances insulin secretion in human pancreatic β cells

Insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells is essential to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Defects in this process result in diabetes. Identifying genetic regulators that impair insulin secretion is crucial for the identification of novel therapeutic targets. Here, we show that reduction of ZNF148 in human islets, and its deletion in stem cell–derived β cells (SC–β cells), enhances insulin secretion. Transcriptomics of ZNF148-deficient SC–β cells identifies increased expression of annexin and S100 genes whose proteins form tetrameric complexes involved in regulation of insulin vesicle trafficking and exocytosis. ZNF148 in SC–β cells prevents translocation of annexin A2 from the nucleus to its functional place at the cell membrane via direct repression of S100A16 expression. These findings point to ZNF148 as a regulator of annexin-S100 complexes in human β cells and suggest that suppression of ZNF148 may provide a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance insulin secretion.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The DPG Method for the Convection-Reaction Problem, Revisited

In this work, we study both conforming and non-conforming versions of the practical DPG method for the convection-reaction problem. We determine that the most common approach for DPG stability analysis – construction of a local Fortin operator – is infeasible for the convection-reaction problem. We then develop a line of argument based on a direct proof of discrete stability; we find that employing a polynomial enrichment for the test space does not suffice for this purpose, motivating the introduction of a (two-element) subgrid mesh. The argument combines mathematical analysis with numerical experiments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Multimode Metastructures: Novel Hybrid 3D Lattice Topologies

With the rapid proliferation of additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies, architected cellular solids including truss-like 3D lattice topologies offer the opportunity to program the effective material response through topological design at the mesoscale. The present report summarizes several of the key findings from a 3-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program. The program set out to explore novel lattice topologies that can be designed to control, redirect, or dissipate energy from one or multiple insult environments relevant to Sandia missions, including crush, shock/impact, vibration, thermal, etc. In the first 4 sections, we document four novel lattice topologies stemming from this study: coulombic lattices, multi-morphology lattices, interpenetrating lattices, and pore-modified gyroid cellular solids, each with unique properties that had not been achieved by existing cellular/lattice metamaterials. The fifth section explores how unintentional lattice imperfections stemming from the manufacturing process, primarily sur face roughness in the case of laser powder bed fusion, serve to cause stochastic response but that in some cases such as elastic response the stochastic behavior is homogenized through the adoption of lattices. In the sixth section we explore a novel neural network screening process that allows such stocastic variability to be predicted. In the last three sections, we explore considerations of computational design of lattices. Specifically, in section 7 using a novel generative optimization scheme to design novel pareto-optimal lattices for multi-objective environments. In section 8, we use computational design to optimize a metallic lattice structure to absorb impact energy for a 1000 ft/s impact. And in section 9, we develop a modified micromorphic continuum model to solve wave propagation problems in lattices efficiently.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Insights into Methodologies and Stochastic Optimization of Thermal Energy Storage-Coupled Advanced Reactor Systems: A Comparison of Methods for Accessing Long-Term Sub-System Sizing Adequacy

This paper investigates the potential of coupling Thermal Energy Storage (TES) with Advanced Reactors (ARs) to address uncertainties posed by climate change in deep decarbonized power systems. The TES Use-case Team at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has examined the potential of storing thermal energy from ARs during low demand periods and optimizing discharge during peak-priced hours, in both steady-state and transient conditions. Building on this groundwork, this study bridges the gaps in optimal sizing of the sub-system of TES-coupled AR systems using Risk Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN) and Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON), INL?s framework for grid optimization. By applying this framework, we present statistically-robust optimal charge, discharge including balance of plant (BOP), and storage sizing for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) with 203 MWth output. To this end, we generated synthetic price samples for 30 years using 2018 ? 2021 real-time market data from ERCOT, PJM and MISO. Our results reveals that the TES-coupled HTGR system is highly effective in maximizing revenue from electricity sales. We observed a substantial increase of 40 % in ERCOT and a noteworthy 15 % increase in PJM and MISO when compared to the conventional BOP without TES. This improvement is achieved through regionally-tailored sub-system sizing, which ranges from 398 to 416 MWth for the discharge system and 610 to 1029 MWth for the TES. We find that the average electricity price directly impacts the overall economics, while price volatility influences storage size. Additional sensitivity analyses were performed to access the impact of key assumptions on system economics and sizing, differentiating the optimization window (i.e., 24 ? 219 hours of chronological observations) and by imposing storage continuity condition in tracking TES cycles. We observed that at the 120-hour of the optimization window, a reasonable balance between computation time and accuracy was achieved. Our analysis also highlights the significance of conducting multi-day cycle analysis (> 120-hour) for TES to capture interaction between electricity prices and storage dynamics, providing a comprehensive understanding of TES behavior that AR developers should integrate into their plant designs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Milky Way-est: Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations with Large Magellanic Cloud and Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus Analogs

Abstract We present Milky Way-est, a suite of 20 cosmological cold-dark-matter-only zoom-in simulations of Milky Way (MW)-like host halos. Milky Way-est hosts are selected such that they (i) are consistent with the MW’s measured halo mass and concentration, (ii) accrete a Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)-like (≈10 11 M ⊙ ) subhalo within the last 2 Gyr on a realistic orbit, placing them near 50 kpc from the host center at z ≈ 0, and (iii) undergo a >1:5 sub-to-host halo mass ratio merger with a Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus (GSE)-like system at early times (0.67 < z < 3). Hosts satisfying these LMC and GSE constraints constitute <1% of all halos in the MW’s mass range, and their total masses grow rapidly at late times due to LMC analog accretion. Compared to hosts of a similar final halo mass that are not selected to include LMC and GSE analogs, Milky Way-est hosts contain 22% more subhalos with present-day virial masses above 10 8 M ⊙ throughout the virial radius, on average. This enhancement reaches ≈80% in the inner 100 kpc and is largely, if not entirely, due to LMC-associated subhalos. These systems also induce spatial anisotropy in Milky Way-est subhalo populations, with ≈60% of the total subhalo population within 100 kpc found in the current direction of the LMC. Meanwhile, we find that GSE-associated subhalos do not significantly contribute to present-day Milky Way-est subhalo populations. These results provide context for our Galaxy’s dark matter structure and subhalo population and will help interpret a range of measurements that are currently only possible in the MW.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multifrequency Models of Black Hole Photon Rings from Low-luminosity Accretion Disks

Images of black holes encode both astrophysical and gravitational properties. Detecting highly lensed features in images can differentiate between these two effects. We present an accretion disk emission model coupled to the Adaptive Analytical Ray Tracing (AART) code that allows a fast parameter space exploration of black hole photon ring images produced from synchrotron emission from 10 to 670 GHz. As an application, we systematically study several disk models and compute their total flux density, average radii, and optical depth. The model parameters are chosen around fiducial values calibrated to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations and observations of M87*. For the parameter space studied, we characterize the transition between optically thin and thick regimes and the frequency at which the first photon ring is observable. Our results highlight the need for careful definitions of photon ring radius in the image domain, as in certain models the highly lensed photon ring is dimmer than the direct emission at certain angles. We find that at low frequencies the ring radii are set by the electron temperature, while at higher frequencies the magnetic field strength plays a more significant role, demonstrating how multifrequency analysis can also be used to infer plasma parameters. Lastly, we show how our implementation can qualitatively reproduce multifrequency black hole images from GRMHD simulations when adding time variability to our disk model through Gaussian random fields. This approach provides a new method for simulating observations from the Event Horizon Telescope and the proposed Black Hole Explorer space mission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Search for Multi-flare Neutrino Emissions in 10 yr of IceCube Data from a Catalog of Sources

A recent time-integrated analysis of a catalog of 110 candidate neutrino sources revealed a cumulative neutrino excess in the data collected by IceCube between 2008 April 6 and 2018 July 10. This excess, inconsistent with the background hypothesis in the Northern Hemisphere at the 3.3σ level, is associated with four sources: NGC 1068, TXS 0506+056, PKS 1424+240, and GB6 J1542+6129. Here, this Letter presents two time-dependent neutrino emission searches on the same data sample and catalog: a point-source search that looks for the most significant time-dependent source of the catalog by combining space, energy, and time information of the events, and a population test based on binomial statistics that looks for a cumulative time-dependent neutrino excess from a subset of sources. Compared to previous time-dependent searches, these analyses enable a feature to possibly find multiple flares from a single direction with an unbinned maximum-likelihood method. M87 is found to be the most significant time-dependent source of this catalog at the level of 1.7σ post-trial, and TXS 0506+056 is the only source for which two flares are reconstructed. The binomial test reports a cumulative time-dependent neutrino excess in the Northern Hemisphere at the level of 3.0σ associated with four sources: M87, TXS 0506+056, GB6 J1542+6129, and NGC 1068.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The connectome of the adult Drosophila mushroom body provides insights into function

Making inferences about the computations performed by neuronal circuits from synapse-level connectivity maps is an emerging opportunity in neuroscience. The mushroom body (MB) is well positioned for developing and testing such an approach due to its conserved neuronal architecture, recently completed dense connectome, and extensive prior experimental studies of its roles in learning, memory, and activity regulation. Here, we identify new components of the MB circuit in Drosophila , including extensive visual input and MB output neurons (MBONs) with direct connections to descending neurons. We find unexpected structure in sensory inputs, in the transfer of information about different sensory modalities to MBONs, and in the modulation of that transfer by dopaminergic neurons (DANs). We provide insights into the circuitry used to integrate MB outputs, connectivity between the MB and the central complex and inputs to DANs, including feedback from MBONs. Our results provide a foundation for further theoretical and experimental work.

Li, Feng↗

Choice reaction time to visual motion during prolonged rotary motion in airline pilots

Thirteen airline pilots were studied to determine the effect of preceding rotary accelerations on the choice reaction time to the horizontal acceleration of a vertical line on a cathode-ray tube. On each trial, one of three levels of rotary and visual acceleration was presented with the rotary stimulus preceding the visual by one of seven periods. The two accelerations were always equal and were presented in the same or opposite directions. The reaction time was found to increase with increases in the time the rotary acceleration preceded the visual acceleration, and to decrease with increased levels of visual and rotary acceleration. The reaction time was found to be shorter when the accelerations were in the same direction than when they were in opposite directions. These results suggest that these findings are a special case of a general effect that the authors have termed 'gyrovisual modulation'.

Stewart, J. D.↗

A simple total energy sensor

This research concerns a simple technique for total energy compensation having the primary requirement of good compensation with a low cost, easy to make sensor. A comprehensive library search and a small wind tunnel were used to explore fundamentals and to develop a number of probes which were flight tested with satisfactory results. Simple probe configurations were tested using the characteristics of laminar flow separation around a small cylinder to produce a sensor pressure having the desired relationship between static and dynamic pressures. Wind tunnel and flight tests confirmed the concepts for a wide range of speeds, altitudes, and flow directions encountered in soaring. Data and findings are presented, along with a discussion of factors important to total energy compensation.

Nicks, O. W.↗

Reduction in plasma vasopressin levels of dehydrated rats following acute stress

Results are presented for an investigation directed to substantiate and extend preliminary findings of stress-induced reduction in plasma arginine vasopressin (pAVP). Since normally hydrated rats have very low levels of pAVP, it is difficult to measure reliably any decrease in pAVP that may result from stress. To overcome this problem, the pAVP levels of the tested rats were raised by dehydration prior to application of stress. A radioimmunoassay for pAVP is described and used to determine the levels of vasopressin in the plasma of nondehydrated and dehydrated rats after exposure to ether or acceleration stress. Plasma pAVP is also determined in rats following nicotine administration. It is shown that exposure of nondehydrated rats to ether or acceleration stress does not elicit any significant alterations in circulating pAVP levels while nicotine injections stimulate a marked increase. In particular, ether and acceleration stress produce a rapid reduction in the pAVP level of dehydrated rats, the decrease being observed in both large and small animals. The mechanism for this reduction in pAVP level following stress is yet unknown.

Keil, L. C.↗

Department of Defense Precise Time and Time Interval program improvement plan

The United States Naval Observatory is responsible for ensuring uniformity in precise time and time interval operations including measurements, the establishment of overall DOD requirements for time and time interval, and the accomplishment of objectives requiring precise time and time interval with minimum cost. An overview of the objectives, the approach to the problem, the schedule, and a status report, including significant findings relative to organizational relationships, current directives, principal PTTI users, and future requirements as currently identified by the users are presented.

Bowser, J. R.↗

Radiation from a double layer jet

The aerodynamic radiation caused by two acoustic point sources located symmetrically on the sides of a double layer jet which produces a velocity discontinuity was examined, with attention given to the effect on the sound by the stream. Basic equations were defined in terms of wave propagation in the fluid in motion and a Fourier transformation. It was found that the radiation due to a point source on one side of the jet is enhanced by the presence of sound transmitted from the other side. The effect is expressed as a function of the reflection coefficient, wherein the reflections take place at the vortex interfaces separating the fluid in motion from the fluid at rest. The intensity patterns were determined to be kidney-shaped, lung-shaped, and heart-shaped, and characterized by a deep valley in the directivity pattern. The significance of the findings for STOL aircraft ejector thrust augmentation is mentioned.

Dash, R.↗