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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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71 records · Page 4

Network upgrade exploiting multi band: S- or E-band?

Nowadays, the fiber spectrum is only partially exploited, i.e., mainly in the C-band and more recently in the C + L-band, where the fiber attenuation profile experiences the minimum. Thus, fiber communications technology—amplifiers, switching, transceivers, etc.—and networking solutions are mature for those spectrum bands. However, the continuous increase in traffic means that capacity saturation of the current infrastructure is looming. Taking advantage of the unused portions of the spectrum (e.g., the S- and E-bands) may be an efficient solution to accommodate an increase in traffic without installing new fibers. Research is thus investigating multi-band transmission and networking to evaluate and enable such network upgrades. Some issues need to be solved or taken into account, from the enabling technology (e.g., amplifiers in the S- or E-band are still under development) to physical layer effects previously neglected, such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). SRS affects wideband transmission, potentially degrading active channels. The contribution of this paper is the investigation of network upgrades for C + L-band systems. In particular, upgrades exploiting the E- and S-bands are compared taking into account each band capacity and the effects of SRS on both new and already deployed channels (in both the C- and L-bands). A detailed analysis of the physical layer is provided also in the presence of guard bands between previously exploited bands and the bands used for upgrade. By leveraging the physical layer assessment, a networking analysis is carried out to evaluate the supported traffic increase and also the signal quality degradation due to SRS on active channels. Overall, the results suggest that upgrades to the E- and S-bands support a comparable increase in traffic. However, the exploitation of the E-band with 14 THz of guard band between the C- and E-bands may avoid detrimental effects to already active channels in the C + L-band, suggesting this upgrade strategy can be the most effective of the two.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Continuous automatic polarization channel stabilization from heterodyne detection of coexisting dim reference signals

Quantum networking continues to encode information in polarization states due to ease and precision. The variable environmental polarization transformations induced by deployed fiber need correction for deployed quantum networking. Here, we present a method for automatic polarization compensation (APC) and demonstrate its performance on a metropolitan quantum network. Designing an APC involves many design decisions as indicated by the diversity of previous solutions in the literature. Our design leverages heterodyne detection of wavelength-multiplexed dim classical references for continuous high-bandwidth polarization measurements used by newly developed multi-axis (non-)linear control algorithm(s) for complete polarization channel stabilization with no downtime. This enables continuous relatively high-bandwidth correction without significant added noise from classical reference signals. We demonstrate the performance of our APC using a variety of classical and quantum characterizations. Finally, we use C-band and L-band APC versions to demonstrate continuous high-fidelity entanglement distribution on a metropolitan quantum network with an average relative fidelity of 0.94 ± 0.03 for over 30 hrs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Parasitic erbium photoluminescence in commercial telecom fiber optical components

Noiseless optical components are critical for applications ranging from metrology to quantum communication. Here, we characterize several commercial telecom C-band fiber components for parasitic noise using a tunable laser. We observe the spectral signature of trace concentrations of erbium in all devices from the underlying optical crystals including YVO 4 , LiNbO 3 , TeO 2 , and amorphous material transmitting infrared radiation glass. Furthermore, due to the long erbium lifetime, these signals are challenging to mitigate at the single photon level in the telecom range and suggests the need for higher purity optical crystals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Broadband polarization-entangled source for C+L-band flex-grid quantum networks

The rising demand for transmission capacity in optical networks has motivated steady interest in expansion beyond the standard C-band (1530–1565 nm) into the adjacent L-band (1565–1625 nm) for an approximate doubling of capacity in a single stroke. However, in the context of quantum networking, the L-band has yet to be fully leveraged with the suite of advanced tools for characterization and management available from classical lightwave communications. In this work, we demonstrate an ultrabroadband two-photon source integrating both C- and L-band wavelength-selective switches for complete control of spectral routing and allocation across 7.5 THz in a single setup. Polarization state tomography of all 150 pairs of 25-GHz-wide channels reveals an average fidelity of 0.98 and total distillable entanglement greater than 181 kebits/s. This source is explicitly designed for flex-grid optical networks and can facilitate optimal utilization of entanglement resources across the full C+L-band.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Investigation of modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode for cryogenic microwave photonic links

Quantum devices present the potential for unparalleled computing and communications capabilities; however, the cryogenic temperatures required to successfully control and read out many qubit platforms can prove to be very challenging to scale. Recently, there has emerged an interest in using microwave photonics to deliver control signals down to ultracold stages via optical fiber, thereby reducing thermal load and facilitating dense wavelength multiplexing. Photodetectors can then convert this optical energy to electrical signals for qubit control. The fidelity of the quantum operations of interest therefore depend heavily upon the characteristics of the photodiode, yet experimental demonstrations of fiber-coupled photodetection systems at low temperatures are relatively few in number, leaving important open questions regarding how specific detectors may perform in real-world cryogenic settings. In this work, we examine a highly linear modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode (MUTC-PD) under C-band illumination (1530–1565 nm) at three temperature regimes (300 K, 80 K, and ∼4 K) and multiple bias conditions. Our findings of reduced responsivity but preserved bandwidth are consistent with previous studies, while our saturation tests suggest a variety of potential applications for MUTC-PDs in cryogenic microwave photonics with and without electrical bias. Overall, our results should provide a valuable foundation for the continued and expanding use of this detector technology in quantum information processing.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

In situ tuning of optomechanical crystals with nano-oxidation

Optomechanical crystals are a promising device platform for quantum transduction and sensing. Precise targeting of the optical and acoustic resonance frequencies of these devices is crucial for future advances on these fronts. However, fabrication disorder in these wavelength-scale nanoscale devices typically leads to inhomogeneous resonance frequencies. Here we achieve in situ , selective frequency tuning of optical and acoustic resonances in silicon optomechanical crystals via electric field-induced nano-oxidation using an atomic-force microscope. Our method can achieve a tuning range >2nm (0.13%) for the optical resonance wavelength in the telecom C-band, and >60MHz (1.2%) for the acoustic resonance frequency at 5 GHz. The tuning resolution of 1.1 pm for the optical wavelength and 150 kHz for the acoustic frequency allows us to spectrally align multiple optomechanical crystal resonators using a pattern generation algorithm. Our results establish a method for precise post-fabrication tuning of optomechanical crystals. This technique can enable coupled optomechanical resonator arrays, scalable resonant optomechanical circuits, and frequency matching of microwave-optical quantum transducers.

Hatipoglu, Utku (ORCID:0000000205119196)↗

TRACER-Coastal Urban Boundary-Layer Interactions with Convection (TRACER-CUBIC) Field Campaign Report

To better understand the complicated web of processes governing convective cloud life cycle and aerosol-convection interactions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility supported deployment of a variety of advanced atmospheric measurement systems to the greater Houston, Texas, area from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022 as part of the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER). Houston was selected as a study area because isolated convection and a variety of aerosol conditions are common in this region. This one-year ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) deployment featured a four-month intensive operational period (IOP) during summer 2022 (1 June–30 September). The ARM instrumentation was deployed at three sites along an east-west transect from La Porte, Texas to an ancillary site in a less-polluted rural region southwest of downtown Houston (Figure 1). At the La Porte Site, which is located near the Houston ship channel in an area that experiences significant pollution, the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) was deployed. During the IOP, the ARM tethered balloon system (TBS) operated at the ancillary site. The second-generation C-Band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR) operated near Pearland, Texas, roughly halfway between the Laporte and ancillary sites. As part of the TRACER- Coastal Urban Boundary-Layer Interactions with Convection (CUBIC) project, three boundary-layer profiling systems) were deployed along a north-south transect spanning from the University of Houston Coastal Center to the Aldine site north of downtown Houston (also blue dot in Figure 1) during the TRACER IOP. These systems included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory CLAMPS2 (C2), which was deployed at the UHCC, the University of Wisconsin SPARC, which was deployed at the ARM CSAPR site near Pearland (orange diamond in middle of map in Figure 1), and the University of Oklahoma CLAMPS1 (C1), which was deployed at Aldine. These three systems have been successfully operated in various field campaigns, providing data sets that collectively offer new insights into atmospheric-boundary-layer (ABL) processes, sea-breeze (SB) circulations, and convection initiation (CI). For the TRACER IOP window, these systems ran continuously between 1 June and 26 September, 2022. Due to commitments to NOAA projects, the Doppler lidar at the UHCC site was not available until 24 June 2022. The CLAMPS and SPARC profiling systems are self-contained platforms that have benefited from several years of development and deployment. Instruments and data processing were maintained remotely, which made the 4-month deployment for the TRACER-CUBIC IOP period possible. The same basic instrument configuration comprises each system: a scanning Doppler wind lidar for flow characterization and passive profiler(s) for characterizing planetary-boundary-layer (PBL) thermodynamic properties. Each platform includes a Halo Streamline Doppler wind lidar, an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and a surface meteorology station. CLAMPS1 and CLAMPS2 each also include a microwave radiometer (MWR, Figure 1d). The TRACER-CUBIC hypotheses included (i) Interactions of SB and urban circulations and how they affect the PBL structure in the Houston environment, causing spatially (horizontally and vertically) and temporally highly variable flow patterns, (ii) heat, moisture, and aerosol transport and mixing depend on these flow dynamics, and (iii) an improved understanding of the flow patterns and PBL structure are critical for investigating the processes leading to CI. To test these hypotheses, the project aimed at (i) characterizing SB circulations and their impacts on the diurnal evolution of the structure of the ABL, (ii) studying the evolution of Houston’s complex urban boundary layer, and (iii) identifying effects of urban-induced circulations on pre-convective environments. TRACER-CUBIC observations generally provide good coverage during the summer IOP. Initial screening of the data indicates a good number of cases with bay-breeze (BB) and/or SB signatures, local CI, and interesting boundary-layer features such as strong nocturnal low-level jets (LLJs, Table 1). The numbers listed in rows 3-5 in this table will be further updated as part of ongoing in-depth analyses and systematic identification of local circulations and CI events. More detailed information about the data availability and quality for each instrument is provided in the “readme” files that were submitted to the ARM Data Center along with each archived data sets. These “readme” files also provide instrument descriptions, information about the data collection and processing procedures, data formats, and any additional information relevant for further data analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

CSAPR2 Optimized Convective Cell Tracking Data during TRACER

One of the challenges in analyzing convective cell properties is to observe the quick evolution of individual convective cells. While the operational radar data provide a volumetric data set to analyze radar observables of convective precipitation clouds, previous studies also suggested the quick evolution of cell life cycle that might not be captured by conventional radar volume scan strategies that take ~5-7 minutes. Aiming at enhancing our understanding of the links between convective cloud kinematic and microphysical processes as well as life cycles, the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER; Jensen et al. 2019) was conducted at Houston, Texas, in 2022. The TRACER campaign deployed the 2nd generation C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR2), which performed frequent updates of range height indicator (RHI) and sector plan position indicator (PPI) scans to track individual convective cells every < 2 minutes, guided by a new cell tracking framework, Multisensor Agile Adaptive Sampling (MAAS; Kollias et al. 2020). This allows for capturing fast-evolving radar observables. We provide the processed CSAPR2 cell tracking data in CfRadial format collected during the TRACER field campaign from June to September 2022. The data files include processed radar variables: noise-masked reflectivity and differential reflectivity corrected for rain attenuation and systematic biases, noise-masked dealiased radial velocity, specific differential phase, locations of target cells (latitude, longitude, radar range), and radar-echo classification. Figure 1 provides an example of a 3D image of CSAPR2 reflectivity from the lowest PPI scan and an RHI scan after data processing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Cloud-Tracking Data Set for the CSAPR2 Adaptive Scanning during TRACER

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility (Mather and Voyles 2013) deployed the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1; Miller et al. 2016) near LaPorte, Texas to support the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) (Jensen et al. 2025) near Houston, Texas. From October 2021 to September 2022, AMF1 was deployed to 29.67° N, 95.06° W near LaPorte, Texas and the 2nd Generation C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR2) was deployed to a supplementary site at 29.53° N, 95.28° W (Figure 1). During an intensive operational period (IOP) from 1 June to 30 September 2022, the CSAPR2 sampled precipitation echoes in an adaptive scanning mode following the Multisensor Agile Adaptive Scanning (MAAS) framework (Kollias et al. 2020). MAAS helped optimize the CSAPR2 scan strategy to perform frequent plan position indicator (PPI) and range height indicator (RHI) scans (Lamer et al. 2023). Details of the CSAPR2 scanning, data processing, and calibration procedures used by the principal investigator (PI), and the PI data files are described by Oue et al. (2023). Details of the CSAPR2 operational performance, ARM data processing and correction procedures, and data quality masks are described by Feng et al. (2024a).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

TRACER Radar b1 Data Processing: Corrections, Calibrations, and Processing Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility deployed the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) to Houston, Texas for the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) field campaign. The TRACER campaign was conducted from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, with an intensive operational period (IOP) from June 1 to September 30, 2022. To investigate the life cycles of convective cells in the polluted and humid urban environment of Houston, ARM deployed cloud and precipitation radars, including the C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR2), the X/Ka-band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (SACR), and the Ka-band ARM Zenith cloud Radar (KAZR), as shown in Figure 1. This report presents an analysis of radar data quality, hardware calibrations, and radar data corrections.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

An extended radar relative calibration adjustment (eRCA) technique for higher-frequency radars and range–height indicator (RHI) scans

Abstract. This study extends the relative calibration adjustment technique for calibration of weather radars to higher-frequency radars as well as range–height indicator (RHI) scans. The calibration of weather radars represents one of the most dominant sources of error for their use in a variety of fields including quantitative precipitation estimation and model comparisons. While most weather radars are routinely calibrated, the frequency of calibration is often less than required, resulting in miscalibrated time periods. While full absolute calibration techniques often require the radar to be taken offline for a period of time, there have been online calibration techniques discussed in the literature. The relative calibration adjustment (RCA) technique uses the statistics of the ground clutter surrounding the radar as a monitoring source for the stability of calibration but has only been demonstrated to work at S- and C-band for plan-position indicator (PPI) scans at a constant elevation. In this work the RCA technique is modified to work with higher-frequency radars, including Ka-band cloud radars. At higher frequencies the properties of clutter can be much more variable. This work introduces an extended clutter selection procedure that incorporates the temporal stability of clutter and helps to improve the operational stability of RCA for relatively higher-frequency radars. The technique is also extended to utilize range–height scans from radars where the elevation is varied rather than the azimuth. These types of scans are often utilized with research radars to examine the vertical structure of clouds. The newly extended technique (eRCA) is applied to four Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (DOE ARM) weather radars ranging in frequency from C- to Ka-band. Cross comparisons of three co-located radars with frequencies C, X, and Ka at the ARM Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) site show that the technique can determine changes in calibration. Using an X-band radar at the ARM Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site, we show how the technique can be modified to be more resilient to clutter fields that show increased variability, in this case due to sea clutter. The results show that this technique is promising for a posteriori data calibration and monitoring.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The development of rainfall retrievals from radar at Darwin

Abstract. The U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program Tropical Western Pacific site hosted a C-band polarization (CPOL) radar in Darwin, Australia. It provides 2 decades of tropical rainfall characteristics useful for validating global circulation models. Rainfall retrievals from radar assume characteristics about the droplet size distribution (DSD) that vary significantly. To minimize the uncertainty associated with DSD variability, new radar rainfall techniques use dual polarization and specific attenuation estimates. This study challenges the applicability of several specific attenuation and dual-polarization-based rainfall estimators in tropical settings using a 4-year archive of Darwin disdrometer datasets in conjunction with CPOL observations. This assessment is based on three metrics: statistical uncertainty estimates, principal component analysis (PCA), and comparisons of various retrievals from CPOL data. The PCA shows that the variability in R can be consistently attributed to reflectivity, but dependence on dual-polarization quantities was wavelength dependent for 1 10mmh-1. Rainfall estimates during these conditions primarily originate from deep convective clouds with median drop diameters greater than 1.5 mm. An uncertainty analysis and intercomparison with CPOL show that a Colorado State University blended technique for tropical oceans, with modified estimators developed from video disdrometer observations, is most appropriate for use in all cases, such as when 1 10mmh-1 (deeper convective rain).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Entangled Photon Pair Source Demonstrator Using the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit System

Here, we report the first demonstration of using the Quantum Instrumentation and Control Kit (QICK) system on RFSoC-FPGA technology to drive the electro-optic intensity modulator that generate time-bin entangled photon pairs and to detect the photon signals. With the QICK system, we achieve high levels of performance metrics including coincidence-to-accidental ratio exceeding 150, and entanglement visibility exceeding 95%, consistent with performance metrics achieved using conventional waveform generators. We also demonstrate simultaneous detector readout using the digitization functional of QICK, achieving internal system synchronization time resolution of 3.2 ps. The work reported in this paper represents an explicit demonstration of the feasibility for replacing commercial waveform generators and time taggers with RFSoC-FPGA technology in the operation of a quantum network, representing a cost reduction of more than an order of magnitude.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

CSAPR2 CMAC 2.0 level c1 data.

Raw data from ARM precipitation radars must be corrected for atmospheric phenomena and instrument characteristics (e.g., attenuation, clutter) to retrieve precipitation properties. The Corrected Moments in Antenna Coordinates Version 2 (CMAC2) value-added product (VAP) is a set of algorithms and code that does such corrections, and it also retrieves precipitation quantities from the radar measurements. Similar to the X-SAPR radars at the ARM main site, C-SAPR2 radar data also needs corrections and improvements. CMAC 2.0 has been updated to work with the ARM C-SAPR 2 radar. Data and fields that have been processed to: correct for velocity aliasing, unfold and generate a cross-polarimetric phase difference that is monotonically increasing, removing impulses caused by non-uniform beam filling and phase shift on backscatter, recalculate specific differential phase using a 20-point Sobel filter on the aforementioned phase, correct for liquid path attenuation using the polarimetric signals, estimate rainfall rates at the gate using the specific attenuation. In addition, CMAC writes the data out into a community-standard format netCDF File using the CF/Radial conventions. The data are therefore compatible with new and existing National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) tools such as RadXConvert for converting to a variety of popular file formats.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

CSAPR2 cell-tracking data collected during TRACER

One of the challenges of analyzing convective cell properties is quick evolution of the individual convective cells. While the operational radar data provide great a data set to analyze the evolution of radar observables of convective precipitation clouds statistically, previous studies also suggested that, because of the quick evolution of cell life cycle, conventional radar volume scan strategies taking ~5-7 minutes might not capture the detailed evolution. The TRACER campaign deployed CSAPR2, which performed frequent update of RHI and sector PPI scans to track convective cells every < 2 minutes guided by a new cell-tracking framework, Multisensor Agile Adaptive Sampling (MAAS; Kollias et al. 2020). This allows for capturing fast-evolving radar observables. The submitted data files are CSAPR2 data in CfRadial format collected during the TRACER field campaign from June to September 2020. The data files include processed radar variables including: noise-masked reflectivity and differential reflectivity corrected for rain attenuation and systematic biases, noise-masked dealiased radial velocity, specific differential phase, locations of target cells (latitude, longitude, radar range), and radar-echo classification.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗