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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 73 records · Page 4

Multimessenger Science Opportunities with mHz Gravitational Waves

LISA will open the mHz band of gravitational waves (GWs) to the astronomy community. Thestrong gravity which powers the variety of GW sources in this band is also crucial in a numberof important astrophysical processes at the current frontiers of astronomy. These range fromthe beginning of structure formation in the early universe, through the origin and cosmic evolutionof massive black holes in concert with their galactic environments, to the evolution ofstellar remnant binaries in the Milky Way and in nearby galaxies. These processes and theirassociated populations also drive current and future observations across the electromagnetic(EM) spectrum. We review opportunities for science breakthroughs, involving either direct coincidentEM+GW observations, or indirect multimessenger studies. We argue that for the UScommunity to fully capitalize on the opportunities from the LISA mission, the US efforts shouldbe accompanied by a coordinated and sustained program of multi-disciplinary science investment,following the GW data through to its impact on broad areas of astrophysics. Supportfor LISA-related multimessenger observers and theorists should be sized appropriately for aflagship observatory and may be coordinated through a dedicated mHz GW research center.

Baker, John↗

Engineering the LISA Project: Systems Engineering Challenges

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a joint NASA/ESA mission to detect and measure gravitational waves with periods from 1 s to 10000 s. The systems engineering challenges of developing a giant interferometer, 5 million kilometers on a side, an: numerous. Some of the key challenges are presented in this paper. The organizational challenges imposed by sharing the engineering function between three centers (ESA ESTEC, NASA GSFC, and JPL) across nine time zones are addressed. The issues and approaches to allocation of the acceleration noise and measurement sensitivity budget terms across a traditionally decomposed system are discussed. Additionally, using LISA to detect gravitational waves for the first time presents significant data analysis challenges, many of which drive the project system design. The approach to understanding the implications of science data analysis on the system is also addressed.

systems engineering↗

Superhard Materials: Advances in the Search and Synthesis of New Materials

Materials with superior hardness can be categorized as ultrahard (Vickers hardness, H v ≥ 80 GPa) and superhard (H v ≥ 40 GPa). These materials are commonly used as cutting tools and abrasives in the machining and manufacturing industries. With its extreme hardness, diamond is the best known and most used ultrahard material for industrial applications. However, it is ineffective at cutting and drilling ferrous alloys due to diamond's high reactivity with iron and poor thermal stability in air. Additionally, the synthesis of diamond requires both high pressure (HP) and high temperature, making it an expensive process. These limitations have driven the search for alternative superhard materials that are capable of cutting steels and other materials at lower costs. This article reviews the concept of hardness and summarizes advancements in the synthesis and mechanical properties of hard materials. It begins with a review of methods to measure hardness, adding HP diffraction methods to more conventional hardness measurements. It then considers new ultrahard materials that exist within the B–C–N ternary system, with hardness approaching diamond but improved chemical stability. Finally, it surveys superhard nitrides, oxides, and borides as potential alternative materials, focusing on transition metal boride systems where the synthesis can be readily achieved at ambient pressure and scaled for industrial applications. We hope that this article serves as an overview of hard materials and guide for the comparison of data reported in the literature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

pnnl/archive-sprinter

The Archive Sprinter tool is designed to efficiently process synchrophasor measurements from electric power grids and export data signatures that summarize the grid's behavior. Parallel processing will allow data to be processed quickly to enable practical analyses of archives spanning years. The grid's behavior will be summarized using a wide-array of signatures calculated from the input data.

Follum, Jim↗

EMSL-Computing/nmRanalysis

R package that serves as wrapper for rDolphin, an open-source R package that performs semiautomated quantification of metabolites represented within Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectral data

Winans, Natalie↗

Artificial Graphene in Undoped Semiconductor Heterostructures

The linear energy-momentum dispersion which arises from graphene’s underlying honeycomb lattice gives graphene its unique electronic properties unfound in conventional semiconductors. Theoretically speaking, when an electrostatic potential with hexagonal or honeycomb symmetry is imposed onto a two-dimensional electron/hole system, the band structure is modified in a way that the same linear energy-momentum dispersion could exist. Experimentally, there has not been any evidence from transport demonstrating the so-called “artificial graphene”. In this project, we attempt to create an artificial superlattice potential with hexagonal symmetry for two dimensional carriers in an undoped SiGe heterostructure by patterning a nanoscale hole array in a metallic gate. Using undoped heterostructures allows us to access a very wide density range, which covers the magic densities at which the Dirac points are expected. A process flow for fabricating such field-effect-transistor devices with a lattice constant as small as 90 nm is reported. Magneto-transport measurements performed at 0.3 K show that the superlattice potential in the quantum well in which the two-dimensional system resides is indeed modulated by the gates. However, no signature of the sought-after linear dispersion is observed in the transport data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Convective flow effects on protein crystal growth

The experimental setup for the in-situ high resolution optical monitoring of protein crystal growth/dissolution morphologies was substantially improved. By augmenting the observation system with a temperature-controlled enclosure, laser illumination for the interferometric microscope, and software for pixel by pixel light intensity recording, a height resolution of about two unit cells for lysozyme can now be obtained. The repartitioning of Na(+) and Cl(-) ions between lysozyme solutions and crystals was studied. Quite unexpectedly, it was found that the longer crystals were in contact with their solution, the lower was their ion content. The development of a model for diffusive-convective transport and resulting distribution of the growth rate on facets was completed. Results obtained for a realistic growth cell geometry show interesting differences between 'growth runs' at 1g and 0g. The kinematic viscosity of lysozyme solutions of various supersaturations and salt concentrations was monitored over time. In contrast to the preliminary finding of other authors, no changes in viscosity were found over four days. The experimental setup for light scattering investigations of aggregation and nucleation in protein solutions was completed, and a computer program for the evaluation of multi-angle light scattering data was acquired.

Rosenberger, Franz↗

LISA Optics Model: Early Results

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) optics model is used to generate a synthetic data stream in the absence of gravitational waves. The simulation has the spacecraft in moving in their respective Keplerian orbits. The pointing of the spacecraft and station keeping about the proof masses is accomplished using a control scheme, which minimizes the disturbance on the proof masses in the sensitive direction. The resulting data stream gives an indication of the magnitude of instrumental noise due to pointing jitter and motions of the spacecraft with respect to the proof masses. Computational details are presented and the results discussed.

Waluschka, Eugene↗

Biases in CloudSat Falling Snow Estimates Resulting from Daylight-Only Operations

Falling snow is a key component of the Earth’s water cycle, and space-based observations provide the best current capability to evaluate it globally. The Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) on board CloudSat is sensitive to snowfall, and other satellite missions and climatological models have used snowfall properties measured by it for evaluating and comparing against their snowfall products. Since a battery anomaly in 2011, the CPR has operated in a Daylight-Only Operations (DO-Op) mode, in which it makes measurements primarily during only the daylit portion of its orbit. This work provides estimates of biases inherent in global snowfall amounts derived from CPR measurements due to this shift to DO-Op mode. We use CloudSat’s snowfall measurements during its Full Operations (Full-Op) period prior to the battery anomaly to evaluate the impact of the DO-Op mode sampling. For multi-year global mean values, the snowfall fraction during DO-Op changes by −10.16% and the mean snowfall rate changes by −8.21% compared with Full-Op. These changes are driven by the changes in sampling in DO-Op and are very little influenced by changes in meteorology between the Full-Op and DO-Op periods. The results highlight the need to sample consistently with the CloudSat observations or to adjust snowfall estimates derived from CloudSat when using DO-Op data to evaluate other precipitation products.

Lisa Milani↗

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna: Unveiling the Millihertz Gravitational Wave Sky

The first terrestrial gravitational wave interferometers have dramatically underscored the scientific value of observing the Universe through an entirely different window, and of folding this new channel of information with traditional astronomical data for a multimessenger view. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will broaden the reach of gravitational wave astronomy by conducting the first survey of the millihertz gravitational wave sky, detecting tens of thousands of individual astrophysical sources ranging from white-dwarf binaries in our own galaxy to mergers of massive black holes at redshifts extending beyond the epoch of reionization. These observations will inform - and transform - our understanding of the end state of stellar evolution, massive black hole birth, and the co-evolution of galaxies and black holes through cosmic time. LISA also has the potential to detect gravitational wave emission from elusive astrophysical sources such as intermediate-mass black holes as well as exotic cosmological sources such as inflationary fields and cosmic string cusps.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

CloudSat Bias on Falling Snow Estimates Over the Daylight Only Operational Period (2012-2019)

Falling snow is a key component for the global atmospheric, hydrological and energy cycles, and its retrieval from space-based observations represents the best current capability to evaluate it globally. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission Core Observatory, launched in 2014, together with its constellation sensors, can provide quasi-global precipitation estimates every 30 minutes (for level 3 products). Evaluation and validation efforts for such products are crucial, and for global evaluations, one of the most suitable instruments is the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) on board CloudSat, which is sensitive to light rain and falling snow. However, due to a battery anomaly in 2011, during its period of overlapping observations with GPM the CPR has operated in a Daylight Only Operations mode (DO-Op) in which it makes measurements primarily during only the daylit portion of its orbit. The goal of this work is to estimate biases inherent in global snowfall amounts derived from CPR measurements due to this shift to DO-Op mode. We use CloudSat's snowfall measurements during its Full Operations (Full-Op) period from 2006 to 2010 to evaluate the impact DO-Op mode would have had during this period. Results indicate that omitting the nocturnal component of the diurnal cycle of snowfall has nonnegligible impact on snowfall amounts in some regions. The lack of nighttime data during DO-Op biases the latitudinally averaged mean snowfall rates as well as some regional values. Hemispheric differences in bias may be due to more pronounced diurnal variability in the northern hemisphere owing to more prevalent land surface versus the southern hemisphere. The results highlight the need to sample consistently with the CloudSat observations or to adjust snowfall estimates derived from CloudSat when using DO-Op data to evaluate other precipitation products.

Milani, Lisa↗

Milwaukee Urban Development: Assessing the Drivers of Urban Flooding Vulnerability in Milwaukee Using NASA Earth Observations

Milwaukee County has experienced an increase in flooding due to climate change and urbanization. The frequency and severity of flooding vary spatially due to differences in land cover, surface permeability, and infrastructure. Marginalized communities tend to experience disproportionately high flooding and damage due to infrastructural inequalities and limited access to resources. To quantify these differences, we used the Natural Capital Project’s Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Model to calculate and create maps of runoff retention, nominal flood depth, and economic damage to buildings in Milwaukee. Our model inputs included land cover, surface permeability, and rainfall. To inform our precipitation inputs, we used NASA’s Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM IMERG) and National Weather Service (NWS) data. We assessed the relationship between flood risk and social and environmental spatial data including redlining, racial demographics, greenspace, and community resilience. The data demonstrate that flood risk is higher in historically redlined neighborhoods, majority Hispanic and Black census block groups, areas that lack parks and trees, and areas of low community resilience as measured by the Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates (CRE). These findings will support our partners, Groundwork Milwaukee and Groundwork USA, in their efforts to promote the equitable distribution of resources and support environmental health in urban spaces. The end products of this project provide our partners with tools to assess urban flooding vulnerability, guide future intervention projects, quantify the effects of environmental injustice, and improve stakeholder access to data.

Madeleine Tango↗

Dynamic Control System Mode Performance of the Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System

The Space Technology-7 (ST-7) Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) is an experiment package aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, launched on December 3, 2015. DRS consists of three primary components: Colloidal MicroNewton Thrusters (CMNTs), an Integrated Avionics Unit (IAU), and flight-software implementing the Command and Data Handling (C&DH) and Dynamic Control System (DCS) algorithms. The CMNTs were designed to provide thrust from 5 to 30 micro Newton, with thrust controllability and resolution of 0.1 micro Newton and thrust noise of 0.1 micro Newton/(square root of (Hz)) in the measurement band from 1-30 mHz. The IAU hosts the C&DH and DCS flight software, as well as interfaces with both the CMNT electronics and the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. When in control, the DCS uses star tracker attitude data and capacitive or optically-measured position and attitude information from LISA Pathfinder and the LISA Technology Package (LTP) to control the attitude and position of the spacecraft and the two test masses inside the LTP. After completion of the nominal ESA LISA Pathfinder mission, the DRS experiment was commissioned followed by its nominal mission. DRS operations extended over the next five months, interspersed with station keeping, anomaly resolution, and periods where control was handed back to LISA Pathfinder for them to conduct further experiments. The primary DRS mission ended on December 6, 2016, with the experiment meeting all of its Level 1 requirements. The DCS, developed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, consists of five spacecraft control modes and six test mass control modes, combined into six 'DRS Mission Modes'. Attitude Control and Zero-G were primarily used to control the spacecraft during initial handover and during many of the CMNT characterization experiments. The other Mission Modes, Drag Free Low Force, 18-DOF Transitional, and 18-DOF, were used to provide drag-free control of the spacecraft about the test masses. This paper will discuss the performance of these DCS spacecraft and test mass control modes. Flight data will be shown from each mode throughout the mission, both from nominal operations and during various flight experiments. The DCS team also made some changes to controller, filter, and limit parameters during operations; the motivation and results of these changes will be shown and discussed.

O'Donnell, James R., Jr.↗

Multimodal Data Fusion via Entropy Minimization

The use of gradient-based data-driven models to solve a range of real-world remote sensing problems can in practice be limited by the uniformity of available data. Use of data from disparate sensor types, resolutions, and qualities typically requires compromises based on assumptions that are made prior to model training and may not necessarily be optimal given over-arching objectives. For example, while deep neural networks (NNs) are state-of-the-art in a variety of target detection problems, training them typically requires either limiting the training data to a subset over which uniformity can be enforced or training independent models which subsequently require additional score fusion. The method we introduce here seeks to leverage the benefits of both approaches by allowing correlated inputs from different data sources to co-influence preferred model solutions, while maintaining flexibility over missing and mismatching data. In this work we propose a new data fusion technique for gradient updated models based on entropy minimization and experimentally validate it on a hyperspectral target detection dataset. We demonstrate superior performance compared to currently available techniques using a range of realistic data scenarios, where available data has limited spacial overlap and resolution.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗