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DOE OSTI2025

A Simple Data-Centric Methodology for Producible Geothermal Well Determinations: Preprint

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has traditionally lacked a standardized methodology for determining if a newly drilled geothermal well is "producible," a designation essential for deciding whether a lease should be "held by production." This is a straightforward problem to solve in oil and gas: Demonstrate that a well is economically viable, meaning it produces sufficient oil or gas to exceed direct operating costs and lease-related expenses, such as rentals or minimum royalties. In geothermal, the problem is more complex: Geothermal wells are tightly coupled with the downstream infrastructure - specifically, the power plant, which is often not designed until well after a lease is deemed as "held by production." Although this designation is critical for advancing geothermal power plant development on BLM-managed lands, current geothermal well assessments often rely on ad hoc approaches that can be complex, operator-biased, and heavy in assumptions related to economic viability. To address this, we have developed two complementary methodologies: a minimum power requirement-based approach and a productivity index (PI)-based approach. These methods leverage key flow test data - pressure, temperature, flow rate, and specific enthalpy - to provide reliable and standardized producible well determinations. The minimum power requirement-based approach evaluates wells against specific power output thresholds informed by reservoir experts and the associated temperature requirements. The PI-based approach assesses well productivity using widely accepted reservoir engineering metrics, proposing a threshold of 2.5 kg/s/bar. Both methods are data-driven and grounded in empirical production data from operational geothermal wells, avoiding uncertain economic assumptions while maintaining decision-making accuracy. Wells falling below key performance thresholds (i.e., PI, specific power) are deemed non-producible. These methodologies aim to streamline BLM's decision-making process, reduce nontechnical barriers to geothermal energy adoption, and enable regulatory expansion into states lacking geothermal expertise. Preliminary results indicate clear trends and thresholds in production data that provide actionable insights for evaluating well producibility. Validation using well completion report (WCR) data is ongoing, with promising results demonstrating the potential for these standardized methodologies to impact geothermal development significantly.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Scale sensitivity of ethanol production via consolidated bioprocessing with consideration of feedstock cost

We examine feedstock cost and minimum selling price for ethanol production from corn stover as a function of scale, stover yield, participation rate, and price incentives for two conversion technologies: a conventional base case featuring thermochemical pretreatment with added cellulase, and an advanced case featuring consolidated bioprocessing with cotreatment (C-CBP). Delivered feedstock cost ranged from $\$85$ Mg −1 at small (10 million gallons year −1 or ~38 million L year −1 ) scale with high yield and participation rates to $\$124$ Mg −1 at large scale (60 million gallons year −1 or 227 million L year −1 ) and low yield and participation rates. The minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) was approximately twofold lower for the advanced case compared with the base case. The payback period was several times lower for the advanced case compared with the base case, with increasing disparity at smaller scales, and was highly sensitive to ethanol price supports. For both C-CBP and the conventional processing paradigm, MESP decreased with increasing scale, indicating that the cost penalty due to higher feedstock transport distances was more than outweighed by lower capital costs. However, the cost penalty for operation at small scale, expressed in $ gallon −1 ethanol, is lower for C-CBP than for the conventional paradigm by roughly twofold. Particularly for initial applications of C-CBP, we speculate that this cost penalty will likely be modest compared with the anticipated benefits of small-scale operation such as increased opportunity to use existing infrastructure, easier plant siting and supply chain establishment, and lower total investment required.

biorefinery scale↗

DOE OSTI2024

Synthesis and characterization of biobased copolyesters based on pentanediol: (1) Poly(pentylene dodecanoate–co–furandicarboxylate)

A series of biobased aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters, poly(pentylene dodecanoate-co-furandicarboxylates) (PPeDFs) were synthesized via an esterification and polycondensation melt process. The copolyesters were characterized using gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1 H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, wide angle x-ray scattering, and tensile testing. The thermal transition behavior was strongly dependent on composition, with the melting and glass transition temperatures reaching a minimum at approximately equimolar ratio of D to F. All copolyesters were stable below 300°C with their R 600 (the weight of material remaining at 600°C) values increasing with F fraction. PPeD to PPeDF30 (e.g., mole ratio D/F = 7:3) show sharp PPeD crystalline reflections only while broad PPeF reflections are shown in PPeF and PPeDF90. PPeDF40 to PPeDF80 showed both crystal structures. The fractional crystallinity for the PPeD was much higher than PPeF and the fractional crystallinity of the copolymers showed a minimum at D/F ratios closer to the latter. Here, the stress at break and modulus both exhibited maxima at D/F ratios that were either high or low, but somewhat surprisingly a strong maximum in percent elongation at break of over 600% occurs at PPeDF40. For this composition, a typical plastic behavior curve was found including a yield point, high elongation at break, and strain hardening.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of thermal damage in explosive bridgewire detonators via discrete element method simulations

Exploding bridgewire (EBW) detonators are used to rapidly and reliably initiate energetic reactions by exploding a bridgewire via Joule heating. While the mechanisms of EBW detonators have been studied extensively in nominal conditions, comparatively few studies have addressed thermally damaged detonator operability. We present a mesoscale simulation study of thermal damage in a representative EBW detonator, using discrete element method (DEM) simulations that explicitly account for individual particles in the pressed explosive powder. We use a simplified model of melting, where solid spherical particles undergo uniform shrinking, and fluid dynamics are ignored. The subsequent settling of particles results in the formation of a gap between the solid powder and the bridgewire, which we study under different conditions. In particular, particle cohesion has a significant effect on gap formation and settling behavior, where sufficiently high cohesion leads to coalescence of particles into a free-standing pellet. This behavior is qualitatively compared to experimental visualization data, and simulations are shown to capture several key changes in pellet shape. We derive a minimum and maximum limit on gap formation during melting using simple geometric arguments. In the absence of cohesion, results agree with the maximum gap size. With increasing cohesion, the gap size decreases, eventually saturating at the minimum limit. In conclusion, we present results for different combinations of interparticle cohesion and detonator orientations with respect to gravity, demonstrating the complex behavior of these systems and the potential for DEM simulations to capture a range of scenarios.

cohesive powders↗

DOE OSTI2025

J/ ψ -hadron correlations at midrapidity in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

We report on the measurement of inclusive, non-prompt, and prompt J/ψ-hadron correlations by the ALICE Collaboration at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The correlations are studied at midrapidity (|y| < 0.9) in the transverse momentum ranges p T < 40 GeV/c for the J/ψ and 0.15 < p T < 10 GeV/c and |η| < 0.9 for the associated hadrons. The measurement is based on minimum bias and high multiplicity data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of L int = 34 nb −1 and L int = 6.9 pb −1 , respectively. In addition, two more data samples are employed, requiring, on top of the minimum bias condition, a threshold on the tower energy of E = 4 and 9 GeV in the ALICE electromagnetic calorimeters, which correspond to integrated luminosities of L int = 0.9 pb −1 and L int = 8.4 pb −1 , respectively. The azimuthally integrated near and away side yields of associated charged hadrons per J/ψ trigger are presented as a function of the J/ψ and associated hadron transverse momentum. The measurements are discussed in comparison to PYTHIA calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

No ν s is Good News

The baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) analysis from the first year of data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), when combined with data from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), has placed an upper-limit on the sum of neutrino masses, ∑m ν < 70 meV (95%). In addition to excluding the minimum sum associated with the inverted hierarchy, the posterior is peaked at ∑m ν = 0 and is close to excluding even the minumum sum, 58 meV at 2σ. In this paper, we explore the implications of this data for cosmology and particle physics. The sum of neutrino mass is determined in cosmology from the suppression of clustering in the late universe. Allowing the clustering to be enhanced, we extended the DESI analysis to ∑m ν < 0 and find ∑m ν =160 ± 90 meV (68%), and that the suppression of power from the minimum sum of neutrino masses is excluded at 99% confidence. We show this preference for negative masses makes it challenging to explain the result by a shift of cosmic parameters, such as the optical depth or matter density. We then show how a result of ∑m ν = 0 could arise from new physics in the neutrino sector, including decay, cooling, and/or time-dependent masses. These models are consistent with current observations but imply new physics that is accessible in a wide range of experiments. In addition, we discuss how an apparent signal with ∑m ν < 0 can arise from new long range forces in the dark sector or from a primordial trispectrum that resembles the signal of CMB lensing.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Convergence analysis for a nonlocal gradient descent method via directional Gaussian smoothing

We analyze the convergence of a nonlocal gradient descent method for minimizing a class of high-dimensional non-convex functions, where a directional Gaussian smoothing (DGS) is proposed to define the nonlocal gradient (also referred to as the DGS gradient). The method was first proposed in [Zhang et al., Enabling long-range exploration in minimization of multimodal functions, UAI 2021], in which multiple numerical experiments showed that replacing the traditional local gradient with the DGS gradient can help the optimizers escape local minima more easily and significantly improve their performance. However, a rigorous theory for the efficiency of the method on nonconvex landscape is lacking. In this work, we investigate the scenario where the objective function is composed of a convex function, perturbed by deterministic oscillating noise. We provide a convergence theory under which the iterates exponentially converge to a tightened neighborhood of the solution, whose size is characterized by the noise wavelength. Here, we also establish a correlation between the optimal values of the Gaussian smoothing radius and the noise wavelength, thus justifying the advantage of using moderate or large smoothing radii with the method. Furthermore, if the noise level decays to zero when approaching the global minimum, we prove that DGS-based optimization converges to the exact global minimum with linear rates, similarly to standard gradient-based methods in optimizing convex functions. Several numerical experiments are provided to confirm our theory and illustrate the superiority of the approach over those based on the local gradient.

Tran, Hoang [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL),↗

DOE OSTI2025

Cultivating clarity: understanding the impact of land cost assumptions on biofuel viability

The transition to sustainable energy has increased interest in biofuel production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease reliance on imported oil, and ensure energy resilience. Here, this study examines the often-overlooked impact of land cost assumptions on the economic viability of biofuel production. Using a discounted cash flow techno-economic framework, we evaluated three land cost scenarios—no land costs, land rental costs, and land purchase costs—across six bioenergy feedstocks (corn, soybeans, switchgrass, miscanthus, poplar, and microalgae) and three biofuel products (corn ethanol, soybean biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel) at the county level for the contiguous United States. The analysis reveals substantial variation in minimum fuel selling prices due to these scenarios. High-yield crops like algae showed low sensitivity to land costs, while low-yield crops such as soybeans were highly sensitive. Geographical differences were significant, with minimum fuel selling price increases most pronounced in high-value land regions like the Corn Belt. Case studies further illustrate the influence of local productivity and land costs on economic outcomes across the United States. These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining consistent land cost assumptions in biofuel economic assessments. By quantifying the interplay between land value, crop productivity, and economic feasibility, this study provides essential insights for policymakers and stakeholders to advance sustainable energy solutions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Techno-economic analysis of bioplastic and biofuel production from a high-ash microalgae biofilm cultivated in effluent from a municipal anaerobic digester

Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactors (RABRs) are a promising technology for efficient treatment of wastewater and production of algae-based bioproducts. However, RABR-grown algae can contain a high content of ash (30–60 wt%, dry basis), which influences the technical and economic feasibility of bioproduct conversion processes. In this report, experimental studies and economic analysis were conducted to compare different processes for bioproduct conversion of a high-ash microalgae biofilm grown using a RABR treating 0.6 million gallons per day of anaerobic digestion centrate at the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility in Salt Lake City, UT. Process and economic models were developed and compared for three conversion processes: 1) the production of bioplastics, 2) the production of bioplastics with a lipid-extraction pretreatment, and 3) the production of biocrude via hydrothermal liquefaction. Techno-economic analysis was performed for each conversion process, including three cases for algae productivity: 231, 391, and 577 metric tons per year (dry basis). The calculated value for the minimum plastic selling price (MPSP) of bioplastics produced from algae ranges from $\$4050$ to $\$3520$ per metric ton based on the baseline and final productivity cases of the RABR, respectively. The extraction of lipids in addition to bioplastic production results in an MPSP of $\$4570$ to $\$4000$ per metric ton for the same productivity cases. The relatively small production scale and complex processing for hydrothermal liquefaction results in a minimum fuel selling price of the biocrude of $\$5.32$ per gallon of gasoline equivalent. In conclusion, the conversion process for bioplastic production from whole algae has the highest income:expense ratio and the most cost-competitive pricing of the three modeled processes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Expanding the horizon of bio-naphtha beyond gasoline blend: property characterization and conversion opportunity assessment through technoeconomic and life-cycle analyses

Bio-naphtha, a common by-product of biorefineries, is expected to experience substantial growth in supply due to increasing demands for renewable diesel and synthetic aviation fuel (SAF). However, demand for bio-naphtha itself as a gasoline blendstock is limited because of the electrification of light-duty vehicles. This work investigated valorization opportunities for bio-naphtha from catalytic fast pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, and hydrotreated esters and fatty acids pathways. These opportunities include producing polymer-grade olefin via steam cracking, SAF via steam cracking followed by olefin oligomerization, and renewable aromatics benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) and hydrogen via catalytic reforming. Process models were developed in Aspen Plus V14 and Aspen HYSYS V14 to calculate the mass and energy balances for each conversion step. Technoeconomic assessment and life-cycle analysis were conducted to evaluate the minimum fuel/product selling price, conversion cost, and life-cycle CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emission reduction. Technoeconomic assessment results suggest a minimum fuel/product selling price as low as $1.9/kg of olefins, $6.30/gal of gasoline-equivalent SAF, and $1.2/kg of BTX without any incentives. For all pathways, these prices are dominated by bio-naphtha feedstock costs, which account for at least 76% of the total cost. Compared with petroleum baselines, bio-naphtha-derived SAF, olefins, and BTX can achieve significant CO2e emission reductions from the use of renewable carbon resources. The results of life-cycle analysis and subsequent technoeconomic assessment, incorporating carbon credits, indicate the economic viability of using bio-naphtha for polymer-grade olefin and BTX production, with product costs comparable to market prices.

Xu, Shuang↗

DOE OSTI2025

A bilevel multistage stochastic self-scheduling model with indivisibilities for trading in the continuous intraday electricity market

In this paper, we study the profit maximization problem of a virtual power plant trading in the continuous intraday electricity market. Our virtual power plant model is compatible with renewable, and thermal assets, covering a range of virtual power plants currently participating in energy markets. We model the trading problem as a bilevel multistage stochastic program. The upper level of the problem accounts for the profit maximization of the virtual power plant with explicit modeling of the technical constraints of the operational status of the thermal power plant including minimum start-up and shut-down times, ramp-up and ramp-down rates, and minimum generation level. The upper level also decides which continuous and indivisible (fill-or-kill) orders are submitted to the market. The lower-level problem accounts for the clearing of the continuous intraday market, i.e., matching of buy and sell orders. Because of the presence of fill-or-kill orders, the lower-level problem is mixed-integer, which prevents its direct conversion to a single-level problem using duality. In order to solve this challenging problem, we develop a convex-hull extended formulation for the lower-level problem, apply duality theory to obtain a single-level stochastic equivalent formulation, and employ McCormick envelopes to turn the problem into a multistage stochastic mixed-integer linear problem, which we solve using the stochastic dual dynamic integer programming algorithm. We conduct numerical experiments and analyze the optimal trading behavior of a virtual power plant trading in an ideal continuous market without arbitrage.

Bilevel multistage stochastic programming problem↗

DOE OSTI2025

Ice storage model-predictive control in an office building with PV: scenario, error and sensitivity analysis

Thermal energy storage (TES) can enable more building-sited renewable electricity generation and lower utility bill costs for buildings owners and occupants, especially when there are high demand and variable time-of-use (TOU) charges. A model predictive control (MPC) strategy can offer additional savings over a schedule-based control with added complexity and reliance on forecasts. Here, this study examines savings for medium office buildings with chiller plants in three locations with building-installed solar photovoltaics (PV) to understand the impact of MPC. Control setpoints are fixed by a schedule-based control or optimized by nonlinear MPC. These control setpoints are actuated within EnergyPlus building models to simulate the utility cost of the chiller plant. NLP solutions can be unstable or unrealistic, but our results show that by regularizing the NLP, the solutions can be reasonably followed by the building model. MPC models make simplifications that lead to errors once the controller is participating in and changing the operation of the building. These errors average 9 % across the cases, showing that the most important parts of the system are represented. The no-thermal load costs are computed to show that the optimization can in some cases achieve both the minimum TOU and minimum monthly demand costs by demand management while reducing TOU energy costs by energy arbitrage. The MPC saves 35–66 % in the annual chiller plant operating costs, which is an additional savings above the schedule by 1–33 %. PV and TES are complementary and mostly independent, but a load with PV often results in better performance for the schedule. Our case study and sensitivity analysis show the importance of modeling and optimization for complex rates, but also the circumstances wherein a simpler strategy achieves the same performance with less potential for error.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Rapid assessment of the creep rupture life of metals: A model enabling experimental design

Prediction of the creep rupture life of engineering metals is critical for qualification and design of new materials. The use of long-term creep tests and the need to quantify the performance variability in a priori similar systems hinder the rapid creep assessment of a given material. Therefore, it is essential to develop methods that can extrapolate the long-term performance of alloys and the associated variability from short-term experiments. To this end, this study introduces a new model which enables the estimation of the rupture life of a material for a given stress and temperature. This model relies on two components. First, a new relation for the minimum creep rate (MCR) of materials is introduced. It includes a stress dependent stress exponent allowing the model to capture the variation of MCR across a wide range of temperatures and stresses. Second, employing the Monkman-Grant (MG) law, we establish a relation between stress, temperature and creep rupture life. Together, these two elements yield a new closed-form mathematical expression for the Larson Miller parameter as a function of stress and temperature. This expression captures the creep rupture time for many metals (Gr91, Copper, Gr122 and 347H) and compares favorably with alternate empirical approaches. The model is then used to assess the minimum duration of creep rates necessary to qualify the material up to 100000h. Furthermore, it is found that depending on the material system, creep tests as few as five limited to 5000 h for steels (Gr91, Gr122, 347H) and 100 h for copper are sufficient to model creep lifetimes. Finally, using a Bayesian inference-based approach to calibrate the model, we demonstrate that variability in rupture life can be captured via the quantification of the uncertainty in the model parameters and extrapolated from a limited number of short to moderately short creep tests; thereby paving the way for accelerated creep testing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the impacts of air-sealing on the sizing, operation, and economic feasibility of ground-source heat pumps for electrifying single-family houses in the US

According to recent studies and reports, in single-family houses (SFHs), air-sealing can significantly lower the thermal loads for space heating and cooling. Thus, air-sealing in SFHs could reduce the required size and cost of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems for electrifying SFHs. Here, this study investigated the costs and benefits of integrating air-sealing with GSHPs for retrofitting existing SFHs when compared with air-source heat pumps. A whole building energy simulation tool integrated with an advanced design tool for modeling ground heat exchangers was used to calculate changes in required GSHP capacity, total borehole length, and building energy consumption with and without air-sealing in SFHs in 16 US climatic regions. The results from this study showed that reducing outdoor air infiltration from 0.8 air changes per hour (ACH) to the minimum ventilation requirement (0.35 ACH) can significantly reduce borehole length (up to 55 %), GSHP capacity (up to 48 %), and total heating electricity reduction, especially in cold climates (up to 44 %). The results also showed that for airtight homes (0.03 ACH infiltration) with a direct outdoor air system, the minimum required borehole length, GSHP capacity, and total heating electricity consumption can be reduced up to 70 %, 68 %, and 67 %, respectively, when compared with SFHs with 0.8 ACH infiltration. Moreover, the life cycle cost analysis showed that air-sealing in conjunction with a GSHP is more profitable than replacing the existing system with an air-source heat pump, even without any incentives for most climatic regions in the US (except for some hot regions).

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Linking microstructure to creep behavior in vertically and horizontally built LPBF Haynes 282 compared with wrought material via θ -projection

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) has emerged as a promising route for fabricating intricate geometries in high-performance alloys. Haynes 282 (H282) is a strong candidate for applications such as heat exchangers or engines due to its excellent creep strength and thermal stability; however, the long-term creep behavior of LPBF-processed H282 remains poorly understood. In this study, the θ -projection method is used to analyze and extrapolate the creep behavior of vertically built LPBF, horizontally built LPBF, compared to wrought H282 tested at 816 °C. Vertically built LPBF H282 exhibits the lowest minimum creep rate (MCR), while the horizontally built condition shows a higher MCR comparable to that of wrought H282. Despite these differences, both LPBF conditions exhibit significantly shorter rupture life and reduced rupture strain than the wrought material, with the most severe degradation observed in the horizontal builds, consistent with an earlier onset of tertiary creep and accelerated strain-rate evolution. Microstructural characterization reveals that both LPBF and wrought H282 exhibit abundant twin-related boundary character; however, their grain boundary topologies differ markedly. The wrought alloy contains a higher fraction of low-angle grain boundaries and continuous twin lamellae, whereas the LPBF microstructure is characterized by a suppressed low-angle boundary population and fragmented twin-related boundaries embedded within irregular high-angle grain boundary networks. Fractographic analysis further reveals predominantly intergranular cracking in LPBF H282, accompanied by grain-boundary-decorated carbides, Al 2 O 3 inclusions, and high-aspect-ratio pores. These results demonstrate that grain boundary topology, rather than minimum creep rate alone, plays a critical role in governing creep damage accumulation and rupture behavior in LPBF and wrought H282.

Creep↗

DOE OSTI2024

Techno-economic and life-cycle analysis of strategies for improving operability and biomass quality in catalytic fast pyrolysis of forest residues

Many of the challenges faced by the first commercial biorefineries were associated with feedstock handling, quality, and cost. Strategies are needed to enable further expansion of biorefineries and meet the growing demand for bio-based fuels and products. Here, we examine 2 key feedstock challenges and mitigation strategies in the context of a catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) biorefinery: (1) the operability of the feed system, which may be improved by modifying the minimum particle size fed to the reactor, and (2) the quality of the biomass, which may be improved by employing air classification to remove undesirable material and increase fuel yields. We conduct techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle analysis for these strategies, employing a discrete event simulation model for biomass preprocessing combined with a series of correlations developed from literature data and a rigorous CFP conversion model. Our results highlight the importance of balancing increased cost and material losses from preprocessing against improved operability and fuel yields. Economics and sustainability were optimized when operating at the lowest minimum particle size, emphasizing the importance of minimizing material losses while maintaining the operability of the process. Economically, additional costs and material losses from air classification could be acceptable due to improved biomass conversion, and an optimum air classification speed was identified; however, the fuel GHG emissions were minimized when air classification was not used. Valorizing material removed during preprocessing as a coproduct could improve economics and sustainability, decreasing the burden of material losses.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Femtoscopic study of the proton-proton and proton-deuteron systems in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC

This work reports femtoscopic correlations of p – – p ($\overline{p}$ – – $\overline{p}$) and p – – d ($\overline{p}$ – – $\overline{d}$) pairs measured in Pb–Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV in the ALICE Collaboration. A fit to the measured proton-proton correlation functions allows one to extract the dependence of the nucleon femtoscopic radius of the particle-emitting source on the pair transverse mass (m T ) and on the average charge particle multiplicity $\langle$dN ch /dη$\rangle$ 1/3 for three centrality intervals (0–10%, 10 – – 30 %, 30 – – 50 %). In both cases, the expected power-law and linear scalings are observed, respectively. The measured p–d correlations can be described by both two- and three-body calculations, indicating that the femtoscopy observable is not sensitive to the short-distance features of the dynamics of the p-(p-n) system, due to the large inter-particle distances in Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC. Indeed, in this study, the minimum measured femtoscopic source sizes for protons and deuterons have a minimum value at 2.73$^{+0.05}_{–0.05}$ and 3.10$^{+1.04}_{–0.86}$ fm, respectively, for the 30–50% centrality collisions. Moreover, the m T -scaling obtained for the p–p and p–d systems is compatible within 1σ of the uncertainties. These findings provide new input for fundamental studies on the production of light (anti)nuclei under extreme conditions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Complex exposure-burial history and Pleistocene sediment recycling in the dead sea rift with implications for the age of the Acheulean site of ‘Ubeidiya

Here, we present early Pleistocene burial ages of the ‘Ubeidiya Formation sediments in the Jordan Valley, a segment of the Dead Sea Rift Valley. A minimum age of ∼1.1 Ma is constrained both by paleomagnetic analysis and U-Pb dating of Melanopsis shells. Simple cosmogenic burial ages (i.e., one very long exposure period followed by one period of burial) calculated from the ratios of 26 Al to 10 Be and 10 Be concentrations indicate ages of ∼3 Ma, contradicting the geological and paleomagnetic constraints as well as a reasonable age of the ‘Ubeidiya archeological site, as it contains human remains. A more sophisticated way of treating the results, by combining numerical modeling of cosmogenic nuclide build up during repeated burial-exposure cycles, paleomagnetic analysis (indicating reverse polarity) and a minimum burial age of 1.1 Ma set by U-Pb dating of Melanopsis shells, suggests two most probable time slots (1.19-1.77 and 1.93- 2.14 Ma) for the absolute age of the ‘Ubeidiya Formation. However, the skewed distribution of cosmogenic isotope burial ages, with a median age of 2.05 Ma, indicates a much higher probability of the older ages, most likely >1.9 Ma. The exposure-burial history that emerges from the model implies recycling of sediments previously deposited and buried in the rift valley, between 4.5 and 3.2 Ma, and subsequently exhumed, eroded, transported and then redeposited along the ‘Ubeidiya paleo lake shoreline.

Acheulean↗