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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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DOE OSTI2023

Proof-of-Principle Studies on Betatron-Oscillation Phase Tracking of a Single Electron (BOPTSE) in IOTA Run 3

We present a description and preliminary results of the proof-of-principle studies on betatron-oscillation phase tracking of a single electron in the Fermilab IOTA storage ring during Run 3 (2021). We describe the general principles of the experiment, the optical diagnostics setup, the configuration of the ring, a chronology of the studies, the structure of the measured data, and results of the preliminary analysis of the collected data. It was observed that the coherence time of betatron oscillations exceeds 60,000 turns. The betatron tune of the single electron was accurately measured and compared with that of electron bunches. In addition, chromaticity was extracted from the combined analysis of synchrotron oscillations and betatron phase tracking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Search for long-lived particles using displaced jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

An inclusive search is presented for long-lived particles using displaced jets. The search uses a data sample collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2017 and 2018, from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The results of this search are combined with those of a previous search using a data sample collected with the CMS detector in 2016, yielding a total integrated luminosity of 132 fb - 1 . The analysis searches for the distinctive topology of displaced tracks and displaced vertices associated with a dijet system. For a simplified model, where pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decay into quark-antiquark pairs, pair production cross sections larger than 0.07 fb are excluded at 95% confidence level (C.L.) for long-lived particle masses larger than 500 GeV and mean proper decay lengths between 2 and 250 mm. For a model where the standard model-like Higgs boson decays to two long-lived scalar particles that each decays to a quark-antiquark pair, branching fractions larger than 1% are excluded at 95% C.L. for mean proper decay lengths between 1 mm and 340 mm. A group of supersymmetric models with pair-produced long-lived gluinos or top squarks decaying into various final-state topologies containing displaced jets is also tested. Gluino masses up to 2500 GeV and top squark masses up to 1600 GeV are excluded at 95% C.L. for mean proper decay lengths between 3 and 300 mm. The highest lower bounds on mass reach 2600 GeV for long-lived gluinos and 1800 GeV for long-lived top squarks. These are the most stringent limits to date on these models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pulsed power to control growth of silicon nanoparticles in low temperature flowing plasmas

Low-temperature plasmas have seen increasing use for synthesizing high-quality, mono-disperse nanoparticles (NPs). Recent work has highlighted that an important process in NP growth in plasmas is particle trapping—small, negatively charged nanoparticles become trapped by the positive electrostatic potential in the plasma, even if only momentarily charged. In this article, results are discussed from a computational investigation into how pulsing the power applied to an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor may be used for controlling the size of NPs synthesized in the plasma. The model system is an ICP at 1 Torr to grow silicon NPs from an Ar/SiH 4 gas mixture. This system was simulated using a two-dimensional plasma hydrodynamics model coupled to a three-dimensional kinetic NP growth and trajectory tracking model. The effects of pulse frequency and pulse duty cycle are discussed. We identified separate regimes of pulsing where particles become trapped for one pulsed cycle, a few cycles, and many cycles—each having noticeable effects on particle size distributions. For the same average power, pulsing can produce a stronger trapping potential for particles when compared to continuous wave power, potentially increasing particle mono-dispersity. Pulsing may also offer a larger degree of control over particle size for the same average power. Experimental confirmation of predicted trends is discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Last Journey. I. An Extreme-scale Simulation on the Mira Supercomputer

The Last Journey is a large-volume, gravity-only, cosmological N-body simulation evolving more than 1.24 trillion particles in a periodic box with a side length of 5.025 Gpc. It was implemented using the HACC simulation and analysis framework on the BG/Q system Mira. The cosmological parameters are chosen to be consistent with the results from the Planck satellite. A range of analysis tools have been run in situ to enable a diverse set of science projects and, at the same time, keep the resulting data amount manageable. Analysis outputs have been generated starting at redshift z ~ 10 to allow for construction of synthetic galaxy catalogs using a semianalytic modeling approach in postprocessing. As part of our in situ analysis pipeline, we employ a new method for tracking halo substructures, introducing the concept of subhalo cores. The production of multiwavelength synthetic sky maps is facilitated by generating particle light cones in situ, also beginning at z ~ 10. We provide an overview of the simulation setup and generated data products; a first set of analysis results is presented. A subset of the data is publicly available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing Detector R&D for High-Pressure Gaseous Argon TPCs in Precision Neutrino Physics

High-pressure gaseous argon time projection chambers (HPgTPCs) represent an emerging detector paradigm for neutrino physics, combining increased target density with the intrinsic tracking and low thresholds of gaseous detectors. This approach enables detailed reconstruction of exclusive final states, improved particle identification, and sensitivity to low-energy and rare processes — capabilities that are increasingly central to precision oscillation measurements and searches for beyond-the-Standard-Model signatures. This abstract presents an overview of ongoing detector R&D toward high-pressure gaseous argon TPC operation, with emphasis on micro-pattern gas detector (MPGD) charge amplification in argon-based mixtures. We report experimental characterization of triple-GEM structures at pressures relevant for neutrino applications, including studies of multiplication factor scaling, stability, and operational voltage envelopes across gas admixtures. Measurements performed at the TOAD and GORG test stands at Fermilab help define viable amplification and electronics noise regimes in conditions where higher density imposes stricter constraints on signal formation. These results provide essential input to the optimization of high-pressure gaseous argon detectors for future neutrino experiments, including near-detector concepts such as ND-GAr in DUNE Phase II near detector upgrade. More broadly, this program shows how dedicated detector R&D can expand the precision frontier in neutrino physics by enabling complementary reconstruction capabilities beyond conventional detectors.

McConnell, Brenna [Indiana U.] (ORCID:000900041138↗
DOE OSTI2022

Two-particle Bose–Einstein correlations in ${ pp }$ collisions at $\mathbf {\sqrt{s} = 13}$ TeV measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

This paper presents studies of Bose–Einstein correlations (BEC) in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using data from the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Data were collected in a special low-luminosity configuration with a minimum-bias trigger and a high-multiplicity track trigger, accumulating integrated luminosities of 151 μb -1 and 8.4 nb -1 , respectively. The BEC are measured for pairs of like-sign charged particles, each with |η|<2.5, for two kinematic ranges: the first with particle p T >100 MeV and the second with particle p T >500 MeV. The BEC parameters, characterizing the source radius and particle correlation strength, are investigated as functions of charged-particle multiplicity (up to 300) and average transverse momentum of the pair (up to 1.5 GeV). The double-differential dependence on charged-particle multiplicity and average transverse momentum of the pair is also studied. The BEC radius is found to be independent of the charged-particle multiplicity for high charged-particle multiplicity (above 100), confirming a previous observation at lower energy. This saturation occurs independent of the transverse momentum of the pair.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cherenkov photon background for low-noise silicon detectors in space

Future space observatories dedicated to direct imaging and spectroscopy of extra-solar planets will require ultra-low-noise detectors that are sensitive over a broad range of wavelengths. Silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs), such as EMCCDs, Skipper CCDs, and Multi-Amplifier Sensing CCDs, have demonstrated the ability to detect and measure single photons from ultra-violet to near-infrared wavelengths, making them candidate technologies for this application. In this context, we study a relatively unexplored source of low-energy background coming from Cherenkov radiation produced by energetic charged particles traversing a silicon detector. In the intense radiation environment of space, energetic cosmic rays produce high-energy tracks and more extended halos of low-energy Cherenkov photons, which are detectable with ultra-low-noise detectors. We present a model of this effect that is calibrated to laboratory data, and we use this model to characterize the residual background rate for ultra-low noise silicon detectors in space. We find that the rate of cosmic-ray-induced Cherenkov photon production is comparable to other detector and astrophysical backgrounds that have previously been considered.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Neutrinos from the Galactic Center Hosting a Hypernova Remnant

Similar to star-forming galaxies or starburst galaxies, star-forming regions in our Galaxy can host cosmic-ray (CR) accelerators and rich gas as targets of hadronuclear interaction. By our estimations, the IceCube neutrino observatory might detect muon neutrinos from a CR accelerator associated with a molecular cloud complex in our Galaxy. The associated high-energy gamma-ray emission might be observed by the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory (HAWC), and Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Furthermore, taking the Galactic Center (GC) region as an example, we assume that a hypernova exploded in the past in the GC. We simulate the acceleration of CRs in the hypernova remnant (HNR) as well as their confinement and escape. The high-energy protons escape from the HNR, diffuse around the GC, interact with molecular clouds, and then produce gamma-rays and neutrinos. In the optimal cases, the GC would be a promising 100 TeV gamma-ray source for LHAASO’s one-month observation. We propose that neutrino-induced searching for starting track-like and high-energy starting events (HESEs) observed by IceCube, from the GC region with a radius of 1°.8, would help us discover the particle accelerator in the GC or constrain our models. Under the constraint from high-energy gamma-ray observations by the H.E.S.S. telescope, we estimate the exposure time needed to make a significant discovery for the optimal cases. The analysis combining observations of IceCube and ANTARES, starting track-like events and HESEs, future observations by neutrino detectors IceCube-Gen2 and KM3net, and gamma-ray telescopes CTA, HAWC, and LHAASO would help to constrain our models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Constructing high-fidelity halo merger trees in abacussummit

ABSTRACT Tracking the formation and evolution of dark matter haloes is a critical aspect of any analysis of cosmological N-body simulations. In particular, the mass assembly of a halo and its progenitors, encapsulated in the form of its merger tree, serves as a fundamental input for constructing semi-analytic models of galaxy formation and, more generally, for building mock catalogues that emulate galaxy surveys. We present an algorithm for constructing halo merger trees from abacussummit, the largest suite of cosmological N-body simulations performed to date consisting of nearly 60 trillion particles, and which has been designed to meet the Cosmological Simulation Requirements of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey. Our method tracks the cores of haloes to determine associations between objects across multiple time slices, yielding lists of halo progenitors and descendants for the several tens of billions of haloes identified across the entire suite. We present an application of these merger trees as a means to enhance the fidelity of abacussummit halo catalogues by flagging and ‘merging’ haloes deemed to exhibit non-monotonic past merger histories. We show that this cleaning technique identifies portions of the halo population that have been deblended due to choices made by the halo finder, but which could have feasibly been part of larger aggregate systems. We demonstrate that by cleaning halo catalogues in this post-processing step, we remove potentially unphysical features in the default halo catalogues, leaving behind a more robust halo population that can be used to create highly accurate mock galaxy realizations from abacussummit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

ETROC1: the first full chain precision timing prototype ASIC for CMS MTD endcap timing layer upgrade

We present the design and characterization of the first fullchain precision timing prototype ASIC, named ETL Readout Chipversion 1 (ETROC1) for the CMS MTD endcap timing layer (ETL)upgrade. The ETL utilizes Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) sensors todetect charged particles, with the goal to achieve a time resolutionof 40–50 ps per hit, and 30–40 ps per track with hits from twodetector layers. The ETROC1 is composed of a 5 × 5 pixelarray and peripheral circuits. The pixel array includes a4 × 4 active pixel array with an H-tree shaped networkdelivering clock and charge injection signals. Each active pixel iscomposed of various components, including a bump pad, a chargeinjection circuit, a pre-amplifier, a discriminator, adigital-to-analog converter, and a time-to-digital converter. Thesecomponents play essential roles as the front-end link in processingLGAD signals and measuring timing-related information. Theperipheral circuits provide clock signals and readoutfunctionalities. The size of the ETROC1 chip is7 mm× 9 mm. ETROC1 has been fabricated in a 65 nmCMOS process, and extensively tested under stimuli of chargeinjection, infrared laser, and proton beam. The time resolution ofbump-bonded ETROC1 + LGAD chipsets reaches 42–46 ps per hit in thebeam test.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Tracking Optical Phonon Dynamics in InP Nanocrystals via Transient Absorption and Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy

Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) offer actualized and prospective utility in optoelectronic technologies, yet key aspects of their thermal and vibrational behaviors remain unresolved. Compared with bulk crystals, heat dissipation involving NCs can differ substantially owing to pervasiveness of interfacial scattering, phonon confinement, and relaxed phonon momentum selection rules, as well as influences of ligands. Here, in addition to transient absorption, we use femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy to track nonequilibrium optical-phonon dynamics in InP NCs capped with myristic acid ligands and compare the same particles coated with a ZnS shell. We identify distinct phonon decay pathways in ligand-capped versus ZnS-shelled NCs. Increasing the excitation density and introducing the ZnS shell measurably modify optical-phonon lifetimes, whereas phonon formation times remain largely unchanged. In addition, we observe phonon mode softening in ligand-capped nanocrystals, consistent with lattice expansion. Together, these results demonstrate that core–shell structures can strongly govern nanocrystal thermal dissipation pathways and should be considered a key design parameter for optoelectronic operation.

dissipation↗
DOE OSTI2023

Uncertainty Analysis of the NOvA Test Beam Wire Chambers

The Fermilab Test Beam is a beam designed for R&D for a variety of experiments taking place at Fermilab, for instance the NOvA experiment. An essential component of the NOvA Test Beam is four wire chambers which measure the transverse position of particles travelling along the beamline. Occasionally, a particle will not produce a hit in one of the four wire chambers resulting in a “3 hit track” instead of the usual “4 hit track”. In our research, we explored the possibility of including these 3 hit tracks into analysis, and how they impact relevant statistics.

Scheuermann, Elizabeth↗