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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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873 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

A Permanently Porous Chalcogen-Bonded Organic Framework

The nature of connectivity between constituent atomic or molecular building blocks is fundamental in shaping the properties and functionality of materials. The extrapolation of emergent interatomic interactions to enable functional materials has driven transformative technological advancements. However, the bonding interactions used in material design have been largely static since the emergence of dynamic covalent chemistry ~30 years ago. Here we demonstrate that non-covalent chalcogen bonding (Ch-bonding) is a distinct mode of interatomic connectivity for constructing functional materials by design. This is established by leveraging self-complementary assembly of 1,2,5-telluradiazole moieties to construct a honeycomb-type permanently porous Ch-bonded organic framework, assembled and stabilized solely through non-covalent Te...N contacts. Empirical and computational studies of electronic structure, structural healing and lattice dynamics highlight the pi-type electronic communication, controlled assembly and modulated lattice dynamics in Trip3Tez-I arising directly from the unique nature of the Te...N Ch-bonding that holds substantial implications for next generation crystalline semiconductors. In addition to introducing a distinct class of permanently porous frameworks, this work establishes Ch-bonding as a programmable molecular tool for constructing functional materials with distinct properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Direct Observation of Vortex Liquid Droplets in the Iron Pnictide Superconductor CaKFe 4 As 4 at 0.5T c

Type-II superconductors under magnetic fields remain in a quantum-coherent, non-dissipative state as long as vortices are pinned. Dissipation emerges when vortices depin, a process often driven by thermal fluctuations and commonly associated with a melting transition from a vortex solid to a vortex liquid. Macroscopic experiments almost always observe this transition close to the superconducting critical temperature 𝑇 𝑐 . However, how the vortex solid responds to thermal fluctuations at the scale of individual vortices, far below the melting transition, remains largely unexplored. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to directly visualize vortices in the iron-based superconductor CaKFe 4 ⁢As 4 (𝑇 𝑐 ≈35 K ). We observe the formation of vortex liquid droplets—spatially localized regions where vortices exhibit strong thermal fluctuations—at temperatures as low as 0.5 𝑇 𝑐 . These results demonstrate that the onset of dissipation at the local scale occurs at temperatures significantly below 𝑇𝑐 in type-II superconductors, revealing a previously unrecognized regime of vortex dynamics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Power performance and loads characterization of laboratory-scale cross-flow rotors fabricated using additive manufacturing

Tidal energy conversion is a relatively new application for additive manufacturing (AM), where the focus has been on fabricating axial-flow turbine blades. AM techniques add material precisely where it is needed, creating more complex shapes with less waste. Cross-flow rotor geometry presents an opportunity for AM to improve rotor performance by fabricating features that cannot be created economically via conventional manufacturing. The challenges associated with using AM in cross-flow design include water resistance and degradation over time while retaining a level of quality equivalent to conventionally machined parts. In this work, AM materials were tested by environmentally conditioning samples in a seawater tank for 5 months, followed by performance and phase-resolved load testing of laboratory-scale rotors in a hydraulic flume. We found that while metals like titanium and Inconel have excellent performance in marine environments, achieving the desired geometry and performance is difficult. Thermoplastics degraded in seawater but were easier to form into desired geometries and could exceed the performance of an aluminum control rotor. Warping and surface finish were significant detractors from AM rotor performance. These results suggest that the primary benefits of using AM for cross-flow rotors is to quickly fabricate and test unconventional rotor geometries.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

EvoDiffMol: evolutionary diffusion framework for 3D molecular design with optimized properties

Designing molecules with specific target properties remains a fundamental challenge in computational chemistry. While existing approaches show promise, most rely on simplified representations like SMILES strings or 2D graphs that lack essential three-dimensional geometric information. We present EvoDiffMol, a computational framework that integrates evolutionary algorithms with three-dimensional diffusion models for property-driven molecular generation. The method operates through adaptive evolutionary optimization, where population-based selection guides the generation process toward desired property landscapes. EvoDiffMol supports both unconstrained molecular design and scaffold-constrained generation that preserves fixed substructures while optimizing complementary regions. Comprehensive evaluation demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving the highest drug-likeness score (0.94) among all compared state-of-the-art methods while maintaining excellent validity, uniqueness, and novelty. Beyond single property optimization, the framework demonstrates flexible multi-property optimization capabilities, simultaneously controlling multiple molecular descriptors including synthetic accessibility, lipophilicity, topological polar surface area, and clinically relevant ADMET properties such as cardiotoxicity (hERG) and intestinal permeability (Caco-2). This adaptability spans from simple descriptors to practical pharmaceutical endpoints without requiring complete model retraining. The framework achieves precise control over target property values, generating molecules with properties closely matching specified targets for both single and multiple descriptors. Scaffold-constrained experiments preserve fixed molecular cores while maintaining effective property optimization. The three-dimensional representation offers advantages in maintaining structural validity during iterative optimization, with potential for geometry-aware applications in materials science and drug discovery.

3D molecular generation↗
DOE OSTI2026

SAM Code Enhancements for Fission Product Tracking of Noble Gases and Metals in MSRs

This report documents fiscal year 2026 enhancements to the System Analysis Module (SAM) for modeling fission product transport in liquid-fueled molten salt reactors (MSRs). The work advances three principal areas: noble gas transport, noble metal deposition, and user interface improvements. The noble gas transport capability integrates drift-flux gas transport, Henry’s law two-film interphase mass transfer with pressure-based nucleation suppression, Knudsen-regime pore diffusion into porous graphite with a conjugate salt-graphite interface constraint, built-in material properties, five Sherwood-number mass transfer correlations including three derived from high-fidelity NekRS simulations, and xenon-135 reactivity feedback through SAM’s point-kinetics model. This work also presents a comprehensive verification test suite, including new analytically verified cases for pressure-dependent onset of interphase gas transfer in a stagnant vertical pipe, a postulated FLiBe-graphite Xe extraction permeator, a gravity riser with a fission-product source, and a descending pipe with gas redissolution driven by hydrostatic pressure. A machine learning framework for bubble rise velocity prediction in molten salt systems is developed and benchmarked on molten-salt and diverse aqueous bubble datasets. The best-performing fine-tuned transfer-learning networks achieve an 82% reduction in RMSE relative to the Clift correlation, and is implemented directly in SAM. The noble metal transport capability is developed, including a liquid-wall deposition model and a gas-surface flotation mechanism that transfers insoluble particles entrained by sparging gas to wetted structures. Verification tests and demonstration cases cover the surface deposition, flotation efflux, and flotation shedding. Finally, a new [SpeciesTransport] input structure replaces positional global vectors with selfcontained, order-independent, named species blocks, simplifies the specification of multiphase species and decay chains, and remains fully compatible with existing SAM input files. Together, these developments improve the physical fidelity, verification basis, and usability of SAM for system-level analyses of fissionproduct behavior in MSRs.

Mui, Travis (ORCID:0000000303736470)↗
DOE OSTI2026

The gas-phase mass–metallicity relation of dwarf galaxies across large-scale environments using the CAVITY parent sample

Context. The gas-phase mass–metallicity relation (MZR) of galaxies shows a noticeable break in slope and an increased scatter at low stellar masses, suggesting that the physical processes governing chemical enrichment differ between dwarf and high-mass systems. Dwarf galaxies, in particular, are highly susceptible to both internal and environmental mechanisms due to their shallow potential wells. Aims. The primary aim of this work is to assess whether a single, universal MZR can describe dwarf galaxies across diverse large-scale environments, or whether systematic environmental variations emerge. To probe these, we examine the MZR and star formation rate (SFR) of dwarf galaxies with stellar masses in the range of 8.9 < log(M ★ /M ⊙ ) < 9.5. Methods. Using optical spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we measured the fluxes of key emission lines via the pyPipe3D full spectral fitting pipeline. Aperture-corrected fluxes, along with multiple metallicity indicators and calibrations, were used to derive the MZR and the SFR for 353, 311, and 22 dwarf galaxies located in voids, filaments, and clusters, respectively. Results. We find a systematic variation in the MZR slope, steeper in voids (0.28 ± 0.03) and progressively flatter in clusters (0.17 ± 0.08), indicating a dependence of the MZR on the large-scale environment in this mass regime. When galaxies are separated by local density, no significant differences are observed between isolated and non-isolated dwarfs in voids. Isolated dwarf galaxies in filaments also exhibit properties similar to those of their counterparts in voids. However, non-isolated filament galaxies exhibit similar MZR slopes comparable to those of cluster dwarfs and flatter slopes than their counterparts in voids. Conclusions. We report both large- and local-scale environmental dependencies in the gas-phase metallicity and in the slope of the MZR for dwarf galaxies. Consistent with the general consensus on the pre-processing of galaxies in filaments, our results indicate that the influence of the local environment becomes increasingly significant within the filamentary regions of the cosmic web, affecting the chemical enrichment and star formation activity of low-mass systems. These findings further suggest that a portion of the scatter commonly observed in the MZR of dwarf galaxies arises from environmental effects.

Bidaran, Bahar [Dpto. de Física Teórica y del Cosm↗
DOE OSTI2026

Giant Exfoliation Induced Magnetic Coercivity in Fe 3 GaTe 2

Permanent magnets with strong anisotropy and high coercivity underpin modern information and energy technologies, yet rare-earth-free alternatives remain limited. Here, we show that thickness engineering via mechanical exfoliation induces hard magnetic behavior in the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe 3 GaTe 2 . Bulk crystals exhibit Curie temperatures above 350 K but negligible room-temperature coercivity. When thinned below ∼100 nm, the coercive field is dramatically enhanced, reaching nearly 1 T at room temperature for in-plane fields—comparable to conventional hard magnets. Micromagnetic analysis reveals a crossover in magnetization reversal from domain-mediated processes in bulk samples to quasi-coherent rotation in thin flakes, driven by increased effective anisotropy and suppressed domain formation. This thickness-dependent transition enables tuning of magnetic hardness without chemical modification. Combined with high saturation magnetization and robust room-temperature performance, Fe 3 GaTe 2 emerges as a promising rare-earth-free material for spintronic applications. Its layered structure further allows integration into van der Waals heterostructures, where large in-plane coercivity can stabilize magnetic states against perturbations and interlayer coupling, offering potential for high-density nonvolatile memory and domain-wall-based devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Roadmap and Benchmarking: Privacy in Federated Load Forecasting

Data-driven techniques for energy demand forecasting continue to emerge with promising impacts on distribution grid planning. However, the development of robust and generalizable machine learning models requires that representative high quality training data are available. Distributed energy resources have begun to embed intelligence, gathering large amounts of data on customer demand, behavior, and household devices that are connected to the grid. Though utilities aggregate meter-level demand data for load shaping, demand response, outage management, reliability planning, and billing applications, there lies an inherent privacy concern in sharing consumption data that may identify individual consumer behavioral patterns. Hence, while sharing the data is crucial, the private sensitive customer data must be safeguarded from being exposed or manipulated. In this study, we propose a roadmap for implementing a based privacy preserving framework to support the advancement of data-driven analytics in data-sensitive distributed energy resources environments. The roadmap incorporates federated learning–a distributed training framework, differential privacy–a statistical framework that provides guarantees to safeguard the leakage of sensitive data, secure multiparty computation and homomorphic encryption– techniques for encrypting model gradients and applying secure aggregation on the server. Moreover, we perform baseline experiments on the federated short-term load forecasting (STLF) task using open-source residential load profile datasets, offering insights into the challenges of integrating differential privacy into federated learning.

Abebe, Waqwoya [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORN↗
DOE OSTI1991

Recommendations for Establishing Local Rural Electrification Programs Using Photovoltaic Systems [Recomendaciones Para la Implantacidn de Programas Locales de Electrificacidn Rural con Sistemas Fotovoltaicos]

Photovoltaic (PV) technology is becoming one the best options for supplying electricity to rural communities far from electrical networks and which have a small and disperse demand for electricity. As the cost of the technology goes down and its development advances, opportunities for applying it continue to grow. As a result, in the near future we will probably see an increase in massive application programs of this technology in rural Mexico. This document presents some of the most relevant problems needing immediate solution to increase the possibility of success in establishing photovoltaic programs for rural electrification in Mexico. These problems are influenced by economic, technological, engineering, infrastructural, social and political issues. The paper presents the requirements for an industrial center based on PV technology, the accessibility of replacement parts and maintenance service, development of financial solutions, training of the users and introducing norms and technical regulations. The document summarizes the issue of rural electrification in Mexico, emphasizing the low population density in these areas. A brief description is given of photovoltaics showing different configurations that can be utilized for supplying electricity to the rural areas. The issues involved and recommendations for introducing PV systems to the rural area are described.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Maintenance strategy, structural design, and site layout of the ST-E1 fusion power plant

An effective fusion reactor maintenance scheme enables safe operations and short downtimes. This in turn leads to high availability, which is critical to the commercial viability of a power-producing plant. In tokamak-based fusion power plants, the chosen maintenance approach has a significant impact on the spatial design of the tokamak, as well as the surrounding infrastructure, and therefore needs to be considered from the outset. Tokamak Energy has developed a pre-concept design of a fusion power plant, ST-E1. This work describes the major drivers and constraints that have been considered, presents the tokamak architecture and chosen maintenance regime, and discusses how this enables the plant’s two-phased approach to demonstrating commercial operations. It also shows the implications for the design of other systems areas, in particular the machine structural arrangement and bioshield and hot cell layout. The reactor core segmentation and removal scheme replaces entire toroidal segments radially through a large vacuum port, along a single axis only. The result is a change-tolerant machine and plant layout that can accommodate the evolving designs of the tokamak.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

The ABCs of phase retrieval: Connecting the acronyms of scanning transmission electron microscopy

High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) is an indispensable tool for characterizing the structure and properties of materials down to the atomic scale. Conventional S/TEM imaging, however, is limited by the phase problem, whereby the phase of the electron exit wave is lost upon detection. Recent advances in diffractive imaging and 4D-STEM have enabled a range of phase-retrieval techniques that computationally reconstruct the missing information encoded in the phase of the transmission function. These approaches offer improved dose efficiency and enhanced sensitivity to weakly scattering signals, extending quantitative imaging to beam-sensitive materials composed of light elements. In this work, we introduce the phase problem in electron microscopy and survey the diverse landscape of phase-retrieval techniques used in the field. Despite their many acronyms and algorithmic variations, these techniques share a common physical and mathematical foundation. We present a unified framework that connects these seemingly distinct methods, from parallax imaging and tilt-corrected bright-field (tcBF-STEM), to aberration-corrected bright-field (acBF-STEM), optimum bright-field (OBF-STEM) and single-sideband (SSB) ptychography, as well as first-moment integrated center of mass techniques (iCOM) and iterative ptychographic algorithms. Based on these insights, we discuss the opportunities and practical limitations of applying these methods across different materials systems, detector designs, and microscope configurations.Graphical abstractRepresentative electron microscopy configurations used for phase retrieval and diffractive imaging in S/TEM: (a) Zernike phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM), (b) small-convergence-angle four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) for nanobeam-based phase reconstruction methods, and (c) large-convergence-angle 4D-STEM for ptychographic and related diffractive imaging techniques reviewed in this work.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Optical transparency of LiF (100) shock compressed to ∼360 GPa

High-purity [100] lithium fluoride (LiF) is the most widely used optical window in dynamic compression experiments due to its wide bandgap and well-characterized mechanical response. Recent plate-impact experiments established the [100] LiF Hugoniot to ∼230 GPa and demonstrated shock-induced melting onset at 182 GPa with complete melting by 195 GPa; theoretical models predict LiF optical transparency to nearly 900 GPa. To experimentally examine the optical transparency of [100] LiF at higher pressures and in the liquid state, laser-driven shock experiments were performed at peak stresses ranging from 223 to 363 GPa. Optical response was examined by measuring the particle velocity histories at the Kapton/LiF interface using laser interferometry at 532 and 1550 nm wavelengths; in-material particle velocities were obtained using established refractive-index corrections. Continuous photonic Doppler velocimetry fringes were observed across the entire stress range, demonstrating that LiF remains transparent to 1550 nm light throughout the multi-megabar regime investigated. At 532 nm, fringe visibility depended on the reflector coating: aluminum mirrors provided signals to ∼235 GPa, while gold mirrors extended this limit to 270.5 GPa, indicating that the shorter-wavelength response is likely sensitive to experimental configuration rather than to the loss of LiF transparency. Continued optical transparency to at least 360 GPa indicates that shock-melted LiF does not display bandgap closure over the stress range explored. Furthermore, these results provide direct experimental constraints on the high-pressure optical response and establish LiF (100) as a robust optical window material for laser-driven dynamic compression experiments approaching 400 GPa.

Renganathan, P. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Landmark Publications in Analytical Atomic Spectrometry: Fundamentals and Instrumentation Development

The almost-two-centuries history of spectrochemical analysis has generated a body of literature so vast that it has become nearly intractable for experts, much less for those wishing to enter the field. Authoritative, focused reviews help to address this problem but become so granular that the overall directions of the field are lost. This broader perspective can be provided partially by general overviews but then the thinking, experimental details, theoretical underpinnings, and instrumental innovations of the original work must be sacrificed. In the present compilation, this dilemma is overcome by assembling the most impactful publications in the area of analytical atomic spectrometry. Each entry was proposed by at least one current expert in the field and supported by a narrative that justifies its inclusion. The entries were then assembled into a coherent sequence and returned to contributors for a round-robin review. A total of 48 scientists participated in this endeavor, contributing a combined list of 1055 individual articles spanning 17 sub-disciplines of spectrochemical analysis into what the current community views as “key” publications. Of these cited articles, 60 received nominations from four or more scientists, establishing them as the most indispensable reading materials. The outcome of this collaborative effort is intended to serve as a valuable resource not only for current practitioners in atomic spectroscopy but also for present and future students who represent coming generations of analytical atomic spectroscopists.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2025

The phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics in one dimension on a quantum computer

The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram, which reveals the state of strongly interacting matter at different temperatures and densities, is key to answering open questions in physics, ranging from the behaviour of particles in neutron stars to the conditions of the early universe. However, classical simulations of QCD face significant computational barriers, such as the sign problem at finite matter densities. Quantum computing offers a promising solution to overcome these challenges. Here, we take an important step toward exploring the QCD phase diagram with quantum devices by preparing thermal states in one-dimensional non-Abelian gauge theories. We experimentally simulate the thermal states of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories at finite densities on a trapped-ion quantum computer using a variational method. This is achieved by introducing two features: Firstly, we add motional ancillae to the existing qubit register to efficiently prepare thermal probability distributions. Secondly, we introduce charge-singlet measurements to enforce colour-neutrality constraints. This work pioneers the quantum simulation of QCD at finite density and temperature for two and three colours, laying the foundation to explore QCD phenomena on quantum platforms.

Quantum information↗
DOE OSTI2026

Elucidating the impact of stress states on grain boundary passivation in Ni-5Cr using the Rhines pack method

The oxidation behavior of a Ni–5Cr (at.%) alloy was evaluated at 420 ° C using the Rhines pack method and simultaneous tensile and compressive stress states via a miniature four-point bending fixture. At this moderate temperature, grain boundaries dominate mass transport and the resulting oxidation response. Oxidation produced approximately 1μ⁢m-wide protective Cr 2 O 3 films capping some grain boundaries and penetrative, intergranular Cr-rich oxides at other grain boundaries. Externally applied tensile and compressive stress during oxidation increased the prevalence of Cr 2 O 3 cap formation compared to no applied stress, with tensile stress resulting in more Cr 2 O 3 caps than compressive stress. The observed oxide cap morphology was similar across all test conditions. Regions under compressive stress showed an order of magnitude greater Cr depletion depth along the grain boundary. Chromium nitrides (CrN), likely from N contamination of the Rhines pack cell, were observed both at the oxide–metal interface and intergranularly within the alloy. Collectively these results demonstrate that applied stress promotes localized protective oxide cap formation over grain boundaries, with compressive stress additionally promoting deeper Cr depletion. Furthermore the experimental approach helped separate out the effects of stress on local oxide formation and grain boundary passivation.

4 point bend↗
DOE OSTI2026

Numerical-heating effects in atmospheric pressure streamer discharges simulated with a PIC code

Artificial heating in plasma simulations is a well-known phenomenon which occurs when, among other things, the Debye length is poorly resolved by the simulation mesh. Here, in this work, the degree to which numerical-heating occurs during a simulation of a nanosecond atmospheric pressure streamer discharge is examined. The streamer is simulated using a two-dimensional finite-element, particle-in-cell code Empire, which uses direct simulation Monte Carlo for binary particle interactions. Initially, an estimate of the numerical-heating rate applied to Empire is performed using a simple plasma model. Second, a positive atmospheric pressure streamer discharge simulation is performed to study the effects of numerical heating on plasma density, electron temperature, and streamer velocity. The nominal Debye length is approximately 1 μm and the amount of numerical heating introduced in the simulation is varied by using mesh sizes ranging from 2 μm to 20 μm. A measurable numerical heating quantity is proposed that can be used to estimate the appropriate element size and quantify the numerical-heating that can be expected over the simulation time for an atmospheric pressure streamer. In conclusion while Δx/λ D violations can be an issue it is not likely to be an issue with streamer discharges that are temporally short and occur in environments where collision frequencies are high. This result validates the rationale of grid size choices for a large amount of previously published works where Δx/λ D violation was not clearly addressed. Primary finding of this work is that numerical heating is of minor concern for plasma simulations where electron–neutral collisions are numerous such that multiple collisions can occur within a single plasma period.

Nikic, Dejan [University of New Mexico, Albuquerqu↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integrated Simulation of Weld Residual Stress Evolution and Crack Propagation Using XFEM

Nuclear power plant components operate in environments that promote multiple degradation mecha- nisms, several of which involve crack initiation and growth. An ongoing effort in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program is developing a general capability within the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework for simulating three-dimensional crack growth under a range of driving conditions, including fatigue, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), brittle fracture, and stress-relaxation cracking. This report demonstrates an end-to-end workflow that uses this capability to model weld-residual-stress-driven SCC in the J-groove weld of a pressurized-water reactor control rod drive mechanism penetration in the vessel head. The workflow consists of a thermomechanical welding simulation with temperature-dependent plasticity, followed by cooldown to ambient conditions, and a restart of the simulation using the MOOSE extended finite element method (XFEM) module to propagate a three-dimensional crack through the residual stress field. New welding capabilities were developed to properly initialize newly activated elements in the weld region, and robustness improvements were made to the mesh-based algorithm for defining cutting planes in the 3D XFEM algorithm, allowing it to handle complex crack fronts and stress fields. Together these advances allowed the simulated SCC crack to grow from an initial elliptical flaw in the weld, across the weld, through the tube wall, and almost to the triple point (where the weld, tube, and reactor pressure vessel head intersect) over roughly 36 years of simulated service. These results demonstrate a workflow that can be extended to fully three-dimensional welding simulations and more complex crack interaction problems.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Active Asteroids Citizen Science Program: Overview and First Results

Abstract We present the Citizen Science program Active Asteroids and describe discoveries stemming from our ongoing project. Our NASA Partner program is hosted on the Zooniverse online platform and launched on 2021 August 31, with the goal of engaging the community in the search for active asteroids—asteroids with comet-like tails or comae. We also set out to identify other unusual active solar system objects, such as active Centaurs, active quasi-Hilda asteroids (QHAs), and Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). Active objects are rare in large part because they are difficult to identify, so we ask volunteers to assist us in searching for active bodies in our collection of millions of images of known minor planets. We produced these cutout images with our project pipeline that makes use of publicly available Dark Energy Camera data. Since the project launch, roughly 8300 volunteers have scrutinized some 430,000 images to great effect, which we describe in this work. In total, we have identified previously unknown activity on 15 asteroids, plus one Centaur, that were thought to be asteroidal (i.e., inactive). Of the asteroids, we classify four as active QHAs, seven as JFCs, and four as active asteroids, consisting of one main-belt comet (MBC) and three MBC candidates. We also include our findings concerning known active objects that our program facilitated, an unanticipated avenue of scientific discovery. These include discovering activity occurring during an orbital epoch for which objects were not known to be active, and the reclassification of objects based on our dynamical analyses.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗