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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 91 records · Page 5

High-precision mass measurement of Si 24 and a refined determination of the r p process at the A = 22 waiting point

We report a high-precision mass measurement of 24 Si, performed with the Low Energy Beam and Ion Trap (LEBIT) facility at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The atomic mass excess, 10 753.8 (37) keV, is a factor of 5 more precise than previous results. This substantially reduces the uncertainty of the 23 Al(p ,γ) 24 Si reaction rate, which is a key part of the rapid proton capture (rp) process powering type I x-ray bursts. Furthermore, the updated rate constrains the onset temperature of the (α,p) process at the 22 Mg waiting point to a precision of 9%.

20 ≤ A ≤ 38↗

High-Precision Low-Cost Micro Birdbath Resonating Gyroscope (CRADA Final Report)

As part of the Cyclotron Road program, Enertia Microsystems Inc. (EMI) investigated a high-performance micro mechanical resonator called the micro birdbath resonator and a high-precision micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope called the birdbath resonator gyroscope (BRG). The BRG is a novel fused-silica MEMS gyroscope. The BRG can obtain significantly greater accuracy, comparable size, and comparable cost with MEMS gyroscopes made of silicon that are currently on the market.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

High-precision shock equation of state measurements for metallic fluid carbon between 15 and 20 Mbar

Diamond is an efficient ablator material to convert the energy of high-power giant lasers into ablation pressure with applications for High-Energy-Density (HED) science, planetary science, and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) research at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Unfortunately, current theoretical equation of state models cannot reproduce all the observed experimental data in the multi-megabar regime particularly relevant for HED and ICF research. New experimental data on the behavior of carbon at extreme pressures and temperatures are, therefore, essential to improve our predictive capability to design and analyze dynamic compression experiments for HED or ICF research and build improved equation of state models in the future. In this paper, we report high-precision laser-driven shock compression measurements on diamond single crystals at the Omega Laser Facility. Using ultrafast Doppler optical Velocimetry Interferometer System for Any Reflector (VISAR) to track the leading shock front and a quartz plate as an in situ reference, we obtain relative pressure-density shock equation-of-state measurements between 15 and 20 Mbar with an impedance-matching procedure. We also report shock-and-release measurements in a spherical geometry at the NIF. The new data provide tight constraints on the compressibility of warm dense carbon along the Hugoniot of full density diamond, allowing us to discriminate between existing theoretical equation-of-state models. We find that both LLNL LEOS 9061 and LANL Sesame 7835 models capture well the shock compressibility in the explored range. LANL Sesame 7835 also reproduces well the observed shock-and-release behavior of diamond near 10–20 Mbar.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A modular apparatus for use in high-precision measurements of parity violation in polarized eV neutron transmission

We describe a modular apparatus for use in parity-violation measurements in epithermal neutron–nucleus resonances with high instantaneous neutron fluxes at the Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This apparatus is designed to conduct high-precision measurements of the parity-odd transmission asymmetry of longitudinally polarized neutrons through targets containing nuclei with p-wave neutron–nucleus resonances in the 0.1–10 eV energy regime and to accommodate a future search for time reversal violation in polarized neutron transmission through polarized nuclear targets. The apparatus consists of an adjustable neutron and gamma collimation system, a 3 He- 4 He ion chamber neutron flux monitor, two identical cryostats for target cooling, an adiabatic eV-neutron spin flipper, a near-unit efficiency 6 Li- 7 Li scintillation detector operated in current mode, a flexible CAEN data acquisition system, and a neutron spin filter based on spin-exchange optical pumping of 3 He gas. We describe the features of the apparatus design devoted to the suppression of systematic errors in parity-odd asymmetry measurements. We describe the configuration of the apparatus used to conduct a precision measurement of parity violation at the 0.7 eV p-wave resonance in 139 La which employs two identical 139 La targets, one to polarize the beam on the p-wave resonance using the weak interaction and one to analyze the polarization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Update on the High Precision Titration Method for Uranium Assay Supported by NBL Program Office

The NBL Program Office (NBL PO) has coordinated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to implement the High Precision Titration (HPT) method for uranium assay measurements. The measurement method has been successfully developed and qualified, therefore ORNL has progressed to performing analyzes critical to the mission of the NBL PO. The HPT method is vital to producing the next generation of certified reference materials for uranium assay and isotopic abundance. The work described here focused on establishing traceability of the method to the NIST SRM 136 potassium dichromate series, and focused on investigating small differences between SRM 136e and 136f. The NBL PO evaluated the history of all of its primary uranium reference materials, including CRM 112A natural uranium metal, and worked with NIST in investigating the small differences in the dichromate SRM’s. ORNL performed comparative experiments on SRM 136e and 136f using CRM 112A. The results of the experiment will be presented here, along with NBL PO’s plans to re-evaluate the CRM 112A certified uncertainty to comply with JCGM 100, “Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement.”

Rogers, Kayron↗

Airborne tunable diode laser sensor for high-precision concentration and flux measurements of carbon monoxide and methane

An airborne tunable diode laser instrument is described that is capable of operating in two measurement modes. One mode provides high precision (0.1 percent CH4; 1 percent CO) measurements of CH4 and CO with a 5 second response time, and a second mode achieves the very fast response time that is necessary to make airborne eddy correlation flux measurements. Examples of data from atmospheric expeditions of the Global Tropospheric Experiment are presented.

Sachse, G. W.↗

TEMImageNet training library and AtomSegNet deep-learning models for high-precision atom segmentation, localization, denoising, and deblurring of atomic-resolution images

Abstract Atom segmentation and localization, noise reduction and deblurring of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images with high precision and robustness is a challenging task. Although several conventional algorithms, such has thresholding, edge detection and clustering, can achieve reasonable performance in some predefined sceneries, they tend to fail when interferences from the background are strong and unpredictable. Particularly, for atomic-resolution STEM images, so far there is no well-established algorithm that is robust enough to segment or detect all atomic columns when there is large thickness variation in a recorded image. Herein, we report the development of a training library and a deep learning method that can perform robust and precise atom segmentation, localization, denoising, and super-resolution processing of experimental images. Despite using simulated images as training datasets, the deep-learning model can self-adapt to experimental STEM images and shows outstanding performance in atom detection and localization in challenging contrast conditions and the precision consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art two-dimensional Gaussian fit method. Taking a step further, we have deployed our deep-learning models to a desktop app with a graphical user interface and the app is free and open-source. We have also built a TEM ImageNet project website for easy browsing and downloading of the training data.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

The Mariner Mark II high precision scan actuator - Results of an options trade study covering pointing performance and system-wide impacts

Four actuators considered as candidates to meet the requirements of the Mariner Mark II high-precision scan platform are evaluated with respect to such criteria as the net effect on spacecraft mass, required power, cost, expected pointing performance, operational considerations, and necessary control complexity. A direct drive actuator is found to be the most suitable candidate. It is noted that for missions where reactionless actuation results in a lower spacecraft mass due to propellant savings, the option of using a platform mounted or spacecraft mounted reaction wheel for platform momentum compensation and spacecraft attitude control is attractive.

Schier, J. Alan↗

First direct 7 Be electron-capture $\mathrm{Q}$-value measurement toward high-precision searches for neutrino physics beyond the Standard Model

Here, we report the first direct measurement of the nuclear electron-capture (EC) decay Q value of 7 Be → 7 Li via high-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS). This was performed using the LEBIT Penning trap located at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory/Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (NSCL/FRIB) using the newly commissioned Batch-Mode Ion-Source (BMIS) to deliver the unstable 7 Be + samples. With a measured value of Q EC = 861.963(23) keV, this result is three times more precise than any previous determination of this quantity. This improved precision and accuracy of the 7 Be EC decay Q value is critical for ongoing experiments that measure the recoiling nucleus in this system as a signature to search for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) neutrino physics using 7 Be-doped superconducting sensors. This experiment has extended LEBIT capabilities, using the first low-energy beam delivered by BMIS at FRIB for PTMS, as well as measuring the lightest-mass isotopes so far with LEBIT.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Development and Validation of High Precision Thermal, Mechanical, and Optical Models for the Space Interferometry Mission

SIM Planetquest (SIM) is a large optical interferometer for making microarcsecond measurements of the positions of stars, and to detect Earth-sized planets around nearby stars. To achieve this precision, SIM requires stability of optical components to tens of picometers per hour. The combination of SIM s large size (9 meter baseline) and the high stability requirement makes it difficult and costly to measure all aspects of system performance on the ground. To reduce risks, costs and to allow for a design with fewer intermediate testing stages, the SIM project is developing an integrated thermal, mechanical and optical modeling process that will allow predictions of the system performance to be made at the required high precision. This modeling process uses commercial, off-the-shelf tools and has been validated against experimental results at the precision of the SIM performance requirements. This paper presents the description of the model development, some of the models, and their validation in the Thermo-Opto-Mechanical (TOM3) testbed which includes full scale brassboard optical components and the metrology to test them at the SIM performance requirement levels.

astronomy↗

A tutorial assessment of atmospheric height uncertainties for high-precision satellite altimeter missions to monitor ocean currents

Information from a number of sources is synthesized, and an error budget is deduced giving the projected overall height uncertainty correction for a suggested next-generation high-precision radar altimeter. Uncertainties deriving from the wet and dry troposphere, clouds, and the ionosphere are reviewed. It is assumed that the next generation of precision altimeters will be dual-frequency (13.5 and 6 GHz) and will be designed to correct for the ionospheric error. The altimeter-carrying satellite will have a nadir pointing near coincident-beam dual-frequency microwave radiometer for mitigating the wet tropospheric uncertainty. Whereas there are a number of caveats, the combined uncertainty in the height correction due to the atmosphere for the suggested system should be nominally 3 cm rms compared with at least 6 cm associated with the Seasat-A mission. Improvements in height resolution of the kind discussed here are considered vital for future satellite missions designed to monitor ocean currents.

Goldhirsh, J.↗

Development of Metallic Magnetic Calorimeters for High Precision Measurements of Calorimetric Re-187 and Ho-163 Spectra

The measurement of calorimetric spectra following atomic weak decays, beta (b) and electron capture (EC), of nuclides having a very low Q-value, can provide an impressively high sensitivity to a non-vanishing neutrino mass. The achievable sensitivity in this kind of experiments is directly connected to the performance of the used detectors. In particular an energy resolution of a few eV and a pulse formation time well below 1 microsecond are required. Low temperature Metallic Magnetic Calorimeters (MMCs) for soft X-rays have already shown an energy resolution of 2.0 eV FWHM and a pulse rise-time of about 90 ns for fully micro-fabricated detectors. We present the use of MMCs for high precision measurements of calorimetric spectra following the beta-decay of Re-187 and the EC of Ho-163. We show results obtained with detectors optimized for Re-187 and for Ho-163 experiments respectively. While the detectors equipped with superconducting Re absorbers have not yet reached the aimed performance, a first detector prototype with a Au absorber having implanted Ho-163 ions already shows excellent results. An energy resolution of 12 eV FWHM and a rise time of 90 ns were measured.

Ranitzsch, P. C.-O.↗

High-precision buffer circuit for suppression of regenerative oscillation

Precision analog signal conditioning electronics have been developed for wind tunnel model attitude inertial sensors. This application requires low-noise, stable, microvolt-level DC performance and a high-precision buffered output. Capacitive loading of the operational amplifier output stages due to the wind tunnel analog signal distribution facilities caused regenerative oscillation and consequent rectification bias errors. Oscillation suppression techniques commonly used in audio applications were inadequate to maintain the performance requirements for the measurement of attitude for wind tunnel models. Feedback control theory is applied to develop a suppression technique based on a known compensation (snubber) circuit, which provides superior oscillation suppression with high output isolation and preserves the low-noise low-offset performance of the signal conditioning electronics. A practical design technique is developed to select the parameters for the compensation circuit to suppress regenerative oscillation occurring when typical shielded cable loads are driven.

Tripp, John S.↗

High-precision x-ray timing of three millisecond pulsars with NICER: Stability estimates and comparison with radio

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) is an X-ray astrophysics payload on the International Space Station. It enables unprecedented high-precision timing of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) without the pulse broadening and delays due to dispersion and scattering within the interstellar medium that plague radio timing. We present initial timing results from a year of data on the MSPs PSR B1937+21 and PSR J0218+4232, and nine months of data on PSR B1821−24. NICER time-of-arrival uncertainties for the three pulsars are consistent with theoretical lower bounds and simulations based on their pulse shape templates and average source and background photon count rates. To estimate timing stability, we use the σz measure, which is based on the average of the cubic coefficients of polynomial fits to subsets of timing residuals. So far we are achieving timing stabilities σz≈3×10−14 for PSR B1937+21 and on the order of 10−12 for PSRs B1821−24 and J0218+4232. Within the span of our NICER data we do not yet see the characteristic break point in the slope of σz; detection of such a break would indicate that further improvement in the cumulative root-mean-square timing residual is limited by timing noise. We see this break point in our comparison radio data sets for PSR B1821−24 and PSR B1937+21 on timescales of >2 yr.

Pulsars↗

High-precision Galaxy Clustering Predictions from Small-volume Hydrodynamical Simulations via Control Variates

Abstract Cosmological simulations of galaxy formation are an invaluable tool for understanding galaxy formation and its impact on cosmological parameter inference from large-scale structures. However, their high computational cost is a significant obstacle for running simulations that probe cosmological volumes comparable to those analyzed by contemporary large-scale structure experiments. In this work, we explore the possibility of obtaining high-precision galaxy clustering predictions from small-volume hydrodynamical simulations such as MillenniumTNG and FLAMINGO via control variates. In this approach, the hydrodynamical full-physics simulation is paired with a matched low-resolution gravity-only simulation. By learning the galaxy–halo connection from the hydrodynamical simulation and applying it to the gravity-only counterpart, one obtains a galaxy population that closely mimics the one in the more expensive simulation. One can then construct an estimator of galaxy clustering that combines the clustering amplitudes in the small-volume hydrodynamical and gravity-only simulations with clustering amplitudes in a large-volume gravity-only simulation. Depending on the galaxy sample, clustering statistic, and scale, this galaxy clustering estimator can have an effective volume of up to around 100 times the volume of the original hydrodynamical simulation in the nonlinear regime. With this approach, we can construct galaxy clustering predictions from existing simulations that are precise enough for mock analyses of next-generation large-scale structure surveys such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Doytcheva, Alexandra (ORCID:0009000111254888)↗

Optical Alignment of the High-Precision UV Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP2)

Chromospheric LAyer Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP2) is our next sounding rocket experiment after the success of Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP1). CLASP2 is scheduled to launch in 2019, and aims to achieve high precision measurements of the linear and circular polarizations in the Mg II h & k lines near the 280 nm, whose line cores originate in the upper solar chromosphere. The CLASP2 spectro-polarimeter follows very successful design concept of the CLASP1 instrument with the minimal modification. A new grating was fabricated with the same radius of curvature as the CLASP1 grating, but with a different ruling density. This allows us to essentially reuse the CLASP1 mechanical structures and layout of the optics. However, because the observing wavelength of CLASP2 is twice longer than that of CLASP1, a magnifier optical system was newly added in front of the cameras to double the focal length of CLASP2 in order to maintain the same wavelength resolution as CLASP1 (0.01 nm). Meanwhile, a careful optical alignment of the specto-polarimeter is required to reach the 0.01 nm wavelength resolution. Therefore, we established an efficient alignment procedure for the CLASP2 spectro-polarimeter based on an experience of CLASP1. Here, we explain in detail the methods for achieving the optical alignment of the CLASP2 spectro-polarimeter and discuss our results by comparing with the performance requirements.

chromosphere; polarimetry; sounding rocket↗

High-Precision Temperature Control of a Crystal Growth Furnace at 1,500 C

For crystal growth of semiconductor materials a short-term temperature stability of 0.1 C at 1500 C is one of the essential parameters to be addressed for achieving high-quality crystals. Hence, for temperature monitoring and control with high precision in a floating zone furnace two sets of thermo-sensors, type B thermocouples and optical fibre thermometers, have been implemented and successfully operated in the furnace for more than 2000 h. The optical fibre thermometers consist of an optical system made of sapphire (two fibres plus a prism in between for deflection) and transmit the infra-red radiation of the heater to the outside of the hot core of the furnace for pyrometric temperature measurement. A dedicated control algorithm has been set up which controlled the power settings to the individual heaters. Both sensor types showed no degradation after this period and yielded a short-term stability at 1200 C of 0.05 C (optical fibre thermometers), respectively 0.08 C (thermocouples).

Stenzel, Ch.↗