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ARCTRON: A Rapid Experimental Proving Ground for TPS Experiments and Arcjet Technology Development

Innovation in high-enthalpy facilities is fundamentally limited by the cost and risk of experimentation. New concepts for plasma control, diagnostics, facility components, and plasma-material interaction often require repeated iterations that are impractical to perform in production arcjets. As a result, promising ideas may remain unexplored or reach operational facilities only after significant development effort. ARCTRON is being developed as a rapid experimental proving ground where new ideas in plasma science, arcjet engineering, diagnostics, and material response can be conceived, tested, and quantitatively evaluated before transition to large-scale facilities. The platform combines radio-frequency (RF) and DC arc plasma generation, externally applied magnetic fields, configurable gas composition, reduced-pressure operation, laser heating, electrical biasing, and modular diagnostic access. These capabilities permit the plasma source, applied forcing, test article, and measurement configuration to be modified independently, allowing individual physical mechanisms to be isolated more readily than in a traditional test environment. One class of investigations addresses fundamental plasma-surface interaction physics. Conventional material tests often expose a specimen simultaneously to convective heating, reactive species, pressure, shear, radiation, and surface-current effects. The resulting material response may be measured accurately, while the contribution of each mechanism remains difficult to identify. ARCTRON is designed to vary these effects selectively. Plasma chemistry can be changed independently through configurable gas mixtures; magnetic fields and electrical biasing can modify charged-particle transport; laser heating can provide a non-plasma thermal input; and pressure, flow, and discharge mode can be varied over a broad operating space. This enables controlled tests of hypotheses involving surface catalycity, reactive-species transport, plasma-assisted oxidation, electromagnetic effects, shear, and the relative contributions of thermal and chemical loading. A second class of investigations enabled by this approach concerns the engineering of high-enthalpy facilities themselves. Arc-heated facilities are limited by electrode erosion, unstable arc attachment, localized heating, and damage to nozzles and other plasma-facing components. ARCTRON provides a lower-cost environment for testing concepts intended to mitigate these limitations. Candidate investigations include the use of applied magnetic fields to alter current paths and reduce plasma interaction with nozzle walls, ExB forcing to introduce controlled plasma rotation, magnetic or geometric approaches for distributing arc attachment, and alternative electrode or discharge configurations intended to reduce erosion and improve stability. Because the platform is reconfigurable, these concepts can be evaluated through repeated design--build--test cycles before they are considered for implementation in operational facilities. The platform also supports the development and validation of diagnostics that may be difficult to introduce initially into a large arcjet. Current and planned measurements include spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy, electrostatic probes, fast imaging, pyrometry, calorimetry, laser-induced fluorescence, and absorption spectroscopy. These diagnostics are intended not merely to document a nominal operating condition, but to constrain the local plasma state and its relationship to component or material response. The modular facility geometry allows diagnostic concepts to be tested, calibrated, and compared under repeatable conditions before deployment in more demanding environments. ARCTRON is also supported by an integrated software suite. Automated control and data acquisition allow discharge parameters, gas composition, magnetic fields, diagnostic timing, and test configuration to be recorded as part of each experiment (STARDAC - Software for Testing, Analysis, Research Data, and Control). The Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability (BEAST) is a database that provides the infrastructure needed to associate heterogeneous measurements with facility configuration, specimen identity, calibration state, geometry, and analysis provenance. This backend is particularly important for exploratory campaigns, in which many related configurations may be tested, and the value of an individual experiment depends on its connection to earlier and subsequent iterations. Complementary analysis capabilities, including computer-vision-based transient response measurements (arcjetCV), three-dimensional surface reconstruction (STARSCAN), and model-based Bayesian inference (SHIELD), and tomography data analysis (TOMATO, PuMA) can be incorporated when required by a specific hypothesis without becoming the focus of every campaign. The central objective of ARCTRON is therefore not to maximize heat flux or reproduce a complete flight environment. Its purpose is to reduce the cost and time required to ask consequential questions about plasma behavior, plasma-facing materials, diagnostics, and arcjet technology. By providing a controlled environment for rapid reconfiguration, mechanism isolation, quantitative measurement, and iterative engineering, ARCTRON can help mature concepts that would otherwise remain too speculative or too risky for evaluation in production facilities. The resulting knowledge can then guide the design of material models, focus test objectives in larger arcjets, reduce facility-development risk, and improve the physical basis of high-enthalpy ground testing. This work will present the ARCTRON architecture, operating modes, diagnostic suite, and digital experimental workflow. Initial experimental results from the first integrated operation of the facility will be presented, including flow characterization, power limitations, and deployment of the initial diagnostic suite. Ongoing development efforts aimed at catalycity characterization, magnetic plasma control, and advanced optical diagnostics will also be discussed, illustrating how the platform supports rapid iteration from concept to experiment.

experimental diagnostics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-in-Crossflow Mixing Configuration with Methane-Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible pre-mixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied pre-mixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90%-100% (H2, by mole) H2/CH4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashback events were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to the lower momentum flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with detailed chemistry combustion modeling approach was implemented along an OH* sub-mechanism, and it showed qualitative agreement with the integrated line-of-sight chemiluminescence results as well as the planar OH-PLIF measurements.

flame holding↗
DOE OSTI2025

Toward the Development of Molten Salt Reactor Diagnostics based on Resonantly Enhanced Laser Spectroscopy

One emerging concern within the safeguards community is how to best ensure compliance with nuclear security regulations within molten salt reactor (MSR) facilities. This problem is nontrivial as molten salts used for fuel or coolant are highly corrosive, chemically complex, and inherently require high operational temperatures. Laser spectroscopy methods such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) have previously been suggested for molten salt diagnostics due to their compatibility with liquid phase samples and potential for in-situ measurements [1]. In the former, the laser is used to ionize the sample, allowing for the characteristic light from electronic de-excitation as the resultant plasma cools to be used for material characterization. In the latter, a tunable light source is set be resonant with a specific transition, resulting in element specific excitation and the emission of fluorescence light. In our previous work [2], we demonstrated that LIF could be used for the detection of fission fragments such as Nd in solution through the separation of laser scatter and fluorescence within the time domain. Here, we present progress towards two alternate measurement schemes: LIF measurements based on spectroscopic discrimination of fluorescence emissions and resonant LIBS measurements that induce plasma using a light source set to the resonant frequency of a specific electronic transition. Both methods aim to exploit resonant excitation methods to enhance the emitted signal. The studies may provide routes for element-specific detection of constituents within complicated matrices and a means to better understand the chemical behavior of lanthanides and actinides relevant to MSRs.

98 - NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Flashback and Flame-Holding in a Jet-In-Crossflow Mixing Configuration with Methane-Hydrogen Fuel Blends

An approach that combines experimental and numerical analyses has been implemented to characterize the fundamentals of flashback events and flame-holding phenomena during high-hydrogen combustion in a jet-in-crossflow (JICF) configuration. Such flame dynamics are visualized experimentally using nanosecond (ns)-based hydroxyl planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) and chemiluminescence (CL) diagnostics techniques. The JICF burner has an optically accessible pre-mixing tube allowing the optical diagnostics. The testing was conducted for varied pre-mixer velocities (V) and equivalence ratio (ϕ) for 90%-100% (H2, by mole) H2/CH4 reactant mixtures at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Two distinct flashbacks were identified – conventional rich flashback and lean flashback, recorded while increasing ϕ and decreasing ϕ, respectively. The cause of lean flashback was attributed to lower flux ratio which bends the jet sharply, closer toward the injection plane. The flashback was found to occur along the boundary layer, assisted by the inner wall of the pre-mixer tube. The mean OH-PLIF images characterized the flame-holding behavior where the flame was found to be stabilized on the leeward side only or on both windward and leeward sides as a lifted flame near the fuel port.

flame holding↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectral Data Fusion From Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyzers for Improved Detection of Cerium in a Simulated Dispersal Accident

Here, this work implements a mid-level data fusion methodology on spectral data from handheld X-ray fluorescence and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analyzers to quantify plutonium surrogate (CeO 2 ) contamination in soil samples for the first time. Spectral data from each analyzer were used independently to train supervised machine learning regressions to predict Ce concentration. Fused features from both data sets were then used to train the same models, comparing prediction performance by evaluating model precision and sensitivity. Fusing principal component scores from the two sensors yielded an order of magnitude improvement in precision and sensitivity of predictions made with an artificial neural network, compared to predictions made by models trained on independent sensor data. As a result, a boosted ensemble trained on the fused spectral features yielded an ideal predictor with root-mean-squared error on the order of 10 –6 and calculated limit of detection order 10 –5 wt %.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1981

Airborne simultaneous spectroscopic detection of laser-induced water Raman backscatter and fluorescence from chlorophyll a and other naturally occurring pigments

The airborne laser-induced spectral emission bands obtained simultaneously from water Raman backscatter and the fluorescence of chlorophyll and other naturally occurring waterborne pigments are reported here for the first time. The importance of this type data lies not only in its single-shot multispectral character but also in the application of the Raman line for correction or calibration of the spatial variation of the laser penetration depth without the need for in situ water attenuation measurements. The entire laser-induced fluorescence and Raman scatter emissions resulting from each separate 532-nm 10-nsec laser pulse are collected and spectrally dispersed in a diffraction grating spectrometer having forty photomultiplier tube detectors. Results from field experiments conducted in the North Sea and the Chesapeake Bay/Potomac River are presented. Difficulties involving the multispectral resolution of the induced emissions are addressed, and feasible solutions are suggested together with new instrument configurations and future research directions.

Hoge, F. E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Waveform-dependent air fluorescence from neutral and ionic nitrogen molecules

Laser-induced air fluorescence in the ultraviolet regime is primarily attributed to transitions between the C and B states in excited neutral N 2 molecules and between the B and X states in N$^+_2$ ions. However, the mechanism underlying the former remains contentious, as direct population to the C state by light fields is forbidden by electron spin constraints. In this work, we investigate the mechanism of air fluorescence from excited neutral N 2 molecules by carrier-envelope phase–stabilized sub–4 femtosecond pulses. Our results show that fluorescence from N$^+_2$ ions reaches a maximum with cosine-like pulses, while fluorescence from excited neutral N 2 molecules peaks with sine-like pulses. In addition, by scanning the chirp of the driving pulse, we find that ionic fluorescence is maximized with chirp-free pulses, whereas neutral fluorescence favors negatively chirped pulses. These observations, supported by classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations, support the mechanism of intersystem crossing from excited spin-singlet states, which are populated via recollision-induced strong-field excitation.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Insights into Sustainable Nitrogen Fixation by Gas-phase Spectroscopic Measurements and Global Modeling of Reaction Intermediates in Humid Nitrogen Plasma

In this article, there is growing interest in reacting molecular nitrogen and water to sustainably synthesize fixed forms of nitrogen such as ammonia. In particular, low-temperature plasmas can activate these relatively inert feedstocks at or near room temperature without a catalyst. However, because of the enhanced reactivity and nonequilibrium chemistry, a diverse range of products is formed, and the underlying reaction mechanisms are exceedingly complex. In this work, we studied a simplified reactor consisting of a gaseous plasma containing controlled mixtures of nitrogen gas and water vapor. Densities of key chemical species such as N, H, OH, NH, and NO were measured by emission and laser-based spectroscopy as a function of the relative humidity. A global model was constructed and the reaction network was validated by comparing calculated species densities with experiments. We discover that N, a key initial intermediate for ammonia, strongly decreases in the presence of water vapor, and as a result, ammonia formation becomes limited at high relative humidity. This decrease is surprisingly not because N itself reacts, but because one of its main sources, an excited molecular nitrogen state, is reacted away. In addition, oxidation pathways for nitrogen, which lead to NO and related products, are found to be favored over reduction pathways because the corresponding reverse reactions are less significant. Together, this understanding helps explain previously reported observations of selectivity toward nitrogen oxides over ammonia, particularly at higher relative humidities.

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

Liquid-to-gas transfer of sodium in a liquid anode glow discharge

Solute transfer from the liquid to the gas phase in plasmas has been widely used in analytical chemistry often focused on liquid cathode discharges. In this study, we report on time-resolved absolute density measurements of sodium in a glow discharge plasma with a NaCl solution anode using two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence. The averaged maximum sodium density is found to be similar to the electron density in the discharge consistent with plasma-induced vapor generation. Random sodium flashes were also observed extending into the plasma afterglow and are attributed to sodium particles falling back on the liquid surface. Cataphoresis can explain the location of the maximum sodium density near the cathode side of the electrode gap rather than near the liquid anode region.

chemical vapor generation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Femtosecond two-photon-resonant parametric four-wave mixing detection of atomic hydrogen

Here, we demonstrate an ultrafast parametric four-wave mixing method for the collisional-quenching-free detection of atomic hydrogen. Two photons of 243 nm light resonantly excite the n = 1 to n = 2 transition of atomic hydrogen, and a third probe photon scatters from the electronic coherence to generate the parametric emission of a degenerate signal photon. Laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence from water, also excited with the same 243 nm pulses, is used as a convenient method to visualize beam overlap in space and time. The femtosecond time resolution enables the suppression of unwanted nonresonant contributions to the signal and separation from resonant mixing in water molecules because of the significantly different coherence lifetimes. A folded BOXCARS phase-matching configuration yields a spatially isolated, laser-like, signal beam, amenable to measurements in highly luminous backgrounds. Measurements in an H 2 /CH 4 /air flame demonstrate quantitative agreement with simulated H-atom concentration profiles. A coherence decay time constant of 42 ps is recorded in the atmospheric pressure flame.

Kliewer, Christopher Jesse [Sandia National Labora↗
NASA NTRS1982

Delineation of estuarine fronts in the German Bight using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter and fluorescence of water column constituents

The acquisition and application of airborne laser induced emission spectra from German Bight water during the 1979 MARSEN experiment is detailed for the synoptic location of estuarine fronts. The NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) was operated in the fluorosensing mode. A nitrogen laser transmitter at 337.1 nm was used to stimulate the water column to obtain Gelbstoff or organic material fluorescence spectra together with water Raman backscatter. Maps showing the location and relative strength of estuarine fronts are presented. The distribution of the fronts indicates that mixing within the German Bight takes place across a relatively large area. Reasonable agreement between the patterns observed by the AOL and published results are obtained. The limitations and constraints of this technique are indicated and improvements to the AOL fluorosensor are discussed with respect to future ocean mapping applications.

Hoge, F. E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flame Characterization of a Hydrogen Micromix Burner using Experimental and Numerical Methods - Extended Abstract

Micromix combustion presents a promising solution for integrating hydrogen into gas turbine combustors, offering rapid and compact air-fuel mixing that effectively shortens the combustion zone and significantly reduces nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions. A major challenge in hydrogen combustion systems is flashback, which is mitigated through short mixing lengths and high flow velocities. This study investigates three fuel injector designs – zero swirl, low swirl, and high swirl – for a 6-mm inner diameter nozzle, where hydrogen is injected through six 0.3 mm diameter holes in a jet-in-crossflow configuration relative to the airstream. Numerical simulations indicate stable flame formation, moderate peak flame temperatures, and subsequent low NOx potential for all designs. These injectors have been fabricated using additive manufacturing, and upcoming experiments will explore flame structure and NOx behavior across varying fuel injection angles, equivalence ratios and pre-mixer velocities. These efforts aim to advance the development of low-emission hydrogen micromix combustion.

hydrogen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Photoionization of seeded combustion products as a method of enhancing the efficiency of magnetohydrodynamic power generators

Here, in this study, we performed an experimental and computational investigation into the feasibility of utilizing photoionization to enhance the electrical conductivity of seeded oxy-fuel combustion products and improve the performance of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generators. We applied a variety of optical and microwave diagnostics to study the ionization and recombination processes of potassium excited by an excimer laser in a high-velocity oxy-fuel free jet. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations were performed to model the thermophysical properties and species densities of the free jet. The CFD results were validated with position-dependent potassium concentration measurements. Electron recombination exponential lifetimes were measured through time-resolved microwave transmission. The experimental electron lifetimes were compared with lifetimes calculated from CFD-predicted species densities and literature recombination rates. It was determined that K + or O 2 are the most likely recombination partners for photoionized electrons. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements provided evidence of an ionization pathway involving a two-photon ionization of KOH . Finally, a zero-dimensional chemical kinetic model was developed to assess the fundamental viability of inducing a non-equilibrium electron population to provide a net energy return in combustion-driven MHD power generators. We determined that a high energy return is feasible for targeting electrode boundary layers with ultraviolet photoionization. We also found that photoionization could potentially lower the required temperature of the bulk gas flow.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Laser-based conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy of 229 ThO 2

The exceptionally low-energy 229 Th nuclear isomeric state is expected to provide several new and powerful applications, including the construction of a robust and portable solid-state nuclear clock, perhaps contributing to a redefinition of the second, exploration of nuclear superradiance and tests of fundamental physics. Further, analogous to the capabilities of traditional Mössbauer spectroscopy, the sensitivity of the nucleus to its environment can be used to realize laser Mössbauer spectroscopy and, with it, new types of strain and temperature sensors and a new probe of the solid-state environment, all with excellent sensitivity. However, current models for examining the nuclear transition in a solid require the use of a high-bandgap, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) transmissive host, severely limiting the applicability of these techniques. Here we report the first, to the authors’ knowledge, demonstration of laser-induced conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) of the 229 Th isomer in a thin ThO 2 sample whose bandgap (approximately 6 eV) is considerably smaller than the nuclear isomeric state energy (8.4 eV). Unlike fluorescence spectroscopy of the 229 Th isomeric transition, this technique is compatible with materials whose bandgap is less than the nuclear transition energy, opening a wider class of systems to study and the potential of a conversion-electron-based nuclear clock.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Three-dimensional characterization of modifications in sapphire exposed to laser-induced damage using multimodal spectral microimaging

Sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) is a commonly used dielectric material with many applications in lasers and optical systems. Owing to its high resistivity to laser induced damage, it is particularly suitable for use in high power laser systems. This work focuses on developing techniques to characterize material modifications in sapphire. These techniques were applied following localized laser induced ablation, commonly referred to as laser-damage, resulting from exposure to single 100-ps and 6-ns pulses. Measurements of fluorescence-based piezospectroscopy and confocal Raman microscopy were performed with spatial resolution on the order of 1 μ m. Raman microscopy reveals that the relaxation of material exposed to the rapid laser heating, elastic and viscoplastic deformation, melting, and solidification leads to the formation of a polycrystalline material phase. In addition, narrowband fluorescence lines, referred to as R 1 and R 2 , exhibit pressure-sensitive changes to their spectral profiles, allowing 3D internal stresses to be recorded with spatial resolution of the order of a few micrometers.

Laser-damage↗
NASA NTRS1977

Pulsewidth dependence of ozone interference in the laser fluorescence measurement of OH in the atmosphere

By varying the pulsewidth of the output from two dye lasers, it is verified experimentally that the steady-state interference level of OH due to laser-induced dissociation of ozone decreases linearly with decreasing pulsewidth of the exciting radiation. At low pressures, further reduction in the interference level due to the transient nature of OH formation processes was also observed. These results should greatly facilitate measurements of OH concentrations in the atmosphere.

Hanabusa, M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Oil film thickness measurement using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter

The use of laser-induced water Raman backscatter for remote thin oil film detection and thickness measurement is reported here for the first time. A 337.1-nm nitrogen laser was used to excite the 3400-cm-1 OH stretch band of natural ocean water beneath the oil slick from an altitude of 150 m. The signal strength of the 381-nm water Raman backscatter was always observed to depress when the oil was encountered and then return to its original undepressed value after complete aircraft traversal of the floating slick. After removal of background and oil fluorescence contributions, the ratio of the depressed-to-undepressed airborne water Raman signal intensities, together with laboratory measured oil extinction coefficients, is used to calculate the oil film thickness.

Hoge, F. E.↗