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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Recent development and manufacturing of coal-derived building materials

Coal has been challenged because coal combustion generates large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to global warming. Pyrolysis char (PC), a valuable byproduct of coal that does not liberate CO2 when produced in an inert environment, can be used as a high carbon content fuel in combustion and gasification. However, using PC as a fuel is not an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to make energy. Contrastingly using PC to make engineered products does offer an eco-friendly, attractive and value-added use. This paper introduces a novel integrated coal pyrolysis and solvent extraction process invented by the University of Wyoming (UW) to convert as-mined coal from the Powder River Basin Coal Field, Wyoming, to functional carbon products, which together liberates very little CO2. PC and coal deposit, extract and residual (CDER) are two functional carbon products that can be used in the development and manufacture of high value coal-derived building materials. The novel development of three building products known as coal-derived char bricks (CCB), carbon structural unit (CSU), and char-based insulation foam (CIF) are introduced. The approaches to manufacture them are investigated, including consideration of the eco-friendly approaches, optimization of engineering performance, and cost effectiveness relative to traditional products. CCBs show advantages in terms of their light weight (< 1 g/cm3) and good compressive strength (> 14 MPa). CSUs possess high compressive strength (> 30 MPa) and low thermal conductivity (< 0.3 W/mK), while CIFs can achieve a low thermal conductivity of 0.06 W/mK. Two demonstration houses have been built on UW campus, one using CCBs and another using commercial clay bricks. The performances of these houses are being monitored for temperature control, humidity uptake, noise reduction, inside air volatile organic content, indoor air quality and weatherability. The performance of the CCBs in terms of these criteria is discussed.

Ng, Kam↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality and Loss Factor Analysis of YBCO Superconducting Transmission Lines for Axion Dark Matter Detection

Axion haloscope experiments aim to detect the conversion of axions into microwave photons in a magnetic field, which produces extremely small signals requiring low-loss cryogenic transmission lines for readout to reduce noise and attenuation. Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) cables are a promising candidate. Unlike commonly used low-loss superconducting cables such as Niobium (Nb) and Niobium Titanium (NbTi), which have low critical fields, YBCO is a high-temperature superconductor that can remain stable in strong magnetic fields. We evaluate their suitability by characterizing the quality and loss factors of five stripline resonators (three YBCO, and copper and silver references) from the Brookhaven Technology Group at 77 K without an external field, and cooled to 30 mK in a 14 T magnet. For measurements at 77 K we recorded scattering parameter data and employed Lorentzian and circle-fitting analysis techniques. We identified the best-performing resonator and developed a cryogenic probe for future testing in the magnet at millikelvin temperatures.

Marinos, Zoe [UCLA]↗
DOE OSTI2020

W-band system-on-chip electron cyclotron emission imaging system on DIII-D

Monolithic, millimeter wave “system-on-chip” (SoC) technology has been employed in heterodyne receiver integrated circuit radiometers in a newly developed Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system on the DIII-D tokamak for 2D electron temperature profile and fluctuation evolution diagnostics. Here, a prototype module operating in E-band (72-80 GHz) was first employed in a 2 x 10 element array that demonstrated significant improvements over the previous quasi-optical Schottky diode mixer arrays during the 2018 operational campaign of the DIII-D tokamak. For compatibility with International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) relevant scenarios on DIII-D, the SoC ECEI system was upgraded with 20 horn-waveguide receiver modules. Each individual module contains a University of California at Davis designed W-band (75 -110 GHz) receiver die that integrates a broadband low noise amplifier (LNA), a double balanced down-converting mixer, and a x4 multiplier on the local oscillator (LO) chain. A x2 multiplier and two IF amplifiers are packaged and selected to further boost the signal strength as well as downconvert the signal frequency. The upgraded W-band array exhibits > 30 dB additional gain and 20x improvement in noise temperature comparing with the previous Schottky diode radio frequency (RF) mixer input systems; an internal 8 times multiplier chain is used to bring down the LO frequency below 12 GHz, thereby obviating the need for a large aperture for quasi-optical LO coupling and replacing it with coaxial connectors. The horn-waveguide shielding housing avoids out-of-band noise interference on each individual module. The upgraded ECEI system plays an important role for absolute electron temperature evolution and fluctuation measurements for edge and core region transport physics studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Impact of Nonzenith Elevation Angles on Ground-Based Infrared Thermodynamic Retrievals

Observing thermodynamic profiles within the planetary boundary layer is essential to understanding and predicting atmospheric phenomena because of the significant exchange of sensible and latent heat between the land and atmosphere within that layer. The Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) is a ground-based infrared spectrometer used to obtain the vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor mixing ratio. Most AERIs are only capable of zenith views, although the Marine AERI (M-AERI) has a design that allows it to view various elevation angles. In this study, we quantify the improvement in the information content and accuracy of the retrieved profiles when nonzenith angles are included, as is common with microwave radiometer profilers. The impacts of the additional scan angles are quantified through both a synthetic study and with M-AERI observations from the ARM Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (ACAPEX) campaign. Furthermore, the simulation study shows that low elevation angles contain more information content for temperature whereas high elevation angles have more information content for water vapor. Outside of very humid environments, the addition of low elevation angles also results in lower root-mean-square errors when compared with high angles for both temperature and water vapor mixing ratio, although this is primarily a result of averaging multiple observations together to reduce instrument noise. Real-world results from the ACAPEX dataset indicate similar results as were found for the simulation study, although not all predicted benefits are realized because of the small sample size and observational uncertainties.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A model for excess Johnson noise in superconducting transition-edge sensors

Transition-edge sensors (TESs) are two-dimensional superconducting films utilized as highly sensitive detectors of energy or power. These detectors are voltage biased in the superconducting-normal transition where the film resistance is both finite and a strong function of temperature. Unfortunately, the amount of electrical noise observed in TESs exceeds the predictions of existing noise theories. We describe a possible mechanism for the unexplained excess noise, which we term “mixed-down noise.” The source is Johnson noise, which is mixed down to low frequencies by Josephson oscillations in devices with a nonlinear current–voltage relationship. We derive an expression for the power spectral density of this noise and show that its predictions agree with measured data.

Wessels, Abigail (ORCID:0000000173918339)↗
DOE OSTI2022

MAGIS-100 environmental characterization and noise analysis

We investigate and analyze site specific systematics for the MAGIS-100 atomic interferometry experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. As atom interferometers move out of the laboratory environment passive and active mitigation for noise sources must be implemented. To inform the research and development of the experiment design, we measure ambient temperature, humidity, and vibrations of the installation site. We find that temperature fluctuations will necessitate enclosures for critical subsystems and a temperature controlled laser room for the laser system. We also measure and analyze the vibration spectrum above and below ground for the installation site. The seismic vibration effect of gravity gradient noise is also modeled using input from a low-noise seismometer at multiple locations and a mitigation scheme is studied using a stochastic simulation and characterized by a suppression factor.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sn-InAs Nanowire Shadow-Defined Josephson Junctions

Hybrid superconductor–semiconductor platforms are foundational to advancing quantum information technologies, motivating the integration of materials with clean interfaces, robust superconductivity, and scalable architectures. Here, in this work, we report the synthesis and analysis of inclined InAs nanowires, conformally coated with β-Sn shells. These nanowires extend in opposite in-plane directions, forming a self-aligned, criss-cross network. This enables the deterministic formation of nanowire-shadow Josephson junctions through angle-controlled, low-temperature Sn deposition. Structural characterization shows uniform polycrystalline β-Sn shells forming a sharp, diffusion-free interface with InAs. Low-temperature transport measurements reveal a hard induced superconducting gap ≈ 600 μeV, switching currents up to ≈ 500 nA, and parallel magnetic field resilience beyond 1T. These results establish β-Sn/InAs nanowire networks as a promising platform for superconducting qubits, low-noise microwave devices, and the exploration of exotic superconducting phases including triplet pairing and topological superconductivity.

B-Sn↗
DOE OSTI2024

First Results from a Broadband Search for Dark Photon Dark Matter in the 44 to 52 μ eV Range with a Coaxial Dish Antenna

We present first results from a dark photon dark matter search in the mass range from 44 to 52 μ eV (10.7–12.5 GHz) using a room-temperature dish antenna setup called GigaBREAD. Dark photon dark matter converts to ordinary photons on a cylindrical metallic emission surface with area 0.5 m 2 and is focused by a novel parabolic reflector onto a horn antenna. Signals are read out with a low-noise receiver system. A first data taking run with 24 days of data does not show evidence for dark photon dark matter in this mass range, excluding dark photon photon mixing parameters χ ≳ 10 − 12 in this range at 90% confidence level. This surpasses existing constraints by about 2 orders of magnitude and is the most stringent bound on dark photons in this range below 49 μ eV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

System-on-chip approach microwave imaging reflectometer on DIII-D tokamak

System-on-chip millimeter wave integrated circuit technology is used on the two-dimensional millimeter-wave imaging reflectometer (MIR) upgrade for density fluctuation imaging on the DIII-D tokamak fusion plasma. Customized CMOS chips have been successfully developed for the transmitter module and receiver module array, covering the 55–75 GHz working band. The transmitter module has the capability of simultaneously launching eight tunable probe frequencies (>0 dBm output power each). The receiver enclosure contains 12 receiver modules in two vertical lines. The quasi-optical local oscillator coupling of previous MIR systems has been replaced with an internal active frequency multiplier chain for improved local oscillator power delivery and flexible installation in a narrow space together with improved shielding against electromagnetic interference. The 55–75 GHz low noise amplifier, used between the receiver antenna and the first-stage mixer, significantly improves module sensitivity and suppresses electronics noise. The receiver module has a 20 dB gain improvement compared with the mini-lens approach and better than –75 dBm sensitivity, and its electronics noise temperature has been reduced from 55 000 K down to 11 200 K. Further, the V-band MIR system is developed for co-located multi-field investigation of MHD-scale fluctuations in the pedestal region with W-band electron cyclotron emission imaging on DIII-D tokamak.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Refinement and Modeling of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing collaboration searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, an experiment of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD reflector setup allows for the focusing of converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within $\SI{50}{\micro\metre}$ in the $z$ dimension.

Rao, Shardul↗
DOE OSTI2024

Refinement and Modeling of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing experiment searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, a sub-experiment of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD reflector setup allows for the focusing of all converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within 50 $\mu$m in three dimensions.

Rao, Shardul↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling and Proof-of-Concept of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing collaboration searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, a pilot experiment realization of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD coaxial reflector setup allows for the focusing of converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within $\SI{50}{\micro\metre}$ in the axial dimension. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the blackbody photon source used in this calibration must be at a temperature of at least $\SI{15}{\kelvin}$ to $\SI{40}{\kelvin}$, depending on the sensitivity of the SNSPD.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantifying Dynamic On-State Resistance of GaN HEMTs for Power Converter Design via a Survey of Low and High Voltage Devices

Designing and optimizing high switching frequency, ultra-efficient converters requires detailed knowledge of the behavior and parasitic parameters for both active and passive components. Recently, wide bandgap transistors have enabled simultaneous increases in both switching frequency and efficiency due to higher maximum operating junction temperature limits, lower dc on-state resistances, and reduced parasitic inductances and capacitances. Yet, the early acceptance of gallium-nitride (GaN) switches was plagued by detrimental dynamic on-state resistance effects. This complex phenomenon for GaN devices is characterized by deviations in on-state resistance from dc operating characteristics based on design choices such as the magnitude and duration of both voltage and current stress, switching mode, and junction temperature. While device manufacturers have made improvements compared to early generation devices, experimental evidence from a survey of commercial GaN transistors highlight measurable change in on-state resistance still exists due to variations in voltage stress during hard-switching operation. After sharing insights for obtaining low noise measurements, an analysis method along with two metrics are proposed to characterize dynamic on-state resistance measurements for power electronics designers. Furthermore, quantifying the performance of GaN devices with standardized metrics facilitates a fair comparison between different GaN device technologies during converter development, enables manufacturing qualification for GaN switches, and provides a benchmark to catalyze improvement for the next generation of GaN device development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cryogenic Front-End ASICs for Low-Noise Readout of Charge Signals

This paper presents design details and measurement results of LArASIC, a front-end application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed for low-noise readout of charge signals generated in neutrino study experiments within liquid argon time projection chambers. LArASIC comprises of 16-channels of programmable charge amplification and pulse shaping stages that provide a voltage readout proportional to the input charge and was optimized for operation at liquid argon temperature, i.e., 89 K. The chip was fabricated in a 180 nm CMOS process. Measurements at liquid nitrogen temperature, i.e., 77 K, indicate that the channel outputs have high linearity (INL < 0.1%) within the operating range, an equivalent noise charge of 534 electrons for a peaking time of 1 µs and a detector capacitance of 150 pF, and a worst-case inter-channel cross-talk of 0.35%. The paper also presents design choices made in the process of migrating LArASIC to CHARMS, an ASIC to be fabricated in a 65 nm process that includes all features provided by LArASIC, along with additional digital programmability for improved robustness and flexibility. CHARMS is intended for use in future high-energy physics experiments that require high-resolution charge or light readout with shorter pulse peaking times.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Excess noise in high-current diamond diodes

We report the results of an investigation of low-frequency excess noise in high-current diamond diodes. It was found that the electronic excess noise of the diamond diodes is dominated by the 1/f and generation-recombination noise, which reveals itself as Lorentzian spectral features (f is the frequency). The generation-recombination bulges are characteristic of diamond diodes with lower turn-on voltages. The noise spectral density dependence on forward current, I, reveals three distinctive regions in all examined devices—it scales as I 2 at the low (I < 10 μA) and high (I > 10 mA) currents and, rather unusually, remains nearly constant at the intermediate current range. The characteristic trap time constants, extracted from the noise data, show a uniquely strong dependence on current. Interestingly, the performance of the diamond diodes improves with the increasing temperature. The obtained results are important for the development of noise spectroscopy-based approaches for device reliability assessment for high-power diamond electronics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality and Loss Factor Characterization of YBCO Superconducting Transmission Lines for Axion Dark Matter Detection

Axion haloscope experiments aim to detect the conversion of axions into microwave photons under a strong magnetic field through resonant cavity techniques. The conversion produces an extremely small signal, requiring a cryogenic environment to reduce thermal noise, and low-loss superconducting transmission lines for minimal attenuation in the readout chain. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) cables are a promising candidate. Unlike commonly used low-loss cryogenic cables such as niobium (Nb) and niobium titanium (NbTi), which have low critical fields, YBCO is a high-temperature superconductor that can remain stable in strong magnetic fields. We characterized the quality and loss of five stripline resonators from the Brookhaven Technology Group: three YBCO, a copper reference, and a silver reference. Experimental methodology included collecting scattering parameter data on a vector network analyzer for the samples at 77 K along with room temperature baseline measurements, and employing both Lorentzian-fit and circle-fitting techniques to confirm the coupling regime and corroborate results. We achieved quality factors on the order of $10^3$ with corresponding loss factors on the order of $10^{-1}$ dB/m. Trends were comparable with literature data on Nb and NbTi at 4 K, which did have lower loss under these conditions, but suggested similar or perhaps better loss for YBCO when accounting for the temperature difference. We also developed a cryogenic probe for future measurements in a 14 T applied field at 30 mK. This will serve to directly evaluate YBCO's durability in magnetic fields, and we expect significantly improved performance at millikelvin temperatures.

Marinos, Z. [UCLA]↗
DOE OSTI2023

A 0.2–2 GHz Time-Interleaved Multistage Switched-Capacitor Delay Element Achieving 2.55–448.6 ns Programmable Delay Range and 330 ns/mm 2 Area Efficiency

Simulation of radar returns, full-duplex systems, and signal repeaters require hundreds of ns of programmable broadband radio frequency (RF) delay in the signal path to simulate large distances in the case of radar returns, for signal cancellation in full-duplex, and for isolation from reflections in signal repeaters. However, programmable broadband RF delay has been limited to ones of ns due to challenges in miniaturization with low loss and low power consumption. In this work, we present a 0.2–2 GHz digitally programmable RF delay element based on a time-interleaved multistage switched-capacitor (TIMS-SC) approach. The proposed approach enables hundreds of ns of broadband RF delay by employing sample time expansion in multiple stages of switched-capacitor storage elements. Further, the delay element was implemented in a 45 nm SOI CMOS process and achieves a 2.55–448.6 ns programmable delay range with < 0.12% delay variation across 1.8 GHz of bandwidth at maximum delay, 2.42 ns programmable delay steps, and 330 ns/mm 2 area efficiency. Through the proposed approach, the device shows minimal delay change across a -40 °C to 85 °C temperature range and < 0.25 dB gain variation across delay settings. The device achieves 26 dB gain, 7.4 dB noise figure, and consumes 74 mW from a 1 V supply with an active area of 1.36 mm 2 .

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design of microwave broadband CMOS transmitter and receiver circuits for MIR and ECEI plasma diagnostics

To efficiently determine the plasma electron density fluctuations using the MIR diagnostic technique, a 55–75 GHz 65 nm-CMOS transmitter has been developed where four separate intermediate frequency (IF) signals are up-converted, amplified, and then combined to generate an 8-tone RF output; a broadband 90 nm-CMOS receiver has also been constructed, which consists of an RF-low noise amplifier (LNA), mixer, and IF amplifier. The circuits and their corresponding modules will soon be deployed on the DIII-D and NSTX-U fusion devices. A 110–140 GHz 65 nm-CMOS receiver has also been designed, which is suitable for measuring the deep-core temperature fluctuations in the DIII-D tokamak using the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic system. In addition to the RF-LNA/balun, mixer, and IF amplifier, an LO balun/tripler and driving amplifier are now included in this highly integrated circuit chip. By adopting the microwave and millimeterwave system-on-chip concept in the front-end system design, this paper demonstrates that compact transmitter and receiver modules can be easily built, which, in turn, facilitates array implementation and maintenance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗