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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 1,153 records · Page 64

The influence of the concentration of Sr ions on the crystal and magnetic structures of Ba{sub 2} –{sub x}Sr{sub x}FeMoO{sub 6} double perovskites (x = 0–1.6)

The crystal and magnetic structures of a solid solution of double perovskite Ba{sub 2–} {sub x}Sr{sub x}FeMoO{sub 6} (x = 0–1.6) have been investigated by neutron diffraction. The high-resolution diffraction patterns have provided precise information about the changes in the crystal and magnetic structures with an increase in the strontium content and data on the behavior of the sample microstructure. Replacement of barium with strontium leads to a change in the lattice symmetry from cubic (x = 0, sp. gr. Fm3̄m)) to tetragonal (x = 0.4, sp. gr. I4/m). At x = 1.0, the symmetry is either tetragonal (sp. gr. I4/m) or orthorhombic (sp. gr. Fmmm), and at x = 1.6 the symmetry becomes again tetragonal (sp. gr. I4/m). The values of the Curie temperature and microstrain increase with an increase in the strontium content.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effect of Transverse Electric Field on Polariton Reflectance Spectra of Wide Quantum Wells

Excitonic waves propagating in thick GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells form an interference pattern, which is observed as oscillations in the reflectance spectra. Oscillations in the spectra of wide GaAs quantum wells should reveal a non-trivial behavior as a function of the external uniform electric field as it is found in the theory developed in the present work. The oscillations are suppressed as the electric field increases and then reappear again with an opposite phase at the further rise of the field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Data-Driven Clustering and Classification of Outage Patterns with Insights into their Links to Extreme Events

At a global level extreme events have increased in both scale and impact. These events have the potential to affect the electrical grid infrastructure and cause a wide range of outages, which can lead to a disruption in daily patterns, cost millions of dollars and also the loss of life. Currently, to track these outage events there have been various approaches developed ranging from regional to national level quantifications for what defines an outage. However, this variation in methods can potentially lead to subjective decision-making and a lack of proper management in relation to the event. While previous work has made strides in determining spatio-temporal patterns, minimal attention has been given to the type and number of outages an area may be exposed to. The differences in incurred cost and the overall severity of an event between a transformer box malfunction and a hurricane are drastic, and by finding historical signals, we can allow for more efficient management, potentially saving lives and millions of dollars. Here, we leverage unsupervised machine learning techniques to delineate outage patterns among 22 counties within the United States and find that there are clear, segregated clusters (0.93 silhouette) of data which are related by event behavior and underlying cause. This finding will allow for energy stakeholders, policy makers, and researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the extent and severity of historic events and to better prepare for electrical grid infrastructure planning and management.

Koob, Benjamin [ORNL]↗

SYSTEMATIC REGULARITY OF HEMISPHERIC SUNSPOT AREAS OVER THE PAST 140 YEARS

Solar magnetic activity varies with time in the two hemispheres in different ways. The hemispheric interconnection of solar activity phenomena provides an important clue to understanding the dynamical behavior of solar dynamo actions. In this paper, several analysis approaches are proposed to analyze the systematic regularity of hemispheric asynchronism and amplitude asymmetry of long-term sunspot areas during solar cycles 9–24. It is found that, (1) both the hemispheric asynchronism and the amplitude asymmetry of sunspot areas are prevalent behaviors and are not anomalous, but the hemispheric asynchronism exhibits a much more regular behavior than the amplitude asymmetry; (2) the phase-leading hemisphere returns back to the identical hemisphere every 8 solar cycles, and the secular periodic pattern of hemispheric phase differences follows 3 (south leading) + 5 (north leading) solar cycles, which probably corresponds to the Gleissberg cycle; and (3) the pronounced periodicities of (absolute and normalized) asymmetry indices and lines of synchronization (LOSs) are not identical: the significant periodic oscillations are 80.65 ± 6.31, 20.91 ± 0.40, and 13.45 ± 0.16 years for the LOS values, and 51.34 ± 2.48, 8.83/8.69 ± 0.07, and 3.77 ± 0.02 years for the (absolute and normalized) asymmetry indices. The analysis results improve our knowledge on the hemispheric interrelation of solar magnetic activity and may provide valuable constraints for solar dynamo models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Large Deployable Antenna Shuttle Experiment

An experiment designed to use the Space Shuttle in tests of the mechanical and electrical properties of spaceborne deployable antennas under zero-gravity conditions is outlined. Space-erectable 20-meter diameter phased arrays or reflector/feed systems, and self-deploying mechanisms, are to be tested. Reflector surface integrity will be tested by an AM laser technique, and electrical behavior will be tested by a spin-stabilized RF beacon injected into orbit prior to unfurlment of the antenna. Focusing and gain measurements, static pattern measurements, dynamic RF gain measurements, and measurements of cross-polarized signals will be conducted, and the reflector will be illuminated by separate feeds for the S-, X-, and K-bands. Mechanical features of the mesh-wrapped rib furlable antenna design are described.

Freeland, R. E.↗

Pattern selection in solidification

Directional solidification of alloys produces a wide variety of cellular or lamellar structures which, depending upon growth conditions, may be reproducibly regular or may behave chaotically. It is not well understood how these patterns are selected and controlled or even whether there ever exist sharp selection mechanisms. A related phenomenon is the spatial propagation of a pattern into a system which has been caused to become unstable against pattern-forming deformations. This phenomenon has some features in common with the propagation of sidebranching modes in dendritic solidification. In a class of one-dimensional models, the nonlinear system can be shown to select the propagating mode in which the leading edge of the pattern is just marginally stable. This stability principle, when applicable, predicts both the speed of propagation and the geometrical characteristics of the pattern which forms behind the moving front. A boundary-layer model for fully two or three dimensional solidification problems appears to exhibit similar mathematical behavior.

Langer, J. S.↗

Aerodynamics of sports balls

Research data on the aerodynamic behavior of baseballs and cricket and golf balls are summarized. Cricket balls and baseballs are roughly the same size and mass but have different stitch patterns. Both are thrown to follow paths that avoid a batter's swing, paths that can curve if aerodynamic forces on the balls' surfaces are asymmetric. Smoke tracer wind tunnel tests and pressure taps have revealed that the unbalanced side forces are induced by tripping the boundary layer on the seam side and producing turbulence. More particularly, the greater pressures are perpendicular to the seam plane and only appear when the balls travel at velocities high enough so that the roughness length matches the seam heigh. The side forces, once tripped, will increase with spin velocity up to a cut-off point. The enhanced lift coefficient is produced by the Magnus effect. The more complex stitching on a baseball permits greater variations in the flight path curve and, in the case of a knuckleball, the unsteady flow effects. For golf balls, the dimples trip the boundary layer and the high spin rate produces a lift coefficient maximum of 0.5, compared to a baseball's maximum of 0.3. Thus, a golf ball travels far enough for gravitational forces to become important.

Mehta, R. D.↗

Material growth and characterization for solid state devices

During the period of this research grant, the process of liquid phase electroepitaxy (LPEE) was used to grow ternary and quaternary alloy III-V semiconductor thin films. Selective area growth of InGaAs was performed on InP substrates using a patterned sputtered quartz or spin-on glass layer. The etch back and growth characteristics with respect to substrate orientation were investigated. The etch back behavior is somewhat different from wet chemical etching with respect to the sidewall profiles which are observed. LPEE was also employed to grow epitaxial layers of InGaAsP alloys on InP substrates. The behavior of Mn as an acceptor dopant was investigated with low temperature Hall coefficient and photoluminescence measurements. A metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy system was partially complete within the grant period. This atmospheric pressure system will be used to deposit III-V compound and alloy semiconductor layers in future research efforts.

Collis, Ward J.↗

Ignition transient analysis of solid rocket motor

Measurement data on the performance of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor show wide variations in the head-end pressure changes and the total thrust build-up during the ignition transient periods. To analyze the flow and thermal behavior in the tested solid rocket motors, a 1-dimensional, ideal gas flow model via the SIMPLE algorithm was developed. Numerical results showed that burning patterns in the star-shaped head-end segment of the propellant and the erosive burning rate are two important factors controlling the ignition transients. The objective of this study is to extend the model to include the effects of aluminum particle commonly used in solid propellants. To treat the effects of aluminum-oxide particles in the combustion gas, conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations for the particles are added in the numerical formulation and integrated by an inter-phase-slip algorithm.

Han, Samuel S.↗

Development of simplified external control techniques for broad area semiconductor lasers

The goal of this project was to injection lock a 500 mW broad area laser diode (BAL) with a single mode low power laser diode with injection beam delivery through a single mode optical fiber (SMF). This task was completed successfully with the following significant accomplishments: (1) injection locking of a BAL through a single-mode fiber using a master oscillator and integrated miniature optics; (2) generation of a single-lobed, high-power far-field pattern from the injection-locked BAL that steers with drive current; and (3) a comprehensive theoretical analysis of a model that describes the observed behavior of the injection locked oscillator.

Davis, Christopher C.↗

Navier-Stokes Flow Field Analysis of Compressible Flow in a Pressure Relief Valve

The present study was motivated to analyze the complex flow field involving gaseous oxygen (GOX) flow in a relief valve (RV). The 9391 RV, pictured in Figure 1, was combined with the pilot valve to regulate the actuation pressure of the main valve system. During a high-pressure flow test at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) the valve system developed a resonance chatter, which destroyed most of the valve body. Figures 2-4 show the valve body before and after accident. It was understood that the subject RV has never been operated at 5500 psia. In order to fully understand the flow behavior in the RV, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is carried out to investigate the side load across the piston sleeve and the erosion patterns resulting from flow distribution around piston/nozzle interface.

Vu, Bruce T.↗

Magnetic devil's staircaselike behavior in quasiperiodic qubit lattices

The devil's staircase (DS) phenomenon is a fractal response of magnetization to external fields, traditionally observed in periodic ferromagnetic systems, where the commensurability between spin arrangements, lattice parameters, and external magnetic fields governs abrupt changes in magnetization. Its occurrence in aperiodic, fractal-type systems has remained largely unexplored, despite their natural compatibility with such phenomena. Using a quantum annealing device, we uncover a wealth of abrupt magnetic transitions between spin manifolds driven by increasing external magnetic fields within a simple yet effective Ising-model framework. In contrast to periodic systems, where DS arises from long-range competing interactions, our findings reveal that short-range, purely antiferromagnetic couplings in aperiodic geometries produce equally rich ground-state magnetization patterns. Here, we demonstrate that while magnetic textures are determined by the lattice size, their formation remains remarkably robust and independent of scale, with commensurability emerging locally. Our results challenge the prevailing view that DS behavior is limited to periodic systems and establish quasiperiodic geometries as a natural host for this phenomenon.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Controllable branching of robust response patterns in nonlinear mechanical resonators

In lieu of continuous time active feedback control in complex systems, nonlinear dynamics offers a means to generate desired long-term responses using short-time control signals. This type of control has been proposed for use in resonators that exhibit a plethora of complex dynamic behaviors resulting from energy exchange between modes. However, the dynamic response and, ultimately, the ability to control the response of these systems remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a micromechanical resonator can generate diverse, robust dynamical responses that occur on a timescale five orders of magnitude larger than the external harmonic driving and these responses can be selected by inserting small pulses at specific branching points. We develop a theoretical model and experimentally show the ability to control these response patterns. Hence, these mechanical resonators may represent a simple physical platform for the development of springboard concepts for nonlinear, flexible, yet robust dynamics found in other areas of physics, chemistry, and biology.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Effect of helical micro-fins on two-phase flow behavior of R410A evaporating in horizontal round tubes obtained through visualization

This paper presents a new approach in visualization of the evaporation mechanism and the two phase flow. The visualization test section is a transparent micro-fin tube made by 3D printing. The 3D printing technology helps reproduce the real geometry in commercial metal micro-fin tubes. Even though the wall material is different from the real metal, this new method provides a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of flow boiling and the heat transfer enhancement due to micro-fin geometry. To investigate the effect of micro-fin geometries on two-phase flow behavior, R410A flow boiling experiments are conducted at 1°C saturation temperature and visualized through a clear smooth tube and micro-fin tubes of 0°, 10° and 18° helix angles. The results showed that the annular flow pattern in the helical micro-fin tube occurred at a lower vapor quality than the smooth and axial micro-fin tubes. Helix angle affects the transition boundary of stratified wavy flow to wavy annular flow, which shifts downward (to lower mass flux and vapor quality conditions) as the helix angle increases. Other transitions are not significantly affected by the helix angle. Helical micro-fin tubes with different groove directions were made to understand the flow behavior on the upward side and downward side of the tube.

3D printing↗

Magnetic studies on Sm0.55Sr0.45Mn0.4Fe0.6O3 single crystals grown by optical floating zone technique

Highlights: • Single crystals of Sm0.55Sr0.45Mn0.4Fe0.6O3 were grown by optical floating zone technique. • Replacement of Mn by iron has suppressed the double exchange interactions and ferromagnetism. • Crystal exhibited spin glass behavior below 35 K due to the competition between the Mn{sup 3+}-O-Mn{sup 4+} double exchange and the Mn{sup 3+}-O-Fe{sup 3+} super exchange interactions. - Abstract: Single crystals of high concentration iron substituted Sm{sub 0.55}Sr{sub 0.45}Mn{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 0.6}O{sub 3} were grown by optical floating zone technique in oxygen atmosphere. Analysis of powder X-ray diffraction and Laue patterns revealed single-phase formation and crystal quality respectively. Replacement of Mn by iron has reduced the ratio of trivalent to tetravalent Mn ions thus suppressing the double exchange interactions and ferromagnetism. The grown crystal exhibits spin glass behavior below 35 K due to the competition between the Mn{sup 3+}-O-Mn{sup 4+} double exchange and the Mn{sup 3+}-O-Fe{sup 3+} super exchange interactions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Declamped Piezoelectric Coefficients in Patterned 70/30 Lead Magnesium Niobate–Lead Titanate Thin Films

Lateral subdivision of blanket piezoelectric thin films increases the functional properties through both increased domain wall mobility and declamping of the intrinsic response. This work presents the local effects of substrate declamping on the piezoelectric coefficient d 33,f of 300 nm thick, rhombohedral, {001}-oriented lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate thin films at the 70/30 composition (70PMN–30PT). Films grown by chemical solution deposition on platinized Si substrates are patterned into strip structures ranging from 0.75 to 9 µm in width. The longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, d 33,f , is interrogated as a function of position across the patterned structures by three approaches: finite element modeling, piezoresponse force microscopy, and nanoprobe synchrotron X-ray diffraction. It is found that d 33,f increases from the clamped value of 40–50 to ≈160 pm V -1 at the free sidewall under 200 kV cm -1 excitation. The sidewalls partially declamp the piezoelectric response 500–600 nm into the patterned structure, raising the piezoelectric response at the center of features with lateral dimensions less than 1 µm (3:1 width to thickness aspect ratio). The normalized data from all three methods are in excellent agreement, with quantitative differences providing insight to the field dependence of the piezoelectric coefficient and its declamping behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Light-activated microtubule-based two-dimensional active nematic

We assess the ability of two light responsive kinesin motor clusters to drive dynamics of microtubule-based active nematics: opto-K401, a processive motor, and opto-K365, a non-processive motor. Measurements reveal an order of magnitude improvement in the contrast of nematic flow speeds between maximally- and minimally-illuminated states for opto-K365 motors when compared to opto-K401 construct. For opto-K365 nematics, we characterize both the steady-state flow and defect density as a function of applied light. We also examine the transient behavior as the system switches between steady-states upon changes in light intensities. Although nematic flows reach a steady state within tens of seconds, the defect density exhibits transient behavior for up to 10 minutes, showing a separation between small-scale active flows and system-scale structural states. Furthermore, our work establishes an experimental platform that can exploit spatiotemporally-heterogeneous patterns of activity to generate targeted dynamical states.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DriveSense: A Noise-Resilient Framework for Driving Mode Identification

Accurate drive mode classification is essential for enhancing the reliability and predictive maintenance of heavy-duty electric trucks. This study proposes a novel fuzzy logic-based framework, DriveSense, for real-time drive mode classification, addressing key challenges such as sensor noise, transitional behaviors, and computational efficiency. The proposed approach integrates a two-stage filtering pipeline, combining adaptive outlier removal and a dynamic Kalman filter to enhance data quality. A fuzzy inference system with smoothened trapezoidal membership functions is then applied to classify driving modes into standstill, constant speed, acceleration, and deceleration while mitigating the effects of noise and edge cases. Performance evaluation using real-world and simulated drive cycles demonstrates significant improvements in classification accuracy (up to 97.8%), F1-score (up to 0.97), and robustness against noise, while reducing false positives. Comparative analysis against baseline models, demonstrates DriveSense’s superior accuracy and generalizability across diverse driving patterns. The framework’s lightweight and interpretable fuzzy inference engine operates with low computational latency, ensuring compatibility with real-time embedded systems typical of heavy-duty electric trucks. Moreover, DriveSense models transitional behaviors through overlapping fuzzy sets and adaptive borderline classification logic, enabling smooth identification of subtle shifts such as rolling stops or gradual deceleration. These results highlight DriveSense’s potential to enhance predictive maintenance strategies, reduce downtime, and support scalable, fleet-wide diagnostics.

Kumar, Praveen [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORN↗