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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 127 records · Page 7

AutoEMX v1.

The invention consists in the full automation of compositional analysis of inorganic powder samples by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The measurements and analysis are controlled via python-based software, Auto-SEMEDS. Auto-SEMEDS fully automates the SEM-EDS measurements, and analyses the collected data via the use of machine-learning (ML) algorithms, which have never been used before for such scope. Auto-SEMEDS enables the identification in fully-automated fashion of the individual material phases present in a powder sample. Similar technologies, such as commercial SEM-EDS software, can automatically classify particles based on their composition, but they have significant limitations. These solutions typically provide inaccurate composition measurements and struggle to identify single phases in lab samples, where phases are often closely intermixed. In contrast, Auto-SEMEDS achieves unprecedented accuracy in composition measurements of powder samples, and furthermore leverages machine learning algorithms to effectively discern intermixed phases. Notably, while previous studies have demonstrated accurate measurements on individual particles, Auto-SEMEDS stands out by successfully analyzing mixture of different phases, a capability that has not been reported in the literature until now.

Giunto, Andrea [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat↗

A hybrid Penman-Monteith and machine learning model for simulating evapotranspiration and its components

Integrating physical processes with machine learning has advanced evapotranspiration (ET) simulation, yet most hybrid models fail to partition total ET into its components: soil evaporation (E) and vegetation transpiration (T). This study introduces Residual Neural Network–Penman–Monteith (RNN-PM), a novel hybrid dual-source ET model designed to overcome this limitation. The model synergizes the physically-based Penman–Monteith framework with three specialized residual neural networks trained to estimate key conductance parameters (canopy conductance, soil surface conductance, and aerodynamic conductance). Furthermore this explicit parameterization allows for the direct partitioning of total ET. Validation at National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) flux sites using high-frequency partitioned E and T shows that RNN-PM reliably reproduces ET and the transpiration fraction (T/ET). For ET, the model achieves an average Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) of 0.89 and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.55 mm/day; for T/ET, the KGE is 0.87 with an RMSE of 0.06. Furthermore, RNN-PM demonstrates robust generalization, accurately simulating ET and its components well beyond the initial training dataset, even under extreme climatic conditions. This study extended the analysis by comparing the RNN-PM model with seven established dual-source ET models. The results indicate that RNN-PM outperforms both conventional machine learning models and purely physical process-based models in simulating ET components in most cases. Among the purely physical process-based dual-source models, those based on surface temperature decomposition showed improved performance as the leaf area index (LAI) decreased when evaluated against high-frequency ET component datasets. In contrast, the performance of conductance-based dual-source models declined with decreasing LAI. Although purely machine learning-based models can produce relatively accurate simulations of ET components, they often exhibit limited generalization capability, an issue that the RNN-PM model effectively overcomes. Ultimately, the RNN-PM model represents a significant advance in simulating ET components, offering a novel and scalable approach for improving the representation of land–atmosphere interactions in Earth system models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Greedy emulators for nuclear two-body scattering

Applications of reduced basis method emulators are increasing in low-energy nuclear physics because they enable fast and accurate sampling of high-fidelity calculations, enabling robust uncertainty quantification. Here, in this paper, we develop, implement, and test two model-driven emulators based on the (Petrov-)Galerkin projection using the prototypical test case of two-body scattering with the Minnesota potential and a more realistic local chiral potential. The high-fidelity scattering equations are solved with the matrix Numerov method, a reformulation of the popular Numerov recurrence relation for solving special second-order differential equations as a linear system of coupled equations. A novel error estimator based on reduced-space residuals is applied to an active learning approach (a greedy algorithm) to choosing training samples (“snapshots”) for the emulator and contrasted with a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) approach. Both approaches allow for computationally efficient offline-online decompositions, but the greedy approach requires many fewer snapshot calculations. These developments set the groundwork for emulating scattering observables based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions and optical models, where computational speed-ups are necessary for Bayesian uncertainty quantification. Our emulators and error estimators are widely applicable to linear systems.

Bayesian methods↗

Hardware-in-the-loop Testing of Signal Temporal Logic Frequency Control in a Microgrid

This paper presents a hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing and lessons learned for a signal temporal logic (STL) frequency control in a microgrid setting. In contrast to most, if not all, traditional control mechanisms, the STL control allows for including temporal constraints in the control formulation to handle sophisticated specifications from grid codes and protection relays. This feature provides richer descriptions of control specifications to address both magnitude and time simultaneously, hence a valuable tool for power system operation and control. An ultra-low voltage (24V) HITL microgrid platform consisting of two type-3 wind turbine generators and one diesel generator is used to test the proposed STL frequency control. In experimental case studies, we demonstrate that the HITL frequency responses closely match the simulated ones and strictly satisfy the designed STL control specifications.

Ferrari Maglia, Max↗

A deep learning approach for semantic segmentation of unbalanced data in electron tomography of catalytic materials

In computed TEM tomography, image segmentation represents one of the most basic tasks with implications not only for 3D volume visualization, but more importantly for quantitative 3D analysis. In case of large and complex 3D data sets, segmentation can be an extremely difficult and laborious task, and thus has been one of the biggest hurdles for comprehensive 3D analysis. Heterogeneous catalysts have complex surface and bulk structures, and often sparse distribution of catalytic particles with relatively poor intrinsic contrast, which possess a unique challenge for image segmentation, including the current state-of-the-art deep learning methods. To tackle this problem, we apply a deep learning-based approach for the multi-class semantic segmentation of a γ-Alumina/Pt catalytic material in a class imbalance situation. Specifically, we used the weighted focal loss as a loss function and attached it to the U-Net’s fully convolutional network architecture. We assessed the accuracy of our results using Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), recall, precision, and Hausdorff distance (HD) metrics on the overlap between the ground-truth and predicted segmentations. Our adopted U-Net model with the weighted focal loss function achieved an average DSC score of 0.96 ± 0.003 in the γ-Alumina support material and 0.84 ± 0.03 in the Pt NPs segmentation tasks. We report an average boundary-overlap error of less than 2 nm at the 90th percentile of HD for γ-Alumina and Pt NPs segmentations. The complex surface morphology of γ-Alumina and its relation to the Pt NPs were visualized in 3D by the deep learning-assisted automatic segmentation of a large data set of high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography reconstructions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Detecting technological maturity from bibliometric patterns

We report the capability to identify emergent technologies based upon easily accessed open-source indicators, such as publications, is important for decision-makers in industry and government. The scientific contribution of this work is the proposition of a machine learning approach to the detection of the maturity of emerging technologies based on publication counts. Time-series of publication counts have universal features that distinguish emerging and growing technologies. We train an artificial neural network classifier, a supervised machine learning algorithm, upon these features to predict the maturity (emergent vs. growth) of an arbitrary technology. With a training set comprised of 22 technologies we obtain a classification accuracy ranging from 58.3% to 100% with an average accuracy of 84.6% for six test technologies. To enhance classifier performance, we augmented the training corpus with synthetic time-series technology life cycle curves, formed by calculating weighted averages of curves in the original training set. Training the classifier on the synthetic data set resulted in improved accuracy, ranging from 83.3% to 100% with an average accuracy of 90.4% for the test technologies. The performance of our classifier exceeds that of competing machine learning approaches in the literature, which report an average classification accuracy of only 85.7% at maximum. Moreover, in contrast to current methods our approach does not require subject matter expertise to generate training labels, and it can be automated and scaled.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Task-oriented machine learning surrogates for tipping points of agent-based models

We present a machine learning framework bridging manifold learning, neural networks, Gaussian processes, and Equation-Free multiscale approach, for the construction of different types of effective reduced order models from detailed agent-based simulators and the systematic multiscale numerical analysis of their emergent dynamics. The specific tasks of interest here include the detection of tipping points, and the uncertainty quantification of rare events near them. Our illustrative examples are an event-driven, stochastic financial market model describing the mimetic behavior of traders, and a compartmental stochastic epidemic model on an Erdös-Rényi network. We contrast the pros and cons of the different types of surrogate models and the effort involved in learning them. Importantly, the proposed framework reveals that, around the tipping points, the emergent dynamics of both benchmark examples can be effectively described by a one-dimensional stochastic differential equation, thus revealing the intrinsic dimensionality of the normal form of the specific type of the tipping point. This allows a significant reduction in the computational cost of the tasks of interest.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Visibility-enhanced model-free deep reinforcement learning algorithm for voltage control in realistic distribution systems using smart inverters

Increasing integration of distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) into distribution networks could result in adverse effects on grid operation. Traditional model-based control algorithms require accurate model information that is difficult to acquire and thus are challenging to implement in practice. Here, this paper proposes a surrogate model-enabled grid visibility scheme to empower deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach for distribution network voltage regulation using PV inverters with minimal system knowledge. In contrast to existing DRL methods, this paper presents and corroborates the adverse impact of missing load information on DRL performance and, based on this finding, proposes a surrogate model methodology to impute load information utilizing observable data. Additionally, a multi-fidelity neural network is utilized to construct the DRL training environment, chosen for its efficient data utilization and enhanced robustness to data uncertainty. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are assessed by considering DRL testing across varying degrees of observable load information and diverse training environments on a realistic power system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Condition monitoring and anomaly detection in cyber-physical systems

The modern industrial environment is equipping myriads of smart manufacturing machines where the state of each device can be monitored continuously. Such monitoring can help identify possible future failures and develop a cost-effective maintenance plan. However, it is a daunting task to perform early detection with low false positives and negatives from the huge volume of collected data. This requires developing a holistic machine learning framework to address the issues in condition monitoring of high priority components and develop efficient techniques to detect anomalies that can detect and possibly localize the faulty components. This paper presents a comparative analysis of recent machine learning approaches for robust, cost-effective anomaly detection in cyber-physical systems. While detection has been extensively studied, very few researchers have analyzed the localization of the anomalies. We show that supervised learning outperforms unsupervised algorithms. For supervised cases, we achieve near-perfect accuracy of 98% (specifically for tree-based algorithms). In contrast, the best-case accuracy in the unsupervised cases was 63%—the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) exhibits similar outcomes as an additional metric.

Marfo, William↗

Improving Bond Dissociations of Reactive Machine Learning Potentials through Physics-Constrained Data Augmentation

In the field of computational chemistry, predicting bond dissociation energies (BDEs) presents well-known challenges, particularly due to the multireference character of reactive systems. Many chemical reactions involve configurations where single-reference methods fall short, as the electronic structure can significantly change during bond breaking. As generating training data for partially broken bonds is a challenging task, even state-of-the-art reactive machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) often fail to predict reliable BDEs and smooth dissociation curves. By contrast, simple and inexpensive physics-based models, such as the well-established Morse potential, do not suffer from any such limitations. This work leverages the Morse potential to improve reactive MLIPs by augmenting the training data set with inexpensive Morse data along the dissociation pathways. Further, this physics-constrained data augmentation (PCDA) approach results in MLIPs with smooth bond dissociation curves as well as near coupled-cluster level BDEs, all without requiring any expensive multireference quantum mechanical calculations. A case study for methane combustion demonstrates how the PCDA approach can improve an existing reactive MLIP, namely, ANI-1xnr. In conclusion, not only are the BDEs and bond dissociation curves for all radicals and molecules significantly improved compared to ANI-1xnr but the PCDA-trained MLIP retains the reliability of ANI-1xnr when performing reactive molecular dynamics simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

STEM Imaging of Materials: Final Report for DE-FG02-08ER46547

This project supported research advancing the state of the art in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging and characterization of materials, especially electronic materials. The project began with studies of point defects in materials using high-resolution Z-contrast STEM, then evolved to including methods in four-dimensional (4D) STEM and machine learning. Highlights include: (1) the discovery of stable, p-type ZnO via Sb doping, (2) demonstration that the high performance of InGaN LEDs is not due to In composition fluctuations as previously proposed, (3) the demonstration of the first sub-pm precision high-resolution STEM images using non-rigid registration of a series of STEM images, (4) the extension of high-precision STEM to low dose imaging and spectrum imaging, (5) discovery of a synthesis method for twisted spiral growth of transition-metal dichalcogenide materials via chemical vapor deposition, and (6) development of machine-learning methods for analysis and denoising of enormous 4D STEM data sets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DENSECL: Haze Mitigation Using Dense Blocks and Contrastive Loss Regularization

Haze, which occurs as a result of the scattering of light in the atmosphere by small particles, diminishes the visibility of scene objects, inflicting important image applications such as object detection. To address the problem, this paper introduces a new physics-based end-to-end deep learning approach to haze mitigation in outdoor scenes, including those in airborne images. The proposed model named DenseCL is designed with dense blocks and adopts a contrastive loss function as an additional regularization. The model also maintains the cycle consistency by remapping the dehazed outputs into a hazy image using the physics-based light scattering function. DenseCL has been trained with publicly available outdoor images and demonstrates outstanding performance on outdoor, indoor, and remotely sensed nonhomogeneous haze satellite images.

Mitra, Somosmita↗

BULKI-Store v0.3.2

BULKI-Store is a distributed object storage system optimized for high-performance computing environments. Built with a Rust core and Python bindings, it efficiently manages scientific and machine learning datasets across HPC clusters. The system employs a client-server architecture with MPI integration, enabling seamless scaling on supercomputers like Perlmutter. BULKI-Store's object-oriented approach provides intuitive data organization with rich metadata support, contrasting with traditional file-based solutions. Key optimizations include selective checkpoint loading, unified checkpoint files, and object chunking for large data transfers. For machine learning workloads, BULKI-Store offers advantages through fine-grained access patterns, dynamic data sharing between training instances, and reduced memory pressure. Memory management features include strategic Python GC calls, minimized data copies, and batch processing capabilities. The system leverages Rayon's thread pool for asynchronous data prefetching and supports multiple CPU architectures (ARM64, x86, AMD, RISC-V). By combining performance optimizations with developer-friendly APIs, BULKI-Store addresses the complex data management challenges of modern HPC applications while maintaining compatibility across heterogeneous computing environments.

Zhang, Wei [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ↗

Boosting Barlow Twins Reduced Order Modeling for Machine Learning‐Based Surrogate Models in Multiphase Flow Problems

Abstract We present an innovative approach called boosting Barlow Twins reduced order modeling (BBT‐ROM) to enhance the reliability of machine learning surrogate models for multiphase flow problems. BBT‐ROM builds upon Barlow Twins reduced order modeling that leverages self‐supervised learning to effectively handle linear and nonlinear manifolds by constructing well‐structured latent spaces of input parameters and output quantities. To address the challenge of high contrast data in multiphase flow problems due to injection wells and faults, we employ a boosting algorithm within BBT‐ROM. This algorithm sequentially trains a set of weak models (i.e., inaccurate models), improving prediction accuracy through ensemble learning. To evaluate the performance of BBT‐ROM, we conduct three three‐dimensional multiphase flow problems, including waterflooding and geologic carbon storage (GCS), with varying numbers of input parameter cases and model domain features. The results demonstrate that BBT‐ROM excels at predicting non‐wetting phase saturation (e.g., oil or saturation) and fluid pressure, with average relative errors ranging from 0.5% to 3%. Importantly, BBT‐ROM showcases robustness when faced with limited input parameter space during GCS testing.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Phase retrieval for refraction-enhanced x-ray radiography using a deep neural network

X-ray refraction-enhanced radiography (RER) or phase contrast imaging is widely used to study internal discontinuities within materials. The resulting radiograph captures both the decrease in intensity caused by material absorption along the x-ray path, as well as the phase shift, which is highly sensitive to gradients in density. A significant challenge lies in effectively analyzing the radiographs to decouple the intensity and phase information and accurately ascertain the density profile. Conventional algorithms often yield ambiguous and unrealistic results due to difficulties in including physical constraints and other relevant information. We have developed an algorithm that uses a deep neural network to address these issues and applied it to extract the detailed density profile from an experimental RER. To generalize the applicability of our algorithm, we have developed a technique that quantitatively evaluates the complexity of the phase retrieval process based on the characteristics of the sample and the configuration of the experiment. Accordingly, this evaluation aids in the selection of the neural network architecture for each specific case. Beyond RER, the model has potential applications for other diagnostics where phase retrieval analysis is required.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Cluster expansion by transfer learning for phase stability predictions

Recent progress towards universal machine-learned interatomic potentials holds considerable promise for materials discovery. Yet the accuracy of these potentials for predicting phase stability may still be limited. In contrast, cluster expansions provide accurate phase stability predictions but are computationally demanding to parameterize from first principles, especially for structures of low dimension or with a large number of components, such as interfaces or multimetal catalysts. We overcome this trade-off via transfer learning. Using Bayesian inference, we incorporate prior statistical knowledge from machine-learned and physics-based potentials, enabling us to sample the most informative configurations and to efficiently fit first-principles cluster expansions. Furthermore, this algorithm is tested on Pt:Ni, showing robust convergence of the mixing energies as a function of sample size with reduced statistical fluctuations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Gaussian approximation potentials for accurate thermal properties of two-dimensional materials

Two-dimensional materials (2DMs) continue to attract a lot of attention, particularly for their extreme flexibility and superior thermal properties. Molecular dynamics simulations are among the most powerful methods for computing these properties, but their reliability depends on the accuracy of interatomic interactions. While first principles approaches provide the most accurate description of interatomic forces, they are computationally expensive. In contrast, classical force fields are computationally efficient, but have limited accuracy in interatomic force description. Machine learning interatomic potentials, such as Gaussian Approximation Potentials, trained on density functional theory (DFT) calculations offer a compromise by providing both accurate estimation and computational efficiency. Here, in this work, we present a systematic procedure to develop Gaussian approximation potentials for selected 2DMs, graphene, buckled silicene, and h-XN (X = B, Al, and Ga, as binary compounds) structures. We validate our approach through calculations that require various levels of accuracy in interatomic interactions. The calculated phonon dispersion curves and lattice thermal conductivity, obtained through harmonic and anharmonic force constants (including fourth order) are in excellent agreement with DFT results. HIPHIVE calculations, in which the generated GAP potentials were used to compute higher-order force constants instead of DFT, demonstrated the first-principles level accuracy of the potentials for interatomic force description. Molecular dynamics simulations based on phonon density of states calculations, which agree closely with DFT-based calculations, also show the success of the generated potentials in high-temperature simulations.

2D Materials↗

A Neural Differential Equation Formulation for Modeling Atmospheric Effects in Hyperspectral Images

Atmospheric correction is the process for removing atmospheric effects from spectral data; a necessary step for recovering salient spectral properties. The complex interactions between the atmosphere and light are dominated by absorbance and scattering physics. Existing methods for modeling atmospheric interactions typically rely on deep knowledge of relevant environmental conditions and high-fidelity numerical simulations of the governing physics in order to obtain accurate estimates of these effects. Additionally, existing approaches often require a subject matter expert for pre/post-processing of the data. Model-based approaches for removing atmospheric effects struggle in situations where such domain expertise is not available, and require significant human effort and computational power even when that expertise is available. In contrast, we propose a data-driven approach the uses Neural Differential Equations (NDEs) to accurately learn the interactions between electromagnetic radiation and the atmospheric without access to location specific environmental information. Once trained, the NDE can be applied bi-directionally; to apply or remove atmospheric effects. We demonstrate the effectiveness and utility of these techniques on an example multi-spectral scene.

Koch, James V.↗