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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

Sensitive and single-shot OH and temperature measurements by femtosecond cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy

In many low-temperature plasmas (LTPs), the OH radical and temperature represent key properties of plasma reactivity. However, OH and temperature measurements in weakly ionized LTPs are challenging, due to the low concentration and short lifetime of OH and the abrupt temperature rise caused by fast gas heating. To address such issues, this Letter combined cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) with femtosecond (fs) pulses to enable sensitive single-shot broadband measurements of OH and temperature with a time resolution of ∼180 ns in LTPs. Such a combination leveraged several benefits. With the appropriately designed cavity, an absorption gain of ∼66 was achieved, enhancing the actual OH detection limit by ∼55× to the 10 11 cm -3 level (sub-ppm in this work) compared with single-pass absorption. Single-shot measurements were enabled while maintaining a time resolution of ∼180 ns, sufficiently short for detecting OH with a lifetime of ∼100 μs. With the broadband fs laser, ∼34,000 cavity modes were matched with ∼95 modes matched on each CCD pixel bandwidth, such that fs-CEAS became immune to the laser-cavity coupling noise and highly robust across the entire spectral range. Also, the broadband fs laser allowed simultaneous sensing of many absorption features to enable simultaneous multi-parameter measurements with enhanced accuracies.

Liu, Ning↗

Automated imaging of the annihilation of a transverse domain wall in patterned magnetic thin films

Imaging the magnetic domain wall behavior in patterned thin films under external stimuli can enable understanding the underlying energy landscape and the role of local microstructure and defects. We present an automated workflow for in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy to image magnetic domain walls at the nanometer length scale and at a time resolution in the sub-millisecond regime—the latter of which is limited by the speed of the available camera. Our workflow is modular and can be broadly applied to various types of in situ experiments, taking us a step closer to the future of autonomous imaging of nanomagnetic films with electron microscopy. Using our workflow, we show the transformation of a transverse domain wall with sub-millisecond time resolution under the application of an in situ transverse magnetic field, a study of whose dynamics are essential in the design of future domain wall mediated spintronic device applications.

Algebraic topology↗

Studying AC-LGAD strip sensors from laser and testbeam measurements

Here, this paper presents the setup assembled to characterize and measure the spatial and timing resolutions of AC-coupled Low Gain Avalanche Diodes (AC-LGADs), using a 1060 nm laser source to deposit initial charges with a defined calibration methodology. The results were compared to those obtained with a 120 GeV proton beam. Despite the differences in the charge deposition mechanism between the laser and proton beam, the spatial and temporal resolutions were found to be compatible between the two sources after calibration. With 4D tracking detectors expected to play a vital role in upcoming collider experiments, we foresee this work as a way to evaluate the performance of semiconductor sensors that can augment testbeam measurements and accelerate R&D efforts. Additionally, simulation studies using Silvaco TCAD and Weightfield2 were carried out to understand the various contributing factors to the total time resolution in AC-LGAD sensors, measured using the laser source.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Characterization of ORNL PSD ASIC

The performance of the ORNL ASIC and its readout system was tested with pixelated organic scintillators. We use a pixelated trans-Stilbene scintillator array from Inrad Optics and a pixelated organic glass scintillator array developed at Sandia National Laboratories to characterize the energy and timing resolutions and the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) figure-of-merit (FoM). The results are compared to previous work in which the same metrics were measured on waveforms digitized at 250 MHz with 14-bit resolution. We found that the PSD FoM at 340 keVee of the ASIC configuration compared to waveform data varied with the scintillator type. We measured a PSD FoM of 1.12 ± 0.14 with the ASIC configuration versus 1.39 ± 0.23 with waveform data using the trans-Stilbene array. We measured a PSD FoM of 0.52 ± 0.18 with the ASIC configuration versus 1.25 ± 0.19 with waveform data using the the organic glass scintillator array. The coincidence timing resolution was measured using two 6x6x6 mm 3 cubes of trans-Stilbene. It was measured to be 805 ± 9 ps with the ASIC configuration versus 300 ps on average with waveform data.

42 ENGINEERING↗

EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC (ENA) CONDENSATION PARTICLE COUNTER (CPC) with the AEROSOL MASK (ENA-AM) for the YEAR 2017

The Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) central facility is periodically affected by episodes of local aerosols. High-concentration aerosol events associated with potential local aerosol sources are sampled by the Concentration Particle Counter (CPC) and can be observed in the high-time-resolution data. In an effort to remove aerosol data that is not regionally representative from the CPC data, an aerosol mask (ENA-AM) has been previously developed and validated during the ACE-ENA campaing (Gallo et al., 2020). The ENA-AM is a standard deviation algorithm based on the statistically different behavior of adjacent data points used to determine periods when the measurements are impacted by local aerosols. This file contain one-minute time resolution submicron aerosol particle concentration datasets from the CPC for the year 2017, and the corresponding ENA-AM datasets to remove datapoints affected by local aerosol sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC (ENA) CONDENSATION PARTICLE COUNTER (CPC) with the AEROSOL MASK (ENA-AM) for the YEAR 2018

The Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) central facility is periodically affected by episodes of local aerosols. High-concentration aerosol events associated with potential local aerosol sources are sampled by the Concentration Particle Counter (CPC) and can be observed in the high-time-resolution data. In an effort to remove aerosol data that is not regionally representative from the CPC data, an aerosol mask (ENA-AM) has been previously developed and validated during the ACE-ENA campaing (Gallo et al., 2020). The ENA-AM is a standard deviation algorithm based on the statistically different behavior of adjacent data points used to determine periods when the measurements are impacted by local aerosols. This file contain one-minute time resolution submicron aerosol particle concentration datasets from the CPC for the year 2018, and the corresponding ENA-AM datasets to remove datapoints affected by local aerosol sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC (ENA) CONDENSATION PARTICLE COUNTER (CPC) with the AEROSOL MASK (ENA-AM) for the YEAR 2016

The Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) central facility is periodically affected by episodes of local aerosols. High-concentration aerosol events associated with potential local aerosol sources are sampled by the concentration particle counter (CPC) and can be observed in the high-time-resolution data. In an effort to remove aerosol data that is not regionally representative from the CPC data, an aerosol mask (ENA-AM) has been previously developed and validated during the ACE-ENA campaign (Gallo et al. 2020). The ENA-AM is a standard deviation algorithm based on the statistically different behavior of adjacent data points used to determine periods when the measurements are impacted by local aerosols. This file contains one-minute-time-resolution submicron aerosol particle concentration data sets from the CPC for the year 2016, and the corresponding ENA-AM data sets to remove data points affected by local aerosol sources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

New Instrument for Time-Resolved OH and HO 2 Quantification in High-Pressure Laboratory Kinetics Studies

Here, we have constructed a new time-resolved high-pressure fluorescence assay by gas expansion (HP-FAGE) apparatus, optimized for the detection of OH and HO 2 radicals in complex gas-phase reactions. The new instrument fills a gap in the existing experimental toolkit for chemical kinetics by enabling the quantification of two key reactive species with microsecond time resolution from high-pressure sources, which was previously not attainable. The HP-FAGE is interfaced with a flow reactor, designed for pressures up to 100 bar and temperatures up to 1000 K, in which reactions are initiated by laser photolysis of radical precursors at repetition rates of 1–10 Hz. The HP-FAGE samples gas out of the reactor into a miniature FAGE chamber, where OH is detected by resonant laser-induced fluorescence using a time-delayed probe laser pulse. HO 2 is converted to OH via reaction with NO and then detected by OH fluorescence. The novel FAGE design places the probe region very close to the gas expansion, minimizing the transport time of sampled molecules and resulting in time resolution better than 20 μs for both OH and HO 2 . We calibrate the sensitivity of HP-FAGE, validate its performance with measurements of well-known reaction kinetics (OH + CH 4 , OH + OH, OH + HO 2 , and HO 2 + HO 2 ), and discuss prospects for its future use.

calibration↗

Search for ultralight dark matter in the SuperMAG high-fidelity dataset

Ultralight dark matter, such as kinetically mixed dark-photon dark matter (DPDM) or axion-like-particle dark matter (axion DM), can source an oscillating magnetic-field signal at Earth’s surface. Previous work searched for this signal in a publicly available dataset of global magnetometer measurements maintained by the SuperMAG collaboration. This “low-fidelity” dataset reported measurements with a 1-min time resolution, allowing the search to set leading direct constraints on DPDM and axion DM with Compton frequencies f DM ≤ 1 / ( 1 min ) (corresponding to masses m DM ≤ 7 × 10 − 17 eV ). More recently, a dedicated experiment undertaken by the SNIPE Hunt collaboration has also searched for this same signal at higher frequencies f DM ≥ 0.5 Hz (or m DM ≥ 2 × 10 − 15 eV ). In this work, we search for this signal of ultralight DM in the SuperMAG “high-fidelity” dataset, which features a 1-sec time resolution, allowing us to probe the gap in parameter space between the low-fidelity dataset and the SNIPE Hunt experiment. The high-fidelity dataset exhibits lower geomagnetic noise than the low-fidelity dataset and features more data than the SNIPE Hunt experiment, making it a powerful probe of ultralight DM. Our search finds no robust DPDM or axion DM candidates. We set constraints on DPDM and axion DM parameter space for 10 − 3 Hz ≤ f DM ≤ 0.98 Hz (or 4 × 10 − 18 eV ≤ m DM ≤ 4 × 10 − 15 eV ). Our results are the leading direct constraints on both DPDM and axion DM in this mass range, and our DPDM constraint surpasses the leading astrophysical constraint in a narrow range around m A ′ ≈ 2 × 10 − 15 eV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Summer Aerosol and Trace Gas Observations in Houston, Texas Using an Adaptable Mobile Facility

An aerosol container featuring a shared inlet system was deployed to Houston, Texas in July 2022, enabling direct, high-time-resolution in situ measurements of aerosols and trace gases. The internal rack system and floorplan was designed for adaptable modularity to elucidate aerosol physicochemical processes at fine scales. The design allowed for the deployment of a core instrument suite and additional customized research grade instruments. A heterogeneous mixture of aerosols was observed during three regimes: (1) intermittent black carbon (BC) and diurnal variations in aerosol chemical composition, (2) observed particle growth associated with SO 2 , (3) transported supermicron dust. The high variability of observed particles and gases in high time resolution indicated a complex urban area with multiple local and regional sources and processes. Particle growth rates of 7–16 nm/hr were observed for submicron particles during periods when SO 2 was >0.5 ppbv. Two periods of multi-day long-range transport events of dust from the African Sahara were observed in the supermicron and submicron particle modes with total mass concentrations up to 30 μg m −3 . Aerosol scattering angstrom exponents and extinction coefficients (B ext ) increased with humidity as a function of particle composition. The measurements demonstrate collaborative capabilities that can be used to increase observations of aerosol processing, microphysical and optical properties, internal mixing state, and supermicron aerosol that are not parameterized or missing in global Earth energy system models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Investigation of low gain avalanche detectors exposed to proton fluences beyond 10 15 n eq cm -2

Abstract Low gain avalanche detectors (LGADs) deliver excellent timing resolution, which can mitigate mis-assignment of vertices associated with pileup at the High Luminosity LHC and other future hadron colliders. The most highly irradiated LGADs will be subject to 2.5 × 10 15 n eq cm -2 of hadronic fluence during HL-LHC operation; their performance must tolerate this. Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. and Fondazione Bruno Kessler LGADs have been irradiated with 400 and 500 MeV protons respectively in several steps up to 1.5 × 10 15 n eq cm -2 . Measurements of the acceptor removal constants of the gain layers, evolution of the timing resolution and charge collection with damage, and inter-channel isolation characteristics, for a variety of design options, are presented here.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Deployment of ADTimePix3 areaDetector Driver at Neutron and X-ray User Facilities

TimePix3 is a 65k hybrid pixel readout chip with simultaneous Time-of-Arrival (ToA) and Time-over-Threshold (ToT) recording in each pixel*. The chip operates without a trigger signal with a sparse readout where only pixels containing events are read out. The flexible architecture allows 40 MHits/s/cm² readout throughput, using simultaneous readout and acquisition by sharing readout logic with transport logic of superpixel matrix formed using 2x4 structure. The chip ToA records 1.5625 ns time resolution. The X-ray and charged particle events are counted directly. However, indirect neutron counts use 6Li fission in a scintillator matrix, such as ZnS(Ag). The fission space-charge region is limited to 5-9 um. A photon from scintillator material excites a photocathode electron, which is further multiplied in dual-stack MCP. The neutron count event is a cluster of electron events at the chip. We report on the EPICS areaDetector** ADTimePix3 driver that controls Serval*** using json commands. The driver directs data to storage and to a real-time processing pipeline and configures the chip. The time-stamped data are stored in raw .tpx3 file format and passed through a socket where the clustering software identifies individual neutron events. The conventional 2D images are available as images for each exposure frame, and a preview is useful for sample alignment. The areaDetector driver allows integration of time-enhanced capabilities of this detector into SNS beamlines controls and unprecedented time resolution.

Gofron, Kaz↗

Identifying a regional aerosol baseline in the eastern North Atlantic using collocated measurements and a mathematical algorithm to mask high-submicron-number-concentration aerosol events

Abstract. High-time-resolution measurements of in situ aerosol and cloud properties provide the ability to study regional atmospheric processes that occur on timescales of minutes to hours. However, one limitation to this approach is that continuous measurements often include periods when the data collected are not representative of the regional aerosol. Even at remote locations, submicron aerosols are pervasive in the ambient atmosphere with many sources. Therefore, periods dominated by local aerosol should be identified before conducting subsequent analyses to understand aerosol regional processes and aerosol–cloud interactions. Here, we present a novel method to validate the identification of regional baseline aerosol data by applying a mathematical algorithm to the data collected at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility in the eastern North Atlantic (ENA). The ENA central facility (C1) includes an aerosol observing system (AOS) for the measurement of aerosol physical, optical, and chemical properties at time resolutions from seconds to minutes. A second temporary supplementary facility (S1), located ∼0.75 km from C1, was deployed for ∼1 year during the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments (ACE-ENA) campaign in 2017. First, we investigate the local aerosol at both locations. We associate periods of high submicron number concentration (Ntot) in the fine-mode condensation particle counter (CPC) and size distributions from the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) as a function of wind direction using a meteorology sensor with local sources. Elevated concentrations of Aitken-mode (< 100 nm diameter) particles were observed in correspondence with the wind directions associated with airport operations. At ENA, the Graciosa Airport and its associated activities were found to be the main sources of high-concentration aerosol events at ENA, causing peaks in 1 min Ntot that exceeded 8000 and 10 000 cm−3 at C1, in summer and winter, respectively, and 5000 cm−3 at S1 in summer. Periods with high Ntot not associated with these wind directions were also observed. As a result, the diverse local sources at ENA yielded a poor relationship between Ntot measurements collected at C1 and S1 (R2=0.03 with a slope =0.05±0.001). As a first approach to mask these events, the time periods when the wind direction was associated with the airport operations (west to northwest and southeast to south at C1 and east to south at S1) were applied. The meteorological masks removed 38.9 % of the data at C1 and 43.4 % at S1, and they did not significantly improve the relationship between the two sites (R2=0.18 with a slope =0.06±0.001). Due to the complexity of high-Ntot events observed at ENA, we develop and validate a mathematical ENA Aerosol Mask (ENA-AM) to identify high-Ntot events using 1 min resolution data from the AOS CPC at C1 and S1. After its parameterization and application, ENA-AM generated a high correlation between Ntot in the summer at C1 and S1 (R2=0.87 with a slope =0.84±0.001). We identified the regional baseline at ENA to be 428±228 cm−3 in the summer and 346±223 cm−3 in the winter. Lastly, we compared masked measurements from the AOS with the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) during flights over C1 in the summer to understand submicron aerosol vertical mixing over C1. The high correlation (R2=0.71 with a slope of 1.04±0.01) observed between C1 and the AAF Ntot collected within an area of 10 km surrounding ENA and at altitudes < 500 m indicated that the submicron aerosol at ENA was well mixed within the first 500 m of the marine boundary layer during the month of July during ACE-ENA. Our novel method for determining a regional aerosol baseline at ENA can be applied to other time periods and at other locations with validation by a secondary site or additional collocated measurements.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Picosecond Synchronization System for the Distribution of Photon Pairs Through a Fiber Link Between Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratories

Here we demonstrate a three-node quantum network for C-band photon pairs using 2 pairs of 59 km of deployed fiber between Fermi and Argonne National Laboratories. The C-band pairs are directed to nodes using a standard telecommunication switch and the detection system is synchronized to picosecond scale timing resolution using a coexisting O-or L-band optical clock distribution system. We measure a reduction of coincidence to-accidental ratio (CAR) of the C-band pairs from 51 ± 2 to 5.3 ± 0.4 due to Raman scattering of the O-band clock pulses. Despite this reduction, the CAR is nevertheless suitable for quantum networks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Layout and performance of HPK prototype LGAD sensors for the High-Granularity Timing Detector

The High-Granularity Timing Detector is a detector proposed for the ATLAS Phase II upgrade. The detector, based on the Low-Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) technology, will cover the pseudo-rapidity region of 2.4 < |n| < 4.0 with two end caps on each side and a total area of 6.4 m 2 . The timing performance can be improved by implanting an internal gain layer that can produce signals with a fast rising edge. It significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio. The required average timing resolution per track for a minimum ionizing particle is 30 ps at the start and 50 ps at the end of the HL-LHC operation. This is achieved with several layers of LGAD. The innermost region of the detector would accumulate a 1MeV neutron-equivalent fluence up to 2.5 10 15 n eq /cm 2 including a safety factor of 1.5 before being replaced during the scheduled shutdowns. The addition of this new detector is expected to play an important role in the mitigation of high pile-ups at the HL-LHC. The layout and performance of the various versions of LGAD prototypes produced by Hamamatsu (HPK) have been studied by the ATLAS Collaboration. The breakdown voltages, depletion voltages, inter-pad gaps, collected charge as well as the time resolution have been measured and the production yield of large size sensors has been evaluated.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Generation of Bright Soft X-ray Laser Beams (Final Report)

The project goal was to demonstrate new compact soft x-ray lasers emitting high energy ultrashort pulses at shorter wavelengths and increased repetition rates by amplification in atomic transitions in high density laser-created plasmas. To demonstrate these lasers we developed new high power solid state lasers. The project succeeded in demonstrating the shortest wavelength compact soft x-ray laser to date, 6.85 nm wavelength, and the highest repetition rate table-top soft x-ray laser, 400 Hz. We also applied these compact soft x-ray laser sources to determine the composition of materials with nanoscale resolution using a new technique that combines soft x-ray laser ablation with mass spectrometry, and we demonstrated that these lasers are capable of acquiring nanoscale resolution holograms with picosecond time resolution. The combination of an increased pumping efficiency with increased repetition rates can yield soft x-ray laser beams with an unprecedented average power on a table-top for applications demanding a high photon flux. We have demonstrated that the efficiency of plasma-based laser-pumped soft x-ray lasers can be significantly increased by detailed pulse shaping of the pump laser using a new pulse synthesizer. Results include the demonstration of 18.9 nm wavelength laser operation at a record 400 Hz repetition rate, and the extension of repetitive gain-saturated plasma-based table-top x-ray lasers to the shortest wavelength to date, 6.85 nm. Laser amplification was also observed at wavelengths as short at 5.8 nm by isolectronic scaling in Ni-like lanthanide ions. We have also conducted simulations to explore the possibility of demonstrating gain saturated atomic x-ray lasers near the carbon K-edge, in the “carbon window” for the first time. The work conducted under this program also includes the use of compact soft x-ray lasers in applications to problems of chemical interest, such as isotopic composition mapping of micron-size uranium particles with nanoscale resolution, and nanoscale resolution depth profiling analysis of CoNCN-coated electrodes for water oxidation catalysis. We also demonstrated single-shot high resolution soft x-ray Fourier transform holography over a broad 7 µm diameter field of view with ~ 5 ps temporal resolution.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Fast and sensitive measurements of sub-3 nm particles using Condensation Particle Counters For Atmospheric Rapid Measurements (CPC FARM)

New particle formation (NPF) is the atmospheric process whereby gas molecules react and nucleate to form detectable particles. NPF has a strong impact on Earth's radiative balance as it produces roughly half of global cloud condensation nuclei. However, the time resolution and sensitivity of current instrumentation are inadequate in measuring the size distribution of sub-3 nm particles, the particles critical for understanding NPF. Here we present the Condensation Particle Counters For Atmospheric Rapid Measurements (CPC FARM), a method to measure the concentrations of freshly nucleated particles. The CPC FARM consists of five CPCs operating in parallel, each configured to operate at different detectable particle sizes between 1–3 nm. This study explores two methods to calculate the size distribution from the differential measurements across the CPC channels. The performance of both inversion methods was tested against the size distribution measured by a pair of stepping particle mobility sizers (SMPSs) during an ambient air sampling study in Pittsburgh, PA. Observational results indicate that the CPC FARM is more accurate with higher time resolution and sensitivity in the sub-3 nm range compared to the SMPS.

Cheng, Darren [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, ↗

Second Generation Readout For Large Format Photon Counting Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

We present the development of a second generation digital readout system for photon counting microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays operating in the optical and near-infrared wavelength bands. Our system retains much of the core signal processing architecture from the first generation system but with a significantly higher bandwidth, enabling the readout of kilopixel MKID arrays. Each set of readout boards is capable of reading out 1024 MKID pixels multiplexed over 2 GHz of bandwidth; two such units can be placed in parallel to read out a full 2048 pixel microwave feedline over a 4 GHz–8 GHz band. As in the first generation readout, our system is capable of identifying, analyzing, and recording photon detection events in real time with a time resolution of order a few microseconds. Here, we describe the hardware and firmware, and present an analysis of the noise properties of the system. We also present a novel algorithm for efficiently suppressing IQ mixer sidebands to below −30 dBc.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗