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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A Novel Mode of Photoprotection Mediated by a Cysteine Residue in the Chlorophyll Protein IsiA

Oxygenic photosynthetic organisms have evolved a multitude of mechanisms for protection against high-light stress. IsiA, a chlorophyll a-binding cyanobacterial protein, serves as an accessory antenna complex for photosystem I. Intriguingly, IsiA can also function as an independent pigment protein complex in the thylakoid membrane and facilitate the dissipation of excess energy, providing photoprotection. The molecular basis of the IsiA-mediated excitation quenching mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that IsiA uses a novel cysteine-mediated process to quench excitation energy. The single cysteine in IsiA in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 was converted to a valine. Ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopic analysis showed that this single change abolishes the excitation energy quenching ability of IsiA, thus providing direct evidence of the crucial role of this cysteine residue in energy dissipation from excited chlorophylls. Under stress conditions, the mutant cells exhibited enhanced light sensitivity, indicating that the cysteine-mediated quenching process is critically important for photoprotection.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cyanobacterial photosystem II reaction center design in tobacco chloroplasts increases biomass in low light

Abstract The D1 polypeptide of the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center complex contains domains that regulate primary photochemical yield and charge recombination rate. Many prokaryotic oxygenic phototrophs express two or more D1 isoforms differentially in response to environmental light needs, a capability absent in flowering plants and algae. We report that tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants carrying the Synechococcus (Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942) low-light mutation (LL-E130Q) in the D1 polypeptide (NtLL) acquire the cyanobacterial photochemical phenotype: faster photodamage in high light and significantly more charge separations in productive linear electron flow in low light. This flux increase produces 16.5% more (dry) biomass under continuous low-light illumination (100 μE m−2 s−1, 24 h). This gain is offset by the predicted lower photoprotection at high light. By contrast, the introduction of the Synechococcus high-light mutation (HL-A152S) into tobacco D1 (NtHL) has slightly increased photoprotection, achieved by photochemical quenching, but no apparent impact on biomass yield compared to wild type under the tested conditions. The universal design principle of all PSII reaction centers trades off energy conversion for photoprotection in different proportions across all phototrophs and provides a useful guidance for testing in crop plants. The observed biomass advantage under continuous low light can be transferred between evolutionarily isolated lineages to benefit growth under artificial lighting conditions. However, removal of the selective marker gene was essential to observe the growth phenotype, indicating growth penalty imposed by use of the particular spectinomycin-resistance gene.

Zhang, Yuan (ORCID:0000000291785207)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Temperature and solvent-dependent photoluminescence quenching in [Ru(bpy) 2 (bpy-cc-AQ)] 2+

I have herein investigated the solvent-dependent photoluminescence quenching mechanism of [Ru(bpy) 2 (bpy-cc-AQ)] 2+ using variable temperature emission spectroscopies. In this wok, the photophysics of this complex are dominated by an excited-state thermal equilibrium between a photoluminescent 3 MLCT state and a charge-separated state that lies higher in energy relative to the 3 MLCT state in low polarity solvents and approximately isoenergetic in high polarity solvents. Furthermore, an unusual photoluminescence temperature-dependence in high polarity solvents is shown to arise from competition between enthalpic factors favouring the charge-separated state and entropic factors favouring the photoluminescent 3 MLCT state, analogous to the molecular light-switch effect of [Ru(bpy) 2 (dppz)] 2+ . The solvent-dependent photoluminescence quenching of [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-cc-AQ)] 2+ is attributed to two key solvent-dependent factors: (1) the excited-state equilibrium position and (2) the rate of charge-recombination from the charge-separated state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1991

Production of organic compounds in plasmas: A comparison among electric sparks, laser-induced plasmas and UV light

In order to study the production of organic compounds in plasmas (and shocks), various mixtures of N2, CH4, and H2, modeling the atmosphere of Titan, were exposed to discrete sparks, laser-induced plasmas (LIP) and ultraviolet light. The yields of HCN and simple hydrocarbons were measured and compared to those calculated from a simple quenched thermodynamic equilibrium model. The agreement between experiment and theory was fair for HCN and C2H2. However, the yields of C2H6 and other hydrocarbons were much higher than those predicted by the model. Our experiments suggest that photolysis by ultraviolet light from the plasma is an important process in the synthesis. This was confirmed by the photolysis of gas samples exposed to the light, but not to the plasma or shock waves. The results of these experiments demonstrate that, in addition to the well-known efficient synthesis of organic compounds in plasmas, the yields of saturated species, e.g., ethane, may be higher than predicted by theory and that LIP provide a convenient and clean way of simulating planetary lightning and impact plasmas in the laboratory.

Scattergood, T. W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Photoactivation Transition State and Dynamical Response of the Orange Carotenoid Protein

The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) regulates light harvesting in cyanobacteria by acting as a photoreceptor in its resting form, OCP O , and by effecting the quenching of bilin excitons upon binding to the core of the phycobilisome in its photoactivated red form, OCP R . We show herein using fluorescence anisotropy measurements and the action spectra for the rate constants of the two light-driven steps in the mechanism that the photoactivation of the OCP from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is triggered by excited-state motions of the canthaxanthin chromophore that yield a twisted and bent conformation. Well-tempered metadynamics simulations reveal that a bicycle-pedal configuration, due to twisting of the two adjacent C=C bonds at the C13−C14 and C15−C15′ positions in the center of canthaxanthin’s π-conjugated isoprenoid backbone, can be accommodated by the binding site in the OCP, with the energy of a captured photon required to cross the local activation energy barriers from the dark equilibrium structure. The bicycle-pedal configuration breaks the conserved hydrogen-bonding interactions between the carbonyl substituent of the β-ionone end ring of canthaxanthin and the adjacent W288 and Y201 residues in the C-terminal domain. The action spectra are modulated by the vibronic excitation prepared by absorption transitions to the S 2 state, indicating that the photoactivation reactions are triggered by the canthaxanthin chromophore well prior to vibrational equilibration. These findings show that an ultrafast structural response of the OCP protein to the excited-state motions of the canthaxanthin chromophore controls the photoactivation yield and the sensing of blue light.

Fluorescence↗
DOE OSTI2024

Two rest-frame wavelength measurements of galaxy sizes at z < 1: the evolutionary effects of emerging bulges and quenched newcomers

We analyse the size evolution of 16 000 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and 5000 quiescent galaxies (QGs) with mass M * > 10 9.5 M ⊙ at 0.1 < z < 0.9 from the COSMOS field using deep CLAUDS + HSC imaging in two rest-frame wavelengths, 3000 Å (UV light) and 5000 Å (visible light). With half-light radius (R e ) as proxy for size, SFGs at characteristic mass M 0 = 5 × 10 10 M ⊙ grow by 20 per cent (30 per cent) in UV (visible) light since z ~ 1 and the strength of their size evolution increases with stellar mass. After accounting for mass growth due to star formation, we estimate that SFGs grow by 75 per cent in all stellar mass bins and in both rest-frame wavelengths. Redder SFGs are more massive, smaller and more concentrated than bluer SFGs and the fraction of red SFGs increases with time. These results point to the emergence of bulges as the dominant mechanism for the average size growth of SFGs. We find two threshold values for the stellar mass density within central 1 kpc (Σ 1 ): all SFGs with log Σ 1 ≳ 9 are red and only QGs have log Σ 1 ≳ 9.7. The size of M * = M 0 QGs grows by 50 per cent (110 per cent) in the UV (visible) light. Up to $\sim 20~{{\rm per\,cent}}$ of this increase in size of massive QGs is due to newcomers (recently quenched galaxies). However, newcomers cannot explain the observed pace in the size growth of QGs; that trend has to be dominated by processes affecting individual galaxies, such as minor mergers and accretion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unpacking the drivers of diurnal dynamics of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF): Canopy structure, plant physiology, instrument configuration and retrieval methods

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) from spaceborne sensors is a promising tool for global carbon cycle monitoring, but its application is constrained by insufficient understanding of the drivers underlying diurnal SIF dynamics. SIF measurements from ground-based towers can reveal diurnal SIF dynamics across biomes and environmental conditions; however, meaningful interpretation of diurnal variations requires disentangling impacts from canopy structure, plant physiology, instrument configuration and retrieval methods, which often interact with and confound each other. This study aims to unpack these drivers using 1) concurrent ground and airborne canopy-scale and leaf-scale measurements at a corn field, 2) a mechanistic SIF model that explicitly considers the dynamics of photochemistry (via the fraction of open photosystem II reaction centers, qL) and photoprotection (via nonphotochemical quenching, NPQ) as well as their interactive dependence on the sub-canopy light environment, and 3) cross-comparison of SIF instrument configurations and retrieval methods. We found that crop row orientations and sun angles can introduce a distinctive midday dip in SIF in absence of stress, due to a midday drop of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR) when crop rows are north-south oriented. Canopy structure caused distinctive responses in both qL and NPQ at different positions within the vertical canopy that collectively influenced fluorescence quantum yield (Φ F ) at the leaf scale. Once integrated at the canopy scale, diurnal dynamics of both APAR and canopy escape probability (ε) are critical for accurately shaping diurnal SIF variations. While leaf-level qL and NPQ exhibited strong diurnal dynamics, their influence was attenuated at the canopy scale due to opposing effects on SIF at different canopy layers. Furthermore, different system configurations (i.e., bi-hemispherical vs. hemispherical-conical) and retrieval methods can bias the SIF magnitude and distort its diurnal shapes, therefore confounding the interpretation of inherent strength and dynamics of SIF emission. Our findings demonstrate the importance of crop row structures, interactive variations in canopy structure and plant physiology, instrument configuration, and retrieval method in shaping the measured dynamics of diurnal SIF. This study highlights the necessity to account for these factors to accurately interpret satellite SIF, and informs future synthesis work with different SIF instrumentation and retrieval methods across sites.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

An intermediate model for fitting triplet–triplet annihilation in phosphorescent organic light emitting diode materials

Triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) is one of the primary contributors to efficiency roll-off and permanent material degradation in phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. Here, the two limiting case models typically used to quantify this quenching mechanism are multi-step Dexter and single-step Förster, which, respectively, assume ideal Fickian diffusion or perfect trapping of triplet excitons. For device-relevant guest doping levels (typically 5–12 vol. %), both significant diffusion of excitons and trapping due to spatial and energetic disorder exist, so neither conventional model fits experimental data well. We develop and validate an intermediate TTA model, which is a weighted average of the limiting cases of pure radiative decay (no TTA) and multi-step Dexter based TTA that returns an effective TTA rate constant and a parameter quantifying the portion of well-isolated excitons. Kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements of an archetype host–guest system demonstrate that our intermediate model provides significantly improved fits with more realistic physical values, is more robust to variations in experimental conditions, and provides an analysis framework for the effects of trapping on TTA.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS2007

Portable Unit for Metabolic Analysis

The Portable Unit for Metabolic Analysis (PUMA) is an instrument that measures several quantities indicative of human metabolic function. Specifically, this instrument makes time-resolved measurements of temperature, pressure, flow, and the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath during both inhalation and exhalation. Portable instruments for measuring these quantities have been commercially available, but the response times of those instruments are too long to enable temporal resolution of phenomena on the time scales of human respiration cycles. In contrast, the response time of the PUMA is significantly shorter than characteristic times of human respiration phenomena, making it possible to analyze varying metabolic parameters, not only on sequential breath cycles but also at successive phases of inhalation and exhalation within the same breath cycle. In operation, the PUMA is positioned to sample breath near the subject s mouth. Commercial off-the-shelf sensors are used for three of the measurements: a miniature pressure transducer for pressure, a thermistor for temperature, and an ultrasonic sensor for flow. Sensors developed at Glenn Research Center are used for measuring the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide: The carbon dioxide sensor exploits the relatively strong absorption of infrared light by carbon dioxide. Light from an infrared source passes through the stream of inhaled or exhaled gas and is focused on an infrared- sensitive photodetector. The oxygen sensor exploits the effect of oxygen in quenching the fluorescence of ruthenium-doped organic molecules in a dye on the tip of an optical fiber. A blue laser diode is used to excite the fluorescence, and the optical fiber carries the fluorescent light to a photodiode, the temporal variation of the output of which bears a known relationship with the rate of quenching of fluorescence and, hence, with the partial pressure of oxygen. The outputs of the sensors are digitized, preprocessed by a small onboard computer, and then sent wirelessly to a desktop computer, where the collected data are analyzed and displayed. In addition to the raw data on temperature, pressure, flow, and mole fractions of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the display can include volumetric oxygen consumption, volumetric carbon dioxide production, respiratory equivalent ratio, and volumetric flow rate of exhaled gas.

Dietrich, Daniel L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Chemistry of the outer planets

Various aspects were studied of past or present chemistry in the atmospheres of the outer planets and their satellites using lab simulations. Three areas were studied: (1) organic chemistry induced by kinetically hot hydrogen atoms in the region of Jupiter's atmosphere containing the ammonia cirrus clouds; (2) the conversion of NH3 into N2 by plasmas associated with entry of meteors and other objects into the atmosphere of early Titan; and (3) the synthesis of simple hydrocarbons and HCN by lightning in mixtures containing N2, CH4, and NH3 representing the atmospheres of Titan and the outer planets. The results showed that: (1) hot H2 atoms formed from the photodissociation of NH3 in Jupiter's atmosphere could account for some of the atmospheric chemistry in the ammonia cirrus cloud region; (2) the thermalization of hot H2 atoms in atmospheres predominated by molecular H is not as rapid as predicted by elastic collision theory; (3) the net quantum loss of NH3 in the presence of a 200 fold excess of H2 is 0.02, much higher than was expected from the amount of H2 present; (4) the conversion of NH3 into N2 in plasmas associated with infalling meteors is very efficient and rapid, and could account for most of the N2 present on Titan; (5) the yields of C2H2 and HCN from lightning induced chemistry in mixtures of CH4 and N2 is consistent with quenched thermodynamic models of the discharge core; and (6) photolysis induced by the UV light emitted by the gases in the hot plasmas may account for some, if not most, of the excess production of C2H6 and the more complex hydrocarbons.

Scattergood, Thomas W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Systems and methods for fluoride ceramic phosphors for LED lighting

The present disclosure relates to a lighting component which may comprise a light emitting diode (LED) or laser diode (LD) for generating at least one of blue light or ultraviolet light. A fluoride phosphor matrix may be included, which may be consolidated into a phosphor ceramic structure including at least one of a transparent fluoride ceramic structure or a translucent fluoride ceramic structure, and positioned adjacent to the LED or LD. The phosphor ceramic structure generates at least one of red or orange light when irradiated by the light emitted from the LED or LD. The phosphor ceramic structure exhibits reduced thermal quenching relative to a fluoride particulate structure irradiated by the LED or LD.

Cherepy, Nerine↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comparison of the stellar populations of bulges and discs using the MaNGA survey

We use the MaNGA integral field spectroscopic survey of low-redshift galaxies to compare the stellar populations of the bulge and disc components, identified from their Sérsic profiles, for various samples of galaxies. Bulge-dominated regions tend to be more metal-rich and have slightly older stellar ages than their associated disc-dominated regions. The metallicity difference is consistent with the deeper gravitational potential in bulges relative to discs, which allows bulges to retain more of the metals produced by stars. The age difference is due to star formation persisting longer in discs relative to bulges. Relative to galaxies with lower stellar masses, galaxies with higher stellar masses tend to have bulge-dominated regions that are more metal-rich and older (in light-weighted measurements) than their disc-dominated regions. This suggests high-mass galaxies quench from the inside out, while lower-mass galaxies quench across the whole galaxy simultaneously. Early-type galaxies tend to have bulge-dominated regions the same age as their disc-dominated regions, while late-type galaxies tend to have disc-dominated regions significantly younger than their bulge-dominated regions. Central galaxies tend to have a greater metallicity difference between their bulge-dominated regions and disc-dominated regions than satellite galaxies at similar stellar mass. This difference may be explained by central galaxies being subject to mergers or extended gas accretion bringing new, lower-metallicity gas to the disc, thereby reducing the average metallicity and age of the stars; quenching of satellite discs may also play a role.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Kinetics of the luminescence decay of Fe{sup 2+} impurity centres in polycrystalline ZnSe upon excitation by an electron beam

The kinetics of the decay of the luminescence of Fe{sup 2+} ions is measured at nitrogen temperature in polycrystalline ZnSe excited by a short pulse of accelerated electrons. The time dependence of the luminescence intensity differs from the exponential one, observed upon excitation of luminescence by a short light pulse. The obtained nonexponential dependence is theoretically described. The explanation is based on the quenching effect of the excited state of the Fe{sup 2+} ion by free electrons of the volume charge of the current of accelerated electrons in the sample (Auger effect). It was shown that the relaxation of the volume charge after the electron-accelerating voltage is removed makes a significant contribution to the decay kinetics of the impurity luminescence. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of proton light yield of water-based liquid scintillator

Abstract The proton light yield of liquid scintillators is an important property in the context of their use in large-scale neutrino experiments, with direct implications for neutrino-proton scattering measurements and the discrimination of fast neutrons from inverse $$\beta $$ β -decay coincidence signals. This work presents the first measurement of the proton light yield of a water-based liquid scintillator (WbLS) formulated from 5% linear alkyl benzene (LAB), at energies below 20 MeV, as well as a measurement of the proton light yield of a pure LAB + 2 g/L 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) mixture (LABPPO). The measurements were performed using a double time-of-flight method and a pulsed neutron beam from the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The proton light yields were measured relative to that of a 477 keV electron. The relative proton light yield of WbLS was approximately 3.8% lower than that of LABPPO, itself exhibiting a relative proton light yield 15–20% higher than previous measurements of an analogous anoxic sample. The observed quenching is not compatible with the Birks model for either material, but is well described with the addition of Chou’s bimolecular quenching term.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1996

Monitoring the Photosynthetic Apparatus During Space Flight: Interspecific Variation in Chlorophyll Fluorescence Signatures Induced by Different Root Zone Stresses

Chlorophyll fluorescence has been used extensively as a tool to indicate stress to the photosynthetic apparatus in green plants. A rise in fluorescence has been attributed to the blockage of photosystem II photochemistry, and patterns of fluorescence decay (quenching) from dark adapted leaves can be related to specific photochemical and non-photochemical deexcitation pathways of light trapped by the photosynthetic apparatus and thus result in characteristically different fluorescence signatures. Four distantly related plant species, Hypocharis radicata (Asteraceae), Brassica rapa (Brassicaceae), Spinacea oleracea (Chenopodiaceae) and Triticum aestivum (Poaceae), were grown hydroponically for three weeks before the initiation of three different root zone stresses (10 mM Cu, 100 mM NaCl and nitrogen deficient nutrition). After 10 days, characteristic fluorescence signatures for each stress could be noted although the degree varied between species. Fast kinetics analysis showed a reduction in plastoquinone pool size for copper and nitrogen stress for all species but a more species specific result with NaCl stress. Photochemical quenching kinetics varied between species and stress treatments from no quenching in S. oleracea in copper treatments to increased photochemical quenching in NaCl treatments. Non-photochemical quenching kinetics demonstrated a distinct pattern between stresses for all species. Copper treatments characteristically exhibited a shallow, flat non-photochemical quenching profile suggesting a general blockage of electron transport whereas NaCl treatments exhibited a slow rising profile that suggested damage to thylakoid acidification kinetics and nitrogen deficiency exhibited a fast rising and declining profile that suggested an altered state 1-state 2 transition regulated by the phosphorylation of LHCII. These results demonstrate characteristic fluorescence signatures for specific plant stresses that may be applied to different, unrelated plant species. In addition, the potential use of chlorophyll fluorescence for both basic research and diagnostic physiology in space biology is presented.

Bubenheim, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Efficient Quenching of Population Trapping in Excited Yb(+)

We report on a study to determine the efficiency of various buffer gases in quenching the population trapping states of laser-excited ytterbium ions. The ions were confined in an rf-dc hybrid trap, and their (2)S(.5) left and right arrow (2)P(3/2) transition was excited with 329-nm laser light. Buffer gases used include H2, N2, CO2, Ar, and He at several different pressure regimes. We have identified N2 to be highly efficient in quenching the population of the trapping states and thus be the most suitable buffer gas to use with ytterbium for the development of a trapped-ion microwave frequency standard.

Seidel, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Reliable Ignition of LOX-LCH4 Propellants

No cryogenic Reaction Control System (RCS) has ever flown in space. Cryogenic propellants are baselined by HLS and CLPS partners and are the key use case for future ISRU manufactured propellants. A reliable LOX/LCH 4 RCS is an enabling technology for human Lunar and Mars exploration. In previous thermal vacuum (<275 F, <10 torr) testing at NASA GRC Plum Brook, the team uncovered anomalous LOX/LCH4 engine ignition phenomena where flame kernels quenched at these ultra cold hardware temperatures, leading to many pulses where the engines would not light. In 2022, the project was able to recreate the no light condition with an upgraded Frost-Mint test stand at JSC. This project implemented test stand improvements and procured propellants and follow on engine components for a hot fire campaign beginning in November 2024 which will attempt to ignite the RCS engine at ultra cold vacuum conditions by modifying the engine mixture ratio. New modeling techniques were implemented to account for past no lights and are an enabling method to make lunar surface go no go predictions based on hardware conditions. This was enabled by significant improvements to the Frost Mint system, which reduced moisture build up and leaks, increased propellant availability, leading to more attempts at thermal vacuum hot-fires.

Propulsion↗