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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 OSTI2020

Measurement of space charge effects in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using cosmic muons

Large liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs), especially those operating near the surface, are susceptible to space charge effects. In the context of LArTPCs, the space charge effect is the build-up of slow-moving positive ions in the detector primarily due to ionization from cosmic rays, leading to a distortion of the electric field within the detector. This effect leads to a displacement in the reconstructed position of signal ionization electrons in LArTPC detectors ("spatial distortions"), as well as to variations in the amount of electron-ion recombination experienced by ionization throughout the volume of the TPC. We present techniques that can be used to measure and correct for space charge effects in large LArTPCs by making use of cosmic muons, including the use of track pairs to unambiguously pin down spatial distortions in three dimensions. Finally, the performance of these calibration techniques are studied using both Monte Carlo simulation and MicroBooNE data, utilizing a UV laser system as a means to estimate the systematic bias associated with the calibration methodology.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Grain Boundary Plane Measurement Using Transmission Electron Microscopy Automated Crystallographic Orientation Mapping for Atom Probe Tomography Specimens

Abstract Grain boundaries are critical in determining the properties of materials, including mechanical stability, conductivity, and corrosion resistance. The specific properties of materials depend not only on the misorientation of the crystals, the three most commonly characterized parameters, but also on the angle of the grain boundary plane between the two crystals, the final two parameters in the five-parameter macroscopic description of the grain boundary. The method presented here allows for the direct measurement of all five parameters of the grain boundary in a transmission electron microscopy specimen of various morphologies. This is especially applicable to atom probe specimens, where only a single-tilt axis is generally available, allowing the crystallographic description to be matched to the detailed chemical data available in the atom probe tomography. This method provides a platform for efficient grain boundary analysis in unique samples, saving operator time and allowing for ease of acquisition and interpretation in comparison with traditional electron diffraction methods.

Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measurement of Charged-Pion Production in Deep-Inelastic Scattering off Nuclei with the CLAS Detector

Background: Energetic quarks in nuclear deep-inelastic scattering propagate through the nuclear medium. Processes that are believed to occur inside nuclei include quark energy loss through medium-stimulated gluon bremsstrahlung and intranuclear interactions of forming hadrons. More data are required to gain a more complete understanding of these effects. Purpose: To test the theoretical models of parton transport and hadron formation, we compared their predictions for the nuclear and kinematic dependence of pion production in nuclei. Methods: We have measured charged-pion production in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering off D, C, Fe, and Pb using the CLAS detector and the CEBAF 5.014-GeV electron beam. We report results on the nuclear-to-deuterium multiplicity ratio for π + and π - as a function of energy transfer, four-momentum transfer, and pion energy fraction or transverse momentum—the first three-dimensional study of its kind. Results: The π + multiplicity ratio is found to depend strongly on the pion fractional energy z and reaches minimum values of 0.67 ± 0.03, 0.43 ± 0.02, and 0.27 ± 0.01 for the C, Fe, and Pb targets, respectively. The z dependencies of the multiplicity ratios for π + and π - are equal within uncertainties for C and Fe targets but show differences at the level of 10% for the Pb-target data. The results are qualitatively described by the GIBUU transport model, as well as with a model based on hadron absorption, but are in tension with calculations based on nuclear fragmentation functions. Conclusions: These precise results will strongly constrain the kinematic and flavor dependence of nuclear effects in hadron production, probing an unexplored kinematic region. They will help to reveal how the nucleus reacts to a fast quark, thereby shedding light on its color structure and transport properties and on the mechanisms of the hadronization process.

Moran, S.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measuring recoiling nucleons from the nucleus with the future Electron Ion Collider

Short range correlated nucleon-nucleon (NN) pairs are an important part of the nuclear ground state. They are typically studied by scattering an electron from one nucleon in the pair and detecting its spectator correlated partner (spectator-nucleon tagging). The Electron Ion Collider (EIC)should be able to detect these nucleons, since they are boosted to high momentum in the lab frame by the momentum of the ion beam. To determine the feasibility of these studies with the planned EIC detector configuration, we have simulated quasi-elastic scattering for two electron and ion beam energy configurations: 5 GeV electrons and 41 GeV/A ions, and 10 GeV electrons and 110 GeV/A ions. We show that the knocked-out and recoiling nucleons can be detected over a wide range of initial nucleon momenta. We also show that these measurements can achieve much larger momentum transfers than current fixed target experiments. By detecting both low and high initial-momentum nucleons,the EIC will provide the data that should allow scientists to definitively show if the EMC effect and short-range correlation are connected, and to improve our understanding of color transparency

Hauenstein, F. (ORCID:0000000212652212)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Determining plasmonic hot-carrier energy distributions via single-molecule transport measurements

Hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures, generated via plasmon decay, play key roles in applications such as photocatalysis and in photodetectors that circumvent bandgap limitations. However, direct experimental quantification of steady-state energy distributions of hot carriers in nanostructures has so far been lacking. We present transport measurements from single-molecule junctions, created by trapping suitably chosen single molecules between an ultrathin gold film supporting surface plasmon polaritons and a scanning probe tip, that can provide quantification of plasmonic hot-carrier distributions. Our results show that Landau damping is the dominant physical mechanism of hot-carrier generation in nanoscale systems with strong confinement. The technique developed in this work will enable quantification of plasmonic hot-carrier distributions in nanophotonic and plasmonic devices.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Importance of Vane Configuration on Yield Stress Measurements of Cement Slurry

Vane methods combined with direct shear tests are widely applied to measure the yield stress $τ_0$ in concentrated suspensions such as cement slurries. This report reviews three different vanes with different shapes and sizes, and examines the relationship between the yield stress versus the torque and the shear rate versus the angular velocity. This research shows that vanes with conical shapes or reduced height/diameter ratio $(H/D)$ result in larger yield stress values.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Speed of Sound Measurements of Binary Mixtures of Hydrofluorocarbons [Pentafluoroethane (R-125), 1,1-Difluoroethane (R-152a), or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropane (R-227ea)] with Hydrofluoroolefins [2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (R-1234yf) or trans-1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (R-1234ze(E))]

In this article, speed of sound data measured using a dual-path pulse-echo instrument are reported for three binary refrigerant mixtures, R-125/1234yf, R-1234yf/152a, and R-1234ze(E)/227ea, at compositions of (0.33/0.67) and (0.67/0.33) mole fraction. The speed of sound was studied at temperatures ranging from 230 K to 345 K from pressures slightly above the bubble point curve up to 20 MPa for the mixtures containing R-1234yf and 49 MPa for the R-1234ze(E)/227ea mixtures. The relative combined expanded speed of sound uncertainty ranged from 0.039 % to 0.317 % with a mean uncertainty over all state points of less than 0.10 %. The reported data are compared to the most recent mixture models in REFPROP for each blend studied. Comparisons of available mixture models for the R-125/1234yf and R-1234yf/152a blends exhibit average absolute deviation values ranging from 0.10 % to 0.27 %, and the average absolute deviations for R-1234ze(E)/227ea blends range from 0.62 % to 0.94 %. The comparisons show that only minor adjustments are required to the R-125/1234yf and R-1234yf/152a mixture models to represent the speed of sound data within its uncertainty. However, significant adjustments are needed to improve the current mixture models for the R-1234ze(E)/227ea blend. Deficiencies with the R-1234ze(E)/227ea mixture model are not unexpected since it (1) utilizes a pure-fluid EOS R-1234ze(E) that has been shown to inaccurately represent R-1234ze(E) speed of sound values and (2) uses binary interaction parameters for the chemically similar mixture of R-1234yf/227ea.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Energy resolution and gain measurements in Argon-based gas mixtures: Exploring Ar:CF 4 for low energy measurements with TPCs

Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) are among the most advanced charged-particle detectors. Gas-filled TPCs have tracking capabilities that provide 3D-imaging of charged particles with a good energy resolution for spectroscopy. Different gas mixtures have different properties that determine the energy resolution as well as the spatial resolution. Therefore, optimization of operating conditions is required to simultaneously obtain adequate gain, energy resolution, spatial/track resolution, as well as higher drift velocities for high counting rates applications. Ar:CF 4 gas mixture has higher electron drift velocities and lower electron diffusion, which makes it an attractive candidate for TPC filling gas for low energy nuclear physics applications as compared to commonly used Ar:CH 4 and Ar:CO 2 gas mixtures, namely when tracking information is needed. However, other properties, including energy resolution and gain, remain largely unexplored in Ar:CF 4 especially at pressures and other operating conditions relevant for low-energy nuclear physics applications. Here, in this paper we report on gain and energy resolution measurements, using Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs), in the less explored Ar:CF 4 mixture (Alfonsi et al., 2006), as well as in the more commonly used gas mixtures Ar:CH 4 and Ar:CO 2 . In addition to obtaining energy resolution and gain, we provide results from Garfield++ simulations for gain fluctuations, and their impact on energy resolution is discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measuring Relative Energies of Ligand Binding Conformations on Nanocluster Surfaces with Temperature-Dependent FTIR Spectroscopy

We present a method to measure relative energies between binding conformations of carboxylate ligands on InP magic-sized clusters in solution. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo global fitting analysis on temperature-dependent vibrational spectra of cluster-bound ligands, we observe significantly different relative energies between various bidentate and monodentate binding motifs. Relative to the monodentate motif, the chelating conformation is 0.7 ± 0.3 kcal/mol more stable and the syn–syn bridging conformation is 1.1 ± 0.5 kcal/mol more stable, but the syn–anti bridging conformation exhibits no significant difference. Our results demonstrate that the relative energy between monodentate-bound carboxylates and unbound carboxylic acids is 4.52 ± 0.05 kcal/mol, or 1582 ± 19 cm –1 , nearly identical to the carboxylate asymmetric stretching frequency. Here, we suggest that the ligand vibrational energy may play a key role in ligand dissociation by compensating for energy differences between bound and dissociated ligand states. This approach gives important experimental insights into ligand binding and can inform future nanocrystal surface engineering.

Conformation↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interfacial Reactivity and Speciation Emerging from Na-Montmorillonite Interactions with Water and Formic Acid at 200 °C: Insights from Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Infrared Spectroscopy, and X-ray Scattering Measurements

Reactive organic fluid - mineral interactions at elevated temperatures contribute to the evolution of planetary matter. One of the less studied but important transformations in this regard involves the reactions of formic acid with naturally occurring clays such as sodium montmorillonite. To advance a mechanistic understanding of these interactions, we use ReaxFF reactive molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with infrared (IR) spectroscopy and X-ray scattering experiments to investigate the speciation behavior of water-formic acid mixtures on sodium montmorillonite interfaces at 473 K and 1 atm. Using a newly developed reactive forcefield, we show that the experimental IR spectra of unreacted and reacted mixture can be accurately reproduced by ReaxFF/MD. We further benchmark the simulation predictions of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate formation in the clay interlayers using Small and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering measurements. Subsequently, leveraging the benchmarked forcefield, we interrogate the pathway of speciation reactions with emphasis on carbonate, formate, and hydroxide groups elucidating the energetics, transition states, intermediates, and preferred products. Further, we also delineate the differences in reactivities and catalytic effects of clay edges, facets, and interlayers owing to their local chemical environments, which have far reaching consequences in their speciation behavior. The experimental and simulation approaches described in this study and the transferable forcefields can be applied translationally to advance the science of clay-fluid interactions for several applications including subsurface fluid storage and recovery and clay-pollutant dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Protecting backaction-evading measurements from parametric instability

Noiseless measurement of a single quadrature in systems of parametrically coupled oscillators is theoretically possible by pumping at the sum and difference frequencies of the two oscillators, realizing a backaction-evading (BAE) scheme. Although this would hold true in the simplest scenario for a system with pure three-wave mixing, implementations of this scheme are hindered by unwanted higher-order parametric processes that destabilize the system and add noise. We show analytically that detuning the two pumps from the sum and difference frequencies can stabilize the system and fully recover the BAE performance, enabling operation at otherwise inaccessible cooperativities. We also show that the acceleration demonstrated in a weak-signal-detection experiment [Jiang , PRX Quantum 4, 020302 (2023)] was only achievable because of this detuning technique.

Ruddy, E. P.↗