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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 145 records · Page 8

Raman Wavelength Conversion in Ionic Liquids

Here, we explore the use of room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) as Raman wavelength converters. ILs provide an engineerable framework to design suitable liquids for wavelength conversion over a broad spectral range, through careful selection of the molecular structures of the IL anions and cations so that specific characteristics can be obtained, such as a desirable Raman shift, low Brillouin scattering, and good optical transmission in the pump and Stokes wavelengths. Applying such criteria, we demonstrate that 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (EMIM DCA) is an effective medium for conversion of 532-nm pulses from a Q-switched Nd :YAG laser to 603 nm. This corresponds to an approximate 2200 cm –1 shift, which can be used to generate mid-infrared radiation through subsequent difference frequency generation for optical pumping of CO 2 lasers. Threefold-higher Raman conversion efficiency is obtained in EMIM DCA compared with water under identical conditions in a proof-of-principle single-pass conversion setup, resulting in an efficient generation of multimillijoule, <6 ns duration, high-quality orange laser pulses in a wavelength region that is difficult to access at high energies. Consequently, we examine ILs representing two other classes of Raman-active functional groups and obtain conversion up to the fifth-order Stokes shift and first anti-Stokes shift. Through the tunable selection of their components and their useful dynamical properties, ILs provide a platform for efficient, simple, and alignment-tolerant high-energy Raman shifting with numerous industrial and technological applications.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The right conditions for high-precision dynamic temperature and heat capacity measurement via pyrometry and conductivity

The pursuit of accurate bulk temperature T under extreme conditions has been a long-standing goal of the high pressure science community, complicated by a lack of data to inform models. To reach these extremely high-pressure, high-temperature (high P − T) conditions, a combination of dynamic and heated static experiments (e.g., diamond or gem anvil cel experiments) are used. For example, in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiment, a sample placed in the DAC is first pressurized. Following pressurization, the sample T is increased either by heating the entire DAC (usually using resistive heating, and limited to ∼1000K) or by applying intense laser power to the sample surfaces. In a dynamic experiment, the process of pressurizing the sample also heats it. In the case of shock physics experiments, such heating is substantial, easily reaching thousands of Kelvin; in our work we have seen T ∼17000K. Most methods of measuring temperature at ambient are not compatible with experiments under these high-pressure, high-temperature conditions: thermocouples break, melt, or have conductivity properties that differ from ambient where they are calibrated; thermometers would melt; both are too slow. As a result most methods are based on non-contact techniques such as x-ray diffraction broadening, neutron scattering, or optical methods. Of these, optical methods using the visible and near-infrared region of the spectrum are the most commonly used as the sources and detectors are readily available. In the case of optical methods the optical depth, and therefore the measurement location, is limited to the surface. When a window or anvil material is used, heat flows from the sample into the window/anvil. Likewise, if the sample undergoes a change in thermodynamic state, such as expansion upon release, different T may be expected. As a result, the surface or apparent temperature T app measurement will differ from the bulk or interior temperature that is desired. This surface measurement must be related to the bulk measurement using thermal transport models and material models. While it is tempting to conclude that one should just use x-ray methods that directly probe the interior, even these methods have been shown to depend on thermal transport and material models. Regardless of the method used to create the high P − T condition, therefore, we must understand the role of thermal transport and material models upon our interpretation of the T measurement, as well as the errors and uncertainties associated with the choice of models used in the analysis. This is a substantial area of research and this paper is by no means a complete survey of the relevant sources of uncertainty. For example, we have yet to begin to address alternate transport models in a detailed manner (e.g., Tan-Ahrens), or the many models that use additional layers to approximate melting, turbulence, or epitaxial phenomena). Likewise, we have not explored the impact upon uncertainty of thermal models that use temperature-dependent thermal transport coefficients, or the wide range of material models that can be applied. Instead, this paper focuses on using one simple model, the Urtiew-Grover model, to understand the sources of error in T measurement so that we may identify how best to focus future research efforts to return the best improvements and avoid working on over-optimizing a single type of measurement. To this end, we work through some of the best and worst case scenarios for T measurement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

CosTuuM: Polarized Thermal Dust Emission by Magnetically Oriented Spheroidal Grains

We present the new open-source C++-based Python library CosTuuM that can be used to generate infrared absorption and emission coefficients for arbitrary mixtures of spheroidal dust grains that are (partially) aligned with a magnetic field. We outline the algorithms underlying the software, demonstrate the accuracy of our results using benchmarks from literature, and use our tool to investigate some commonly used approximative recipes. We find that the linear polarization fraction for a partially aligned dust grain mixture can be accurately represented by an appropriate linear combination of perfectly aligned grains and grains that are randomly oriented, but that the commonly used picket fence alignment breaks down for short wavelengths. We also find that for a fixed dust grain size, the absorption coefficients and linear polarization fraction for a realistic mixture of grains with various shapes cannot both be accurately represented by a single representative grain with a fixed shape, but that instead an average over an appropriate shape distribution should be used. Insufficient knowledge of an appropriate shape distribution is the main obstacle in obtaining accurate optical properties. CosTuuM is available as a standalone Python library and can be used to generate optical properties to be used in radiative transfer applications.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The DELVE Quadruple Quasar Search. I. A Lensed Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus

A quadruply lensed source, J125856.3–031944, has been discovered using the DELVE survey and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer W1–W2 colors. Follow-up direct imaging carried out with the Magellan Baade 6.5 m telescope is analyzed, as is spectroscopy from the 2.5 m Nordic Optical Telescope. The lensed image configuration is kite-like, with the major axis of the lensing galaxy along the symmetry axis of the kite, and with the faintest image at its tail. Redward of 6000 Å, the tail image is strongly blended with the lensing galaxy. The Sloan g direct imaging carried out with Magellan permits deblending. As the lensed image configuration is nearly circular, simple models give high predicted magnifications for all four images. The source’s narrow emission lines at redshift z = 2.225 and low intrinsic luminosity qualify it as a type 2 active galactic nucleus. The Magellan image shows a substantial residual that suggests a second lensing galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Probing nanoparticle substrate interactions with synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy: Coupling gold nanorod Fabry-Pérot resonances with SiO 2 and $h$-BN phonons

Spectroscopic interrogation of materials in the midinfrared with nanometer spatial resolution is inherently difficult due to the long wavelengths involved, reduced detector efficiencies, and limited availability of spectrally bright, coherent light sources. Technological advances are driving techniques that overcome these challenges, enabling material characterization in this relatively unexplored spectral regime. Synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy (SINS) is an imaging technique that provides local sample information of nanoscale target specimens in an experimental energy window between 330 and 5000 cm -1 . Here, using SINS, we analyzed a series of individual gold nanorods patterned on a SiO 2 substrate and on a flake of hexagonal boron nitride. The SINS spectra reveal interactions between the nanorod photonic Fabry-Pérot resonances and the surface phonon polaritons of each substrate, which are characterized as avoided crossings. A coupled oscillator model of the hybrid system provides a deeper understanding of the coupling and provides a theoretical framework for future exploration.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

On the discovery of stars, quasars, and galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere with S-PLUS DR2

ABSTRACT This paper provides a catalogue of stars, quasars, and galaxies for the Southern Photometric Local Universe Survey Data Release 2 (S-PLUS DR2) in the Stripe 82 region. We show that a 12-band filter system (5 Sloan-like and 7 narrow bands) allows better performance for object classification than the usual analysis based solely on broad bands (regardless of infrared information). Moreover, we show that our classification is robust against missing values. Using spectroscopically confirmed sources retrieved from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR16 and DR14Q, we train a random forest classifier with the 12 S-PLUS magnitudes + 4 morphological features. A second random forest classifier is trained with the addition of the W1 (3.4 $\mu\mathrm{m} $) and W2 (4.6 $\mu\mathrm{m} $) magnitudes from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Forty-four per cent of our catalogue have WISE counterparts and are provided with classification from both models. We achieve 95.76 per cent (52.47 per cent) of quasar purity, 95.88 per cent (92.24 per cent) of quasar completeness, 99.44 per cent (98.17 per cent) of star purity, 98.22 per cent (78.56 per cent) of star completeness, 98.04 per cent (81.39 per cent) of galaxy purity, and 98.8 per cent (85.37 per cent) of galaxy completeness for the first (second) classifier, for which the metrics were calculated on objects with (without) WISE counterpart. A total of 2926 787 objects that are not in our spectroscopic sample were labelled, obtaining 335 956 quasars, 1347 340 stars, and 1243 391 galaxies. From those, 7.4 per cent, 76.0 per cent, and 58.4 per cent were classified with probabilities above 80 per cent. The catalogue with classification and probabilities for Stripe 82 S-PLUS DR2 is available for download.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

fluxfinder: An R Package for Reproducible Calculation and Initial Processing of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Static Chamber Measurements

Fluxes of greenhouse gases are a critical component of the earth's natural climate, but anthropogenic emissions have created an imbalance and resulted in global climate change. Quantifying the emission of these gases is vital to our understanding of their sources and sinks, both natural and anthropogenic. The static chamber method, in which a system of interest is enclosed, and gas concentrations are measured over time, is widely used to estimate fluxes of greenhouse gases. With the development of instruments such as infrared gas analyzers (IRGAs) supporting high-frequency concentration data, there is a growing need for open-source workflows to calculate fluxes. Here we present fluxfinder, an R package designed to support reproducible calculations and processing of greenhouse gas fluxes measured with the static chamber method. The package includes raw data file parsing from widely used IRGAs, metadata matching, unit conversion, flux estimations, and initial quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC). Diagnostic graphical plots provide a transparent way to differentiate between measurement issues and nonlinear behavior. The package is also designed to be easily integrated with the gasfluxes package for further fitting of nonlinear concentration-time models, allowing alternative or additional flux QA/QC. The fluxfinder package offers a flexible workflow that is easily adaptable to promote open and reproducible greenhouse gas flux estimations.

Wilson, Stephanie J.↗

Heat Flux Analysis From IR Imaging on Proto-MPEX

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) is a linear device used to develop the source and heating concept for MPEX, an experiment to study plasma–material interactions for future fusion reactors. This paper highlights recent analysis and results on Proto-MPEX using an infrared (IR) camera, a key tool for imaging heat fluxes measured at the material target. The target heat fluxes are crucial to understanding the source and heating concepts. The recent analysis includes the application of homography and 3-D finite-element methods to provide between-shot measurements of the 2-D target heat flux profile. The IR camera inferred heat flux is shown to correlate with Langmuir probe inferred heat fluxes for a range of parameters in helicon only and helicon + electron cyclotron heated discharges. Results show both desirable central and undesirable edge heat flux for helicon source and electron heating on the target. These heat flux measurements are shown to be important for better understanding of the source and heating physics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Gravitational Lenses in UNIONS and Euclid (GLUE). I. A Search for Strong Gravitational Lenses in UNIONS with Subaru, CFHT, and Pan-STARRS Data

We present the results of our pipeline for discovering strong gravitational lenses in the ongoing Ultraviolet Near-Infrared Optical Northern Survey (UNIONS). We successfully train a deep residual convolutional neural network based on CMU-Deeplens architecture, which is designed to detect strong lenses in ground-based imaging surveys. We train on images of real strong lenses and deploy on a sample of 8 million galaxies in areas with full coverage in the g, r, and i filters—the first multiband search for strong gravitational lenses in UNIONS. Following human inspection and grading, we report the discovery of a total of 1346 new strong-lens candidates, of which 146 are Grade A, 199 are Grade B, and 1001 are Grade C. Of these candidates, 283 have lens galaxy spectroscopic redshifts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and an additional 297 have them from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 1. We find 15 of these systems display evidence of both lens and source galaxy redshifts in spectral superposition. We also report the spectroscopic confirmation of seven lensed sources in high-quality systems, all with z > 2.1, using the Keck Near Infrared Echellette Spectrograph and the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph.

Storfer, Christopher J. [University of Hawaii, Hon↗

Infrared thermography NDT for in-situ defect detection in sandwich composite panel manufacturing

Composite manufacturing presents numerous challenges, as defects can arise from various sources throughout the process. In sandwich composite structures, the integration of a foam core introduces additional complexity and increases the likelihood of defect formation like delamination. To mitigate these issues and reduce the risk of future structural failures, in-situ monitoring during manufacturing is essential. This study investigates infrared (IR) thermography as a non-destructive technique for detecting manufacturing defects in foam-core sandwich composite panels under thermally excited conditions representative of in-situ processing. A stationary FLIR A8590 IR camera (640 × 512 pixels, 30Hz, 17mm lens, 9 ft stand-off distance) was used to monitor prefabricated panels subjected to controlled external heating simulating compression molding and resin cure exotherm. Interlaminar delamination defects with characteristic sizes ranging from 0.25 × 0.25in² to 5 × 5in² produced measurable surface temperature depressions of approximately 4–10°C during transient cooling, exceeding the effective noise floor of the camera by more than two standard deviations. Thicker laminates exhibited prolonged defect detectability windows due to increased thermal diffusion time. In contrast, embedded Teflon inclusions generated weak thermal contrasts of ≤ 3°C, approaching the measurement noise floor, due to limited thermal property contrast with the surrounding glass fiber composite. These results establish quantitative detectability limits for stationary thermographic inspection of sandwich composite panels under manufacturing-representative thermal cycles.

Barakat, Abdallah [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000296141398)↗

Progenitor, precursor, and evolution of the dusty remnant of the stellar merger M31-LRN-2015

ABSTRACT M31-LRN-2015 is a likely stellar merger discovered in the Andromeda Galaxy in 2015. We present new optical to mid-infrared photometry and optical spectroscopy for this event. Archival data show that the source started to brighten ∼2 yr before the nova event. During this precursor phase, the source brightened by ∼3 mag. The light curve at 6 and 1.5 months before the main outburst may show periodicity, with periods of 16 ± 0.3 and 28.1 ± 1.4 d, respectively. This complex emission may be explained by runaway mass-loss from the system after the binary undergoes Roche lobe overflow, leading the system to coalesce in tens of orbital periods. While the progenitor spectral energy distribution shows no evidence of pre-existing warm dust in the system, the remnant forms an optically thick dust shell at approximately four months after the outburst peak. The optical depth of the shell increases dramatically after 1.5 yr, suggesting the existence of shocks that enhance the dust formation process. We propose that the merger remnant is likely an inflated giant obscured by a cooling shell of gas with mass ∼0.2 M⊙ ejected at the onset of the common envelope phase.

(ISM:) dust, extinction↗

Dynamic infrared gas analysis from longleaf pine fuel beds burned in a wind tunnel: observation of phenol in pyrolysis and combustion phases

Pyrolysis is the first step in a series of chemical and physical processes that produce flammable organic gases from wildland fuels that can result in a wildland fire. We report results using a new time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) method that correlates the measured FTIR spectrum with an infrared thermal image sequence, enabling the identification and quantification of gases within different phases of the fire process. The flame from burning fuel beds composed of pine needles (Pinus palustris) and mixtures of sparkleberry, fetterbush, and inkberry plants was the natural heat source for pyrolysis. Extractive gas samples were analyzed and identified in both static and dynamic modes synchronized to thermal infrared imaging: a total of 29 gases were identified including small alkanes, alkenes, aldehydes, nitrogen compounds, and aromatics, most previously measured by FTIR in wildland fires. This study presents one of the first identifications of phenol associated with both pre-combustion and combustion phases using ca. 1 Hz temporal resolution. Preliminary results indicate ~2.5× greater phenol emissions from sparkleberry and inkberry compared to fetterbush, with differing temporal profiles.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Activation, Dehydrogenation, and Carbon–Carbon Coupling of Methane by Iridium Cations Studied by Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory

Products resulting from the sequential activation of one, two, three, and four methane molecules by atomic iridium cations were characterized by gas-phase infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Iridium cations were generated using a laser ablation source and reacted with methane in a linear radiofrequency ion trap before mass analysis and spectroscopic interrogation in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer coupled to the free-electron laser for intracavity experiments (FELICE) beamline. Product ions were irradiated using infrared light over the 250–1500 cm –1 range. Comparisons between the experimental and DFT-calculated spectra enabled structural determination of the products formed. The observed products include HIrCH + , Ir(CH 2 ) 2 + , H s Ir(C 3 H 5 ) + , and Ir(CH 3 ) s (C 3 H 5 ) + , where the subscript s denotes a syn orientation of the two ligands. Furthermore, formation of the latter two products provides evidence for efficient C–H bond activation and subsequent C–C coupling on the atomic iridium cation.

Chemical reactions↗

Quantum gravity phenomenology in the infrared

Quantum gravity effects are traditionally tied to short distances and high energies. In this essay, we argue that, perhaps surprisingly, quantum gravity may have important consequences for the phenomenology of the infrared. We center our discussion around a conception of quantum gravity involving a notion of quantum spacetime that arises in metastring theory. This theory allows for an evolution of a cosmological Universe in which string-dual degrees of freedom decouple as the Universe ages. Importantly, such an implementation of quantum gravity allows for the inclusion of a fundamental length scale without introducing the fundamental breaking of Lorentz symmetry. The mechanism seems to have potential for an entirely novel source for dark matter/energy. The simplest observational consequences of this scenario may very well be residual infrared modifications that emerge through the evolution of the Universe.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Growth of Highly Transparent Amorphous Carbon Films Using Beam Plasma Source

A single beam plasma source was used to deposit hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) coatings at room temperature. Using methane source gas, a-C:H coatings were deposited at different radio frequency (RF) power to fabricate transparent and durable coatings. The film deposition rate was almost linearly proportional to the ion source power. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films of ~100 nm thickness appeared to be highly transparent from UV to the infrared range with a transmittance of ~90% and optical bandgap of ~3.7 eV. The coatings also possess desirable mechanical properties with Young’s modulus of ~78 GPa and density of ~1.9 g/cm3. The combined material properties of high transmittance and high durability make the ion-source-deposited a-C:H coatings attractive for many applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Remote detection of radioactive material using a short-pulse CO 2 laser

Detection of radioactive material at distances greater than the radiated particle range is an important goal with applications in areas such as national defense and disaster response. Here, we demonstrate avalanche-breakdown-based remote detection of a 3.6 mCi α-particle source at a standoff distance of 10 m, using 70 ps, long-wave infrared (λ = 9.2 µm) CO 2 laser pulses. This is ∼10 times longer than our previous results using a mid-IR laser. The primary detection method is direct backscatter from microplasmas generated in the laser focal volume. The backscatter signal is amplified as it propagates back through the CO 2 laser chain, enhancing sensitivity by >100 times. Here we also characterize breakdown plasmas with fluorescence imaging, and present a simple model to estimate backscattered signals as a function of the seed density profile in the laser focal volume. All of this is achieved with a relatively long-drive laser focal geometry (f/200) that is readily scalable to >100 m.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

X-ray emission from a rapidly accreting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy at z = 6.56

The space density of X-ray-luminous, blindly selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) traces the population of rapidly accreting super-massive black holes through cosmic time. It is encoded in the X-ray luminosity function, whose bright end remains poorly constrained in the first billion years after the Big Bang as X-ray surveys have thus far lacked the required cosmological volume. With the eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS), the largest contiguous and homogeneous X-ray survey to date, X-ray AGN population studies can now be extended to new regions of the luminosity–redshift space (L 2 - 10 keV > 10 45 erg s -1 and z > 6). The current study aims at identifying luminous quasars at z > 5.7 among X-ray-selected sources in the eFEDS field in order to place a lower limit on black hole accretion well into the epoch of re-ionisation. A secondary goal is the characterisation of the physical properties of these extreme coronal emitters at high redshifts. Cross-matching eFEDS catalogue sources to optical counterparts from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys, we confirm the low significance detection with eROSITA of a previously known, optically faint z = 6.56 quasar from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars (SHELLQs) survey. We obtained a pointed follow-up observation of the source with the Chandra X-ray telescope in order to confirm the low-significance eROSITA detection. Using new near-infrared spectroscopy, we derived the physical properties of the super-massive black hole. Finally, we used this detection to infer a lower limit on the black hole accretion density rate at z > 6. The Chandra observation confirms the eFEDS source as the most distant blind X-ray detection to date. The derived X-ray luminosity is high with respect to the rest-frame optical emission of the quasar. With a narrow MgII line, low derived black hole mass, and high Eddington ratio, as well as its steep photon index, the source shows properties that are similar to local narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, which are thought to be powered by young super-massive black holes. In combination with a previous high-redshift quasar detection in the field, we show that quasars with L 2 - 10 keV > 10 45 erg s -1 dominate accretion onto super-massive black holes at z ~ 6.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Heavy-element production in a compact object merger observed by JWST

The mergers of binary compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes are of central interest to several areas of astrophysics, including as the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), sources of high-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) and likely production sites for heavy-element nucleosynthesis by means of rapid neutron capture (the r -process). Here we present observations of the exceptionally bright GRB 230307A. We show that GRB 230307A belongs to the class of long-duration GRBs associated with compact object mergers and contains a kilonova similar to AT2017gfo, associated with the GW merger GW170817. We obtained James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy 29 and 61 days after the burst. The spectroscopy shows an emission line at 2.15 microns, which we interpret as tellurium (atomic mass A = 130) and a very red source, emitting most of its light in the mid-infrared owing to the production of lanthanides. These observations demonstrate that nucleosynthesis in GRBs can create r -process elements across a broad atomic mass range and play a central role in heavy-element nucleosynthesis across the Universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗