Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Quality Engineering”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8

The influence of laser power modulation on melt pool dynamics in laser powder bed fusion

While the majority of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal additive manufacturing uses a continuous wave (CW) laser heat source, some commercial applications of LPBF additive manufacturing instead involve the modulation of the laser power on tens-of-microsecond timescales as an adjustable process variable. This article reports the use of in situ, high speed x-ray and optical imaging to probe melt pool fluid flow, defect formation, and nearby powder motion during LPBF with both modulated and CW laser heat sources. We observe melt pool dynamics unique to modulated laser melting even at very high duty cycles that are related to fluctuations in vapor depression depth, complex pore formation mechanisms, and changes to denudation physics when compared to CW melting. These behaviors are present in Ti–6Al–4V, 316L stainless steel, and AL1100 alloys but vary slightly as a function of material, indicating a substantial dependence on the viscosity and surface tension of the liquid metal. While high duty cycles produce weld tracks of comparable quality to CW melting, lower duty cycles introduce substantial defect concentrations. At intermediate duty cycles, careful control of modulation parameters can repeatably and precisely yield one pore per laser pulse, suggesting a method for intentionally inserting engineered porosity at specific sites during an LPBF build.

3D printing↗

A systematic review of machine learning in groundwater monitoring

With increasing concerns about water scarcity, groundwater has become crucial since this resource provides most of the freshwater needs. However, various human and natural activities often contaminate the groundwater, making it unsuitable for use. Over the years, scientists and engineers have used many methods to predict and track groundwater contamination as part of environmental monitoring. Consequently, there is an urgent need for improved methods, particularly in the face of increasing contamination. Machine learning has sometimes been used to monitor groundwater, air quality, and climate. Traditional methods must be improved due to the complexity and large amount of environmental data. This includes using hybrid models that combine traditional and new techniques. Despite the use of machine learning in many scientific areas, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on its use in environmental monitoring, especially groundwater monitoring. We aim to fill this gap by exploring machine-learning applications in groundwater monitoring. We discuss relevant methods, their limitations, and future potential. We summarize research on automating data processing and model training using groundwater sensor data. Our research underscores the transformative potential of machine learning to revolutionize long-term groundwater monitoring and contamination detection, providing valuable insights for future research and practical applications.

AI/ML↗

Investigation of kinetic inductance and microwave loss in thin-film TaC x N 1−x superconducting resonators

The promise of tantalum for realizing superconducting quantum devices has generated interest in its compound films, particularly nitrides. Among these, cubic-phase tantalum carbonitride (TaC x N 1−x ) offers reduced susceptibility to oxidation and a high critical temperature, yet its microwave properties remain largely unexplored. Here, in this study, we investigate plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of cubic-phase TaC x N 1−x thin films for superconducting microwave circuits. Structural and transport measurements reveal nanocrystalline morphology with sub-10 nm grains and superconductivity in the dirty limit. Coplanar waveguide resonators exhibit moderately high kinetic inductance (16.8 pH/sq for 30 nm films) with potential for enhancement through dimensional scaling. The films also support high internal quality factors exceeding 10 5 at 50 mK in the single-photon regime, comparable to granular aluminum. Loss analysis identifies the two-level systems as the dominant limiting mechanism, with potential for further reduction through interface engineering. These results establish atomic layer deposited TaC x N 1−x as a promising material for scalable, low-loss, high-inductance superconducting circuits.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Optimization of Structurally Enhanced Solder Transient Liquid Phase Bonding

High temperature packaging technologies are a necessity for high temperature capable devices. SAC305 solder has an operational limit of 174°C imposed by creep effects which aligns well with current junction temperature limits of 175°C. Wide band gap semiconductor materials have the potential to reach junction temperatures of up to 800°C that are not currently attainable with significant reliability. Capitalizing on this potential will requires substrates and attachments that can operate well beyond the current 175°C standard. Silver sintering pastes have received widespread interest as a high temperature attachment alternative. However, the process requires high pressure bonding in an inert environment to achieve acceptable bond quality. Transient liquid phase (TLP) sintering is capable of good bond quality without pressure requirements but suffers from low thermal conductivity and only slightly reduced cost compared to silver sintering. SAC305 solder contains the same constituent materials for TLP as available copper-tin TLP sintering paste. By introducing engineered surface structures into the bond, intermetallic formation can be accelerated producing a bond similar to TLP sintering but in an ambient environment and for reduced cost. While this process has been demonstrated, it has not yet been optimized. Currently bonds are formed using a 75 μm stencil on substrate surface structures 24 μm tall, covering 19% of the bonding area. The process takes about 4 hours not including the formation of surface structures. Here, this study will center on the effects of stencil thickness and coating methods. Samples will be analyzed by scanning acoustic microscopy, die shear testing and cross sectional scanning acoustic microscopy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Phase-field predictions of the influence of cooling rates during AM on the Evolution of Microstructures in Nickel-Based Single Crystal Superalloys

Additive manufacturing of single crystals made of Ni-based superalloys offers major cost savings for gas turbine engines with the inclusion of internal cooling channels. However, the lack of understanding of the effect of transient thermal conditions on solidification grain structure during additive manufacturing hinders the potential for process control to maintain the single crystal quality. The use of high-fidelity simulations through high performance computing to predict the evolution of the solidification microstructure will enhance the abilities to tailor the microstructures through process optimization. Phase field simulations are used to determine the effect local thermal conditions and defects on the stability of the solidification morphology, specifically with respect to the onset of columnar-to-equiaxed transition that results in the loss of the single crystal. The results are expected to be instrumental for developing future surrogate models to speed up the integration of design and manufacturing of turbine blades under the harsh in-service conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Bypassing the yellow phase for extremely stable formamidinium lead iodide perovskite solar cells

INTRODUCTION Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) emerged as an ideal material for single-junction perovskite solar cells owing to its near optimal bandgap of 1.45 to 1.5 eV and outstanding thermal stability. However, the photoactive cubic α-phase (3C-FAPI) of FAPI is structurally unstable and undergoes a reconstructive phase transition to the nonperovskite yellow hexagonal δ-phase (2H-FAPI) at ambient temperature. The phase reconstruction from 3C-FAPI to 2H-FAPI could be prevented by alloying methylammonium (MA) or Cs or both at the A-site and Br at the halide site, but this limits long-term durability owing to phase segregation or materials instability. Addressing these challenges requires a rational design strategy to stabilize 3C-FAPI by restricting lattice reconstruction without compromising thermal stability. RATIONALE Two main strategies have emerged to improve the phase stability and film quality of FAPI. Here, the first is a lattice-templating approach, which enables the slow formation of perovskite but it eventually degrades through the formation of yellow phases. The second approach, which has been widely explored, involves additive engineering, using alkyl ammonium halide or mostly chloride-based additives, which provide better control over the crystallization route. However, the FAPI films fabricated using these additives are often alloyed and compromise long-term stability. Moreover, the exact role of Cl has been unclear and speculative, specifically when Cl-based additives are used. Even after using a high additive concentration, the incorporation of Cl in perovskite lattice is rare. RESULTS Guided by synergistic modeling and experimental studies, we developed a coadditive strategy using 15 mol % FACl and 0.5 mol % BA 2 PbI 4 perovskites in combination (where BA is butylammonium) to enable a highly oriented (100) Cl-doped FAPI film with exceptional durability. Synchrotron-based in situ wide-angle x-ray scattering revealed a favorable transition for the coadditive-treated FAPI (FAPI-CA) to the corner-sharing 3C black phase through a progressive transformation through the 2H, 4H, 6H, and 8H phases. Moreover, solid-state 35 Cl nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) revealed Cl incorporation in the perovskite lattice and, as predicted by modeling, indicated that Cl plays a key role in altering the energetics of both the formation and degradation pathways. The Cl-doped perovskite can completely bypass the expected and energetically favorable degradation pathway via the yellow phase or the 2H-PbI 2 phase. Instead, it undergoes degradation only upon exposure to harsh conditions such as 15-sun illumination and 90°C through the energetically uphill 3R-PbI 2 phase path. A p-i-n device fabricated with FAPI-CA film demonstrated a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.1% with an average of 24.1% (40 devices). The notable film stability translated to other devices and retained 98% of its initial PCE under open-circuit conditions at 85° ± 5°C for 1200 hours. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the decisive role of chloride in regulating both the formation and degradation pathways. This regulation is critical for creating a perovskite film with commercially relevant durability.

Garai, Rabindranath [Rice Univ., Houston, TX (Unit↗

Rapid Optimization of Total Variation with Applications in Imaging, Additive Manufacturing, and Qualification

Total Variation optimization penalizes the gradient of a control variable or state. While this work focuses on image processing in particular, it has also found applications in inverse problems and topology optimization. In image processing, the goal is to maintain faithfulness to the original image while denoising and/or deblurring. Additionally, bilevel optimization over the spatially varying regularization weights can illuminate interfaces such as damage regions and other anomalies. We will address two fundamental challenges with TV-optimization: (i) the typical slow convergence of existing TV-optimization methods, and (ii) the selection of spatially varying TV parameters to promote interface detection. Additionally, we will apply such techniques to image data collected in additive manufacturing. In said context, stochasticity in build events induces flaws in the manufactured piece, compromising the integrity of said part. There is a critical need for in-situ monitoring to spot anomalies once they form, and in this setting we apply our total variation and hyperparameter solvers. We will develop a customized algorithm based on for extreme-scale TV-optimization that achieves super-linear or quadratic-convergence, a critical property for real-time, image-by-image analysis. A worst-case outcome is a preprocessing step that enhances image quality in-situ, specifically for out-of-focus and noisy images.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Quantitative Phase Analysis by Neutron Diffraction of Conventional and Advanced Aluminum Alloys Thermally Conditioned for Elevated-Temperature Applications

As the issue of climate change becomes more prevalent, engineers have focused on developing lightweight Al alloys capable of increasing the power density of powertrains. The characterization of these alloys has been focused on mechanical properties and less on the fundamental response of microstructures to achieve these properties. Therefore, this study assesses the quality of the microstructure of two high-temperature Al alloys (A356 + 3.5RE and Al-8Ce-10Mg), comparing them to T6 A356. These alloys underwent thermal conditioning at 250 and 300 °C for 200 h. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction experiments were performed before and after conditioning. The phase evolution was quantified using Rietveld refinement. It was found that the Si phase grows significantly (13–24%) in T6 A356, A356 + 3.5RE, and T6 A356 + 3.5RE alloys, which is typically correlated with a reduction in mechanical properties. Subjecting the A356 3.5RE alloy to a T6 heat treatment stabilizes the orthorhombic Al4Ce3Si6 and monoclinic β-Al5FeSi phases, making them resistant to thermal conditioning. These two phases are known for enhancing mechanical properties. Additionally, the T6 treatment reduced the vol.% of the cubic Al20CeTi2 and hexagonal ᴨ-Al9FeSi3Mg5 phases by 13% and 23%, respectively. These phases have detrimental mechanical properties. The Al-8Ce-10Mg alloy cubic β-Al3Mg2 phase showed significant growth (82–101%) in response to conditioning, while the orthorhombic Al11Ce3 phase remained stable. The growth of the beta phase is known to decrease the mechanical properties of this alloy. These efforts give valuable insight into how these alloys will perform and evolve in demanding high-temperature environments.

Chemistry↗

Interfacial engineering for high performance carbon-based perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells fabricated with carbon-based counter electrodes demonstrate decreased cost, enhanced simplicity and speed of production, and increased stability compared to those produced with standard metallic electrodes. This significant improvement of device stability, cost reduction, and production scalability indicates a promising direction for commercial development and availability of perovskite solar technology. The main limitation of carbon-based perovskite devices is the flawed contact between the carbon electrode and perovskite film which decreases device quality and performance, thereby necessitating treatment of the carbon/perovskite interface. This review provides an overview of the current state of carbon-based perovskite devices, discusses progress in carbon/perovskite interface modification methods, and suggests future directions for the research of carbon electrode/perovskite film interface manipulation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Role of Selenium in CdZnTeSe as a Defect Engineering Agent

Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) with 10 atomic % Zn has been the material of choice for room-temperature semiconductor compact X- and gamma-ray detector applications for over three decades. Despite its commercial success as the most desirable room-temperature semiconductor radiation detection material, CdZnTe (CZT) suffers from a lack of compositional homogeneity on both the micro- and macroscales and the presence of high concentrations of performance-limiting defects such as subgrain boundary networks (dislocation walls) and secondary phases (Te-rich inclusions). Random distributions of these defects in the CZT matrix result in the spatial inhomogeneity of the material’s charge-transport properties. The recently discovered quaternary Cd x Zn 1-x Te 1-y Se y (CZTS) has experienced remarkable advances in its material properties, with highly reduced defects and higher compositional homogeneity. This book chapter focuses on the presence of performance-limiting defects in CZT that have thus far hindered the yield and cost of high-quality detectors and restricted their widespread deployment for a variety of potential applications, particularly for their use as large-volume gamma detectors, where the demands on material perfection are significantly greater. This chapter also provides an overview of the recent developments in the quaternary material CZTS, particularly the effects of selenium (Se) in the CZTS matrix on the defect engineering of the quaternary alloy material and the advancement of CZTS as a potential next-generation detector operable at room temperature.

Roy, Utpal N.↗

Physicochemical and biological characterization of a bispecific antibody in a CrossMab/KIH format that targets EGFR and VEGF-A

Introduction Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are a class of antibody therapeutics engineered in various molecular formats to bind two distinct antigens and potentially mediate multiple biological effects. These molecular formats are tailored to mediate specific mechanisms of action and possess unique physicochemical and biological properties that are necessary to assure product quality. In ovarian cancer (OC), both EGFR- and VEGF-A-mediated signaling pathways are often upregulated and cooperate to promote tumor growth and angiogenesis. Thus, inhibiting of EGFR- and VEGF-A pathways with a BsAb may provide synergistic anti-tumor activity. Methods Using publicly available sequences and applying immunoglobulin domain crossover (CrossMab) and knobs-into-holes (KIH) technologies, we generated a BsAb to simultaneously bind EGFR and VEGF-A (designated as anti-EGFR/VEGF-A BsAb). This BsAb served as a model for physiochemical and biological characterization of quality attributes that would be critical for the BsAb’s mechanisms of action. Our goal was to gain fundamental insights into BsAbs designed to target a receptor with one arm and a soluble ligand with the other, to support bioassay development and inform quality control strategies. Results Our data demonstrated that the CrossMab/KIH platform successfully produced a correctly assembled BsAb during cell culture. Characterization confirmed that the anti-EGFR/VEGF-A BsAb bound both EGFR and VEGF-A with comparable activity and affinity to the respective parental monoclonal antibodies. Functionally, the BsAb disrupted both EGF/EGFR and VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signaling pathways in OC and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) models. Furthermore, the BsAb effectively blocked angiogenic signaling driven by VEGF-A secreted from OC cells in a paracrine manner. Discussion Based on the combinatorial mechanism of action and our characterization findings, we concluded that two or more bioassays may be needed to accurately assess the activity of both arms of this type of BsAb.

Immunology↗

Developing Multiphysics, Integrated, High-Fidelity, Massively Parallel Computational Capabilities for Fusion Applications Using MOOSE

As the need for fusion as a clean, sustainable, and abundant energy source grows internationally, so does the need for multiphysics, computational tools to model, study, and predict the complex interactions between plasma, materials, and engineering processes. These tools have a crucial role to play in solving scientific and engineering challenges and accelerating fusion energy deployment. To address these needs, modeling capabilities should enable massively parallel, multiphysics, fully integrated high-fidelity simulations of fusion systems. Additional attributes, such as being open source and modular while maintaining high software quality assurance standards will maximize impact by ensuring accessibility for all and wide acceptance, rapid expansion and development, as well as reliability, efficiency, and robustness. In this paper, we describe how the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework, which has a track record of success in the fission space thanks to the attributes listed above, can be leveraged in the fusion energy field. We highlight key successes of the MOOSE application in the fission space and describe how MOOSE has been and is being applied to fusion applications in the United States---e.g., Tritium Migration Analysis Program, version 8 (TMAP8), MOOSE Fusion Module, Fusion ENergy Integrated multiphys-X (FENIX)---and the United Kingdom---e.g., AURORA, Achlys, Apollo. These efforts aim to establish a suite of tools that can be further extended to accelerate fusion energy deployment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Daily, 30 m Resolution NDSI Data for the East River Watershed, CO for 2000-2020

This dataset contains daily Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) values at 30 m spatial resolution for the East River watershed in Colorado, USA. The temporal range of these data includes water years 2001-2020. These data were created using the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM). This model fuses low spatial and high temporal resolution data from MODIS (500 m, daily) with high spatial and low temporal resolution data from Landsat (30 m, 16 days) to create a 30m synthetic daily snow product. This product allows for the analysis of historical snow covered area trends in the East River Watershed at fine spatiotemporal resolutions where it was not available previously. This research was performed as a part of the Department of Energy’s Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Program with the primary intent of better understanding the timing and spatial patterns of water delivery to the Critical Zone in mountain watersheds. Each .zip file contains one "water year" of data (October 1 - September 30; i.e., water year 2010 starts October 1, 2010 and ends September 30, 2011). Each zip file contains the following: STARFM daily Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) fusion data files in GeoTiff format with one layer for each day between Landsat data acquisition dates (i.e., for dates of Landsat acquisition, the Landsat image is included for that date). The study area is located in an area of Landsat path overlap, so Landsat dates acquisitions are every 7-9 days. Landsat NDSI files containing the high spatial (30m), low temporal (7-9 days due to Landsat path overlap) resolution data used as input to STARFM in GeoTiff format with one layer for each day. Dates for which no Landsat data were obtained are included as NoData layers. MODIS NDSI files containing the high temporal (daily), low spatial (500m) resolution data used as input to STARFM in GeoTiff format with one layer for each day. Please note the MODIS data were resampled to 30m pixels for input into the STARFM model. The data have a scale factor of 10,000 and a no data value of -32767. The projection of all datasets is WGS 84 (EPSG: 4326), which has a latitude/longitude based degree resolution of 0.0002694946 X 0.0002694946, and approximates to the 30 m spatial resolution mentioned above. The Layer Index files in .csv format. They contain information for each layer in the above GeoTiff files regarding the corresponding date for each layer, the fraction of pixels in the image that contain valid data (missing data is due to either cloud cover or poor data quality; these values are not percent snow cover). Dates of Landsat overpass are indicated in these files. If no Landsat data were able to be obtained due to cloud cover or lack of Landsat Tier 1 data available on Google Earth Engine, this is also noted.

EARTH SCIENCE > CRYOSPHERE > SNOW/ICE↗

Organic Modulators Enable Morphological Diversity in Colloidal Crystals Engineered with DNA

Colloidal crystal engineering with DNA is a powerful way of generating a wide variety of crystals spanning over 90 different symmetries. However, in many cases, crystals with well-defined habits are difficult, if not impossible, to make, in part due to rapid crystal defect formation and propagation. This is especially true in the case of face-centered cubic (FCC) structures. Herein, we report a strategy that uses formamide as a chemical modulator to slow down colloidal crystal growth, which decreases defect formation and yields higher-quality crystals. Formamide forms hydrogen bonds with DNA bases and destabilizes the DNA duplex; in the context of colloidal crystallization, formamide leads to the disassembly of undercoordinated particles (defect architectures) and facilitates their reassembly into structures with the maximum number of nearest-neighbor contacts and DNA bonds. Here, when targeting an FCC lattice comprised of DNA-modified spherical 20 nm particles, formamide promotes the formation of its Wulff polyhedron (a truncated octahedron), never observed before in colloidal crystal engineering with DNA. Importantly, kinetic habits, including tetrahedra, octahedra, icosahedra, and decahedra, are also observed depending on formamide concentration.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Solvent-based plastic recycling technologies

Solvent-based recycling approaches are receiving industrial and academic interest for their ability to produce high-quality plastic resins from a variety of plastic waste sources without breaking the polymer chains. Here we highlight the development of solvent-based technologies, focusing on the underlying principles, techno-economic and life-cycle analyses, and commercialization. The basic steps in solvent-based recycling include plastic size reduction, plastic dissolution, filtration or centrifugation, and optional additional cleaning steps such as adsorption, precipitation and solvent removal. Impurities that build up in the solvent must also be removed. The goal of solvent-based technologies is to produce a high-quality resin without plastic contaminants or other added substances. Disadvantages of these solvent-based technologies are their physicochemical complexity and the difficulty in scaling up to achieve continuous operations with high polymer and solvent yields and throughputs. As a result, chemical engineering is thus critical in bringing solvent-based recycling technologies to market.

Chemical engineering↗

"Soiling, Cleaning, and Abrasion: The Results of the Five-Year Photovoltaic Glass Coating Field Study" [Slides]

External contamination ("soiling") of the incident surface is a major limiting factor for solar technologies. A 5-year field glass coupon study was conducted to better understand external contamination and its effects; compare cleaning methods and the use of preventative coatings; and explore the abrasion resulting from cleaning to advise on accelerated abrasion testing. Test sites included the cities of Dubai (UAE), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Mesa (AZ), Mumbai (India), and Sacramento (CA). Through the 5-year cumulative study, dry brush, water spray, and wet sponge and squeegee cleaning methods were compared to no cleaning. Optical microscopy was used to obtain images, including representative color images, grayscale images for object analysis, and oblique images for coating integrity assessment. A thresholding protocol was developed to analyze and distinguish specimens using the ImageJ software. Optical performance was quantified using a spectrophotometer, including comprehensive optical characterization (transmittance, reflectance, and absorptance in addition to forward- and back-scattering). Atomic force microscopy was used to verify the abrasion damage morphology, including the width and depth of surface scratches. Analysis of the results included correlation of optical performance and particle area coverage, rank order (by coating or location), and the acceleration factor for abrasion damage. The efficacy of external cleaning was more readily distinguished from the effectiveness of antisoiling coatings. The acceleration factor for dry brush cleaning of a porous silica coating was found to be on the order of unity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Counterpart identification and classification for eRASS1 and characterisation of the active galactic nuclei content

Context. Accurately accounting for the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) phase in galaxy evolution requires a large, clean AGN sample. This is now possible with SRG/eROSITA, which completed its first all-sky X-ray survey (eRASS1) on June 12, 2020. The public Data Release 1 (DR1, Jan 31, 2024) includes 930,203 sources from the western Galactic hemisphere. Aims. The data enable the selection of a large AGN sample and the discovery of rare sources. However, scientific return depends on accurate characterisation of the X-ray emitters, requiring high-quality multi-wavelength data. This paper presents the identification and classification of optical and infrared counterparts to eRASS1 sources. Methods. Counterparts to eRASS1 X-ray point sources were identified using Gaia DR3, CatWISE2020, and Legacy Survey DR10 (LS10) with the Bayesian NWAY algorithm and trained priors. Sources were classified as Galactic or extragalactic via a machine-learning model combining optical/IR and X-ray properties, trained on a reference sample. For extragalactic LS10 sources, photometric redshifts were computed using CIRCLEZ. Results. Within the LS10 footprint, all 656,614 eROSITA/DR1 sources have at least one possible optical counterpart; ∼570 000 are extragalactic and likely AGN. Half are new detections compared to AllWISE, Gaia, and Quaia AGN catalogues. Gaia and CatWISE2020 counterparts are less reliable, due to the survey’s shallowness and the limited amount of features available to assess the probability of being an X-ray emitter. In the Galactic plane, where the overdensity of stellar sources also increases the chance of associations, using conservative reliability cuts, we identified approximately 18 000 Gaia and 55 000 CatWISE2020 extragalactic sources. Conclusions. We have released three high-quality counterpart catalogues – plus the training and validation sets – as a benchmark for the field. These datasets have many applications, but in particular, they empower researchers to build AGN samples tailored for completeness and purity, accelerating the hunt for the Universe’s most energetic engines.

X-rays: general↗