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Results for “cosmology of theories beyond the SM”

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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3,291 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dry Pressed, High Areal Loading Electrode Architectures Enabled by Holey Graphene

For future electric aviation, advanced battery cell chemistry beyond lithium ion batteries are required to meet mission requirements. High energy density battery concepts such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithiumoxygen (Li-O2) chemistries are being intensively investigated to realize their extraordinary theoretical promise in terms of energy density. Most fabrication methods of cathodes for these novel battery chemistries followed a conventional approach. In this approach, the active material is mixed with a polymer binder and a conductive carbon in a high-boiling organic solvent to form a slurry, followed by casting onto a current collector and solvent evaporation. The process is usually lengthy and poses environmental hazards due to the use of organic solvents.

Lin Yi↗
NASA NTRS2006

Battery Control Boards for Li-Ion Batteries on Mars Exploration Rovers

Rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries have been operating successfully on both Spirit and Opportunity rovers for the last two years, which includes six months of Assembly Launch and Test Operations (ATLO), seven months of cruise and about eleven months of surface operations. The Battery Control Boards designed and fabricated in-house would protect cells against overcharge and over-discharge and provide cell balance. Their performance has thus far been quite satisfactory. The ground data o the mission simulation battery project little capacity loss of less than 3% during cruise and 180 sols. Batteries are poised to extend the mission beyond six months, if not a couple of years.

Ewell, R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Talks: Earth to Mars in 3 Giant Leaps

“Earth to Mars in 3 Giant Leaps” will explain why, despite landing astronauts on the Moon more than 40 years ago, humanity has not yet sent people to Mars. Astronaut Dr. Stan Love will demonstrate that the challenge is not simply building bigger rockets, it is overcoming the immense engineering, logistical, and human obstacles required for a safe round-trip mission to the Red Planet. The first giant leap focuses on Low Earth Orbit, where the International Space Station serves as humanity's laboratory for living and working in space; the second giant leap revisits the Apollo missions to the Moon, illustrating the extraordinary amount of energy required to travel beyond Earth orbit; and the third and greatest leap explores human exploration of Mars.

Stan Love↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rapid Quantum Ground State Preparation via Dissipative Dynamics

Inspired by natural cooling processes, dissipation has become a promising approach for preparing low-energy states of quantum systems. However, the potential of dissipative protocols remains unclear beyond certain commuting Hamiltonians. This work provides significant analytical and numerical insights into the power of dissipation for preparing the ground state of noncommuting Hamiltonians. For quasi-free dissipative dynamics, including certain 1D spin systems with boundary dissipation, our results reveal a new connection between the mixing time in trace distance and the spectral properties of a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, leading to an explicit and sharp bound on the mixing time that scales polynomially with system size. For more general spin systems, we develop a tensor network-based algorithm for constructing the Lindblad jump operator and for simulating the dynamics. Using this algorithm, we demonstrate numerically that dissipative ground state preparation protocols can achieve rapid mixing for certain 1D local Hamiltonians under bulk dissipation, with a mixing time that scales logarithmically with the system size. We then prove the rapid mixing result for certain weakly interacting spin and fermionic systems in arbitrary dimensions, extending recent results for high-temperature quantum Gibbs samplers to the zero-temperature regime. Together, these results show that dissipation can be a powerful tool for ground state preparation, with potential applications across condensed matter physics, quantum materials science, and beyond.

decoherence↗
DOE OSTI2026

Two-dimensional non-equilibrium melting of charged colloids

Thermodynamic two-dimensional melting has been extensively studied in experiments and simulations, and is well predicted by theory. For systems in equilibrium, this transition is well described by the Kosterlitz–Thouless–Halperin–Nelson–Young theory, where melting is directly linked to the unbinding of topological defects. For driven, non-equilibrium melting and other non-equilibrium phase transitions, the picture is less clear. Here, in this work, we study the two-dimensional melting of a crystal of charged colloids. By randomly replacing some charged colloids with magnetic colloids, we can melt our system by rotating a fraction of the particles to create non-equilibrium, hydrodynamic random flows and local stresses. We can also melt it thermally by changing the particle number density. We find that an effective temperature approach cannot explain the results of our driven system. Rather, in both experiments and simulations, we observe that plotting the hexatic order parameter and the hexatic correlation’s exponent versus the density of disclinations and dislocations, respectively, yields universal curves. This implies that in our systems, two-dimensional melting depends directly on the density of topological defects and is independent of whether thermal or non-equilibrium forces generate them.

critical phenomena↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhanced Recovery of Critical Minerals and Geological Hydrogen in The Mine of the Future

invited perspective article: The rapid demand for critical minerals (CMs) and hydrogen (H2) necessitates innovative solutions beyond conventional mining. This study explores enhanced mineral recovery (EMR) and geological hydrogen production (GeoH2) by leveraging the Earth’s subsurface as a reactive platform. Using ultramafic rocks and engineered fluids, the approach simultaneously mobilizes critical resources and produces H2 through natural processes like serpentinization. This paradigm offers a transformative pathway to secure essential materials and diversify energy resources, setting a foundation for the Terrestrial Mine of the Future

Yan, Keju↗
NASA NTRS1994

Bifurcation of Rotating Liquid Drops: Results From USML-1 Experiments in Space

Experiments on rotational bifurcation of liquid drops, in which the drops were levitated and spun using acoustic fields in a low-gravity environment, were conducted during the first United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) Space Shuttle flight. The experiments have successfully resolved the discrepancies existing between the previous experimental results and the theoretical predictions. In the case of a spherical drop, for which theory exists, the results agree well with the predictions. In the case of flattened drops, the experiments have established a family of curves, with the spherical drop as the limiting case.

T G Wang↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hierarchical Multi-agent Large Language Model Reasoning for Autonomous Heterogeneous Catalyst Discovery

Artificial intelligence is reshaping scientific exploration, but most methods automate procedural tasks without engaging in scientific reasoning, limiting autonomy in discovery. We demonstrate that hierarchical agentic large language model reasoning can efficiently drive simulation and scientific exploration. Across two chemical applications, CO adsorption on Cu surface transition metal adatoms and on M–N–C catalysts, reasoning-guided exploration reduces required atomistic simulations by up to 90% relative to heuristic or random selection. Comparisons across single-agent, multi-agent, and stochastic baselines show that hierarchical strategies yield more coherent and information-efficient search trajectories. Reasoning traces reveal chemically grounded decisions that cannot be explained by semantic bias or stochastic sampling. We realize these agentic reasoning strategies in Materials Agents for Simulation and Theory in Electronic-structure Reasoning (MASTER), a multimodal system that translates natural language into density functional theory workflows. Altogether, multi-agent collaboration accelerates heterogeneous catalyst discovery and marks a step toward more autonomous, reasoning-guided scientific exploration.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ultrafast One-Dimensional Peierls-Distortion Dynamics in 1⁢T′−Re⁢S 2 Revealed by 4D Electron Microscopy

Rhenium disulfide (ReS 2 ), a prototypical 2D semiconductor with an anisotropic 1⁢T′ structure due to the pronounced Peierls distortion, has demonstrated great potential for polarization-dependent optoelectronics and photonics. Here, we report an ultrafast phase transition occurring within 1 ps, accompanied by a one-dimensional Peierls-distortion relaxation in 1⁢T′−ReS 2 revealed with combined 4D electron microscopy and time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Upon femtosecond laser pulse excitation, the Re-Re dimerization morphology rapidly transforms from a diamond cluster to zigzag chains and persists for several nanoseconds. Here, this ultrafast Peierls-distortion relaxation is further verified by transient changes in optical anisotropy via polarization-dependent transient absorption spectroscopy. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations attribute this novel phase transition to strong correlation between Peierls distortion and impulsive photoexcited carrier doping, predicting a transient band-gap collapse. This Letter opens up an exciting avenue for ultrafast control of Peierls-distortion-induced anisotropy and the metal-insulator transition in 1⁢T′−ReS 2 .

1T’-ReS2↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancing Wildfire Monitoring with TEMPO and ML tools: Hourly Smoke and Fire‑Front Mapping and Near‑Surface NO₂ Predictions

Wildfires impose substantial impacts on communities and regions downwind of wildfire smoke. We present a TEMPO‑enabled workflow that generates value‑added Level‑3 smoke‑plume masks and fire‑front maps for large wildfires, such as 2024 Park Fire, using the self‑supervised deep learning system SIT‑FUSE, along with near‑surface NO₂ predictions produced by a foundation model (Microsoft Aurora). We conclude by outlining a roadmap for expanding these capabilities to additional Western U.S. wildfire events and for delivering actionable tools to stakeholders. This open-source, reproducible workflow provides a scalable framework for cross-agency wildfire monitoring to overcome traditional limitations in smoke-cloud discrimination and air-quality forecasting by incorporating TEMPO data and beyond.

Xiaohua Pan↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probing the role of local tunnel variations in early-stage lithiation of α-MnO₂ nanowires via in situ TEM

Understanding lithium-ion transport in tunnel-structured manganese oxides is essential for designing high-performance lithium-ion battery electrode materials. Here, we elucidate the early-stage lithiation mechanism of potassium-stabilized α-MnO 2 nanowires using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and geometric phase analysis (GPA). Real-time TEM imaging reveals clear volume expansion at the reaction front, while EELS analysis uncovers lithium-ion diffusion far beyond this region, where no visible expansion is observed, indicating fast, defect-assisted transport. GPA and HRTEM analyses show that localized tensile and compressive strain fields, originating from pre-existing local tunnel structural variations, persist after lithiation. The tensile-strained regions enable lithium-ion insertion with minimal lattice distortion, offering additional free volume that facilitates rapid lithium-ion accommodation ahead of the structural transformation. Our results demonstrate a local tunnel variation-mediated fast diffusion pathway that precedes bulk reaction, underscoring the critical role of local strain in enabling early-stage lithium transport. Given the structural versatility of MnO 2 and its ability to accommodate diverse atomic arrangements beyond the well-known tunnel phases (β-, γ-, δ-, λ-, R-phases), our findings highlight the importance of understanding and engineering local structural environments. This work provides fundamental insights into the interplay between defects, strain, and ion dynamics, and presents defect engineering as a promising approach to enhance both rate performance and structural stability in manganese-based cathodes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1977

Geochemical Zoning and Early Differentiation in the Moon

The volatile elements (e.g., Rb, Pb, Tl, Bi, Cs) seem to have been depleted at the time of lunar accretion. Accordingly, it may be assumed that the moon initially accreted from refractory material. The good correlation between volatile/involatile element ratios (e.g., Cs/U, K/La, K/Zr) in both highland and maria samples means that element distribution in lunar crustal rocks is not governed by volatility differences. This and other evidence encourages the view that the moon was accreted homogeneously. A consequence of homogeneous accretion theories is that very efficient large-scale element fractionation is required to account both for the high near-surface concentrations of refractory elements (e.g., Th, U, REE, Zr, Ba, etc.) and for the Ca-Al-rich crust.

S R Taylor↗
DOE OSTI2025

The phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics in one dimension on a quantum computer

The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram, which reveals the state of strongly interacting matter at different temperatures and densities, is key to answering open questions in physics, ranging from the behaviour of particles in neutron stars to the conditions of the early universe. However, classical simulations of QCD face significant computational barriers, such as the sign problem at finite matter densities. Quantum computing offers a promising solution to overcome these challenges. Here, we take an important step toward exploring the QCD phase diagram with quantum devices by preparing thermal states in one-dimensional non-Abelian gauge theories. We experimentally simulate the thermal states of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories at finite densities on a trapped-ion quantum computer using a variational method. This is achieved by introducing two features: Firstly, we add motional ancillae to the existing qubit register to efficiently prepare thermal probability distributions. Secondly, we introduce charge-singlet measurements to enforce colour-neutrality constraints. This work pioneers the quantum simulation of QCD at finite density and temperature for two and three colours, laying the foundation to explore QCD phenomena on quantum platforms.

Quantum information↗
NASA NTRS1962

Experimental Effects of Scaling on the Performance of Ion Rockets Employing Electron-Bombardment Ion Sources

A scaling program was undertaken to establish the relations between performance parameters and the size of the electron bombardment ion source. The experimental results of this investigation are the subject of this paper. Two geometrically similar sources, a 5- and a 20-cm-diameter beam source, were scaled from a 10-cm-diameter source to allow a performance comparison to be made. The three ion sources are compared for ion chamber characteristics and overall engine efficiency. The results of the chamber investigations are compared with scaling variations indicated by simple plasma theory. The effects of size on operating limits are also discussed. Mercury was used as the propellant in this investigation.

Power Supply↗
DOE OSTI2026

Galaxy Size and Rotation Curve Diversity in ΛCDM with Baryons

The observed rotation curves of dwarf galaxies exhibit significant diversity at fixed halo mass, challenging galaxy formation within the cold dark matter (CDM) model. Previous cosmological galaxy formation simulations with baryonic physics fail to reproduce the full diversity of rotation curves, suggesting that there is a flaw in baryonic feedback models, observational bias, or that an alternative to CDM must be invoked. In this work, we use the Marvelous Massive Dwarf zoom-in simulations, a suite of high-resolution dwarf simulations with M 200 ∼ 10 10 –10 11 M ⊙ and M * ∼ 10 7 –10 9 M ⊙ , designed to target the mass range where the galaxy rotation curve diversity is maximized, i.e., between and 100 km s −1 . We add to this a set of low-mass galaxies from the Marvel Dwarf Zoom Volumes to extend the galaxy mass range to lower values. Our fiducial star formation and feedback models produce simulated dwarfs with a broader range of rotation curve shapes, similar to observations. These simulations both create dark matter cores via baryonic feedback, reproducing the slower-rising rotation curves, while also allowing for compact galaxies and steeply rising rotation curves. Our simulated dwarfs also reproduce the observed size–M * relation, including scatter, producing both extended and compact dwarfs for the first time in simulated field dwarfs. However, the slowly rising and high baryon mass fraction, as well as the steeply rising and low baryon mass fraction, remain missing. We explore star formation and feedback models and conclude that previous simulations may have had feedback that was too strong to produce compact dwarfs.

Cruz, Akaxia [Flatiron Institute, New York, NY (Un↗
DOE OSTI2026

Topological magnons on the ferromagnetic zigzag lattice

Motivated by the experimental identification of magnetic compounds consisting of zigzag chains, we analyze the band structure topology of magnons in ferromagnets on a zigzag lattice. We account for the general lattice geometry by including spatially anisotropic Heisenberg exchange interactions and by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on inversion asymmetric bonds. Within the linear spin-wave theory, we find two magnon branches, whose band structure topology (i.e., Chern numbers) we map out in a comprehensive phase diagram. Notably, besides topologically trivial and gapless phases, we identify topologically nontrivial phases that support chiral edge magnons. We show that these edge states are robust against elastic defect scattering.

Subramanian, Skandan [ORNL] (ORCID:000900087255487↗
NASA NTRS2026

Satellite Optical Remote Sensing of Clouds and Aerosols: From Particle Single-Scattering and Gaseous Absorption Through Radiative Transfer to Retrieval Products

Clouds and aerosols are fundamental regulators of Earth’s radiation budget and climate system, influencing both solar and terrestrial radiation through scattering, absorption, and emission processes. Accurate characterization of their physical and radiative properties from space requires a rigorous understanding of particle single-scattering, gaseous absorption, and radiative transfer in the atmosphere, as well as reliable inversion methods. This review synthesizes the physical foundations and algorithmic implementations of satellite-based passive optical remote sensing of clouds and aerosols, spanning the ultraviolet to thermal infrared spectral range. Beginning with electromagnetic scattering theory and state-of-the-art methods for computing single-scattering by nonspherical particles and computationally efficient methods for accounting for atmospheric absorption, we discuss the radiative transfer framework underpinning cloud and aerosol retrievals. The connection between single-scattering and multiple-scattering is rigorously formulated. We then summarize operational and research-grade retrieval techniques, including cloud masking and thermodynamic phase determination, CO₂ slicing for cloud-top pressure, the Nakajima-King shortwave bi-spectral, and infrared split-window approaches for cloud optical thickness and effective particle size, inversion algorithms for determining aerosol properties from multi-spectral and/or multi-angle radiometric and polarimetric measurements, and active-passive sensing synergy. Examples of the global cloud and aerosol climatologies are illustrated using observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). Furthermore, the unique strengths of active remote sensing techniques based on spaceborne lidar observations are briefly elaborated in the context of studying ice clouds composed of randomly and horizontally oriented ice crystals, which is a significant challenge for conventional passive remote sensing techniques. By connecting physical theory to practical retrievals, this review highlights both the maturity of current methodologies and the remaining challenges in reducing uncertainties in particle morphology, vertical structure, absorption, and aerosol-cloud interactions. Furthermore, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on atmospheric remote sensing is briefly addressed.

Aerosols↗
NASA NTRS1990

Third Annual Workshop on Space Operations Automation and Robotics (SOAR 1989)

Papers presented at the Third Annual Workshop on Space Operations Automation and Robotics (SOAR '89), hosted by the NASA Lyndon 8. Johnson Space Center at Houston, Texas, on July 25-27, 1989, are documented herein. During the three days, approximately 100 technical papers were presented by experts from NASA, the USAF, universities, and technical companies. Also held were panel discussions on Air Force/NASA AI Overview and Expert System Verification and Validation. Tutorial sessions included Neural Networks; Theory and Application of Back Propagation; Verification and Validation of Expert Systems/ Evaluation of Expert System Tools; and Technical Environment for Modular Architectures for Robotics in Space; and are not documented herein. Technical topics addressed included intelligent systems, robotics, human factors, and environment.

Knowledge representation↗