Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Crossed Polars”

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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of the proton spin structure at long distances

Measuring the spin structure of protons and neutrons tests our understanding of how they arise from quarks and gluons, the fundamental building blocks of nuclear matter. At long distances, the coupling constant of the strong interaction becomes large, requiring non-perturbative methods to calculate quantum chromodynamics processes, such as lattice gauge theory or effective field theories. In this work, we report proton spin structure measurements from scattering a polarized electron beam off polarized protons. The spin-dependent cross-sections were measured at large distances, corresponding to the region of low momentum transfer squared between 0.012 and 1.0GeV 2 . This kinematic range provides unique tests of chiral effective field theory predictions. Our results show that a complete description of the nucleon spin remains elusive, and call for further theoretical works, for example, in lattice quantum chromodynamics. Finally, our data extrapolated to the photon point agree with the Gerasimov–Drell–Hearn sum rule, a fundamental prediction of quantum field theory that relates the anomalous magnetic moment of the proton to its integrated spin-dependent cross-sections.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis Using a Catalyst-Coated Membrane Cathode

A catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) approach to electrode fabrication for high pH water electrolysis offers enhanced interfacial contact between the catalyst layer and the membrane surface in comparison to the catalyst-coated substrate (CCS) electrode configuration. The CCM facilitates enhanced ionic and water transport between the cathode and the anion exchange membrane (AEM). This advantage is particularly significant with AEM water electrolysis (compared to proton exchange membrane water electrolysis) because the cathode typically operates under dry conditions and relies solely on diffusive water transport across the AEM from the liquid-fed anode. This study presents a direct performance comparison between CCS and CCM cathode configurations using identical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts and other components. The use of a pseudo-reference electrode integrated into the membrane electrode assembly enabled detailed analysis of the CCM cathode polarization behavior. Surface characterization provided insight into the degradation mechanisms associated with the CCM configuration. Optimization of the cathode ionomer cross-link density improved both the cathode polarization performance and the electrolysis device durability. Further optimization of the HER catalyst loading in the CCM cathode resulted in additional gains in the electrolysis efficiency. Collectively, these findings offer valuable guidance for the design and fabrication of high-performance, durable AEM electrolysis CCMs.

Water electrolysis↗
DOE OSTI2023

Field-induced spin level crossings within a quasi-$XY$ antiferromagnetic state in $Ba$ 2 $FeSi$ 2 $O$ 7

Here, we present a high-field study of the strongly anisotropic easy-plane square lattice $S$ = 2 quantum magnet $Ba$ 2 $FeSi$ 2 $O$ 7 . This compound is a rare high-spin antiferromagnetic system with very strong easy-plane anisotropy, such that the interplay between spin level crossings and antiferromagnetic order can be studied. We observe a magnetic field-induced spin level crossing occurring within an ordered state. This spin level crossing appears to preserve the magnetic symmetry while producing a nonmonotonic dependence of the order parameter magnitude. The resulting temperature–magnetic field phase diagram exhibits two dome-shaped regions of magnetic order overlapping around 30 T. The ground state of the lower-field dome is predominantly a linear combination of |$S^z$ = 0$\rangle$ and |$S^z$ = 1$\rangle$ states, while the ground state of the higher-field dome can be approximated by a linear combination of |$S^z$ = 1$\rangle$ and |$S^z$ = 2$\rangle$ states. At 30 T, where the spin levels cross, the magnetization exhibits a slanted plateau, the magnetocaloric effect shows a broad hump, and the electric polarization shows a weak slope change. We determined the detailed magnetic phase boundaries and the spin level crossings using measurements of magnetization, electric polarization, and the magnetocaloric effect in pulsed magnetic fields to 60 T. Furthermore, we calculate these properties using a mean-field theory based on direct products of SU(5) coherent states and find good agreement. Finally, we measure and calculate the magnetically induced electric polarization that reflects magnetic ordering and spin level crossings. This multiferroic behavior provides another avenue for detecting phase boundaries and symmetry changes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Information-Guided Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

A spin ensemble in thermal equilibrium continuously undergoes random fluctuations analogous to those observed in Brownian motion, a process known as spin noise. Here, we investigate the dynamics of a system comprising a spin-1 paramagnetic center and a hyperfine-coupled spin-1/2 nucleus in the vicinity of a level crossing. We theoretically show that nuclear spins polarize efficiently under the combined action of thermal fluctuations and a closed-loop feedback protocol. The latter articulates periodic observations of the electronic magnetization and radio-frequency pulses connecting hybrid states with opposite nuclear spin alignment. Since nuclear polarization emerges from electronic spin fluctuations, not spin order, this microwave-free technique generically benefits from warmer, not colder, operation temperatures. Furthermore, because the spin dynamics at play near a level crossing is rather insensitive to the absolute value of the magnetic field, our work promises opportunities for high-field dynamic nuclear polarization, which is difficult to attain through present methods.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nonuniform Absorption and Scattered Light in Direct-Drive Implosions Driven by Polarization Smoothing

Laser-direct-drive symmetric implosions on OMEGA illuminate a target with 60 laser beams and are designed to produce spherical implosions. Each beam is smoothed using orthogonal polarizations obtained by passing through distributed polarization rotators (DPR’s). Observations of the scattered light from OMEGA implosions do not show the expected symmetry and have much larger variation than standard predictions. For the first time, we have quantified the scattered-light nonuniformity from individual beams and identified the DPR’s as the source of the enhanced nonuniformity. An instrument was invented that isolated and measured the variation in the intensity and polarization of the light scattered from each OMEGA beam. The asymmetric intensity and polarization measurements are explained when the on-target offsets between the two orthogonal polarizations produced by the DPR’s are modeled using a 3-D cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) code that tracks the polarizations of each beam. The time-integrated nonuniformity in laser absorption and scattered light due to CBET and the DPR polarization offsets during high-performance OMEGA implosions is predicted to be significant and dominated by low spherical harmonic mode numbers. Further, the nonuniformity is predicted to be greatly reduced by replacing the DPR’s with new optics that create smaller offsets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Complete lowest order radiative corrections in semi-inclusive scattering of polarized particles

For this work, the lowest order radiative corrections to the cross section and asymmetries measured in experiments on semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering of polarized particles were calculated. Both exact and leading log expressions were presented and discussed for the total correction that include the contributions from the processes of i) real photon emission with semi-inclusive processes, ii) loop diagrams, and iii) real photon emission with exclusive processes. Radiative corrections to the Sivers and Collins asymmetries in $\pi^+$ electroproduction were studied numerically within the kinematical conditions of modern experimental environments at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab). The Wandzura-Wilczek approximation for the semi-inclusive structure functions and MAID2007 parameterization for the six amplitudes of exclusive processes were used in numeric analyses. The results show that i) radiative effects can generate a correction comparable to the size of Sivers and Collins asymmetries at the Born level, ii) there is good agreement between the exact and leading-order corrections, iii) external functions (that is, other than the Sivers and Collins functions in the respective asymmetries) can generate a contribution to the radiative correction up to 20%, and iv) there exists a strong dependence of the radiative correction on the models for semi-inclusive and exclusive structure functions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the Pion Exclusive Electro-Production Cross-Section in the E12-19-006 Experiment in Hall-C at Jefferson Lab

One of the most effective methods for exploring the transition from hadronic degrees of freedom to quark-gluon degrees of freedom in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is through the investigation of \exclusive" pion and kaon electro-production reactions at various Q2 and ?t values. The E12-19-006 experiment is conducted within the confi?nes of experimental Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, USA, for such studies. The primary aim of the experiment is to ?first enhance our comprehension of the pion electro-production cross-section and its form factor at Q2 = 0.38 and 0.42 GeV2. This is the fi?rst run period of the E12-19-006 experiment which ran in summer 2019. A more profound understanding of the pion electro-production reaction, 1H(e,e'?+)n, at low Q2 is deemed essential to employ this electro-production reaction (an indirect technique) for the high Q2 studies, thereby delving deeper into the realm of QCD. Consequently, this dissertation presents a thorough analysis of the experimental data acquired in the ?first run period of the E12-19-006 experiment. In pursuit of precision, a series of systematic studies (target boiling correction study, the elastic reaction cross-section measurements, study for determining vari- ous kinematics o?sets, etc.) are conducted to discern the accuracy of the analyzed data, a prerequisite for the use of Rosenbluth separation technique to separate the pion electro-production cross-section terms in t bins. The separated pion electro-production cross-section through the Rosenbluth separation technique is then used to extract the pion electromagnetic form factor. In this dissertation, the pion electro-production cross-section is carefully dissected into its four constituent components: longitudinal (?L), transverse (?T ), longitudinal-transverse (?LT ), and transverse-transverse (?TT ), using the full version of Rosenbluth separation technique for the Q2 = 0.38 GeV2. The technique is simultaneously fi?tted to the unseparated pion electro-production cross-sections at the three values of polarization of the virtual photon (?), i.e., ? = 0.286, 0.629 and 0.781. An iterative process is applied to re?ne the parameters of the model cross-sections until the yield ratio of experimental and Monte Carlo simulation converges. In this study, 21 iterations are conducted to re?ne the model cross-section parameters. The fi?nal pion electro-production cross-section terms are then determined for 7 t bins using the optimized parameters of the model cross-sections.

Kumar, Vijay↗
DOE OSTI2022

Form Factors and Two-Photon Exchange in High-Energy Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

We report new precision measurements of the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section for momentum transfer squared (Q$^2$) up to 15.75 (GeV/c)$^2$. These data allow for improved extraction of the proton magnetic form factor at high Q$^2$ and nearly double the Q$^2$ range of direct longitudinal/transverse separated cross sections. A comparison of our results to polarization measurements establishes the presence of hard two-photon exchange in the $e$-$p$ elastic scattering cross section at > 95 % confidence level for Q$^2$ up to 8 (GeV/c)$^2$.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

SIDIS-RC EvGen: A Monte-Carlo event generator of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering with the lowest-order QED radiative corrections

SIDIS-RC EvGen is a C++ standalone Monte-Carlo event generator for studies of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) processes at medium to high lepton beam energies. In particular, the generator contains binary and library components for generating SIDIS events and calculating cross sections for unpolarized or longitudinally polarized beam and unpolarized, longitudinally or transversely polarized target. The structure of the generator incorporates transverse momentum-dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions, whereby we obtain multi-dimensional binned simulation results, which will facilitate the extraction of important information about the three-dimensional nucleon structure from SIDIS measurements. In order to build this software, we have used recent elaborate QED calculations of the lowest-order radiative effects, applied to the leading order Born cross section in SIDIS. Here, in this paper, we provide details on the theoretical formalism as well as the construction and operation of SIDIS-RC EvGen, e.g., how we handle the event generation process and perform multi-dimensional integration. We also provide example programs, flowcharts, and numerical results on azimuthal transverse single-spin asymmetries.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Small-𝑥 Factorization in the Target Fragmentation Region

We consider the differential cross-section for single-inclusive jet production with transverse momentum 𝑃 ⊥ in deep inelastic scattering at small Bjorken 𝑥 Bj , mediated by a virtual photon with virtuality 𝑄 2 . Unlike most studies at small 𝑥, which focus on particle production in the current fragmentation region, we investigate the kinematic regime where the jet is produced in the target fragmentation hemisphere of the Breit frame, and with 𝑃 ⊥ ≪ 𝑄. For a longitudinally polarized photon, we demonstrate that this cross section is not power suppressed in 𝑃 ⊥ /𝑄 and we derive a factorized expression in terms of extended quark and gluon jet fracture functions. Our formula, valid at next-to-leading order in 𝛼 𝑠 at small 𝑥, is akin to the Altarelli-Martinelli identity for the longitudinal DIS structure function. Numerical estimates show that the extended quark jet fracture function is the most sensitive to saturation effects in large nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spatial imaging of polarized deuterons at the Electron-Ion Collider

We study diffractive vector meson production at small-x in the collision of electrons and polarized deuterons e + d $\uparrow$ . We consider the polarization dependence of the nuclear wave function of the deuteron, which results in an azimuthal angular dependence of the produced vector meson when the deuteron is transversely polarized. The Fourier coefficients extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence of the vector meson differential cross-section exhibit notable differences between longitudinally and transversely polarized deuterons. The angular dependence of the extracted effective deuteron radius provides direct insight into the structure of the polarized deuteron wave function. Furthermore, we observe slightly increased gluon saturation effects when the deuteron is longitudinally polarized compared to the transversely polarized case. The small-x observables studied in this work will be accessible at the future Electron-Ion Collider.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A transmitted-beam diagnostic for the wavelength-tunable UV drive beam on OMEGA

A transmitted-beam diagnostic (P9TBD) was developed as part of a new experimental platform used to study laser–plasma interactions on OMEGA. Located in the opposing port to the wavelength-tunable (350 nm to 353 nm) UV drive beam, the P9TBD characterizes the beam after it propagates through an undersense plasma. The instrument consists of a large-aperture window that allows light to exit the target chamber and project onto a thin sheet of semi-transparent diffuser material. Light transmitted through the diffuser is recorded using a time-integrated camera and a fiber-optically coupled streaked spectrometer, providing measurements of the energy, power, fluence, polarization, and spectrum of the transmitted beam. Here, the diagnostic enables direct observation of a variety of cross-beam energy transfer phenomena, such as wavelength detuning, polarization effects, and gain saturation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Polarization-independent photonic Bragg grating filter with cladding asymmetry

A photonic Bragg grating is a fundamental building block that reflects the direction of wave propagation through spatial phase modulation and can be implemented using sidewall corrugation. However, due to the asymmetric aspect ratio of a waveguide cross section, typical Bragg gratings exhibit a strong polarization sensitivity. Here, we show that photonic Bragg gratings with cladding asymmetry can enable polarization-independent notch filters by rotating input polarizations. Such Bragg gratings strongly couple transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes propagating in opposite directions, filtering the input signal and reflecting the rotated mode. We analyzed this polarization-rotating Bragg grating using the coupled-mode theory and experimentally demonstrated it on a silicon-on-insulator platform. Our device concept is simple to implement and compatible with other platforms, readily available as polarization transparent Bragg components.

Pimbi, Daniel (ORCID:000000025933203X)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Magnetic pair distribution function data using polarized neutrons and ad hoc corrections

Here, we report the first example of magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF) data obtained through the use of neutron polarization analysis. Using the antiferromagnetic semiconductor MnTe as a test case, we present high-quality mPDF data collected on the HYSPEC instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source using longitudinal polarization analysis to isolate the magnetic scattering cross section. Clean mPDF patterns are obtained for MnTe in both the magnetically ordered state and the correlated paramagnet state, where only short-range magnetic order is present. We also demonstrate significant improvement in the quality of high-resolution mPDF data through the application of ad hoc corrections that require only minimal human input, minimizing potential sources of error in the data processing procedure. We briefly discuss the current limitations and future outlook of mPDF analysis using polarized neutrons. Overall, this work provides a useful benchmark for mPDF analysis using polarized neutrons and provides an encouraging picture of the potential for routine collection of high-quality mPDF data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-mode nonuniformity in direct-drive ICF implosions due to laser smoothing techniques employed on OMEGA

For successful laser-direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions, the laser irradiation must be highly uniform over the target surface. On OMEGA, multiple laser beams are used to illuminate targets quasi-uniformly. High-mode-number nonuniformities due to laser speckle on each individual beam are reduced by splitting each beam into two orthogonal polarizations (i.e., polarization smoothing, or PS) and a range of wavelengths (i.e., smoothing by spectral dispersion) that are dispersed at the target plane. However, cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) is sensitive to both the polarizations and wavelengths of the interacting beams, so the interplay between CBET and the laser-smoothing schemes results in unique intensity variation across each beam profile, which is a systematic source of low-mode drive nonuniformity on OMEGA. Here, we model these effects and find that the predicted ℓ = 1 mode in the laser-absorption distribution is consistent with the systematic core-flow direction that has been determined from the OMEGA implosion database. We also observe good agreement with the measured core-flow directions for two specific sets of implosions (one with PS, the other without PS) when we also account for the measured beam mispointing and the beam power imbalance.

Crossed beam scattering↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structure-based group A streptococcal vaccine design: Helical wheel homology predicts antibody cross-reactivity among streptococcal M protein–derived peptides

Group A streptococcus (Strep A) surface M protein, an α-helical coiled-coil dimer, is a vaccine target and a major determinant of streptococcal virulence. The sequence-variable N-terminal region of the M protein defines the M type and also contains epitopes that promote opsonophagocytic killing of streptococci. Recent reports have reported considerable cross-reactivity among different M types, suggesting the prospect of identifying cross-protective epitopes that would constitute a broadly protective multivalent vaccine against Strep A isolates. In this work, we have used a combination of immunological assays, structural biology, and cheminformatics to construct a recombinant M protein–based vaccine that included six Strep A M peptides that were predicted to elicit antisera that would cross-react with an additional 15 nonvaccine M types of Strep A. Rabbit antisera against this recombinant vaccine cross-reacted with 10 of the 15 nonvaccine M peptides. Two of the five nonvaccine M peptides that did not cross-react shared high sequence identity (≥50%) with the vaccine peptides, implying that high sequence identity alone was insufficient for cross-reactivity among the M peptides. Additional structural analyses revealed that the sequence identity at corresponding polar helical-wheel heptad sites between vaccine and nonvaccine peptides accurately distinguishes cross-reactive from non–cross-reactive peptides. On the basis of these observations, we developed a scoring algorithm based on the sequence identity at polar heptad sites. When applied to all epidemiologically important M types, this algorithm should enable the selection of a minimal number of M peptide–based vaccine candidates that elicit broadly protective immunity against Strep A.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

On extraction of twist-two Compton form factors from DVCS observables through harmonic analysis

We investigate the exercise of locally extracting the real and imaginary parts of the four twist-2 Compton form factors (CFFs) {$\mathcal{H,E,\tilde H,\tilde E}$} which arise in the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) process e + p → e + p + y. Neglecting dynamical higher-twist contributions, we find that there are a sufficient number of DVCS observables and degrees of freedom to extract all 8 leading quantities model-independently, exploiting the azimuthal dependence of the absolute cross sections across all possible beam and target polarizations at a common kinematical point in {Q, t,x b , y}. As an example, for typical JLab lab-frame kinematics, we simplify the reduced DVCS observables to their dominant terms, providing a sufficient number of equations for local determination of the twist-2 CFFs. We demonstrate the feasibility using harmonic fitting to both cross sections and beam spin asymmetries with both real and pseudo-data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Novel angular velocity estimation technique for plasma filaments

Magnetic field aligned filaments such as blobs and edge localized mode filaments carry significant amounts of heat and particles to the plasma facing components and they decrease their lifetime. The dynamics of these filaments determine at least a part of the heat and particle loads. These dynamics can be characterized by their translation and rotation. In this paper, we present an analysis method novel for fusion plasmas, which can estimate the angular velocity of the filaments on frame-by-frame time resolution. After pre-processing, the frames are two-dimensional (2D) Fourier-transformed, then the resulting 2D Fourier magnitude spectra are transformed to log-polar coordinates, and finally the 2D cross-correlation coefficient function (CCCF) is calculated between the consecutive frames. The displacement of the CCCF’s peak along the angular coordinate estimates the angle of rotation of the most intense structure in the frame. Further, the proposed angular velocity estimation method is tested and validated for its accuracy and robustness by applying it to rotating Gaussian-structures. The method is also applied to gas-puff imaging measurements of filaments in National Spherical Torus Experiment plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗