Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Differentiability”

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 1,693 records · Page 94
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Simultaneous differential spinning disk fluorescence optical sectioning microscopy and nanomechanical mapping atomic force microscopy

Combined microscopy techniques offer the life science research community a powerful tool to investigate complex biological systems and their interactions. Here, we present a new combined microscopy platform based on fluorescence optical sectioning microscopy through aperture correlation microscopy with a Differential Spinning Disk (DSD) and nanomechanical mapping with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The illumination scheme of the DSD microscope unit, contrary to standard single or multi-point confocal microscopes, provides a time-independent illumination of the AFM cantilever. This enables a distortion-free simultaneous operation of fluorescence optical sectioning microscopy and atomic force microscopy with standard probes. In this context, we discuss sample heating due to AFM cantilever illumination with fluorescence excitation light. Integration of a DSD fluorescence optical sectioning unit with an AFM platform requires mitigation of mechanical noise transfer of the spinning disk. We identify and present two solutions to almost annul this noise in the AFM measurement process. The new combined microscopy platform is applied to the characterization of a DOPC/DOPS (4:1) lipid structures labelled with a lipophilic cationic indocarbocyanine dye deposited on a mica substrate.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Gate length and temperature dependence of negative differential transconductance in silicon quantum well metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

Introducing quantum transport into silicon transistors in a manner compatible with industrial fabrication has the potential to transform the performance horizons of large scale integrated silicon devices and circuits. Explicit quantum transport as evidenced by negative differential transconductances (NDTCs) has been observed in a set of quantum well (QW) transistors fabricated using industrial silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor processing. Detailed gate length and temperature dependence characteristics of the NDTCs in these devices have been measured. The QW potential was formed via lateral ion implantation doping on a commercial 45 nm technology node process line, and measurements of the transfer characteristics show NDTCs up to room temperature. Gate length dependence of NDTCs shows a correlation of the interface channel length with the number of NDTCs formed as well as with the gate voltage (V{sub G}) spacing between NDTCs. The V{sub G} spacing between multiple NDTCs suggests a quasi-parabolic QW potential profile. The temperature dependence is consistent with partial freeze-out of carrier concentration against a degenerately doped background.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Time differentiated nuclear resonance spectroscopy coupled with pulsed laser heating in diamond anvil cells

Developments in pulsed laser heating applied to nuclear resonance techniques are presented together with their applications to studies of geophysically relevant materials. Continuous laser heating in diamond anvil cells is a widely used method to generate extreme temperatures at static high pressure conditions in order to study the structure and properties of materials found in deep planetary interiors. The pulsed laser heating technique has advantages over continuous heating, including prevention of the spreading of heated sample and/or the pressure medium and, thus, a better stability of the heating process. Time differentiated data acquisition coupled with pulsed laser heating in diamond anvil cells was successfully tested at the Nuclear Resonance beamline (ID18) of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We show examples applying the method to investigation of an assemblage containing ε-Fe, FeO, and Fe{sub 3}C using synchrotron Mössbauer source spectroscopy, FeCO{sub 3} using nuclear inelastic scattering, and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} using nuclear forward scattering. These examples demonstrate the applicability of pulsed laser heating in diamond anvil cells to spectroscopic techniques with long data acquisition times, because it enables stable pulsed heating with data collection at specific time intervals that are synchronized with laser pulses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Highly sensitive pseudo-differential ac-nanocalorimeter for the study of the glass transition

We present a nanocalorimeter designed for the measurement of the dynamic heat capacity of thin films. The microfabricated sensor, the thermal conditioning of the sensor, as well as the highly stable and low noise electronic chain allow measurements of the real and imaginary parts of the complex specific heat with a resolution Δ C/C of about 10{sup −5}. The performances of this quasi-differential nanocalorimeter were tested on a model of polymeric glass-former, the polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). The high stability and low noise of the device are essential for accurate studies on non-equilibrium slow relaxing systems such as glasses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

An efficient reconstruction algorithm for differential phase-contrast tomographic images from a limited number of views

The main focus of this paper is reconstruction of tomographic phase-contrast image from a set of projections. We propose an efficient reconstruction algorithm for differential phase-contrast computed tomography that can considerably reduce the number of projections required for reconstruction. The key result underlying this research is a projection theorem that states that the second derivative of the projection set is linearly related to the Laplacian of the tomographic image. The proposed algorithm first reconstructs the Laplacian image of the phase-shift distribution from the second-derivative of the projections using total variation regularization. The second step is to obtain the phase-shift distribution by solving a Poisson equation whose source is the Laplacian image previously reconstructed under the Dirichlet condition. We demonstrate the efficacy of this algorithm using both synthetically generated simulation data and projection data acquired experimentally at a synchrotron. The experimental phase data were acquired from a human coronary artery specimen using dark-field-imaging optics pioneered by our group. Our results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the number of projections to approximately 33% as compared with the conventional filtered backprojection method, without any detrimental effect on the image quality.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

An accurate locally active memristor model for S-type negative differential resistance in NbO{sub x}

A number of important commercial applications would benefit from the introduction of easily manufactured devices that exhibit current-controlled, or “S-type,” negative differential resistance (NDR). A leading example is emerging non-volatile memory based on crossbar array architectures. Due to the inherently linear current vs. voltage characteristics of candidate non-volatile memristor memory elements, individual memory cells in these crossbar arrays can be addressed only if a highly non-linear circuit element, termed a “selector,” is incorporated in the cell. Selectors based on a layer of niobium oxide sandwiched between two electrodes have been investigated by a number of groups because the NDR they exhibit provides a promisingly large non-linearity. We have developed a highly accurate compact dynamical model for their electrical conduction that shows that the NDR in these devices results from a thermal feedback mechanism. A series of electrothermal measurements and numerical simulations corroborate this model. These results reveal that the leakage currents can be minimized by thermally isolating the selector or by incorporating materials with larger activation energies for electron motion.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Efficient spin-filter and negative differential resistance behaviors in FeN{sub 4} embedded graphene nanoribbon device

In this paper, we propose a new device of spintronics by embedding two FeN{sub 4} molecules into armchair graphene nanoribbon and sandwiching them between N-doped graphene nanoribbon electrodes. Our first-principle quantum transport calculations show that the device is a perfect spin filter with high spin-polarizations both in parallel configuration (PC) and antiparallel configuration (APC). Moreover, negative differential resistance phenomena are obtained for the spin-down current in PC, and the spin-up and spin-down currents in APC. These transport properties are explained by the bias-dependent evolution of molecular orbitals and the transmission spectra.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Enhancement of the performance of GaN IMPATT diodes by negative differential mobility

A theoretical analysis of high-efficiency punch-through operation GaN-based terahertz IMPATT diodes has been carried out in this paper. It is shown that the negative differential mobility (NDM) characteristics of GaN coupled with the space charge effect acting as a self-feedback system can markedly increase the drift velocity of injection carriers, and thereby enhance diode performance under appropriate external RF voltage. The behavior of traveling electrons in the transit zone is investigated in detail. It is found that the IMPATT diode with a punch-through structure operating in the NDM mode exhibits superior characteristics compared with the equivalent diode operating in the Si-like constant mobility mode. In particular, the NDM-mode diode can tolerate a larger RF voltage swing than that operating in constant mobility mode. Numerical simulation results reveal that the highest efficiency of 26.6% and maximum RF power of 2.29 W can be achieved for the NDM-mode diode at a frequency of 225 GHz. A highest efficiency of 19.0% and maximum RF power of 1.58 W are obtained for the diode with constant mobility.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

On the adaptivity and complexity embedded into differential evolution

This research deals with the comparison of the two modern approaches for evolutionary algorithms, which are the adaptivity and complex chaotic dynamics. This paper aims on the investigations on the chaos-driven Differential Evolution (DE) concept. This paper is aimed at the embedding of discrete dissipative chaotic systems in the form of chaotic pseudo random number generators for the DE and comparing the influence to the performance with the state of the art adaptive representative jDE. This research is focused mainly on the possible disadvantages and advantages of both compared approaches. Repeated simulations for Lozi map driving chaotic systems were performed on the simple benchmark functions set, which are more close to the real optimization problems. Obtained results are compared with the canonical not-chaotic and not adaptive DE. Results show that with used simple test functions, the performance of ChaosDE is better in the most cases than jDE and Canonical DE, furthermore due to the unique sequencing in CPRNG given by the hidden chaotic dynamics, thus better and faster selection of unique individuals from population, ChaosDE is faster.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Aerodynamic optimization of supersonic compressor cascade using differential evolution on GPU

Differential Evolution (DE) is a powerful stochastic optimization method. Compared to gradient-based algorithms, DE is able to avoid local minima but requires at the same time more function evaluations. In turbomachinery applications, function evaluations are performed with time-consuming CFD simulation, which results in a long, non affordable, design cycle. Modern High Performance Computing systems, especially Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), are able to alleviate this inconvenience by accelerating the design evaluation itself. In this work we present a validated CFD Solver running on GPUs, able to accelerate the design evaluation and thus the entire design process. An achieved speedup of 20x to 30x enabled the DE algorithm to run on a high-end computer instead of a costly large cluster. The GPU-enhanced DE was used to optimize the aerodynamics of a supersonic compressor cascade, achieving an aerodynamic loss minimization of 20%.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Bidirectional negative differential thermal resistance phenomenon and its physical mechanism in the Frenkel-Kontorova lattices

Thermal conduction of the Frenkel-Kontorova (FK) lattices with interfacial coupling is investigated numerically. The results indicate that: (i) For appropriate lattice periods, as the system is symmetric, a bidirectional negative differential thermal resistance (NDTR) phenomenon will appear. If the system is asymmetric, the bidirectional NDTR is gradually converted into an unidirectional NDTR. (ii) The bidirectional NDTR phenomenon effect also depends on the period of the FK lattice as the other parameters remains unchanged. With the increment of the lattice period, the bidirectional NDTR will gradually disappear. (iii) From a stochastic dynamics point of view, thermal transport properties of the system are determined by the competition between the two types of thermal conduction: one comes from the collusion between atoms, the other is due to the elastic coupling between atoms. For the smaller lattice periods, the former type of thermal conduction occupies the dominating position and the NDTR effect will appear.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Highly repeatable room temperature negative differential resistance in AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes grown on low dislocation density semi-insulating bulk GaN substrates via plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy are reported. The devices were fabricated using a six mask level, fully isolated process. Stable room temperature negative differential resistance (NDR) was observed across the entire sample. The NDR exhibited no hysteresis, background light sensitivity, or degradation of any kind after more than 1000 continuous up-and-down voltage sweeps. The sample exhibited a ∼90% yield of operational devices which routinely displayed an average peak current density of 2.7 kA/cm{sup 2} and a peak-to-valley current ratio of ≈1.15 across different sizes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

State-to-state differential cross sections for D 2 + OH → D + DOH reaction: Influence of vibrational excitation of OH reactant

Here, state-to-state differential cross sections (DCSs) are computed quantum mechanically in full dimensionality for the title reaction using a reactant-product decoupling scheme. The DCSs are calculated at three collision energies of 0.25, 0.28, and 0.34 eV, corresponding to the existing experimental results. In good agreement with experiment, the calculated DCSs are dominated by backward scattering, thanks to the direct rebound mechanism, and the DOH product has two quanta of OD stretching vibration in the newly formed OD bond. In addition, the vibrational excitation of the OH reactant is found to result in a very different but predictable vibrational distribution of the DOH product. It is further shown at the state-to-state level that the DCSs of the DOH( v OD , v b , v OH ) product state from the OH( v = 1) reactant state resemble the ones of the DOH( v OD , v b , v OH -1) product state from the OH( v = 0) reactant state, thanks to the spectator nature of the OH moiety.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Micro-differential scanning calorimeter for liquid biological samples

Here, we developed an ultrasensitive micro-DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) for liquid protein sample characterization. Our design integrated vanadium oxide thermistors and flexible polymer substrates with microfluidics chambers to achieve a high sensitivity (6 V/W), low thermal conductivity (0.7 mW/K), high power resolutions (40 nW), and well-defined liquid volume (1 μl) calorimeter sensor in a compact and cost-effective way. Furthermore, we demonstrated the performance of the sensor with lysozyme unfolding. The measured transition temperature and enthalpy change were in accordance with the previous literature data. This micro-DSC could potentially raise the prospect of high-throughput biochemical measurement by parallel operation with miniaturized sample consumption.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

A reactant-coordinate-based approach to state-to-state differential cross sections for tetratomic reactions

A new algorithm is proposed to compute quantum mechanically state-to-state differential cross sections for reactions involving four atoms in full dimensionality. This algorithm, which is based on the propagation of an initial state specific wave packet exclusively in reactant coordinates, extracts the S-matrix elements in the product channel by first interpolating the time-dependent wave packet using a collocation method at selected time intervals on the product coordinate grid and then projecting out the contributions of all final product states. Here, this approach is efficient and accurate, particularly for reactions that are dominated by a product well or long-range interactions. Validation of this approach is demonstrated for the H 2 + OH → H + H 2 O reaction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Differential pumping requirements for the light-ion helicon source and heating systems of Proto-MPEX

The physics of electron and ion heating of high-density deuterium helicon plasmas (>3 × 10 19 m –3 ) in the Proto-Material Plasma Exposure Experiment linear device are under investigation. Theoretical estimates indicate that for efficient heating, discharges with very low neutral gas content ( &laquo; 0.1 Pa) in the heating sections are required to minimize collisional losses and charge exchange interactions with neutrals. However, this requirement is typically not compatible with the neutral gas pressures (1–2 Pa) commonly used in high-density, light-ion helicon sources. To satisfy these competing requirements, differential pumping techniques are needed. Here, results are presented that demonstrate the production of high-density discharges (2–6 × 10 19 m –3 ) with very low neutral gas content (<0.01 Pa) and high degree of ionization (>75%) in the heating sections. Results indicate that the best fueling location is upstream of the plasma source. We elaborate on the key aspects that must be considered to produce these discharges: (1) fueling location, radio-frequency pulse length, and magnetic field configuration, (2) flow rate and timing of the gas injection, and (3) use of conductance-limiting elements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

A 3D-printed microbial cell culture platform with in situ PEGDA hydrogel barriers for differential substrate delivery

Additive manufacturing, or 3D-printing techniques have recently begun to enable simpler, faster, and cheaper production of millifluidic devices at resolutions approaching 100–200 μ m. At this resolution, cell culture devices can be constructed that more accurately replicate natural environments compared with conventional culturing techniques. A number of microfluidics researchers have begun incorporating additive manufacturing into their work, using 3D-printed devices in a wide array of chemical, fluidic, and even some biological applications. In this work, we describe a 3D-printed cell culture platform and demonstrate its use in culturing Pseudomonas putida KT2440 bacteria for 44 h under a differential substrate gradient. Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel barriers are patterned in situ within a 3D-printed channel. Transport of the toluidine blue tracer dye through the hydrogel barriers is characterized. Nutrients and oxygen were delivered to cells in the culture region by diffusion through the PEGDA hydrogel barriers from adjacent media or saline perfusion channels. Expression of green fluorescent protein by P. putida KT2440 enabled real time visualization of cell density within the 3D-printed channel, and demonstrated cells were actively expressing protein over the course of the experiment. Cells were observed clustering near hydrogel barrier boundaries where fresh substrate and oxygen were being delivered via diffusive transport, but cells were unable to penetrate the barrier. The device described here provides a versatile and easy to implement platform for cell culture in readily controlled gradient microenvironments. By adjusting device geometry and hydrogel properties, this platform could be further customized for a wide variety of biological applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Negative differential resistance in GaN homojunction tunnel diodes and low voltage loss tunnel contacts

The current-voltage characteristics and metastability in GaN p++/n++ homojunction tunnel diodes and n++/p++/i/n tunnel-contacted diodes grown via metal modulated epitaxy have been reported on. The room temperature negative differential resistance (NDR) beginning at ~1.35 V is discussed for GaN homojunction devices grown on sapphire. The NDR vanishes, and the conductivity increases as multiple I-V sweeps are performed, thus implying that charge trapping states with long trap lifetimes exist at defect sites, and these traps play a crucial role in the tunneling mechanism. Additionally, the use of extremely high n-type (N D ~ 4.6×10 20 cm –3 ) and p-type (N A ~ 7.7×10 20 cm –3 ) doping results in a near linear characteristic with minimal rectification at current densities less than 200 A/cm 2 and soft rectification above this current density. Forward-bias tunneling and NDR are still present at 77 K. The highest silicon-doped n++/p++/i/n tunnel-contacted pin diode demonstrates a turn-on voltage of 3.12 V, only 0.14 V higher than that of the pin control diode, and an improved specific on-resistance of 3.24 ×10 –4 Ω cm 2 , which is 13% lower than that of the control pin diode.

42 ENGINEERING↗