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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Spurious solar-wind effects on acceleration noise in LISA Pathfinder

Spurious solar-wind effects are a potential noise source in future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) measurements. One noise coupling mechanism is constrained by estimating solar-wind effects on acceleration noise in LISA Pathfinder (LPF). While LISA is designed for drag-free differential measurement, predicting the realistic impact both bounds the operational environment and assesses whether LISA could provide serendipitous space-weather observations. Data from NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), situated at the L1 Lagrange point, serves as a reliable source of solar-wind data. The data sets are compared over the 114 d time period from 1 March 2016 to 23 June 2016. This period gives the longest readily-available open data set, without interference from other commissioning activities. To evaluate space weather effects, the data from both satellites are formatted, gap-filled/interpolated, and fast-Fourier transformed for amplitude spectral density and coherence comparisons. Solar wind effects are not seen in a coherence plot between LPF and ACE; modest coherence in the planned LISA observational frequency band can be attributed to chance. This result indicates that measurable correlation due to solar-wind acceleration noise over 3 month timescales will be a negligible noise source. LISA is unlikely to inform solar wind measurements routinely. Another source of noise from the Sun, solar radiation pressure, is estimated to impart greater acceleration noise, but has yet to be analyzed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Probing anisotropies of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background with LISA

Here, we investigate the sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) to the anisotropies of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB). We first discuss the main astrophysical and cosmological sources of SGWB which are characterized by anisotropies in the GW energy density, and we build a Signal-to-Noise estimator to quantify the sensitivity of LISA to different multipoles. We then perform a Fisher matrix analysis of the prospects of detectability of anisotropic features with LISA for individual multipoles, focusing on a SGWB with a power-law frequency profile. We compute the noise angular spectrum taking into account the specific scan strategy of the LISA detector. We analyze the case of the kinematic dipole and quadrupole generated by Doppler boosting an isotropic SGWB. We find that β Ω GW ~ 2 × 10 -11 is required to observe a dipolar signal with LISA. The detector response to the quadrupole has a factor ~ 10 3 β relative to that of the dipole. The characterization of the anisotropies, both from a theoretical perspective and from a map-making point of view, allows us to extract information that can be used to understand the origin of the SGWB, and to discriminate among distinct superimposed SGWB sources.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Laser-Induced Spectrochemical Assay for Uranium Enrichment (LISA-UE)

Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) is the uranium compound typically involved in uranium enrichment process. As the first line of defense against nuclear proliferation, accurate determinations of the uranium enrichment ratio in UF6 are critical for materials verification, accounting and safeguards. Shipping gaseous UF6 samples off-site for analysis with mass spectrometry is cumbersome and costly, and results are not available for some time (months). In-field UF6 enrichment assay has the potential to substantially reduce the time, logistics and expense of sample handling. At present, COMPUCEA is the only accepted method for UF6 enrichment assay in the field. Laser-Induced Spectrochemical Assay for Uranium Enrichment (LISA-UE) is an all-optical (based on laser induced plasma emission) analytical technique intended for fieldable, accurate, precise and rapid UF6 enrichment assay. In its operation, laser induced plasma is created directly in the gaseous UF6 sample. Because different U isotopes emit at slightly different wavelengths, the isotopic information of the UF6 sample is inherently encoded in the atomic emission from the plasma. Isotopic emissions from 235U and 238U are measured simultaneously, which eliminate correlated noise from the laser induced plasma. Isotopic information of the UF6 sample can be extracted from the acquired spectrum with theoretical multi-variable non-linear spectral fitting. To date, advances made by the LISA-UE research team include optimization of the spectral window for direct gaseous UF6 enrichment assay with laser induced plasma, development of data reduction algorithms, and demonstrations of the LISA-UE technique with gaseous UF6 samples. In this presentation, the technical aspect of LISA-UE will be overviewed, the data reduction algorithm will be described, and performance of the technique will be discussed.

Chan, George↗
DOE OSTI2020

Prospects for fundamental physics with LISA

In this paper, which is of programmatic rather than quantitative nature, we aim to further delineate and sharpen the future potential of the LISA mission in the area of fundamental physics. Given the very broad range of topics that might be relevant to LISA,we present here a sample of what we view as particularly promising fundamental physics directions. We organize these directions through a “science-first” approach that allows us to classify how LISA data can inform theoretical physics in a variety of areas. For each of these theoretical physics classes, we identify the sources that are currently expected to provide the principal contribution to our knowledge, and the areas that need further development. Overall, the classification presented here should not be thought of as cast in stone, but rather as a fluid framework that is amenable to change with the flow of new insights in theoretical physics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Will LISA Detect Harmonic Gravitational Waves from Galactic Cosmic String Loops?

Rapid advancement in the observation of cosmic strings has been made in recent years placing increasingly stringent constraints on their properties, with $G\mu\lesssim 10^{-11}$ from Pulsar Timing Array (PTA). Cosmic string loops with low string tension clump in the Galaxy due to slow loop decay and low gravitational recoil, resulting in great enhancement to loop abundance in the Galaxy. With an average separation of down to just a fraction of a kpc, and the total power of gravitational wave (GW) emission dominated by harmonic modes spanning a wide angular scale, resolved loops located in proximity are powerful, persistent, and highly monochromatic sources of GW with a harmonic signature not replicated by any other sources, making them prime targets for direct detection by the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), whose frequency range is well-matched. Unlike detection of bursts where the detection rate scales with loop abundance, the detection rate for harmonic signal is the result of a complex interplay between the strength of GW emission, loop abundance, and other sources of noise, and is most suitably studied through numerical simulations. We develop a robust and flexible framework for simulating loops in the Galaxy for predicting direct detection of harmonic signal from resolved loops by LISA. Our simulation reveals that the most accessible region in the parameter space consists of large loops $\alpha=0.1$ with low tension $10^{-21}\lesssim G\mu\lesssim 10^{-19}$. Direct detection of field theory cosmic strings is unlikely, with the detection probability $p_{\mathrm{det}}\lesssim 2\%$ for a 1-year mission. An extension suggests that direct detection of cosmic superstrings with a low intercommutation probability is very promising. Searching for harmonic GW signal from resolved loops through LISA observations will potentially place physical constraints on string theory.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Detecting gravitational waves from cosmological phase transitions with LISA: an update

We investigate the potential for observing gravitational waves from cosmological phase transitions with LISA in light of recent theoretical and experimental developments. Our analysis is based on current state-of-the-art simulations of sound waves in the cosmic fluid after the phase transition completes. We discuss the various sources of gravitational radiation, the underlying parameters describing the phase transition and a variety of viable particle physics models in this context, clarifying common misconceptions that appear in the literature and identifying open questions requiring future study. We also present a web-based tool, PTPlot, that allows users to obtain up-to-date detection prospects for a given set of phase transition parameters at LISA.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Connecting Current and Future Dual Active Galactic Nucleus Searches to LISA and Pulsar Timing Array Gravitational-wave Detections

Abstract Dual active galactic nuclei (DAGN) mark the observable stage of massive black hole (MBH) pairing during galaxy mergers and are the progenitors of the MBH binaries that generate low-frequency gravitational waves. Using the large-volume ASTRID cosmological simulation, we construct mock DAGN catalogs tailored to the selection functions of current (COSMOS-Web and DESI) and forthcoming (Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) and Lynx X-ray Observatory (Lynx)) surveys, enabling direct comparisons between simulations and observations. With realistic observational selections, ASTRID reproduces the observed dual fractions, projected separations, and host-galaxy properties across redshifts. We predict a substantial population of small-separation (<5 kpc) duals that remain inaccessible to current surveys, demonstrating that the apparent paucity of subkiloparsec systems in COSMOS-Web is primarily a consequence of observational selection rather than an intrinsic absence. Following each simulated dual to coalescence, we show that DAGN are effective tracers of MBH mergers: ∼30%–70% merge within ≲1 Gyr, and 20%–60% of these mergers produce gravitational-wave signals detectable by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Duals observable with Roman and Lynx are the progenitors of ∼10%–50% of low-redshift LISA sources and contribute ∼30% of the PTA-band stochastic gravitational-wave background. We further identify massive green-valley galaxies hosting moderate-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN), together with massive star-forming galaxies containing bright quasars at z > 1, as the environments most likely to host imminent MBH binaries. These results establish a unified cosmological framework connecting DAGN demographics, MBH binary evolution, and gravitational-wave sources, while identifying high-priority targets for coordinated electromagnetic and multimessenger observations in the coming decade.

Chen, Nianyi [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik;↗
DOE OSTI2023

LISA Galactic binaries in the Roman Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey

ABSTRACT Short-period Galactic white dwarf binaries detectable by Laser Interferometer Space Antenna are the only guaranteed persistent sources for multimessenger gravitational-wave astronomy. Large-scale surveys in the 2020s present an opportunity to conduct preparatory science campaigns to maximize the science yield from future multimessenger targets. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will (in its Reference Survey design) image seven fields in the Galactic Bulge approximately 40 000 times each. Although the Reference Survey cadence is optimized for detecting exoplanets via microlensing, it is also capable of detecting short-period white dwarf binaries. In this paper, we present forecasts for the number of detached short-period binaries the Roman Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will discover and the implications for the design of electromagnetic surveys. Although population models are highly uncertain, we find a high probability that the baseline survey will detect of the order of ∼5 detached white dwarf binaries. The Reference Survey would also have a ${\gtrsim} 20\,{\rm per\,cent}$ chance of detecting several known benchmark white dwarf binaries at the distance of the Galactic Bulge.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Language Independent Static Analysis (LISA)

Software is becoming increasingly important in nearly every aspect of global society and therefore in nearly every aspect of national security as well. While there have been major advancements in recent years in formally proving properties of program source code during development, such approaches are still in the minority among development teams, and the vast majority of code in this software explosion is produced without such properties. In these cases, the source code must be analyzed in order to establish whether the properties of interest hold. Because of the volume of software being produced, automated approaches to software analysis are necessary to meet the need. However, this software boom is not occurring in just one language. There are a wide range of languages of interest in national security spaces, including well-known languages such as C, C++, Python, Java, Javascript, and many more. But recent years have produced a wide range of new languages, including Nim, (2008), Go (2009), Rust (2010), Dart (2011), Kotlin (2011), Elixir (2011), Red (2011), Julia (2012), Typescript (2012), Swift (2014), Hack (2014), Crystal (2014), Ballerina (2017) and more. Historically, automated software analyses are implemented as tools that intermingle both the analysis question at hand with target language dependencies throughout their code, making re-use of components for different analysis questions or different target languages impractical. This project seeks to explore how mission-relevant, static software analyses can be designed and constructed in a language-independent fashion, dramatically increasing the reusability of software analysis investments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Waveform modelling for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, will usher in a new era in gravitational-wave astronomy. As the first anticipated space-based gravitational-wave detector, it will expand our view to the millihertz gravitational-wave sky, where a spectacular variety of interesting new sources abound: from millions of ultra-compact binaries in our Galaxy, to mergers of massive black holes at cosmological distances; from the early inspirals of stellar-mass black holes that will ultimately venture into the ground-based detectors’ view to the death spiral of compact objects into massive black holes, and many sources in between. Central to realising LISA’s discovery potential are waveform models, the theoretical and phenomenological predictions of the pattern of gravitational waves that these sources emit. This White Paper is presented on behalf of the Waveform Working Group for the LISA Consortium. It provides a review of the current state of waveform models for LISA sources, and describes the significant challenges that must yet be overcome.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cosmology with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) has two scientific objectives of cosmological focus: to probe the expansion rate of the universe, and to understand stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds and their implications for early universe and particle physics, from the MeV to the Planck scale. However, the range of potential cosmological applications of gravitational-wave observations extends well beyond these two objectives. This publication presents a summary of the state of the art in LISA cosmology, theory and methods, and identifies new opportunities to use gravitational-wave observations by LISA to probe the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Influence of Metal Identity on Light-Induced Switchable Adsorption in Azobenzene-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks

Energy-efficient capture and release of small gas molecules, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), are of significant interest in academia and industry. Porous materials such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied, as their ultrahigh porosities and tunability enable significant amounts of gas to be adsorbed while also allowing specific applications to be targeted. However, because of the microporous nature of MOFs, the gas adsorption performance is dominated by high uptake capacity at low pressures, limiting their application. Hence, methods involving stimuli-responsive materials, particularly light-induced switchable adsorption (LISA), offer a unique alternative to thermal methods. Here, we report the mechanism of a well-known LISA system, the azobenzene-based material PCN-250, for CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption. There is a noticeable difference in the LISA effect dependent on the metal cluster involved, with the most significant being PCN-250-Al, where the adsorption can change by 83.1% CH 4 and 56.1% CO 2 at 298 K and 1 bar and inducing volumetric storage changes of 36.2 and 33.9 cm 3 /cm 3 at 298 K between 5 and 85 bar (CH 4 ) and 2 and 9 bar (CO 2 ), respectively. Using UV light in both single-crystal X-ray diffraction and gas adsorption testing, we show that upon photoirradiation, the framework undergoes a “localized heating” phenomenon comparable to an increase of 130 K for PCN-250-Fe and improves the working capacity. Furthermore, this process functions because of the constrained nature of the ligand, preventing the typical trans-to-cis isomerization observed in free azobenzene. In addition, we observed that the degree of localized heating is highly dependent on the metal cluster involved, with the series of isostructural PCN-250 systems showing variable performance based upon the degree of interaction between the ligand and the metal center.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗