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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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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Detection of multi-modal Doppler spectra – Part 1: Establishing characteristic signals in radar moment data

Vertically pointing millimeter-wavelength radars provide a wealth of information about cloud and precipitation particle properties. Doppler spectral data can inform on how particles of varying vertical velocities contribute to the total backscattered power observed. It is more computationally cost effective to process moment data instead of spectra data, but doing so leaves valuable information on the cutting room floor. To confidently identify a multi-modal spectra event, in which two or more modes are present within a layer, Doppler spectral data are essential. This means long-term identification of layers featuring multi-modal spectra can be cost prohibitive. To address this, we explore three multi-modal spectra cases from winter precipitation events to determine characteristic signatures of these layers in the moment data averaged over short time periods (∼ 145 s) and explore how these layers differ from the rest of the vertical profiles. We find that the mean spectrum width and the standard deviation of mean Doppler velocity can be used to determine whether or not a layer is multi-modal. In particular, multi-modal layers in mixed-phase and ice clouds feature larger mean spectrum width (exceeding 0.17 m s −1 ) and smaller standard deviation of the mean Doppler velocity (below 0.1 m s −1 ). In Part 1 of this study, the identification criteria and methods are described. In Part 2 (Wugofski and Kumjian, 2025), we perform a verification of the method for three years of vertically pointing radar data, and explore the meteorological conditions associated with identified multi-modal spectral events.

Wugofski, Sarah [Pennsylvania State Univ., Univers↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterizing Mesoscale Cellular Convection in Marine Cold Air Outbreaks With a Machine Learning Approach

Abstract During marine cold‐air outbreaks (MCAOs), when cold polar air moves over warmer ocean, a well‐recognized cloud pattern develops, with open or closed mesoscale cellular convection (MCC) at larger fetch over open water. The Cold‐Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment provided a comprehensive set of ground‐based in situ and remote sensing observations of MCAOs at a coastal location in northern Norway. MCAO periods that unambiguously exhibit open or closed MCC are determined. Individual cells observed with a profiling Ka‐band radar are identified using a watershed segmentation method. Using self‐organizing maps (SOMs), these cells are then objectively classified based on the variability in their vertical structure. The SOM nodes contain some information about the location of the cell transect relative to the center of the MCC. This adds classification noise, requiring numerous cell transects to isolate cell dynamical information. The SOM‐based classification shows that comparatively intense convection occurs only in open MCC. This convection undergoes an apparent lifecycle. Developing cells are associated with stronger updrafts, large spectrum width, larger amounts of liquid water, lower surface precipitation rates, and lower cloud tops than mature and weakening cells. The weakening of these cells is associated with the development of precipitation‐induced cold pools. The SOM classification also reveals less intense convection, with a similar lifecycle. More stratiform vertical cloud structures with weak vertical motions are common during closed MCC periods and are separated into precipitating and non‐precipitating stratiform cores. Convection is observed only occasionally in the closed MCC environment.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2023

Leipzig University W-Band Cloud Radar, Gothic (Colorado), SAIL Campaign Second Winter (15.11.2022 - 05.06.2023)

The instrument is a polarimetric W-Band simultaneous transmission simultaneous reception (STSR) Doppler Cloud Radar manufactured by Radiometer Physics GmbH (RPG, instrument type RPG-FMCW-94-DP). It was deployed about 500m away from the ARM M1 facility in Gothic (CO) near the Ore House between Nov 15, 2022 and Jun 5, 2023 at an altitude of 2913 m. The Doppler cloud radar was mounted on a prototype of a cold temperature scanner manufactured by RPG. The dataset contains common radar variables like equivalent radar reflectivity factor, mean Doppler velocity, Doppler spectrum width as well as common polarimetric radar variables like differential phase shift (PhiDP), specific differential phase shift (KDP), correlation coefficient (RHV) and differential reflectivity (ZDR). Between Nov 15, 2022, and Feb 7, 2023 the radar was operated at 40° constant elevation and 151° azimuth (towards the KAZR at the AMF1). Between Feb 7 and Mar 15, 2023 the following scan cycle was repeated in 15min intervals: zenith pointing measurements, RHI scans from 0° to 90° and 90° to 0° elevation at 151° azimuth, constant elevation measurements at 40° elevation and 151° azimuth and PPI scans at 85° elevation for wind retrievals (one PPI per hour). Between Mar 15 18:18 UTC and Apr 8, 2023 11:04 UTC, the scanner was stuck at 72° elevation, which resulted in corrupted files for this period. For that period, the files containing data are uploaded but should be treated with care. Between Apr 8 and Apr 14, 2023 the scanning pattern described above was performed again. Afterwards, except for May 17 and May 18, 2023 where scanning patterns as described above were performed, measurements continued at 40° elevation and 151° azimuth until May 22, 2023 09:00 UTC. The scanning pattern was then started again, but without hourly PPI measurements until May 31, 2023. Between May 31 and Jun 5, 2023 solely zenith-pointing observations were performed. The data provided here are the RPG Level 1 (L1) files, Doppler spectra Level 0 (L0) files are available upon request.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Buckling Spectra of Nanoparticle Surfactant Assemblies

Fine control over the mechanical properties of thin sheets underpins transcytosis, cell shape, and morphogenesis. Applying these principles to artificial, liquid-based systems has led to reconfigurable materials for soft robotics, actuation, and chemical synthesis. However, progress is limited by a lack of synthetic two-dimensional membranes that exhibit tunable mechanical properties over a comparable range to that seen in nature. In this study, we show that the bending modulus, B , of thin assemblies of nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) at the oil–water interface can be varied continuously from sub- k B T to 10 6 k B T , by varying the ligands and particles that comprise the NPS. We find extensive departure from continuum behavior, including enormous mechanical anisotropy and a power law relation between B and the buckling spectrum width. Our findings provide a platform for shape-changing liquid devices and motivate new theories for the description of thin-film wrinkling.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Linking Deep and Shallow Convective Mass Fluxes via an Assumed Entrainment Distribution in CAM5‐CLUBB: Parameterization and Simulated Precipitation Variability

Abstract We modify the Zhang‐McFarlane (ZM) deep convection scheme in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 to couple it with a unified parameterization for boundary‐layer turbulence and shallow convection, that is, Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB). By assuming a lognormal distribution of entrainment rate across the entire moist convective regimes, we link mass fluxes between shallow and deep convection, which are partitioned by the entrainment rate of the shallowest deep convective plume. Hence, a new deep convective closure is established which is coupled to the sub‐grid vertical motion variability in CLUBB. The convection feedback (or memory) effects are also considered to decrease the entrainment spectrum width and enhance the vertical velocity variability that further affect deep convection. Results show that the revised scheme improves the precipitation simulations in terms of the mean state and variability at various timescales, such as the alleviated double‐intertropical convergence zone and more realistic simulations of the seasonal variation of monsoon precipitation over East Asia, Madden‐Julian Oscillation, and precipitation diurnal phase propagations downstream of large terrains. The improvements are still seen in many aspects such as the mean‐state precipitation when turning off the convection feedback impacts in the revised scheme, emphasizing the benefits of using the modified mass‐flux closure. However, the convection feedbacks have considerable effects on the precipitation diurnal cycle simulations over regions with late‐afternoon precipitation peaks. Overall, the revised scheme provides a unified treatment for sub‐grid vertical motions across regimes of boundary‐layer turbulence, shallow convection, and deep convection, leading to better‐simulated precipitation at various timescales.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Directional Variations in Tidal Flow Multifractality and Intermittency

We explored distinct directional variations of multifractal and intermittent characteristics of ebb and flood flow velocities at nodule point, WA, tidal energy site, and complementary inspection on the East River, NY using scaling exponents of the structure function, distribution flatness, detrending moving average (DMA) analysis, multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA), and high-order spectral moments. Our findings reveal that tidal flow presents higher long-range dependence (LRD) and intermittent levels for the ebb flow sections, whereas the flood flow sections exhibit a higher degree of multifractality and greater sensitivity to larger magnitude of turbulent fluctuations. We demonstrate that long-range dependence predominantly contributes to multifractal behavior in both ebb and flood flows, as evidenced by the significantly reduced multifractal spectrum width for temporally randomly permuted time series. Moreover, spectral kurtosis analysis uncovers a higher intermittent level across all frequency scales for ebb flow sections and reveals a distinct pattern of tidal flow intermittency differing from the monotonically increasing intermittent level observed in wall-bounded and grid turbulence. Finally, we demonstrate that DMA, MF-DFA, and high-order spectral moments provide more comprehensive insights than structure function scaling exponents and PDF flatness methods.

Cheng, Shyuan [Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champai↗
DOE OSTI2020

Superluminescent diodes in the spectral range of 1.5 – 1.6 μm based on strain-compensated AlGaInAs/InP quantum wells

Superluminescent diodes based on AlGaInAs/InP separate-confinement double heterostructures with strain-compensated quantum wells are investigated. The influence of elastic strains in the active region on the output characteristics of the devices is analysed. It is shown that such a design of a superluminescent diode allows an optical power of more than 5 mW, a radiation spectrum width of more than 60 nm, a degree of output radiation polarisation up to 30 dB to be obtained at the output of a single-mode fibre, and has a great potential for further improvement. (paper)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Boundaries and Phase Estimation Using Airborne Radar and In Situ Measurements During the SOCRATES Campaign over Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean Clouds, Radiation, Aerosol Transport Experimental Study (SOCRATES) was an aircraft-based campaign (15 January–26 February 2018) that deployed in situ probes and remote sensors to investigate low-level clouds over the Southern Ocean (SO). A novel methodology was developed to identify cloud boundaries and classify cloud phases in single-layer, low-level marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds below 3 km using the HIAPER Cloud Radar (HCR) and in situ measurements. The cloud base and top heights derived from HCR reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and spectrum width measurements agreed well with corresponding lidar-based and in situ estimates of cloud boundaries, with mean differences below 100 m. A liquid water content–reflectivity (LWC-Z) relationship, LWC = 0.70Z0.29, was derived to retrieve the LWC and liquid water path (LWP) from HCR profiles. The cloud phase was classified using HCR measurements, temperature, and LWP, yielding 40.6% liquid, 18.3% mixed-phase, and 5.1% ice samples, along with drizzle (29.1%), rain (3.2%), and snow (3.7%) for drizzling cloud cases. The classification algorithm demonstrates good consistency with established methods. This study provides a framework for the boundary and phase detection of MBL clouds, offering insights into SO cloud microphysics and supporting future efforts in satellite retrievals and climate model evaluation.

MBL clouds over Southern Ocean↗
DOE OSTI2023

CSAPR2 cell-tracking data collected during TRACER

One of the challenges of analyzing convective cell properties is quick evolution of the individual convective cells. While the operational radar data provide great a data set to analyze the evolution of radar observables of convective precipitation clouds statistically, previous studies also suggested that, because of the quick evolution of cell life cycle, conventional radar volume scan strategies taking ~5-7 minutes might not capture the detailed evolution. The TRACER campaign deployed CSAPR2, which performed frequent update of RHI and sector PPI scans to track convective cells every < 2 minutes guided by a new cell-tracking framework, Multisensor Agile Adaptive Sampling (MAAS; Kollias et al. 2020). This allows for capturing fast-evolving radar observables. The submitted data files are CSAPR2 data in CfRadial format collected during the TRACER field campaign from June to September 2020. The data files include processed radar variables including: noise-masked reflectivity and differential reflectivity corrected for rain attenuation and systematic biases, noise-masked dealiased radial velocity, specific differential phase, locations of target cells (latitude, longitude, radar range), and radar-echo classification.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Chemical Compositions of Red Giant Stars from Habitable Zone Planet Finder Spectroscopy

We have used the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) to gather high-resolution, high signal-to-noise near-infrared spectra of 13 field red horizontal branch (RHB) stars, one open cluster giant, and one very metal-poor halo red giant. The HPF spectra cover the 0.81–1.28 μm wavelength range of the zyJ bands, partially filling the gap between the optical (0.4–1.0 μm) and infrared (1.5–2.4 μm) spectra already available for the program stars. We derive abundances of 17 species from LTE-based computations involving equivalent widths and spectrum syntheses, and estimate abundance corrections for the species that are most affected by departures from LTE in RHB stars. Generally good agreement is found between HPF-based metallicities and abundance ratios and those from the optical and infrared spectral regions. Light element transitions dominate the HPF spectra of these red giants, and HPF data can be used to derive abundances from species with poor or no representation in optical spectra (e.g., C i, P i, S i, K i). Attention is drawn to the HPF abundances in two field solar-metallicity RHB stars of special interest: one with an extreme carbon isotope ratio, and one with a rare, very large lithium content. The latter star is unique in our sample in exhibiting very strong He i 10830 Å absorption. The abundances of the open cluster giant concur with those derived from other wavelength regions. Detections of C i and S i in HD 122563 are reported, yielding the lowest metallicity determination of [S/Fe] from more than one multiplet.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Calibrated Radar Wind Profiler (RWP) Moments

The SGP Central Facility (C1) radar wind profiler (RWP) was calibrated using nearby surface disdrometer observations. Between 2011 and 2019, the SGP C1 RWP operated in two modes. The vertically pointing mode (named the precipitation mode) transmitted a short and long pulse length to have two different range resolutions and the beam-swinging mode (named the wind mode) transmitted one pulse length into three different beam directions. The precipitation-mode observations were available and calibrated from April 2011 through mid-August 2019. The wind-mode observations were available and calibrated between April 2014 and March 2019. The RWP spectra were processed to account for Nyquist velocity aliasing and coherent integration filtering effects before calculating the spectrum moments. During intense precipitation events, the calculated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is biased low due to signal power being distributed across the velocity spectrum such that some signal power is erroneously included in the noise level estimate, causing the noise level to be biased high. To correct for the low SNR bias, a new noise level is estimated using observations without precipitation and the SNR is increased accordingly. The adjusted SNR was converted to radar reflectivity factor and then calibrated against a nearby surface disdrometer. The calibration methodology is fully described in: Williams, CR, J Barrio, PE Johnston, P Muradyan, and S Giangrande. 2023. “Calibrating radar wind profiler reflectivity factor using surface disdrometer observations.” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2023/egusphere-2022-1405/

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of First-Order Gratings in Silicon Photonic Waveguides

A simple thin film effective index analysis for first order gratings in Si photonic waveguides is shown to provide highly accurate results for reflected and transmitted power spectrums as long as the waveguide remains single mode and non-radiating. A cover layer can be added to the grating region of a Si photonic waveguide to increase the strength of the grating, modify transition losses from the input waveguide to the grating waveguide region, and/or modify the width of the reflectivity spectrum. For a given grating period, the peak reflection and spectral width of the reflectivity decrease as the duty cycle is decreased or increased from ~50%. For both radiating and multimode structures, the coupling between all modes, power radiated towards the superstrate (upwards), power radiated downwards (substrate) and transmitted power analyzed by Floquet-Bloch, Eigenmode Expansion and Finite Difference Time Domain methods show excellent agreement. Coupling coefficients calculated using analytic formulas are shown to be accurate only for shallow grating depths.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Geometry dependence of the fluctuation intensity in gyrokinetic turbulence

The findings of an investigation into the properties of the three dimensional (3D) saturated fluctuation intensity of the electric potential in gyrokinetic turbulence simulations is presented. Scans in flux surface elongation and Shafranov shift are used to isolate the tokamak geometric dependencies. The potential intensity required in order to compute exact fluxes by a quasilinear method is determined using linear eigenmodes computed with the gyrokinetic code. A model of this non-linear intensity is constructed using the linear eigenmode properties and the geometry shape functions obtained from the 3D intensity spectrum. The model computes the poloidal wavenumber spectrum of the electron and ion energy fluxes with unprecedented accuracy. In conclusion, new insights are gained into the way zonal flow mixing saturates ion-scale turbulence by controlling the radial wavenumber width of the turbulence spectrum.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Homogeneous broadening in the spectrum of a broadband erbium-doped fibre light source

Interference of wave trains separated out in an inhomogeneous emission spectrum of a superluminescent erbium-doped fibre source has been studied by scanning the wavelength of a spectrum analyser. The results demonstrate that, as the spectral resolution of the spectrum analyser decreases to a level corresponding to a sharp drop in interference fringe visibility relative to its original level, near 100 %, fringe visibility becomes dependent on the wavelength in the inhomogeneous spectrum of the source. The reason for this is that, at some characteristic resolution δλ (δλ > 0.5 nm in our case), the coherence time of wave trains is not limited by the spectral resolution of the spectrum analyser and is related to the inhomogeneous spectrum of the source, whose limiting width can be thought of as the homogeneous linewidth in the spectrum of the source. This feature can be used for evaluating homogeneous line broadening. (paper)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Limits on Mode Coherence in Pulsating DA White Dwarfs Due to a Nonstatic Convection Zone

The standard theory of pulsations deals with the frequencies and growth rates of infinitesimal perturbations in a stellar model. Modes which are calculated to be linearly driven should increase their amplitudes exponentially with time; the fact that nearly constant amplitudes are usually observed is evidence that nonlinear mechanisms inhibit the growth of finite amplitude pulsations. Models predict that the mass of convection zones in pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere (DAV) white dwarfs is very sensitive to temperature (i.e., M CZ α T –90 eff ), leading to the possibility that even low-amplitude pulsators may experience significant nonlinear effects. In particular, the outer turning point of finite-amplitude g-mode pulsations can vary with the local surface temperature, producing a reflected wave that is out of phase with what is required for a standing wave. This can lead to a lack of coherence of the mode and a reduction in its global amplitude. In this paper we show that: (1) whether a mode is calculated to propagate to the base of the convection zone is an accurate predictor of its width in the Fourier spectrum, (2) the phase shifts produced by reflection from the outer turning point are large enough to produce significant damping, and (3) amplitudes and periods are predicted to increase from the blue edge to the middle of the instability strip, and subsequently decrease as the red edge is approached. Furthermore, this amplitude decrease is in agreement with the observational data while the period decrease has not yet been systematically studied.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Adiabatic Evolution of Cloud Droplet Spectral Width: A New Look at an Old Problem

Abstract Spectral width of the cloud droplet spectrum is important for radiative properties and drizzle/rain development in warm ice‐free clouds. We use an adiabatic rising parcel model to study activation and diffusional growth of cloud droplets, focusing on the spectral width evolution, and contrasting clean and polluted environments. A comprehensive droplet growth equation is used that includes kinetic, solute, and surface tension effects. We show that those effects have an appreciable impact on the spectral width evolution above the cloud base. Without those effects, the droplet area standard deviation should not change once activation is completed. In contrast, simulation results show that the area standard deviation does increase with height, especially for weak updrafts and polluted environments. Implications of those results for cloud modeling, especially applying conventional bin microphysics, are discussed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Near-Cloud Atmospheric Ingredients for Deep Convection Initiation

A lack of routine environmental observations located near deepening cumulus congestus clouds limits verification of important theorized and simulated updraft–environment interaction processes occurring during deep convection initiation (CI). We analyze radiosonde profiles collected during several hundred CI events near a mountain range in central Argentina during the CACTI field campaign. Statistical analyses illustrate environmental conditions supporting radar-observed CI outcomes that span a spectrum of convective cell depths, widths, and durations, as well as events lacking precipitating convection. Tested environmental factors include a large variety of sounding-derived measurements of CAPE, CIN, moisture, terrain-relative winds, vertical shear, and lifted parcel properties, with supplemental model reanalysis of background larger-scale vertical motion. CAPE and CIN metrics do not consistently differentiate CI success from failure. Only a few environmental factors contain consistent monotonic relationships among the spectrum of cloud depths achieved during CI: (i) the depth and strength of background ascent, and (ii) the component of low-level flow oriented parallel to the ridgeline. These metrics suggest that the ability of the surrounding flow to lift parcels to their LFC and terrain-modified flow are consistently relevant processes for CI. Low- to midlevel relative humidity strongly discriminated between CI and non-CI events, likely reflecting entrainment-driven dilution processes. However, we could not confidently conclude that relative humidity similarly discriminated robust from marginal CI events. Circumstantial evidence was found linking cell width, an important cloud property governing the probability of CI, to LCL height, boundary layer depth, depth and magnitude of the CIN layer, and ambient wind shear.

Storm environments↗