Plasmas and Space Propulsion Team (EP²)’s Post

Here you can find my recently published paper on the transition from electron-repelling (normal) to electron-attracting (reversed) anode sheaths in Hall thrusters!

🌟 Exciting Announcement! 🌟 We're thrilled to announce the 2nd International Conference on Innovative Materials in Extreme Conditions (#IMEC2024), taking place from March 20-22, 2024, in #Belgrade, #Serbia. Organized by the Serbian Society for Innovative Materials in Extreme Conditions (SIM-EXTREME), the Center of Excellence "Center for Synthesis, Processing and Characterization of Materials for Application in Extreme Conditions" (CEXTREME LAB) of the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, University of Belgrade, and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, IMEC2024 promises to be an unparalleled platform for experts and young researchers to delve into the forefront of material science. The scope of IMEC2024 is expansive, aiming to become the worldwide forum for discussion on the phenomena arising during the processing and/or exploitation of innovative materials. With a focus on material science, physics, chemistry, earth, and computation science, IMEC2024 will explore both experimental and computational investigations of materials obtained or operated under extreme conditions, such as: 🔬 Ultra-high/low temperatures 🔬 Extreme pressures 🔬 High magnetic and electric fields 🔬 Radiation conditions 🔬 Corrosive environments 🔬 Extreme mechanical loads 🔬 Non-equilibrium thermodynamic conditions Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity to engage with leading researchers, present your work, and contribute to the advancement of innovative materials. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/d5M9aeyv 🔗 #IMEC2024 #MaterialScience #Innovation #Belgrade #ResearchConference

🚀 I'm pleased to share that my latest research paper is now available on arXiv: Validation of Thin-foil Proton Recoil Neutron Spectrometer Prototype for Application in High Yield DT Fusion Devices ⚛️ This work discusses the Geant4 simulation of a neutron spectrometer experiment, providing valuable insights into neutron-induced reactions in silicon detectors and their use for energy calibration. The model replicates the deposited energy spectra well, with some refinements needed on the absolute scale. These findings are crucial for the continuous development of neutron diagnostics in projects like ITER 🔬. Check it out here: [https://lnkd.in/dE9NH4pX] #Research #FusionForEnergy #NeutronDiagnostics #Geant4 #MonteCarlo

Congratulations to our postdoc Baptiste Frei for being awarded a #EUROfusion Bernard Bigot Researcher grant (ERG). Frei’s research project aims to improve our understanding of the turbulence that happens at the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of #plasma in H-mode, which is crucial for the success of fusion power plants like ITER and future projects like EU-DEMO. These areas of plasma are important because turbulence there can affect the overall stability and efficiency of the reactor. Running detailed simulations of this turbulence is very complex and requires a lot of computing power. To solve this issue, the project will use a new method called a "velocity-space spectral approach" in the simulation code called GENE-X. This turbulence code is specifically designed to simulate the edge and SOL regions of plasma, including spots where magnetic fields meet, called X-points. By using this new approach, the project will make these simulations much faster. The improved GENE-X code will then be used to test the first H-mode plasma simulations in real-world fusion experiments, like those at #ASDEX Upgrade, under conditions that mimic future reactors.

🎉 Thrilled to Share Our Latest Research in Angewandte Chemie International! 🎉 For decades, the role of 5f electrons in Actinide compounds has remained a puzzle, an enigma that has challenged both experimentalists and theorists alike. Thanks to advances in X-ray diffraction and quantum-mechanical simulations, we’ve taken a major step forward in solving this mystery! ✨ What We Achieved: 🔍 Mapped the electron density topology of UCl₄ with unprecedented detail. 🔗 Uncovered how 5f electrons actively participate in chemical bonding. 🌐 Built a foundation for future explorations in nuclear materials and actinide chemistry. This work showcases the powerful synergy between experimental data and theoretical models to tackle even the most complex challenges in Chemistry. These results don’t just advance our understanding of actinides, they open doors to innovations in bonding theories. 💡 Key Takeaway: 5f electrons are no longer just spectators, they actively shape the chemistry of actinides, and now, we can quantify their influence like never before! Curious to learn more? Feel free to reach out or dive into the details here: https://lnkd.in/eZyqjrAv 🌟 A big thank you to my co-authors and a special thanks to my supervisor Alessandro Erba for making this milestone possible. Let’s continue pushing the boundaries of Actinide science! Christopher Giannopulos, Alan Pinkerton, Jacques Desmarais, Silvia Casassa, Carlo Gatti Alessandro Erba #Actinide #Chemistry #Quantum #Simulations

It was great to have so much representation at the MaThRad: Mathematical Theory of Radiation Transport Workshop, based at UKAEA (Culham) this year. Alex Valentine, Ross Worrall and Lee Evitts from the Applied Radiation Technology group presented some of our most challenging Monte Carlo and inverse problems to an audience keen to use modern mathematical methods to explore and address these key areas for fusion research. The challenges we raised were around:  1. scaling with the increasing complexity of geometries, including efficiently tracking algorithms for large heterogeneous problems, optimising geometry construction, and how we might couple detailed neutronics calculations with computational fluid dynamics. 2. quantification and propagation of nuclear data uncertainty in the total Monte Carlo method, including methods to handle the non-continuous behaviour of perturbed cross-section files, identifying the biggest contributor of uncertainty for a particular geometry, and coupling total Monte Carlo with variance reduction techniques. 3. identifying, quantifying and mitigating the unknown unknowns of neutron spectrum unfolding - information that is lost during the unfolding process due to the highly underdetermined nature of the problem, and propagating uncertainties. We received encouraging feedback from attendees, and would be keen to hear if anyone is interested in exploring these challenge areas with us.

🔋 Advancing the understanding of Lithium-Ion Batteries on a molecular level🔋 Excited to share our latest research published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C https://lnkd.in/edg6qzWP Our team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been working on enhancing the power of lithium-ion batteries using advanced molecular dynamics simulations. We tracked the energetics of lithium-ions as they move from the bulk electrolyte to the cathode (LCO) interface, and revealed both the driving forces and the barriers along the path. At a finite surface coverage of lithium ions, we found out the driving force for adsorption becomes zero, making the lithium-ion transport to interface dependent solely on the thermodynamic barrier. 🔍 Why does this matter? Our findings reveal that the way ions interact and move at the interface can be fine-tuned, paving the way for more efficient and powerful lithium-ion batteries. This study enhances our understanding of battery chemistry and could motivate further works and innovations in electrolyte and interface engineering in energy storage devices. Special thanks to Prof. Yang Shao-Horn and Prof. Jeffery Grossman for supervising the project. #BatteryTechnology #LithiumIonBatteries #EnergyStorage #ScientificResearch #Innovation

The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, a type of #qubit, is useful for #quantum sensing and communication. The NV center itself has many desirable properties, and the surrounding nuclear and electronic spins within the diamond can also be used for quantum information processing.   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gRQzYuCm   However, current methods for creating NV centers in diamond result in their being randomly positioned, limiting the technology's potential for integration with other systems.   With support from Q-NEXT, researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory used theoretical calculations to optimize the creation of the spins surrounding the NV center. By analyzing coherence data, they identified trends in how different growth variables affect the properties of NV centers. They also developed a method to estimate the characteristics of a sample based on measurements of the NV center's coherence time.   The group’s methods can be applied not only to NV centers but also to other qubit platforms. Their work is published in American Physical Society's Phys Rev Materials.   Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gRQzYuCm   Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago UChicago Physics University of Chicago Department of Chemistry   #qnextresearch #quantummaterials #quantumscience #quantumengineering #quantuminformationscience #quantumsensing #quantumcommunication

🎉 Exciting News from our Lab! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce a new publication from the lab, authored by Akanksha Gautam. 📚✨ 📝 Title of the Paper: Phase retrieval in inverse ghost diffraction using Sagnac interferometer 🔍 Journal: Journal of Optics The article presents a novel technique for retrieval of two-dimensional phase objects in the ghost diffraction scheme from inversion of the experimentally measured two-point complex correlation function in a first-order interferometer. Ghost diffraction (GD) involves using non-local spatial correlations to image objects with light, which has not interacted with them. The GD scheme is experimentally implemented by a specially designed experimental setup wherein one of the orthogonal polarization components of the transversely polarized light interacts with the object and the other polarization component of the light remains intact and directly reaches the detector. The Fourier spectrum of the object is encoded into the two-point spatial correlation of these two orthogonal polarization components which is experimentally detected in an interferometer with a radial shearing in the Sagnac geometry. We experimentally demonstrated imaging of spatially varying phase objects and results are presented for three different cases. Thanks to the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences India, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and I-DAPT HUB Foundation for funding this work. Akanksha Gautam, Sourav Chandra, and Rakesh Kumar Singh. The article is available online; click the link to access it. https://lnkd.in/gGpmeBQG #Research #Science #Innovation #NewPublication #ProudMoment #TeamWork Rakesh Singh, Akanksha Gautam, SOURAV CHANDRA

I am delighted to announce the publication of our new paper, now available online. A big thank you to my PI, Dr. Zhangli Peng, and to Dr. Yuan Young from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, as well as Dr. Andy Resnick from Cleveland State University, for their invaluable expertise and unwavering support in shaping this research. This marks my second paper delving into #microstructure_based_modeling of organic structures using ultrastructural imaging and measurement data. Following my work on nuclear lamina, this paper explores the importance of understanding the mechanical implications of primary cilia deformation. We developed a finite element continuum model that assigns separate identities to membrane and axoneme within the assembly of primary cilia and characterizes each component by distinct mechanical properties. Our paper delves into various scenarios of mechanosensitivity in primary cilia as they bend, while also affirming the pivotal role of the axoneme in maintaining the structural integrity of these cellular structures. This research was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) under award number 1951526. For those interested in exploring our model, feel free to check out the full paper by the link below. Your feedback and insights are always welcome! https://lnkd.in/gmFaRkTb #cell_mechanics #primary_cilia #primary_cilium #mechanosensation #mechanosensetivity #mechenosensetive #mechanotransduction #mechanobiology #finiteelementanalysis #finiteelementmethod #abaqus #optical_tweezer #microstructure #uic #university_of_illinois_chicago