Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Use Of Thermodynamic Models For Optimizing Fuel Treatment Processes, Shawn Pj Kirby, Andrew Guenthner

STAR Program Research Presentations

Dyes are often added to fuels for tax purposes, but they cause degradation of the fuels. It would be advantageous to remove the dyes prior to their use in critical aerospace applications. Current technologies vary in the efficiency with which they can remove unwanted dyes from fuel sources. We have used Hansen Solubility Parameters to develop an “ideal solvent” that can be used to extract these dyes from fuel. This will also be applied to removal of sulfur compounds from fuels. Sulfur compounds in fuels create sulfates during combustion, which in turn react with water to make sulfuric acid. Sulfuric …

The Influence Of Soil Organic Matter Stabilization Mechanisms On Carbon Mean Residence Time Within Various Ecosystems In The United States, Vicky Lynn Giese, Kate Heckman Phd

STAR Program Research Presentations

Some terrestrial ecosystems and soils serve as carbon sinks, partially offsetting rising atmospheric CO₂ levels. Physiochemical mechanisms of soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization affect how carbon stocks respond to global warming. In order to clarify the variance in SOM stabilization mechanisms across different soil types, SOM abundance, distribution and mean residence time (MRT) were compared for thirty-two soil samples from six ecosystems across the United States. Soils were previously described, collected and archived by the United States Geological Survey. Samples were processed by LLNL at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) using density fractionation to separate particulate organics …

Investigation Of Ozone In Urban And Rural Areas Of California, Mia J. Hiles, David Parrish

STAR Program Research Presentations

Ozone is the air pollutant about which we have probably heard the most. Two types of ozone exist: stratospheric and tropospheric. Stratospheric ozone absorbs most of the damaging ultra-violet sunlight and tropospheric ozone comes into direct contact with life-forms and is toxic at high levels. Ozone concentration in California has been studied for over five decades, and there is a long history of control efforts. During 2010, California Air Resources Board (CARB) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted a major climate and air quality study in California called CalNex 2010 (California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality …

Validation Of Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline For Forcast On Sofia, Brent C. Nicklas, William T. Reach, Sachindev S. Shenoy

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a heavily modified Boeing 747SP aircraft equipped with 2.5 meter reflecting telescope. Among the suite of instruments onboard is the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). FORCAST features two cameras for short (5-25 microns) and long (25-40 microns) wavelength detection. Making infrared observations in these wavelengths presents a challenge because the telescope and sky emit background radiation magnitudes brighter than the object of interest. Because of this, the raw FORCAST data must be corrected and reduced. The Data Reduction Interactive Pipeline (DRIP) was developed to process all FORCAST data …

Characterization Of Samples For Optimization Of Infrared Stray Light Coatings, Carey L. Baxter, Rebecca Salvemini, Zaheer A. Ali, Patrick Waddell, Greg Perryman, Bob Thompson

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a converted 747SP that houses a 2.5 m telescope that observes the sky through an opening in the side of the aircraft. Because it flies at altitudes up to 45,000 feet, SOFIA gets 99.99% transmission in the infrared. Multiple science instruments mount one at a time on the telescope to interpret infrared and visible light from target sources. Ball Infrared Black (BIRB) currently coats everything that the optics sees inside the telescope assembly (TA) cavity in order to eliminate noise from the glow of background sky, aircraft exhaust, and other sources. A …

Zooplankton Trophic Ecology In The San Francisco Estuary During Summer As Determined By Stable Isotope Analysis, Kyla Bradylong, Steven Westbrook, Julien Moderan, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Declines in the abundance of several pelagic fish species in the upper San Francisco Estuary have prompted investigation into food web interactions within the estuary and delta (the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers). This area is characterized by low primary production and pelagic food webs much longer and reticulated than previously thought, implying low efficiency in the energy transfers from primary producers to planktivorous fish. We determined the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope (SI) composition of zooplankton samples collected monthly between June 2012 and February 2013 at eight stations along the salinity gradient. As consumers SI composition reflects that …

Io3- And I- Sorption From Groundwater By Layered Double Hydroxides, Abbey Rickelmann, Emily Campbell, Natasha Pence, Tatiana Levitskaia, Sayandev Chatterjee, Frances Smith

STAR Program Research Presentations

Several subsurface water plumes are found at the Hanford U.S. DOE site. These plumes contain many different types of hazardous components including radioactive iodate (IO₃^-) and iodide (I^-), which may have deleterious health effects. To selectively uptake IO₃^- and I^-, inorganic layered double hydroxide (LDH) compounds were synthesized and tested. LDHs are mixed transition metal hydroxides that contain positively charged layers that undergo anion exchange. When LDHs are submerged in the plume water, they can selectively uptake IO₃^- and I^- and remove them from the plume. Raman spectroscopy …

Analyzing The Performance Of The Sofia Infrared Telescope, Sarah M. Bass, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Zaheer Ali

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an airborne near-space observatory onboard a modified Boeing 747-SP aircraft, which flies at altitudes of 45,000 ft., above 99% of the Earth’s water vapor. SOFIA contains an effective 2.5 m infrared (IR) telescope that has a dichroic tertiary mirror, reflecting IR and visible wavelengths to the science instrument (SI) and focal plane imager (FPI), respectively. To date, seven different SIs have been designed to cover a wide range of wavelengths and spectral resolutions. Since the telescope operates in the infrared, different techniques, including chopping, nodding, and dithering, are used to reduce the …

Effects Of Composition And Separation Techniques On The Structure Of Aggregates In The Milk Fat Globular Membrane, Tristan Dilbeck, Jose Ibarra, Rafael Jimenez-Flores, Tracey Nguyen

STAR Program Research Presentations

The milk fat globular membrane (MFGM) is a complex structure composed mainly of phospholipids, sphingolipids, and membrane specific proteins. The composition and size of the MFGM differs based on the isolation, purification, and techniques used in analysis of the membrane as well as physiological, chemical, and mechanical factors present during its creation. The purpose of this experiment is to analyze the effects of separation techniques and composition of lipids and proteins on the structure of aggregates in the MFGM. The aggregates found in whey protein isolate (95% pure whey protein), whey buttermilk (whey protein and phospholipids), and sweet buttermilk (whey …

Smart Sampling Of Noble Gases To Detect Underground Nuclear Explosions, Lindsey M. Skelton, Steven Hunter, Charles Carrigan

STAR Program Research Presentations

One element of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the provision for an on site inspection (OSI). The purpose of an OSI is to monitor for the occurrence of an underground nuclear explosion (UNE) in violation of the treaty. Detection of certain rare radioactive noble gases transported to the surface can be an excellent indicator of a UNE. These gases can be very difficult to capture and require specialized sampling methods. This study aims to determine an algorithm that will increase the efficiency of the subsurface gas sampling technique being used to detect UNEs. Continuous sampling of subsurface …

Vertical Beam Size Measurements In The Spear3 Accelerator At Slac, Natalie Ann Larosa, Jeff Corbett

STAR Program Research Presentations

Synchrotron radiation is a powerful tool used in many fields of science ranging from materials characterization to structural biology. Each year thousands of scientists travel to SLAC to use high-resolution x-rays emitted from a relativistic electron beam circulating in the SPEAR3 synchrotron light source. To characterize the beam size in SPEAR3, we constructed a visible-light interferometer capable of measuring the 22um vertical beam size. The interferometer is located 17m away from the source point and consists of two vertically separated slits. Visible light emitted from the synchrotron passes through the two slits and interferes on a CCD camera to produce …

Spectroscopic Study Of Uranium (Vi) Reduction By Plant Biomass, Margaret C. Murphy, John Bargar, Noémie Janot

STAR Program Research Presentations

Uranium is a common and problematic groundwater contaminant at Department of Energy legacy sites. At the former uranium ore processing plant at Rifle, Colorado, sediments rich in decayed plant biomass contain large concentrations of uranium that are slowly being released back to the aquifer. To simulate the reaction that occurs in organic rich sediments of the Rifle aquifer, biomass was incubated in U (VI) bearing groundwater. Carbon X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was then used to measure if uranium was bound to the biomass. When uranium binds to biomass the peaks in the C XAS spectra will change shape. Uranium L …

Verifying R Code And Visualizing Power Grid Data: Signature Quality Metrics And Gui Development, Emmanuel C. Herrera, Brett Amidan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Verifying R code and visualizing Power Grid data:

Signature Quality Metrics and GUI development

Author: Emmanuel Herrera

Mentors: Brett Amidan and Landon Sego

There are many bioforensic signatures produced by analytical instruments that are expensive to produce and maintain accuracy. SQM is an R package which will provide subject matter experts with tools that will help them assess the specific quality of signatures and determine their accuracy, utility and cost by simple function calls. Many published academic papers were surveyed on the kinds of metrics already being implemented. Once understood how some metrics measured accuracy, the SQM package was duplicated …

Breaking Peroxy Bonds In H20 Ice Doped With H202 To Create Positive Hole Charge Carriers., Corey C. Stockburger

STAR Program Research Presentations

Using stress-activated electric conductivity in water ice doped with hydrogen peroxide as a model for stress-activated electric conductivity of igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks due to the presence of peroxy defects, which when broken, createpositive-hole charge carriers. Blocks of pure H2O ice and H2O2–doped H2O ices, frozen at –20°C, will be stressed with piezo electric transducers(pzt) at one end to generate stress-activated electric currents flowing down the stress gradient. Pure H2O ice should produce no current or a small insignificant amount during rapid deformation or fracture. Stressing H2O2-doped H2O ices, however, should lead to 100-1000 times higher currents. These stress-activated …

Characterization Of The Drilling Via The Vibration Augmenter Of Rotary-Drills And Sound Signal Processing Of Impacted Pipe As A Potential Water Height Assessment Tool, Nicholas Morris

STAR Program Research Presentations

The focus of the internship has been on two topics: a) Characterize the drilling performance of a novel percussive augmenter – this drill was developed by the JPL’s Advanced Technologies Group and its performance was characterized; and b) Examine the feasibility of striking a pipe as a means of assessing the water height inside the pipe. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the possibility of using a simple method of applying impacts to a pipe wall and determining the water height from the sonic characteristic differences including damping, resonance frequencies, etc. Due to multiple variables that are relevant …

Lithic Analysis Of Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site Sediments, Kaitlin M. Hill, George V. Last

STAR Program Research Presentations

The landforms and geologic layers of Southeastern Washington record fascinating, unique geologic events, including repeated catastrophic flooding that occurred during the last Ice Age. These floods left behind many distinctive features, and a variety of fossils. After discovery of mammoth-sized bones in 1999, and confirmation that more bones were still in place in 2008, the Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site near Kennewick, Washington was secured for research, and formal excavation began in 2010.

Previous research suggests that the remains are buried in Ice Age flood deposits, which are overlain by eolian sediments, and those in turn overlain by slope wash. We …

Tools And Methods To Optimize The Analysis Of Telescopic Performance Metrics On Sofia, Steven R. Wilson, Holger Jakob, Stefan Teufel, Zaheer Ali, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Brian Eney, Greg Perryman

STAR Program Research Presentations

SOFIA is an infrared observatory mounted on a modified 747 engineered to do infrared astronomy at 45000 feet. The telescope equipment contains a number of sensors and stabilizers that allow the telescope to capture images while mounted in a moving plane. We have developed methods to analyze the performance of the telescope assembly that will help improve the stabilization and image capturing performance of the observatory. Here we present reusable methods to analyze telescope performance data that will enable improvements in the quality of the scientific data that is produced by the SOFIA. This poster focuses on the multi-flight performance …

Feedback Stabilization At Spear3, Daniel Kelley, Jeff Corbett

STAR Program Research Presentations

The SPEAR3 synchrotron lightsource at SLAC relies on a sophisticated radio frequency (RF) timing system to maintain current – electrons – in the storage ring. One problem SPEAR3 operators have dealt with is the thermal expansion of one of the cables supporting this RF timing system. As the cable expands and contracts with the diurnal rise and fall of the sun, the phase of the RF in the cable shifts. This shifting phase affects the timing accuracy of electron injections into the storage ring.

A common feedback control algorithm PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) has countless applications in engineering. PID feedback …

Investigating Graph Clustering For The Power Grid, Gabriela Radu, Emilie Hogan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Given time series data from multiple power generators containing measurements of phase angle taken at many points in time. The goal is to cluster together generators which have similar phase angle behavior.

In order to achieve this goal, Fast Fourier Transforms and Euclidean distances were used to quantify similarities between generators. A graph was created in which two generators were connected if they were sufficiently similar (known as a nearest neighbor graph). Using different nearest neighbor values, matrices were generated based on similarities between generators. Specific time intervals were taken from the large data set to assess the time dependency …

The Standard New Astronomy Cryostat For Sofia: A Design For Cryogen-Free Infrared Astronomy, Carey F. Scott, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Eric Burgh, Earl T. Daley, Ali Kashani, Zaheer Ali

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astronomy at infrared wavelengths requires optical instruments that operate at low temperatures, which is typically done using liquid cryogens such as nitrogen and helium. These cryogens are costly and limit the operational time of the science instrument. The Standard New Astronomy Cryostat for SOFIA (SNACS) will provide a design for a helium cryocooler-cooled cryostat that meets the stringent airworthiness requirements of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and can be used by future instrument builders to reduce the cost and risk of their instrument design and development. The SNACS dewar will provide approximately 3.4 x 10^-1 cubic meters …

Flitecam Data Process Validation, Jesse K. Tsai, Sachindev S. Shenoy, Brent Cedric Nicklas, Zaheer Ali, William T. Reach

STAR Program Research Presentations

FLITECAM Data Processing Validation

Many of the challenges that come from working with astronomical imaging arise from the reduction of raw data into scientifically meaningful data. First Light Infrared Test CAMera (FLITECAM) is an infrared camera operating in the 1.0–5.5 μm waveband on board SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy). Due to the significant noise from the atmosphere and the camera itself, astronomers have developed many methods to reduce the effects of atmospheric and instrumental emission. The FLITECAM Data Reduction Program (FDRP) is a program, developed at SOFIA Science Center, subtracts darks, removes flats, and dithers images.

This project contains …

Designing A Cold Source To Be Integrated With The Existing Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator, Rebecca L. Salvemini, Carey Baxter, Zaheer Ali, Greg Perryman, Robert Thompson, Daniel Nolan

STAR Program Research Presentations

The stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy (SOFIA), is a modified Boeing 747-SP with a 2.5m telescope mounted inside. SOFIA flies at an altitude of 45,000 feet, above 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere, allowing transmission of most infrared radiation. SOFIA has seven different science instruments (SI) that can be used to collect astronomical data, enabling scientists to look at many different wavelengths of infrared and visible radiation.

Juxtaposing Nasa’S Aeronet Aod With Carb Pm Data Over The San Joaquin Valley To Facilitate Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (Misr) Pm Pollution Research, John Kanemoto

STAR Program Research Presentations

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has been shown to increase the risk for asthma, chronic bronchitis, cardiopulmonary complications, and respiratory cell membrane damage/infection/leakage. PM levels are currently analyzed from two perspectives: stationary land-based monitoring (LBM) sites and total Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) atmospheric column measurements. Both perspectives often leave miles of space between measuring locations and will have a continually increasing cost from introducing/maintaining sites. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellite team hopes to begin investigating/archiving PM levels comprehensively via inputting MISR AOD measurements into a function/model which predicts the amount of ground level PM.

In the future, multivariable spatial correlations …

Optimizing Electrode Design For Microbial Fuel Cells Used For Wastewater Treatment, Lindsay Nichols, John A. Hogan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) utilize bacteria to generate an electrical current that can be used in the decomposition of sludge and human urine. In a MFC there is an anode (for oxidation of organic compounds), cathode (reduction of oxygen or carbon dioxide), and a proton exchange membrane (PEM, allows protons to migrate); reduction-oxidation reactions between the anode and cathode produce a measurable current. Bacteria that are found in sludge can be used to produce electrons in a voltaic cell, but optimizing conditions for harnessing the energy is crucial to making a MFC efficient. Research has shown that the ratios of …

Abundance Patterns In The Spiral Galaxy Messier 33, Melissa A. Siemer, Ravi Sankrit

STAR Program Research Presentations

Messier 33 (M33) is a spiral disk galaxy, similar to our galaxy, approximately 3 million light-years from Earth. Because of its proximity to Earth and face-on viewing angle, it is easy to see individual objects. Consequently, M33 is in an ideal position for obtaining data on elemental abundances. By studying M33, we learn how galaxies like our own form and change over time.

We use published optical spectroscopic data, obtained and assembled from online sources, to map the abundances of various elements (Helium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon, Argon, Sulfur) in the planetary nebula and HII region populations of M33. We classify …

Seeing Through A Cloudy Glass: Putting Limits On Planetary Nebulae Abundances Using Photoionization Modeling., Peter R. Sullivan, Ravi Sankrit

STAR Program Research Presentations

Planetary nebulae (PNe) form around low to intermediate mass stars transitioning from the giant branch to white dwarf phase. The outer layer of the star is ejected during the transition and this gas, ionized by the central star, emits a line-spectrum. This spectrum traces the chemical abundances that were characteristic of the interstellar medium in which the star formed (e.g. oxygen) as well as of the elements created by these progenitor stars (e.g. nitrogen) aiding our understanding of chemical evolution of galaxies. In this project, we use modeling of the emission lines of PNe to determine the accuracy of direct …

Using Stable Isotope Analysis Of Zooplankton To Document Trophic And Biogeochemical Changes In The San Francisco Estuary, Steven C. Westbrook, Julien Moderan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Zooplankton represent a vital link between phytoplankton and fish, like the endangered Delta Smelt. Human interferences (nitrates from waste water, flow alteration, invasive species introduction…) have altered the structure of the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) ecosystem. We use stable isotope analysis to improve our knowledge of the planktonic food web in the SFE and gain insights into its evolution over the past decades. We use the ratios of certain isotopes (Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulfur, etc.) in different species of zooplankton to tell us what it is feeding on as well as the trophic level it feeds in. My research focused on …

Chemical Compatibility Study Of Anti-Corrosive Materials For Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (Sofia), Belyn Nicole Grant, Zaheer Ali, Greg Perryman, Stefan Teufel, Brian Eney

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a telescope designed to capture infrared light from deep space, mounted in a highly modified Boeing 747 SP. Portions of the aircraft interior are showing signs of corrosion, and need to be coated with a material that will prevent further corrosion. Up to date, current anti-corrosive materials commonly used on aircrafts are incompatible with the very thin aluminum surface of the telescope mirrors. The purpose of our study is to find an effective corrosion preventive material with low outgassing properties.