Search Results (12)

Large-scale advanced energy systems, including fusion devices, high-power plasma sources, and accelerator-driven energy platforms, increasingly depend on real-time, hardware-level data processing for diagnostics, control, and protection. In such installations, ultra-low latency, deterministic throughput, and multi-decade operational lifetimes are not optional design goals but strict system-level requirements. While similar timing constraints exist in high-energy physics infrastructures, energy applications place a stronger emphasis on long-term stability, maintainability, and reproducibility of digital signal processing pipelines. This work investigates whether high-level synthesis (HLS) provides a practical and sustainable design methodology for implementing both classical pattern-based and compact neural network (NN) trigger logic on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) under realistic energy-system constraints. Using representative commercial toolchains (Intel HLS and hls4ml) as reference workflows, we demonstrate the capabilities of fixed-point, fully pipelined streaming architectures, while also identifying critical shortcomings of pragma-driven HLS approaches in terms of architecture transparency, long-term portability, and systematic multi-objective design-space exploration, all of which are crucial for long-lived energy projects and plasma diagnostic systems. These limitations directly motivate the development of a custom, vendor-agnostic, extensible HLS framework (PyHLS), specifically oriented toward deterministic latency, reproducibility, and physics-grade verification demands of advanced energy infrastructures. Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) are modern gaseous detectors increasingly employed in plasma diagnostics, radiation monitoring, and high-power energy experiments, where high rate capability, fine spatial resolution, and radiation tolerance are required. Their massively parallel signal structure and continuous data streams make GEMs a representative and demanding benchmark for FPGA-based real-time trigger and preprocessing systems in energy-related environments. The primary objective of this study is to establish a pragmatic technological baseline, demonstrating that contemporary HLS workflows can reliably support both template-based and neural inference-based trigger architectures within strict timing, resource, and power constraints typical for advanced energy installations. Furthermore, we outline a scalable development path toward multi-channel and two-dimensional (pixelated) GEM readout architectures, directly applicable to fusion diagnostics, plasma accelerators, beam–plasma interaction studies, and radiation-hard energy monitoring platforms. Although the proposed methodology remains fully transferable to large-scale physics trigger systems, its principal relevance is directed toward real-time diagnostics and protection layers in next-generation energy systems. Full article

This review explores two main topics: the state-of-the-art and emerging capabilities of high-peak-power, ultrafast (picosecond and femtosecond) long-wave infrared (LWIR) laser technology based on CO₂ gas laser amplifiers, and the current and advanced scientific applications of this laser class. The discussion is grounded in expertise gained at the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), a leading center for ultrafast, high-power CO₂ laser development and a National User Facility with a strong track record in high-intensity physics experiments. We begin by reviewing the status of 9–10 μm CO₂ laser technology and its applications, before exploring potential breakthroughs, including the realization of 100 terawatt femtosecond pulses. These advancements will drive ongoing research in electron and ion acceleration in plasma, along with applications in secondary radiation sources and atmospheric energy transport. Throughout the review, we highlight how wavelength scaling of physical effects enhances the capabilities of ultra-intense lasers in the LWIR spectrum, expanding the frontiers of both fundamental and applied science. Full article

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) has been widely used in semiconductor device processing. However, the rise time of RTA, limited to the millisecond (ms) range, is unsuitable for advanced nanometer-scale electronic devices. Using sub-energy bandgap (E_G) 532 nm ultra-fast 15 nanosecond (ns) pulsed laser annealing, a record-high dielectric constant (high-κ) of 67.8 and a capacitance density of 75 fF/μm² at −0.2 V were achieved in Ni/ZrO₂/TiN capacitors. According to heat source and diffusion equations, the surface temperature of TiN can reach as high as 870 °C at a laser energy density of 16.2 J/cm², effectively annealing the ZrO₂ material. These record-breaking results are enabled by a novel annealing method—the surface plasma effect generated on the TiN metal. This is because the 2.3 eV (532 nm) pulsed laser energy is significantly lower than the 5.0–5.8 eV energy bandgap (E_G) of ZrO₂, making it unabsorbable by the ZrO₂ dielectric. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the large κ value and capacitance density are attributed to the enhanced crystallinity of the cubic-phase ZrO₂, which is improved through laser annealing. This advancement is critical for monolithic three-dimensional device integration in the backend of advanced integrated circuits. Full article

The transition region is a very thin but most peculiar layer in the solar atmosphere located between the solar chromosphere and the corona. It is a key region for understanding coronal heating, solar eruption triggers, and the origin of solar winds. Here, almost all physical parameters (density, temperature, and magnetic fields) have the maximum gradient. Therefore, this region should be highly dynamic, including fast energy releasing and transporting, plasma heating, and particle accelerating. The physical processes can be categorized into two classes: thermal and non-thermal processes. Thermal processes can be observed at ultraviolet (UV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths via multi-wavelength images. Non-thermal processes accelerate non-thermal electrons and produce radio emissions via the gyrosynchrotron mechanism resulting from the interaction between the non-thermal electrons and magnetic fields. The frequency range spans from several GHz to beyond 100 GHz, in great number of bursts with narrowband, millisecond lifetime, rapid frequency drifting rates, and being referred to as transition region small-scale microwave bursts (TR-SMBs). This work proposes a new type of Solar Ultra-wide Broadband Millimeter-wave Spectrometer (SUBMS) that can be used to observe TR-SMBs. From SUBMS observations, we can derive rich dynamic information about the transition region, such as information about non-thermal energy release and propagation, the flows of plasma and energetic particles, the magnetic fields and their variations, the generation and transportation of various waves, and the formation and evolution of the source regions of solar eruptions. Such an instrument can actually detect the non-thermal signals in the transition region during no flare as well as the eruptive high-energy processes during solar flares. Full article

Laser plasma acceleration has made remarkable progress in the last few decades, but it also faces many challenges. Although the high gradient is a great potential advantage, the beam quality of the laser accelerator has a certain gap, or it is different from that of traditional accelerators. Therefore, it is important to explore and utilize its own features. In this article, some recent research progress on laser proton acceleration and its irradiation application, which was carried out on the compact laser plasma accelerator (CLAPA) platform at Peking University, have been introduced. By combining a TW laser accelerator and a monoenergetic beamline, proton beams with energies of less than 10 MeV, an energy spread of less than 1%, and with several to tens of pC charge, have been stably produced and transported in CLAPA. The beamline is an object–image point analyzing system, which ensures the transmission efficiency and the energy selection accuracy for proton beams with large initial divergence angle and energy spread. A spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) is produced with high precision beam control, which preliminarily proved the feasibility of the laser accelerator for radiotherapy. Some application experiments based on laser-accelerated proton beams have also been carried out, such as proton radiograph, preparation of graphene on SiC, ultra-high dose FLASH radiation of cancer cells, and ion-beam trace probes for plasma diagnosis. The above applications take advantage of the unique characteristics of laser-driven protons, such as a micron scale point source, an ultra-short pulse duration, a wide energy spectrum, etc. A new laser-driven proton therapy facility (CLAPA II) is being designed and is under construction at Peking University. The 100 MeV proton beams will be produced via laser–plasma interaction by using a 2-PW laser, which may promote the real-world applications of laser accelerators in malignant tumor treatment soon. Full article

Coal, being one of the major energy sources for power generation, contains several critical trace elements. There is a growing scarcity and expense of these critical elements as a result of the increased demand and limitation of mining sources. To explore the geochemical characteristics of the rare-metal, rare-dispersed (scattered), and rare-earth elements (TREs) in coal, 25 coal seam samples of the Shanxi Formation in the Huainan coalfield were collected. The major element oxides, minerals, and TREs were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results revealed that the coal of the Shanxi Formation had ultra-low moisture and low ash yield and was medium–high-volatility with low sulfur content and high calorific value. Concerning minerals, the coal was mainly composed of kaolinite, illite, quartz, calcite, dolomite, and pyrite. Compared with Chinese coal and world hard coal, rare-metal element Li and rare-dispersed element Se were enriched, whereas Ga and Ta were only slightly enriched. The average content of REYs was 51.34 μg/g, which is lower than the average content of REYs in Chinese coal. It has the enrichment characteristics of light REYs. In the vertical direction, the content of most TREs was higher in the roof and floor of the coal seam and the parting, indicating that the sedimentary microenvironment plays an important role in controlling the migration and enrichment of elements. The experimental results of sequential chemical extraction and correlation analysis showed that the TREs in the Shanxi Formation coal mainly exist in a residual and carbonate bound state, and occur in clay minerals and carbonate minerals. The enrichment of Se may be due to its high organic form ratio. The C-value, B content, w(Sr)/w(Ba), and REY geochemical parameters indicated that the Shanxi Formation Coal seam was developed in a transitional, semi-saline, deltaic sedimentary environment. With their development affected by seawater, REYs in coal are greatly supplied by terrigenous clastics. The complex sedimentary environment is an important reason for the varying occurrence states of TREs in the Shanxi Formation coals. Full article

As a novel type of mineral resource, gas hydrate has received a considerable amount of attention worldwide. This seismic detection method can detect abnormal phenomena such as the BSR, blank zones, velocity anomalies and polarity inversion of gas hydrate and become an important method of gas hydrate detection. The occurrence area of gas hydrate in the South China Sea is usually buried deep beneath the seabed. The current method cannot meet the needs of the shape and structure detection of gas hydrate deposits. With the support of the National Key R&D Program of China, some key technologies have led to developmental breakthroughs, such as ultra-high-energy plasma sources, small-group-interval high-resolution seismic streamers, and distributed three-dimensional seismic acquisition. The seismic profile obtained north of the South China Sea shows that the stratum penetration depth reaches nearly 1000 m at a depth of 1500 m, and the vertical resolution is better than 1.5 m. This system can serve the needs of high-resolution exploration of gas hydrate resources. Full article

We present an analysis of the performance of a broadband secondary radiation source based on a high-gradient laser-plasma wakefield electron accelerator. In more detail, we report studies of compact and ultra-short X-ray generation via betatron oscillations in plasma channels. For the specific working point examined in this paper, determined by the needs of other experiments ongoing at the facility, at ∼0.02 Hz operation rate, we have found ≲${10}^6$ photons emitted per shot (with a fluctuation of $50\%$) in the soft X-rays, corresponding to a critical energy of ∼0.8 keV (with a fluctuation of 40%). The source will be implemented for experiments in time-domain spectroscopy, e.g., biological specimens, and for other applications oriented to medical physics. Full article

Hypogonadic subjects with insulin resistance (IR) showed different metabonomic profiles compared to normo-insulinemic subjects (IS). Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may have a different impact on the metabolisms of those with the presence or absence of insulin resistance. We evaluated the changes in the metabolism of IR hypogonadic patients before and after 60 days of TRT. The metabonomic plasma profiles from 20 IR hypogonadal patients were recorded using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Plasma metabolites, before and after 60 days of TRT, were compared. In hypogonadic patients, carnosine, which is important for improving performance during exercise, increased. Conversely, proline and lysine—amino acids involved in the synthesis of collagen—reduced. Triglycerides decreased and fatty acids (FFAs) increased in the blood as a consequence of reduced FFA β-oxidation. Glycolysis slightly improved, while the Krebs cycle was not activated. Gluconeogenesis (which is the main energy source for hypogonadal IR before TRT) stopped after treatment. As a consequence, lactate and acetyl CoA increased significantly. Both lactate and acetyl CoA were metabolized into ketone bodies which increased greatly, also due to leucine/isoleucine degradation. Ketone bodies were derived predominantly from acetyl CoA because the reaction of acetyl CoA into ketone bodies is catalyzed by mtHMGCoA synthase. This enzyme is inhibited by insulin, which is absent in IR patients but overexpressed following testosterone administration. Ketosis is an alternative route for energy supply and provides the same metabolic effects as insulin but at the metabolic or primitive control level, which bypasses the complex signaling pathway of insulin. After treatment, the hypogonadic patients showed clinical symptoms related to ketonuria. They presented similarly to those following a ketogenic diet, the so-called ‘keto flu’. This must be taken into account before the administration of TRT to hypogonadic patients. Full article

Laser–plasma proton sources and their applications to preclinical research has become a very active field of research in recent years. In addition to their small dimensions as compared to classical ion accelerators, they offer the possibility to study the biological effects of ultra-short particle bunches and the correspondingly high dose rates. We report on the design of an experimental setup for the irradiation of cell cultures at the L2A2 laboratory at the University of Santiago de Compostela, making use of a 1.2 J Ti: Sapphire laser with a 10 Hz repetition rate. Our setup comprises a proton energy separator consisting of two antiparallel magnetic fields realized by a set of permanent magnets. It allows for selecting a narrow energy window around an adaptable design value of 5 MeV out of the initially broad spectrum typical for Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA). At the same time, unwanted electrons and X-rays are segregated from the protons. This part of the setup is located inside the target vessel of the L2A2 laser. A subsequent vacuum flange sealed with a thin kapton window allows for particle passage to external sample irradiation. A combination of passive detector materials and real-time monitors is applied for measurement of the deposited radiation dose. A critical point of this interdisciplinary project is the manipulation of biological samples under well-controlled, sterile conditions. Cell cultures are prepared in sealed flasks with an ultra-thin entrance window and analysed at the nearby Fundación Pública Galega Medicina Xenómica and IDIS. The first trials will be centred at the quantification of DNA double-strand breaks as a function of radiation dose. Full article

Non-linear high-power devices produce electromagnetic noise (EMN) sources of great intensity that can disrupt and damage the surrounding electrical equipment and devices. This radiative phenomenon is very common at facilities where pulsed power generators are required, particularly those that are needed to produce dense transient plasma experiments. These conditions are found at the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CCHEN), due to the presence of pulsed power generators that switch large currents (kA-MA) in short times (10–100 ns). In order to characterize and establish conditions to mitigate the effects of the EMN on nearby devices, a measurement system based on an ultra-high frequency (UHF) dipole antenna was developed. We evaluated the system measuring the EMN emanated from a plasma focus device, the PF-400J. Measurements at the place indicated broadband and intense electric fields that can couple to nearby cables and equipment (10–300 MHz bandwidth, up to 350 V/MHz spectral intensity, 100 V coupled voltage). Based on these measurements a compact and simple protection system was designed, built and tested, capable of effectively mitigating the high levels of EMN. The proper EMN impact mitigation indicates the correct operation of the suggested system. The developed system can be of interest to the energy community by facilitating EMN measurement produced by arc discharges. Full article

The creation of high energy density plasma states produced during laser–solid interaction on a sub-picosecond timescale opens a way to create astrophysical plasmas in the lab to investigate their properties, such as the frequency-dependent refractive index. Available probes to measure absorption and phase-changes given by the complex refractive index of the plasma state are extreme-UV (EUV) and soft X-ray (XUV) ultra-short pulses from high harmonic generation (HHG). For demanding imaging applications such as single-shot measurements of solid density plasmas, the HHG probe has to be optimized in photon number and characterized in intensity and wavefront stability from shot-to-shot. In an experiment, a coherent EUV source based on HHG driven by a compact diode-pumped laser is optimized in photons per pulse for argon and xenon, and the shot-to-shot intensity stability and wavefront changes are characterized. The experimental results are compared to an analytical model estimating the HHG yield, showing good agreement. The obtained values are compared to available data for solid density plasmas to confirm the feasibility of HHG as a probe. Full article