Celebrating 25 Years of Collaboration: A Bibliography of AFIT-AFRL’s Top 50 Most-cited Works

This bibliography compiles the 50 most-cited collaborative publications between the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) from 2000 to early 2025, showcasing their interdisciplinary impact across advanced science and engineering. Spanning materials science, remote sensing, terahertz spectroscopy, nanomaterials, aerospace, fatigue mechanics, biomedical applications, communication systems, optics, machine learning, and hypersonic engineering, the works highlight innovative methodologies and transformative applications. This collection underscores AFIT-AFRL’s contributions to cutting-edge research, offering valuable insights for researchers, engineers, and stakeholders in defense and technology development

Leveraging Python Interpreters for Concurrency in SeQUeNCe

With the advent of the Navy Research Laboratory’s announcement of the establishment of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Quantum Research Consortium (DC-QNet), there has been much interest in the modeling and simulation of the quantum communication network testbed. To that end, we explore in this research the basic functionality of the Simulator of QUantum Network Communication (SeQUeNCe), the developmental Python/C API Interpreters module, and their viability as technologies to be used for high-performance simulation of quantum networks. In this paper, we outline the integration of sub-interpreters with a parallel SeQUeNCe experiment to demonstrate true multi-threading concurrency in quantum network simulations

Biot Number Error in Low-Temperature Inconel Overall Effectiveness Experiments

To predict the performance of turbine materials at engine conditions, experiments are often performed at low-temperature laboratory conditions. In order to ensure the low-temperature, laboratory results accurately predict the nondimensionalized surface temperature at engine conditions, several nondimensional parameters must be matched in the experiment, including the Biot number. Matching the Biot number requires that the ratio of the thermal conductivity of the material to the thermal conductivity of the air must be matched between laboratory experiments and engine conditions. With traditional nickel alloys such as Inconel, it is sometimes assumed that the Biot number is matched since Inconel\u27s thermal conductivity variation with temperature scales relatively closely with that of air. However, the thermal conductivity ratio does not scale perfectly and therefore some Biot number error does indeed exist, with the problem exacerbated at lower testing temperatures. To date, there has been no experimentally verified quantification of the error in the overall effectiveness, ϕ, that might be caused by this Biot number error. Ti-6Al-4V is predicted to allow for a better Biot number match, thereby better simulating Inconel at engine conditions in typical low-temperature experiments. In this research, we utilized geometrically identical models constructed of Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 to evaluate the error in overall effectiveness that might occur through simply using an actual engine nickel alloy part at experimental conditions. While the Ti-6Al-4V model has a nearly perfectly matched Biot number, the Inconel model\u27s Biot number was 73% higher than appropriate. The results demonstrate that ϕ measured in low-temperature tests performed on an Inconel turbine component do not suffer markedly from Biot number error. The theoretically more Biot number appropriate Ti-6Al-4V model produced area-averaged overall effectiveness values that differed by only 0.01 from its Inconel counterpart. These results suggest that typical nickel superalloys used in turbine components may be tested at low temperature without the use of a surrogate material to better match Biot number

Enhanced Nuclear Binding near the Proton Drip Line Opens Possible Bypass of the\u3csup\u3e64\u3c/sup\u3e Ge Rapid Proton Capture Process Waiting Point

We performed astrophysics model calculations with updated nuclear data to identify a possible bypass of the 64Ge waiting point, a defining feature of the rapid proton capture (rp) process that powers type I X-ray bursts on accreting neutron stars. We find that the rp-process flow through the 64Ge bypass could be up to 36% for astrophysically relevant conditions. Our results call for new studies of 65Se, including the nuclear mass, β-delayed proton emission branching, and nuclear structure as it pertains to the 64As(p, γ) reaction rate at X-ray burst temperatures

A Standardized Methodology for Evaluating a Digital Badging System [ Data Package ]

Digital badges, a form of micro-credentials, have grown in popularity over the past decade. However, few standard processes exist to assess the potential of digital badging systems within an organization. This study proposes a generalizable methodology for comparing a badging system with other methods of recording skills and competencies. The experimental design is tested using the military\u27s cyber operations community as the target organization. Finally, mixed-method data from thirty-six participants is analyzed in accordance with the methodology. Based on the results, digital badging systems are perceived to be more valuable and usable than a current method of military talent management. This approach supports efforts to enhance formal and informal learning, competency-based learning, granular decision-making, and to build trustworthy systems of record

An Entanglement Swapping Throughput Analysis for Quantum Networks Using Linear Quantum Optics

Decomposing complex systems into smaller abstract functional blocks and developing mathematical models to represent their behavior is an important activity towards developing comprehensive system understanding. In this paper, we extract an essential functional block known as Bell State Measurement from a notional quantum network system implemented using linear quantum optics. Bell State Measurement is required for the geographic distribution of unknown quantum states via quantum teleportation and entanglement swapping. A statistical model is developed to estimate the probability of successfully sending an unknown quantum state across a quantum network segment using entanglement swapping. The abstract model greatly simplifies the performance analysis of a quantum network in terms of its throughput. This paper is introductory in nature and is intended to help those who are relatively new to modeling, simulating, and analyzing ideal quantum networks

Stabilized and unstabilized sampling methods result in differential fecal 16S rRNA microbial sequencing results

Over the past decade, studies have been conducted to increase the understanding of associations between the fecal microbiome and human health. In conjunction, researchers have investigated the effects of study design, methods, molecular processing, and sequencing techniques. However, a lack of standardization of fecal sample collection methodology has introduced heterogeneity in sequencing results. Sources of variability include sample collection methods, storage temperatures, and transport times. Here we present 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing results from two sample collection methods (unstabilized sterile swab and stabilized OmniGene Gut Kits) collected from the same fecal specimens. The paired samples were collected either at the research facility or the participants’ home and ground shipped to the research facility at ambient temperature. Therefore, samples were exposed to variable temperatures and transport times. We found that fecal sample collection methods resulted in taxonomic and diversity differences that showed distinct patterns between swab and OmniGene samples. Swab samples were disproportionally affected by increased transport time, but differences in taxa and diversity were driven more by sample collection method, as compared to transport time. Based on previous studies, many of the taxa that were associated with sample collection methods and transport times have clinical relevance. Collectively, this research highlights: 1) the need for further standardization of methods for fecal microbiome studies; 2) limitations of direct comparisons between different fecal sample collection methods; and 3) the importance of careful consideration of sample collection methods for future studies and meta-analyses