Engineering topics

Harrison, Neil (ORCID:0000000154567756)

Publications and source records attributed to Harrison, Neil (ORCID:0000000154567756).

4 records

DOE OSTI2025

Adaptation of Wallace's approach to the specific heat of elemental solids with significant intrinsic anharmonicity, particularly the light actinide metals

The quasiharmonic approximation is the most common method for modeling the specific heat of solids; however, it fails to capture the effects of intrinsic anharmonicity. In this study, we introduce the “elastic softening approximation,” an alternative approach to modeling intrinsic anharmonic effects on thermodynamic quantities, which is grounded in Wallace's thermodynamic framework that tracks entropy changes resulting from the continuous change (e.g., softening) of phonons as a function of temperature. A key finding of our study is a correlation between Poisson's ratio and the differential rate of phonon softening at finite frequencies, compared to lower frequencies relevant to elastic moduli measurements. We observe that elemental solids such as α -Be, diamond, Al, Cu, In, W, Au, and Pb, which span a wide range of Poisson's ratios and exhibit varying degrees of intrinsic anharmonicity, consistently follow this trend. When applied to α -U, α -Pu, and δ -Pu, our method reveals unusually large anharmonic phonon contributions at elevated temperatures across all three light actinide metals. These findings are attributed to the unique combination of enhanced covalency and softer elastic moduli inherent in the actinides, potentially influenced by their 5 f -electron bonding. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

The reverse quantum limit and its implications for unconventional quantum oscillations in YbB12

Abstract The quantum limit in a Fermi liquid, realized when a single Landau level is occupied in strong magnetic fields, gives rise to unconventional states, including the fractional quantum Hall effect and excitonic insulators. Stronger interactions in metals with nearly localized f -electron degrees of freedom increase the likelihood of these unconventional states. However, access to the quantum limit is typically impeded by the tendency of f -electrons to polarize in a strong magnetic field, consequently weakening the interactions. In this study, we propose that the quantum limit in such systems must be approached in reverse, starting from an insulating state at zero magnetic field. In this scenario, Landau levels fill in the reverse order compared to regular metals and are closely linked to a field-induced insulator-to-metal transition. We identify YbB 12 as a prime candidate for observing this effect and propose the presence of an excitonic insulator state near this transition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2021

Field-tunable toroidal moment in a chiral-lattice magnet

Abstract Ferrotoroidal order, which represents a spontaneous arrangement of toroidal moments, has recently been found in a few linear magnetoelectric materials. However, tuning toroidal moments in these materials is challenging. Here, we report switching between ferritoroidal and ferrotoroidal phases by a small magnetic field, in a chiral triangular-lattice magnet BaCoSiO 4 with tri-spin vortices. Upon applying a magnetic field, we observe multi-stair metamagnetic transitions, characterized by equidistant steps in the net magnetic and toroidal moments. This highly unusual ferri-ferroic order appears to come as a result of an unusual hierarchy of frustrated isotropic exchange couplings revealed by first principle calculations, and the antisymmetric exchange interactions driven by the structural chirality. In contrast to the previously known toroidal materials identified via a linear magnetoelectric effect, BaCoSiO 4 is a qualitatively new multiferroic with an unusual coupling between several different orders, and opens up new avenues for realizing easily tunable toroidal orders.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Proximity to a critical point driven by electronic entropy in URu2Si2

Abstract The strongly correlated actinide metal URu 2 Si 2 exhibits a mean field-like second order phase transition at T o ≈ 17 K, yet lacks definitive signatures of a broken symmetry. Meanwhile, various experiments have also shown the electronic energy gap to closely resemble that resulting from hybridization between conduction electron and 5 f -electron states. We argue here, using thermodynamic measurements, that the above seemingly incompatible observations can be jointly understood by way of proximity to an entropy-driven critical point, in which the latent heat of a valence-type electronic instability is quenched by thermal excitations across a gap, driving the transition second order. Salient features of such a transition include a robust gap spanning highly degenerate features in the electronic density of states, that is weakly (if at all) suppressed by temperature on approaching T o , and an elliptical phase boundary in magnetic field and temperature that is Pauli paramagnetically limited at its critical magnetic field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗