Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “STATES OF MATTER”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10

Many-body forces in the equation of state of hyperonic matter

In this work we introduce an extended version of the formalism proposed originally by Taurines et al. that considers the effects of many-body forces simulated by nonlinear self-couplings and meson–meson interaction contributions. In this extended version of the model, we assume that matter is at zero temperature, charge neutral, and in beta-equilibrium, considering that the baryon octet interacts by the exchange of scalar–isoscalar (σ, σ{sup ∗}), vector–isoscalar (ω, ϕ), vector–isovector (ϱ), and scalar–isovector (δ) meson fields. Using nuclear matter properties, we constrain the parameters of the model that describe the intensity of the indirectly density dependent baryon–meson couplings to a small range of possible values. We then investigate asymmetric hyperonic matter properties. We report that the formalism developed in this work is in reasonable agreement with experimental data and also allows for the existence of massive hyperon stars (with more than 2 M{sub ⊙}) with small radii, compatible with astrophysical observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Condensed-matter equation of states covering a wide region of pressure studied experimentally

Here, the relationships among the pressure P, volume V, and temperature T of solid-state materials are described by their equations of state (EOSs), which are often derived from the consideration of the finite-strain energy or the interatomic potential. These EOSs consist of typically three parameters to determine from experimental P-V-T data by fitting analyses. In the empirical approach to EOSs, one either refines such fitting parameters or improves the mathematical functions to better simulate the experimental data. Despite over seven decades of studies on EOSs, none has been found to be accurate for all types of solids over the whole temperature and pressure ranges studied experimentally. Here we show that the simple empirical EOS, P = α 1 (PV) + α 2 (PV) 2 + α 3 (PV) 3 , in which the pressure P is indirectly related to the volume V through a cubic polynomial of the energy term PV with three fitting parameters α 1 –α 3 , provides accurate descriptions for the P-vs-V data of condensed matter in a wide region of pressure studied experimentally even in the presence of phase transitions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Non abelian hydrodynamics and heavy ion collisions

The goal of the relativistic heavy ion collisions (RHIC) program is to create a state of matter where color degrees of freedom are deconfined. The dynamics of matter in this state, in spite of the complexities of quantum chromodynamics, is largely determined by the conservation laws of energy momentum and color currents. Therefore it is possible to describe its main features in hydrodynamic terms, the very short color neutralization time notwithstanding. In this lecture we shall give a simple derivation of the hydrodynamics of a color charged fluid, by generalizing the usual derivation of hydrodynamics from kinetic theory to the non abelian case.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Gravitationally bound BCS state as dark matter

We explore the possibility that fermionic dark matter undergoes a BCS transition to form a superfluid. This requires an attractive interaction between fermions and we describe a possible source of this interaction induced by torsion. We describe the gravitating fermion system with the Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism in the local density approximation. We solve the Poisson equation along with the equations for the density and gap energy of the fermions to find a self-gravitating, superfluid solution for dark matter halos. In order to produce halos the size of dwarf galaxies, we require a particle mass of ∼ 200 eV. We find a maximum attractive coupling strength before the halo becomes unstable. If dark matter halos do have a superfluid component, this raises the possibility that they contain vortex lines.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

ISOTOPIC ANOMALIES IN PRIMITIVE SOLAR SYSTEM MATTER: SPIN-STATE-DEPENDENT FRACTIONATION OF NITROGEN AND DEUTERIUM IN INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS

Organic material found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles is enriched in D and {sup 15}N. This is consistent with the idea that the functional groups carrying these isotopic anomalies, nitriles and amines, were formed by ion-molecule chemistry in the protosolar nebula. Theoretical models of interstellar fractionation at low temperatures predict large enrichments in both D and {sup 15}N and can account for the largest isotopic enrichments measured in carbonaceous meteorites. However, more recent measurements have shown that, in some primitive samples, a large {sup 15}N enrichment does not correlate with one in D, and that some D-enriched primitive material displays little, if any, {sup 15}N enrichment. By considering the spin-state dependence in ion-molecule reactions involving the ortho and para forms of H{sub 2}, we show that ammonia and related molecules can exhibit such a wide range of fractionation for both {sup 15}N and D in dense cloud cores. We also show that while the nitriles, HCN and HNC, contain the greatest {sup 15}N enrichment, this is not expected to correlate with extreme D enrichment. These calculations therefore support the view that solar system {sup 15}N and D isotopic anomalies have an interstellar heritage. We also compare our results to existing astronomical observations and briefly discuss future tests of this model.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The dense matter equation of state from neutron star radius and mass measurements

We present a comprehensive study of spectroscopic radius measurements of twelve neutron stars obtained during thermonuclear bursts or in quiescence. We incorporate, for the first time, a large number of systematic uncertainties in the measurement of the apparent angular sizes, Eddington fluxes, and distances, in the composition of the interstellar medium, and in the flux calibration of X-ray detectors. We also take into account the results of recent theoretical calculations of rotational effects on neutron star radii, of atmospheric effects on surface spectra, and of relativistic corrections to the Eddington critical flux. We employ Bayesian statistical frameworks to obtain neutron star radii from the spectroscopic measurements as well as to infer the equation of state from the radius measurements. Combining these with the results of experiments in the vicinity of nuclear saturation density and the observations of ∼2 M{sub ⊙} neutron stars, we place strong and quantitative constraints on the properties of the equation of state between ≈2--8 times the nuclear saturation density. We find that around M=1.5M{sub ⊙}, the preferred equation of state predicts radii between 10.1 and 11.1 km. When interpreting the pressure constraints in the context of high density equations of state based on interacting nucleons, our results suggest a relatively weak contribution of the three-body interaction potential.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Isotopic Anomalies in Primitive Solar System Matter: Spin-State-Dependent Fractionation of Nitrogen and Deuterium in Interstellar Clouds

Organic material found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles is enriched in D and N-15. This is consistent with the idea that the functional groups carrying these isotopic anomalies, nitriles and amines, were formed by ion-molecule chemistry in the protosolar nebula, Theoretical models of interstellar fractionation at low temperatures predict large enrichments in both D and N-15 and can account for the largest isotopic enrichments measured in carbonaceous meteorites. However, more recent measurements have shown that, in some primitive samples, a large N-15 enrichment does not correlate with one in D, and that some D-enriched primitive material displays little, if any, N-15 enrichment. By considering the spin-state dependence in ion-molecule reactions involving the ortho and para forms of H2, we show that ammonia and related molecules can exhibit such a wide range of fractionation for both N-15 and D in dense cloud cores. We also show that while the nitriles, HCN and HNC, contain the greatest N=15 enrichment, this is not expected to correlate with extreme D enrichment. These calculations therefore support the view that solar system N-15 and D isotopic anomalies have an interstellar heritage. We also compare our results to existing astronomical observations and briefly discuss future tests of this model.

Wirstrom, Eva S.↗

Isotopic Anomalies in Primitive Solar System Matter: Spin-State Dependent Fractionation of Nitrogen and Deuterium in Interstellar Clouds

Organic material found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles is enriched in D and N-15, This is consistent with the idea that the functional groups carrying these isotopic anomalies, nitriles and amines, were formed by ion-molecule chemistry in the protosolar core. Theoretical models of interstellar fractionation at low temperatures predict large enrichments in both D and N-15 and can account for the largest isotop c enrichments measured in carbonaceous meteorites, However, more recent measurements have shown that, in some primitive samples, a large N-15 enrichment does not correlate with one in D, and that some D-enriched primitive material displays little, if any, N-15 enrichment. By considering the spin-state dependence in ion-molecule reactions involving the ortho and para forms of H2, we show that ammonia and related molecules can exhibit such a wide range of fractionation for both N-15 and D in dense cloud cores, We also show that while the nitriles, HCN and HNC, contain the greatest N-15 enrichment, this is not expected to correlate with extreme D emichment. These calculations therefore support the view that Solar System N-15 and D isotopic anomalies have an interstellar heritage, We also compare our results to existing astronomical observations and briefly discuss future tests of this model.

Wirstrom, Eva S.↗

Directional detection of dark matter using solid-state quantum sensing

Next-generation dark matter (DM) detectors searching for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) will be sensitive to coherent scattering from solar neutrinos, demanding an efficient background-signal discrimination tool. Directional detectors improve sensitivity to WIMP DM despite the irreducible neutrino background. Wide-bandgap semiconductors offer a path to directional detection in a high-density target material. A detector of this type operates in a hybrid mode. Here, the WIMP or neutrino-induced nuclear recoil is detected using real-time charge, phonon, or photon collection. The directional signal, however, is imprinted as a durable sub-micron damage track in the lattice structure. This directional signal can be read out by a variety of atomic physics techniques, from point defect quantum sensing to x-ray microscopy. In this Review, we present the detector principle as well as the status of the experimental techniques required for directional readout of nuclear recoil tracks. Specifically, we focus on diamond as a target material; it is both a leading platform for emerging quantum technologies and a promising component of next-generation semiconductor electronics. Based on the development and demonstration of directional readout in diamond over the next decade, a future WIMP detector will leverage or motivate advances in multiple disciplines toward precision dark matter and neutrino physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Development of a Platform at the Matter in Extreme Conditions End Station for Characterization of Matter Heated by Intense Laser-Accelerated Protons

High intensity short-pulse lasers have made possible the generation of energetic proton beams, unlocking numerous applications in high energy density science. One such application is uniform and isochoric heating of materials to the warm dense matter (WDM) state. We have developed a new experimental platform to simultaneously create and probe warm dense matter at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) end station at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The short pulse optical laser (delivering up to 1 J in 45 fs) and the ultra-bright LCLS x-ray laser with tunable frequency respectively deliver high power required to heat materials to WDM and precision-timed high-resolution x-rays to probe them. The laser-accelerated proton beam driven from a flat 1.5 μm Cu foil was first measured then directed to a secondary sample of Al or polypropylene, typically 300-400 μm away. The time evolution of the sample electron temperature was measured using streaked optical pyrometry, where we observed a peak temperature of 0.9 0.15 eV on the rear surface of an Al sample heated by the proton beam. Here, the simulations using the hybrid-PIC code LSP and the rad-hydro code HELIOS show that a measured proton beam can heat Al to approximately 4 eV and polypropylene to 1 eV if instead focused by a hemispherical Cu target. Through additional LSP simulations, we anticipate creating hotter warm dense matter states (20 eV) by increasing the laser energy to 10 J and keeping the other laser parameters fixed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Evidence of Free-Bound Transitions in Warm Dense Matter and Their Impact on Equation-of-State Measurements

Warm dense matter (WDM) is now routinely created and probed in laboratories around the world, providing unprecedented insights into conditions achieved in stellar atmospheres, planetary interiors, and inertial confinement fusion experiments. However, the interpretation of these experiments is often filtered through models with systematic errors that are difficult to quantify. Due to the simultaneous presence of quantum degeneracy and thermal excitation, transitions in which free electrons are de-excited into thermally unoccupied bound states transferring momentum and energy to a scattered x-ray photon become viable. Here we show that such free-bound transitions are a particular feature of WDM and vanish in the limits of cold and hot temperatures. The inclusion of these transitions into the analysis of recent X-ray Thomson Scattering experiments on WDM at the National Ignition Facility and the Linac Coherent Light Source is required to obtain a physically consistent temperature from the Chihara decomposition. This interpretation is corroborated by agreement with a recently developed model-free thermometry technique and presents an important step for precisely characterizing and understanding the complex WDM state of matter.

Boehme, M [HZDR Dresden]↗