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At least 181 records · Page 10

In-operando synchronous time-multiplexed O K-edge x-ray absorption spectromicroscopy of functioning tantalum oxide memristors

Memristors are receiving keen interest because of their potential varied applications and promising large-scale information storage capabilities. Tantalum oxide is a memristive material that has shown promise for high-performance nonvolatile computer memory. The microphysics has been elusive because of the small scale and subtle physical changes that accompany conductance switching. In this study, we probed the atomic composition, local chemistry, and electronic structure of functioning tantalum oxide memristors through spatially mapped O K-edge x-ray absorption. We developed a time-multiplexed spectromicroscopy technique to enhance the weak and possibly localized oxide modifications with spatial and spectral resolutions of <30 nm and 70 meV, respectively. During the initial stages of conductance switching of a micrometer sized crosspoint device, the spectral changes were uniform within the spatial resolution of our technique. When the device was further driven with millions of high voltage-pulse cycles, we observed lateral motion and separation of ∼100 nm-scale agglomerates of both oxygen interstitials and vacancies. We also demonstrate a unique capability of this technique by identifying the relaxation behavior in the material during electrical stimuli by identifying electric field driven changes with varying pulse widths. In addition, we show that changes to the material can be localized to a spatial region by modifying its topography or uniformity, as against spatially uniform changes observed here during memristive switching. The goal of this report is to introduce the capability of time-multiplexed x-ray spectromicroscopy in studying weak-signal transitions in inhomogeneous media through the example of the operation and temporal evolution of a memristor.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy for warm dense matter studies and ICF plasma diagnostics

The burning core of an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) plasma produces bright x-rays at stagnation that can directly diagnose core conditions essential for comparison to simulations and understanding fusion yields. These x-rays also backlight the surrounding shell of warm, dense matter, whose properties are critical to understanding the efficacy of the inertial confinement and global morphology. In this work, we show that the absorption and fluorescence spectra of mid-Z impurities or dopants in the warm dense shell can reveal the optical depth, temperature, and density of the shell and help constrain models of warm, dense matter. This is illustrated by the example of a high-resolution spectrum collected from an ICF plasma with a beryllium shell containing native iron impurities. Lastly, analysis of the iron K-edge provides model-independent diagnostics of the shell density (2.3 × 10 24 e/cm 3 ) and temperature (10 eV), while a 12-eV red shift in Kβ and 5-eV blue shift in the K-edge discriminate among models of warm dense matter: Both shifts are well described by a self-consistent field model based on density functional theory but are not fully consistent with isolated-atom models using ad-hoc density effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Quasiparticle Poisoning of Superconducting Qubits from Resonant Absorption of Pair-Breaking Photons

The ideal superconductor provides a pristine environment for the delicate states of a quantum computer: because there is an energy gap to excitations, there are no spurious modes with which the qubits can interact, causing irreversible decay of the quantum state. As a practical matter, however, there exists a high density of excitations out of the superconducting ground state even at ultralow temperature; these are known as quasiparticles. Observed quasiparticle densities are of order 1 μ m - 3 , tens of orders of magnitude greater than the equilibrium density expected from theory. Nonequilibrium quasiparticles extract energy from the qubit mode and can induce dephasing. Here we show that a dominant mechanism for quasiparticle poisoning is direct absorption of high-energy photons at the qubit junction. We use a Josephson junction-based photon source to controllably dose qubit circuits with millimeter-wave radiation, and we use an interferometric quantum gate sequence to reconstruct the charge parity of the qubit. We find that the structure of the qubit itself acts as a resonant antenna for millimeter-wave radiation, providing an efficient path for photons to generate quasiparticles. A deep understanding of this physics will pave the way to realization of next-generation superconducting qubits that are robust against quasiparticle poisoning.

Liu, Chuan-Hong↗

Methane absorption in the Jovian atmosphere. II - Absorption line formation.

Observational tests of three models for line formation in the Jovian atmosphere have recently been completed by Bergstralh (1972). The observational material is described and the results of the tests are reported. The characteristics of a reflecting-layer model (RLM) are discussed, giving attention to the rotational temperature and methane abundance. The properties of scattering models are also examined, taking into account a homogeneous scattering layer model and an inhomogeneous scattering layer model. It is found that the RLM is quite satisfactory in some respects for interpreting molecular absorption bands in the spectrum of Jupiter.

Bergstralh, J. T.↗

High resolution absorption cross-sections and band oscillator strengths of the Schumann-Runge absorption bands of isotopic oxygen, (O-18)2, at 79 K

Cross-sections of (O-18)2 at 79 K have been obtained from photoabsorption measurements at various pressures throughout the wavelength region 177.8-197.8 nm with a 6.65 m photoelectric scanning spectrometer equipped with a 2400 lines/mm grating and having an instrumental width (FWHM) of 0.0013 nm. The measured absorption cross-sections of the Schumann-Runge bands (14,0) through (2,0) are, with the exception of the (12,0) band, independent of the instrumental width. The measured cross-sections are presented graphically here and are available at wavenumber intervals of about 0.1/cm as numerical compilations stored on magnetic tape. Band oscillator strengths of those bands have been determined by direct numerical integration of the measured absolute cross-sections and are in excellent agreement with these theoretically calculated values.

Yoshino, K.↗

High resolution absorption cross-sections and band oscillator strengths of the Schumann-Runge absorption bands of isotopic oxygen, (0-16)(0-18), at 79 K

Cross-sections of (0-16)(0-18) at 79 K have been obtained from photoabsorption measurements on mixtures of (0-16)2, (0-18)2, and (0-16)(0-18) at various pressures throughout the wavelength region 180.5-195.3 nm with a 6.65 m photoelectric scanning spectrometer equipped with a 2400 lines/mm grating and having an instrumental width (FWHM) of 0.0013 nm. The measured absorption cross-sections of the (0-16)(0-18) Schumann-Runge bands (11.0)-(3.0) are independent of the instrumental width. The measured cross-sections are presented graphically.

Yoshino, K.↗

The Hubble Space Telescope quasar absorption line key project. v. redshift evolution of lyman limit absorption in the spectra of a large sample of quasars

Using a sample of 119 QSOs, containing objects we have selected having previously available high quality ground-based and IUE spectral observations, together with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of 26 QSOs from Bahcall et al. (1993, 1995) and Impey et al. (1995) and new optical observations of 41 objects by Steidel & Sargent (1995), we study the redshift evolution of Lyman limit absorption systems (LLSs; tau greater than 1.0) over the reshift range 0.32 less than or equal to z(sub LLS) less than or equal to 4.11. The HST observations significantly improve the determination of the low redshift (0.4 less than or equal to z(sub LLS) less than or equal to 1.4) distribution. We find the effect which may have been responsible for the apparent strong evolution at a(sub LLS) greater than or equal to 2.5 found by Lanzetta (1991), which led him to consider a broken, not single power law as a better description of the redshift distribution of LLSs. After removing objects which may bias our sample, leaving a total of 169 QSOs, we find the distribution is well described by a single power law, and obtain for the number density as a function of redshift the form N(z) = N(sub 0)(1 + z)(exp gamma) with gamma = 1.50 =/- 0.39 and N(sub 0) = 0.25(sup -0.10)(sub +0.17), consistent with a constant comoving density of absorbers in a Firedmann universe with q(sub 0) = 0 but indicating evolution if q(sub 0) = 1/2.

Stengler-Larrea, Erik A.↗

Absorption Properties of Supercooled Liquid Water between 31 and 225 GHz: Evaluation of Absorption Models Using Ground-Based Observations

Microwave radiometers (MWR) are commonly used to quantify the amount of supercooled liquid water (SLW) in clouds; however, the accuracy of the SLW retrievals is limited by the poor knowledge of the SLW dielectric properties at microwave frequencies. Six liquid water permittivity models were compared with ground-based MWR observations between 31 and 225 GHz from sites in Greenland, the German Alps, and a low-mountain site; average cloud temperatures of observed thin cloud layers range from 0° to –33°C. A recently published method to derive ratios of liquid water opacity from different frequencies was employed in this analysis. These ratios are independent of liquid water path and equal to the ratio of αL at those frequencies that can be directly compared with the permittivity model predictions. The observed opacity ratios from all sites show highly consistent results that are generally within the range of model predictions; however, none of the models are able to approximate the observations over the entire frequency and temperature range. Findings in earlier published studies were used to select one specific model as a reference model for αL at 90 GHz; together with the observed opacity ratios, the temperature dependence of αL at 31.4, 52.28, 150, and 225 GHz was derived. The results reveal that two models fit the opacity ratio data better than the other four models, with one of the two models fitting the data better for frequencies below 90 GHz and the other for higher frequencies. Furthermore, these findings are relevant for SLW retrievals and radiative transfer in the 31–225-GHz frequency region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗