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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Effect of particle size and moisture on flow performance of loblolly pine anatomical fractions: Experimental findings and model predictions

The rising energy demand has highlighted biomass as a promising next-generation energy source. However, commercializing biomass-derived energy faces challenges, particularly in handling biomass feedstock. Factors like particle size, shape, moisture content, and surface roughness significantly impact biomass flowability. This study addresses a crucial knowledge gap by examining the effects of particle size and moisture content on the flow behavior and shear properties of different anatomical fractions of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). The bulk shear behavior was examined using a Schulze ring shear tester, while flow performance was tested through gravity-driven flow experiments in a variable wedge-shape hopper. Results were incorporated into empirical and machine learning-based flow prediction models to evaluate their accuracy and limitations. The study found that samples with higher moisture content show higher unconfined yield strength. The critical arching distance increased with particle size, e.g., from approximately 13 and 33 mm for 2- and 6-mm whole chips, respectively at a 32-degree inclination angle. Conversely, the flow rate decreased for a given hopper opening as particle size increased. For instance, at a 60-mm hopper opening and a 32-degree inclination angle, the mass flow rates for 2- and 6-mm whole chips were 7.83 and 6.42 tonne/h, respectively. The empirical model consistently overpredicted the mass flow rate for all anatomical fractions, while the machine learning model more accurately predicted the central tendency of flow rate but was insensitive to varying tissue proportions. These novel findings provide comprehensive characterization of anatomical fractions, reveal significant combined effects of particle size and moisture content on biomass flow behavior, and demonstrate a better predictive accuracy of a machine learning model, all of which are useful for optimizing material handling strategies and biomass utilization technologies in the industry.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-throughput measurements of CO 2 permeance and solubility in ionic liquid reveal a synergistic role of ionic interactions and void fractions

The factors that govern CO 2 solubility in ionic liquids (ILs) are of great interest for the development of new materials for CO 2 capture and utilization. The cationic functional group (i.e., imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, pyridinium, etc.), alkyl chain length of cation, degree of fluorination of anion, anion size, and the void fraction in IL are known to influence CO 2 solubility. However, a comprehensive explanation of how these factors collectively affect CO 2 solubility has not been developed yet. This knowledge gap is largely attributed to the lack of CO 2 solubility data for IL structures other than imidazolium based ILs. We report here an automated high-throughput (HT) setup for the measurement of CO 2 solubility in room-temperature ILs (RTILs) combining six different anions and nine different cations for a total of 19 different specific ranges of RTILs. The HT setup first dispenses up to 200 µL of RTILs in a 96-well microtiter plate and then utilizes a robotic arm to measure cyclic voltammogram (CV) in each well using maneuverable Ag electrodes. The Cottrell analysis of the CO 2 reduction CV peak provides a direct measurement of CO 2 permeance in RTILs, which yields Henry’s constant from the estimated diffusion coefficient of CO 2 . Henry’s constants thus obtained are in very good agreement with those reported earlier. The measured CO 2 permeance and Henry’s constant of all RTILs seem to follow a first-order dependence on void fraction and a second-order dependence on electrostatic interaction between anion and cation of IL, with some synergistic dependence on the product of a void fraction and electrostatic interaction, making them two important descriptors for the design of novel ILs.

CO2 Solubility↗
DOE OSTI2024

Oxidative Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass Using a Co-N-P-C Catalyst and One-Step Isolation of Aromatic Monomers via Centrifugal Partition Chromatography

Methods for catalytic fractionation of biomass provide a means to convert lignin directly into monomers while generating a high-quality cellulosic stream, contrasting conventional biomass pretreatment strategies that prioritize the cellulosic fraction. Here, a nonprecious-metal Co-N-P-C catalyst is identified for aerobic oxidative catalytic fractionation (OCF) of poplar feedstock in dimethyl carbonate that achieves significantly higher yields of aromatic monomers (24 wt %) relative to those obtained with a recently reported Co-N-C catalyst in acetone solvent (15 wt %). Mechanistic studies indicate that the acidic properties of the catalyst contribute to its improved performance by promoting extraction of lignin from insoluble polysaccharides. This OCF process is complemented by the development of a new centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) method that supports isolation of all five major aromatic monomers (syringic acid, syringaldehyde, vanillic acid, vanillin, and para-hydroxybenzoic acid) in a single liquid–liquid extraction purification step. Furthermore, this OCF/CPC sequence has important implications for future lignin valorization efforts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

A New Theoretical Framework for Parameterizing Nonequilibrium Fractionation During Evaporation From the Ocean

The evaporation model for water isotopes proposed by Craig and Gordon (1965, https://books.google.co.in/books?id=6wIKAQAAIAAJ) is used in most isotope-enabled atmospheric models for the parameterization of nonequilibrium fractionation during evaporation from the ocean. In this model, one of the most uncertain parameters is the nonequilibrium fractionation factor 𝛼 𝑘 . Many isotope models use the formulation of Merlivat and Jouzel (1979, https://doi.org/10.1029/jc084ic08p05029), which parameterizes 𝛼 𝑘 as a function of wind speed and distinguishes between a smooth and a rough regime to account for the effect of ocean waves. The resulting discontinuity in 𝛼 𝑘 between smooth and rough regimes has been disputed by several empirical studies. Here, we present a new approach to parameterizing 𝛼𝑘 by explicitly accounting for the influence of wave drag on the momentum flux near the surface. Following Cifuentes-Lorenzen et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-018-0376-0), we add a third wave-induced component to the total momentum flux, in addition to the viscous and turbulent components, and extend the definition of the eddy viscosity to account for the momentum flux due to waves and turbulent dissipation near the surface. The new scheme predicts a slight decrease of 𝛼 𝑘 with wind speed, similar to the smooth-regime parameterization of Merlivat and Jouzel (1979, https://doi.org/10.1029/jc084ic08p05029). This new parameterization is incorporated into the isotope-enabled Community Atmosphere Model, where it improves the correlation of simulated and measured vapor deuterium excess relative to the default version and a version with constant 𝛼 𝑘 , suggesting that it may be used as a valid representation of fractionation during evaporation from the ocean in future isotope models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Phase-Selective Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass Using a Lignin-Based Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent Biphasic System

Lignocellulose fractionation is a critical step in biomass valorization. Herein, we report a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES)-mediated biphasic fractionation strategy that enables the simultaneous and selective separation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in a single process. Lignin-derived HDESs composed of thymol and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (syringol) were combined with an acidic aqueous phase to create a water-HDES biphasic system, in which lignin was preferentially extracted into the HDES phase, hemicellulose-derived sugars were selectively solubilized in the aqueous phase, and cellulose was retained in the solid residue. Using wheat straw and poplar wood as representative herbaceous and woody biomass feedstocks, the HDES-acid system exhibited strong synergistic effects, achieving delignification up to 69.8% and xylan removal up to 93.6%. Structural characterization confirmed effective disruption of the lignocellulosic matrix and increased cellulose accessibility, resulting in markedly enhanced enzymatic saccharification, with glucose yields up to 96.2% for wheat straw. This work demonstrates a sustainable and efficient HDES-based biphasic fractionation platform that enables phase-selective separation of major lignocellulosic components and provides a foundation for further development of closed-loop biorefinery processes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the branching fraction of Λ + 𝑐 →𝑝⁢𝐾 0 𝑆⁢ 𝜋 0 at Belle

We report a precise measurement of the ratio of branching fractions ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜋 0 )/ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ) using 980 fb −1 of 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − data from the Belle experiment. We obtain a value of ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜋 0 )/ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ) =0.339 ±0.002 ±0.009, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This Belle result is consistent with the previous measurement from the CLEO experiment but has a fivefold improvement in precision. By combining our result with the world average ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ), we obtain the absolute branching fraction ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾$^0_𝑆$⁢𝜋 0 ) =(2.12 ± 0.01 ±0.05 ±0.10)%, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and the uncertainty in the absolute branching fraction scale ℬ⁡(Λ$^+_𝑐$ → 𝑝⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ), respectively. This measurement can shed light on hadronic decay mechanisms in charmed baryon decays.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Slow Quasiparticle Dynamics and Anyonic Statistics in a Fractional Quantum Hall Fabry-Pérot Interferometer

Anyons are two-dimensional particles with fractional exchange statistics that emerge as elementary excitations of fractional quantum Hall phases. Experimentally, their exchange statistics can be measured in the edge-state Fabry-Pérot interferometer, wherein the presence of 𝑁 𝑞⁢𝑝 localized anyons contributes a phase 𝑁 𝑞⁢𝑝⁢ 𝜃 𝑎 to the interference pattern where 𝜃 𝑎 is twice the exchange phase. Here we report the observation of large, hysteretic phase jumps in a monolayer graphene Fabry-Pérot interferometer at 𝜈 = 1/3. When the filling factor is increased from 𝜈 < 1/3 toward the center of the plateau, we observe phase slips with magnitude Δ⁢𝜃 ≈ 2⁢𝜋/3, consistent with the addition of individual quasiparticles to the interferometer bulk. These phase slips occur as instantaneous jumps in the interference signal, with intervals between the jumps indicating quasiparticle equilibration times exceeding 20 min. We use this long timescale to investigate the effect of changes in interferometer area 𝐴 𝐼 and 𝑁 𝑞⁢𝑝 independently at fixed magnetic field, revealing a striking memory effect in the phase slip magnitude. In particular, as the 𝜈 =1/3 plateau is approached from higher filling, we observed phase slips with Δ⁢𝜃 significantly larger than 2⁢𝜋/3 over the same range of gate voltage where quantized jumps are seen for increasing 𝜈. We discuss this asymmetry in terms of bulk-edge coupling of quasiparticles localized near the edge or in the bulk, and argue that this effect can be qualitatively reconciled with theoretical expectations for strongly interacting quasiparticles in the presence of weak disorder and strongly nonequilibrium charge dynamics. Besides providing a replication of interferometric measurements sensitive to 𝜃 𝑎 , our results highlight the key role played by charge dynamics on signatures of the anyon phase, and demonstrate that fractional quasiparticles can be indefinitely localized in nonequilibrium configurations.

anyons↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the 𝐷 0 →𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − branching fraction and search for 𝐷 0 → 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − and 𝐷 0 →𝐾 + ⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − decays at Belle

We present a study of the rare charm meson decays 𝐷 0 →𝐾 + ⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − , 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − , and 𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − using a 942 fb −1 dataset collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − collider. We identify 𝐷 0 candidates via the charge of the pion from 𝐷* + →𝐷 0 ⁢𝜋 + decays and normalize the branching fractions to 𝐷 0 → 𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 − ⁢𝜋 + decays. The branching fraction for decay 𝐷 0 → 𝐾 − ⁢𝜋 + ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − is measured to be (39.6 ± 4.5 (stat) ± 2.9 (syst)) × 10 −7 , with the dielectron mass in the 𝜌/𝜔 mass region 675 < 𝑚 𝑒⁢𝑒 < 875 MeV/⁢𝑐 2 . We also search for 𝐷 0 → ℎ − ⁡ℎ (′)+ ⁡𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − (ℎ (′) = 𝐾, 𝜋) decays with the dielectron mass near the 𝜂 and 𝜙 resonances, and away from these resonances for the 𝐾 + ⁢𝐾 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − and 𝜋 + ⁢𝜋 − ⁢𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − modes. For these modes, we find no significant signals and set 90% confidence level upper limits on their branching fractions at the 𝒪⁡(10 −7 ) level.

branching fraction↗
NASA NTRS2000

Nonbiological fractionation of iron isotopes

Laboratory experiments demonstrate that iron isotopes can be chemically fractionated in the absence of biology. Isotopic variations comparable to those seen during microbially mediated reduction of ferrihydrite are observed. Fractionation may occur in aqueous solution during equilibration between inorganic iron complexes. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms of iron isotope fractionation and suggest that nonbiological processes may contribute to iron isotope variations observed in sediments.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2015

Atmospheric Turbulence Modeling for Aero Vehicles: Fractional Order Fits

Atmospheric turbulence models are necessary for the design of both inlet/engine and flight controls, as well as for studying coupling between the propulsion and the vehicle structural dynamics for supersonic vehicles. Models based on the Kolmogorov spectrum have been previously utilized to model atmospheric turbulence. In this paper, a more accurate model is developed in its representative fractional order form, typical of atmospheric disturbances. This is accomplished by first scaling the Kolmogorov spectral to convert them into finite energy von Karman forms and then by deriving an explicit fractional circuit-filter type analog for this model. This circuit model is utilized to develop a generalized formulation in frequency domain to approximate the fractional order with the products of first order transfer functions, which enables accurate time domain simulations. The objective of this work is as follows. Given the parameters describing the conditions of atmospheric disturbances, and utilizing the derived formulations, directly compute the transfer function poles and zeros describing these disturbances for acoustic velocity, temperature, pressure, and density. Time domain simulations of representative atmospheric turbulence can then be developed by utilizing these computed transfer functions together with the disturbance frequencies of interest.

Atmospheric Turbulence Modeling↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurements of the branching fraction ratio $$ \mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\textrm{e}}^{+}{\textrm{e}}^{-}\right) $$ with charm meson decays

Abstract Measurements of the branching fraction ratio$$ \mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)/\mathcal{B}\left(\phi \to {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\right) $$ B ϕ → μ + μ − / B ϕ → e + e − with$$ {D}_s^{+}\to {\pi}^{+}\phi $$ D s + → π + ϕ andD + → π + ϕdecays, denoted$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}^s $$ R ϕπ s and$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}^d $$ R ϕπ d , are presented. The analysis is performed using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb −1 ofppcollision data collected with the LHCb experiment. The branching fractions are normalised with respect to theB + →K + J/ψ(→e + e − ) andB + →K + J/ψ(→μ + μ − ) decay modes. The combination of the results yields$$ {R}_{\phi \pi}=1.022\pm 0.012\left(\textrm{stat}\right)\pm 0.048\left(\textrm{syst}\right). $$ R ϕπ = 1.022 ± 0.012 stat ± 0.048 syst . The result is compatible with previous measurements of theϕ→ℓ + ℓ − branching fractions and predictions based on the Standard Model.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved measurement of the branching fraction of hc → γη′/η and search for hc → γπ0

Abstract The processesh c → γP(P=η′, η, π 0 ) are studied with a sample of (27.12±0.14)×10 8 ψ(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decayh c → γηis observed for the first time with the significance of 9.0σ, and the branching fraction is determined to be (3.77±0.55±0.13±0.26)×10 −4 , while$$ \mathcal{B} $$ B (h c → γη′) is measured to be (1.40±0.11±0.04±0.10)×10 −3 , where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second systematic, and the third from the branching fraction ofψ(3686)→ π 0 h c . The combination of these results allows for a precise determination of$$ {R}_{h_c}=\frac{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma \eta \right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma {\eta}^{\prime}\right)}, $$ R h c = B h c → γη B h c → γ η ′ , which is calculated to be (27.0±4.4±1.0)%. The results are valuable for gaining a deeper understanding ofη − η′ mixing, and its manifestation within quantum chromodynamics. No significant signal is found for the decayh c →γπ 0 , and an upper limit is placed on its branching fraction of$$ \mathcal{B} $$ B (h c →γπ 0 )<5.0×10 −5 , at the 90% confidence level.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Composition and Plume Gas Interaction Control Iron Fractional Solubility More Than Particle Size in Volcanic Ash: Implications for Fertilization of the North Atlantic

Deposition of volcanic ash is thought to impact marine biogeochemical cycling by adding soluble iron (Fe) to the surface ocean. The magnitude of this input is a function of the amount of ash deposited, the total Fe content in the ash, and ash‐derived Fe's fractional solubility. However, the relative importance of chemical composition, acidic processing by the volcanic plume, and ash particle size in determining solubility is unclear. We paired an aerosol leach meant to provide an upper limit for fractional Fe solubility with chemical analyses of ash from the Cumbre Vieja (CV) and La Soufrière eruptions, which both impacted the North Atlantic in 2021. Fe in the ash samples is <6% soluble, but Fe fractional solubility in CV ash is approximately triple that of La Soufrière ash. Compared to La Soufrière, a larger proportion of the Fe in CV ash is in silicate rather than oxide minerals, which release more soluble Fe. Elevated levels of surficial fluorine (F) also suggest that CV ash was subjected to a more fluorine‐rich eruption plume and underwent more acidic processing. Particle size does not appear to be a primary control on Fe release. We estimate that the CV eruption had a much larger impact on dissolved Fe (DFe) concentration in the surface ocean than the La Soufrière eruption because of differences in soluble Fe content and particle deposition velocity. These differences may help explain why some eruptions elicit a biological response in the ocean while others do not.

Elliott, Hope E. [Univ. of Miami, FL (United State↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fractional quantization in insulators from Hall to Chern

The discovery of the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects naturally prompted the question of whether these effects can be realized without a magnetic field. Answering this is fundamentally important and requires a synthesis of the concepts of band topology, quantum geometry and electronic correlations. Here we summarize the basic concepts of both fractional Chern and fractional topological insulators and illustrate them with the theoretical lattice models that support the flat Chern bands in which the states were first predicted. We then examine their experimental realizations in twisted bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides and moiré rhombohedral few-layer graphene. Here, we also discuss the future challenges and opportunities in this research field.

Quantum Hall↗
DOE OSTI2026

Optical control of integer and fractional Chern insulators

Optical control of topology, particularly in the presence of electron correlations, is an interesting topic with broad scientific and technological impact. Twisted MoTe 2 bilayer (tMoTe 2 ) is a zero-field fractional Chern insulator (FCI), exhibiting the fractionally quantized anomalous Hall effect. As the chirality of the edge states and sign of the Chern number are determined by the underlying ferromagnetic polarization, manipulation of ferromagnetism would realize control of the Chern insulator (CI)/FCI states. Here, in this work, we demonstrate control of ferromagnetic polarization, and thus the CI and FCI states, by circularly polarized optical pumping in tMoTe 2 . At low excitation power, we achieve on-demand preparation of ferromagnetic polarization by optical training, that is, electrically tuning the system from non-ferromagnetic to desirable ferromagnetic states under helicity-selective optical pumping. With increased excitation power, we further realize direct optical switching of ferromagnetic polarization at a temperature far below the Curie temperature. Both optical training and direct switching are most effective near CI and FCI states, which we attribute to a gap-enhanced valley polarization of optically pumped holes. The magnetization can be dynamically switched by modulating the helicity of optical excitation. Spatially resolved measurements further demonstrate optical writing of ferromagnetic, and thus CI (or FCI) domains. Our work realizes precise optical control of a topological quantum many-body system with potential applications in topological spintronics, quantum memories and creation of exotic edge states by programmable patterning of integer and fractionally quantized anomalous Hall domains.

ferromagnetism↗
DOE OSTI2025

Viroid-like “obelisk” agents are widespread in the ocean and exceed the abundance of RNA viruses in the prokaryotic fraction

Abstract “Obelisks” are recently discovered ribonucleic acid (RNA) viroid-like elements present in diverse environments with no phylogenetic similarity to any known biological agent. obelisks were first identified in the human gut and in a commensal bacterium acting as a replicative host. They have a circular ∼1 kb RNA genome, rod-like secondary structures, and the encoding of a protein superfamily called “Oblins”. We performed a large-scale search of obelisks in the ocean using the Pebblescout program and the transcriptomic Sequence Archive Read databases, revealing the biogeography and abundance of these viroid-like RNA elements. We detected 55 obelisk genomes resulting in 35 marine clusters at the species level. These obelisks were detected in the prokaryotic fraction and to a lesser extent in the eukaryotic fraction, and distributed across all the oceans from surface to mesopelagic including the Arctic, and even in the coldest seawater of Earth beneath the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf. The obelisk hallmark protein Oblin-1 confirmed by 3D models was found in various marine samples. Some of the detected marine obelisks harbor hammerhead self-cleaving ribozymes in both polarities. In the prokaryotic, but not the eukaryotic, fraction of the Tara Ocean dataset, relative abundance of obelisks calculated by transcriptomic fragment recruitment indicated that they are abundant in marine samples, reaching or even exceeding the relative abundance of the previously discovered uncultured RNA viruses. In conclusion, obelisks are abundant and widespread viroid-like elements that should be included in ocean biogeochemical models.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
DOE OSTI2026

Accessing the gluon momentum fraction of nucleons through the gradient flow

We calculate the gluon momentum fraction of the nucleon using lattice QCD, with a nonperturbative renormalization technique based on the gradient flow. The gluon momentum fraction is determined on a single Wilson-clover ensemble using 𝑁 𝑓 =2 +1 flavors with pion mass 358 MeV and lattice spacing 0.094 fm. We employ the variational method to reduce excited-state contamination and apply the distillation framework to ensure a large operator basis. To reduce systematic uncertainties, we apply Bayesian model averaging to all fit procedures. We apply matching coefficients to the flow-time dependent lattice results to recover the gluon momentum fraction in the $\overline{MS}$-scheme at 2 GeV. Our final result is ⟨𝑥⟩ 𝑔 ⁢(𝜇 =2 GeV) =0.482⁢(35), where we quote only statistical uncertainties.

Lattice QCD↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unified Description of Cuprate Superconductors by Fractionalized Electrons Emerging from Integrated Analyses of Photoemission Spectra and Quasiparticle Interference

Electronic structure of high-temperature superconducting cuprates is studied by analyzing experimental data independently obtained from two complementary spectroscopies: one, quasiparticle interference (QPI) measured by scanning-tunneling microscopy, and the other, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). We combine these two sets of data in a unified theoretical analysis. Through explicit calculations of experimentally measurable quantities, we show that a simple two-component fermion model (TCFM) representing electron fractionalization succeeds in reproducing various detailed features of these experimental data: ARPES and QPI data are concomitantly reproduced by the TCFM in full energy and momentum spaces. The measured QPI pattern reveals a signature characteristic of the TCFM, distinct from the conventional single-component prediction, supporting the validity of the electron fractionalization in the cuprates. The integrated analysis also solves the puzzles of ARPES and QPI data that are seemingly inconsistent with each other. The overall success of the TCFM offers a comprehensive understanding of the electronic structure of the cuprates, in particular, the unoccupied side of the spectra, of which momentum-resolved structure has long been unexplored experimentally. We further predict that a characteristic QPI pattern should appear in the unoccupied high-energy part if the fractionalization is at work. We propose that integrated-spectroscopy analyses offer a promising way to explore challenging issues of strongly correlated electron systems.

Sakai, Shiro [Sophia University; RIKEN Center for ↗