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DOE OSTI2025

Anyon superconductivity from topological criticality in a Hofstadter–Hubbard model

We argue that the combination of strong repulsive interactions and high magnetic fields can generate electron pairing and superconductivity. Inspired by the large lattice constants of moiré materials, which make large flux per unit cell accessible at laboratory fields, we study the triangular lattice Hofstadter-Hubbard model at one-quarter flux quantum per plaquette, where previous literature has argued that a chiral spin liquid separates a weak-coupling integer quantum Hall phase and a strong-coupling topologically trivial antiferromagnetic insulator at a density of one electron per site. We argue that topological superconductivity emerges upon doping in the vicinity of the integer quantum Hall to chiral spin liquid transition. We employ exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods to examine this theoretical scenario and find that electronic pairing indeed occurs on both sides of criticality over a remarkably broad range of interaction strengths. On the chiral spin liquid side, our results provide a concrete model realization of the long-hypothesized mechanism of anyon superconductivity. Our study thus establishes a beyond-Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer route to electron pairing in a well-controlled limit, relying crucially on the interplay between electron correlations and band topology.

Hubbard model↗

DOE OSTI2026

Rational Design of Weakly‐Solvating Molecules for Salt‐In‐Pre‐Ionic‐Liquid Electrolytes for Li Metal Batteries

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) promise step‐changes in energy densities but suffer from poor cycle life due to unstable electrolyte‐lithium interfaces. Conventional carbonate electrolytes exhibit excessive lithium‐ion solvation and low oxidative stability, leading to rapid capacity loss. Herein, we report a rationally designed weakly‐solvating cyclic sulfonamide, 1‐trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide pyrrolidine (TFMSPyr), which integrates an electron‐withdrawing trifluoromethanesulfonyl functional group at pyrrolidinic‐N. TFMSPyr acts as a pre‐ionic‐liquid solvent that forms intrinsically localized, anion‐dominated solvation, coupling molecular architecture, solvation topology, and transport dynamics. As a result, LiFSI based salt‐in‐pre‐ionic‐liquid (SIPIL) electrolytes exhibit high lithium‐ion transference number, oxidative stability > 5 V versus Li/Li + and anion‐derived solid electrolyte interphases (SEI). Li||Cu cells with SIPIL deliver a first cycle Coulombic efficiency (CE) of ≈ 99% with average CE of 99.2% for 100 cycles, and lithium half‐cells with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode exhibit 82% capacity retention after 400 cycles with CE of 99.98%. In anode‐free full cells, 95% of initial capacity is retained after 63 cycles with an average CE of 99.5%. These results demonstrate that molecular engineering of solvents offers a powerful pathway to stabilize lithium metal interfaces and enable practical Anodeless LMBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Identification and time evolution of thionyl chloride (SOCl 2 ) radiolysis products

In this study, innovative solutions are needed to reduce the amount of high-level waste generated by used nuclear fuel recycling strategies to support the widespread adoption of sustainable nuclear fission energy technologies. To this end, a new sulfur chloride-based process has been developed to recycle zirconium alloy-based materials, which make up a significant fraction of high-level radioactive waste. To support the continued development of this process, we present new data on the potential reaction pathways over time of the products arising from the gamma and electron beam radiolysis of neat thionyl chloride (SOCl 2 ). Interrogation of the gamma irradiated liquid by Raman spectroscopy provided more conclusive identification of the SOCl 2 degradation products, specifically sulfur dichloride (SCl 2 ), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and sulfuryl chloride (SO 2 Cl 2 ). In comparison, the high dose rate (~10 7 Gy s -1 ) electron beam irradiations formed significantly more degradation products. For both cobalt-60 gamma and electron beam irradiations, the observed degradation products were found to evolve as a function of time post-irradiation via the same reaction pathways, with indication of a solvent regeneration mechanism. These findings are fortuitous for process development, as such a mechanism would be beneficial for process longevity and cost effectiveness.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2025

New Measurement of Electron Neutrino Interactions on Argon in MicroBooNE

MicroBooNE, located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is an 85-tonne liquid argon time-projection chamber designed to study neutrinos from the Booster Neutrino Beam and Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam. Understanding neutrino-nucleon interactions is essential for improving the accuracy of neutrino event generators, which are critical for modelling neutrino behaviour and interpreting data from oscillation experiments. The NuMI beam's high electron neutrino flux relative to its muon neutrino flux makes it particularly suited to probe these interactions. This poster presents new single-differential cross-section measurements of charged-current electron-neutrino interactions on argon with protons and no pions in the final state. These results use data from NuMI beam operations in both neutrino and antineutrino modes. Cross sections are reported as functions of key kinematic observables, including electron energy, total visible energy, and the opening angle between the electron and leading proton. Interaction rates as a function of proton multiplicity are also shown. These results are compared to theoretical predictions generated by widely used neutrino event generators.

Barnard, Abbey G. [Oxford U.] (ORCID:0000000161171↗

DOE OSTI2024

Novel Liquid Argon Time-Projection Chamber Readouts

Liquid argon time-projection chambers (LArTPCs) have become a prominent tool for experiments in particle physics. Recent years have yielded significant advances in the techniques used to capture the signals generated by these cryogenic detectors. This article summarizes these novel developments for detection of ionization electrons and scintillation photons in LArTPCs. New methods to capture ionization signals address the challenges of scaling traditional techniques to the large scales necessary for future experiments. Pixelated readouts improve signal fidelity and expand the applicability of LArTPCs to higher-rate environments. Methods that leverage amplification in argon enable measurements in the keV regime and below. Techniques to enhance collection of argon scintillation photons improve calorimetry and expand the physics program for very large detectors. Future efforts aim to demonstrate systems for the combined detection of both electrons and photons.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Melting curves of atomic hydrogen and deuterium calculated using path-integral Monte Carlo

We calculate the melting line of atomic hydrogen and deuterium up to 900 GPa with path-integral Monte Carlo using a machine-learned interatomic potential. We improve upon previous simulations of melting by treating the electrons with reptation quantum Monte Carlo, and by performing solid and liquid simulations using isothermal-isobaric path-integral Monte Carlo. Here, the resulting melting line for atomic hydrogen is higher than previous estimates. There is a small but resolvable decrease in the melting temperature as pressure is increased, which can be attributed to quantum effects.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2026

Studying the SBND Cathode Structure

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) located at Fermilab. It utilizes electrons ionized by passing particles inside the detector to create 3D reconstructions of interactions. This is achieved by drifting ionized electrons towards the instrumented wire planes. Structurally, the cathode can be mapped using cosmic ray muons by using information of their trajectories and their timing. This study shows that the cathode has rich structure. Though preliminary, this work shows evidence of non-negligible effects and warrants further investigation of these structures which could lead to improved detector simulations and more reliable event reconstructions.

Cataldo, Aedan [Notre Dame U.]↗

DOE OSTI2024

The Liquid Jet Endstation for Hard X-ray Scattering and Spectroscopy at the Linac Coherent Light Source

The ability to study chemical dynamics on ultrafast timescales has greatly advanced with the introduction of X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) providing short pulses of intense X-rays tailored to probe atomic structure and electronic configuration. Fully exploiting the full potential of XFELs requires specialized experimental endstations along with the development of techniques and methods to successfully carry out experiments. The liquid jet endstation (LJE) at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has been developed to study photochemistry and biochemistry in solution systems using a combination of X-ray solution scattering (XSS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). The pump–probe setup utilizes an optical laser to excite the sample, which is subsequently probed by a hard X-ray pulse to resolve structural and electronic dynamics at their intrinsic femtosecond timescales. The LJE ensures reliable sample delivery to the X-ray interaction point via various liquid jets, enabling rapid replenishment of thin samples with millimolar concentrations and low sample volumes at the 120 Hz repetition rate of the LCLS beam. This paper provides a detailed description of the LJE design and of the techniques it enables, with an emphasis on the diagnostics required for real-time monitoring of the liquid jet and on the spatiotemporal overlap methods used to optimize the signal. Additionally, various scientific examples are discussed, highlighting the versatility of the LJE.

EXAFS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Wireless Frequency‐Multiplexed Acoustic Array‐Based Acoustofluidics

Abstract Acoustofluidics has shown great potential in enabling on‐chip technologies for driving liquid flows and manipulating particles and cells for engineering, chemical, and biomedical applications. To introduce on‐demand liquid sample processing and micro/nano‐object manipulation functions to wearable and embeddable electronics, wireless acoustofluidic chips are highly desired. This paper presents wireless acoustofluidic chips to generate acoustic waves carrying sufficient energy and achieve key acoustofluidic functions, including arranging particles and cells, generating fluid streaming, and enriching in‐droplet particles. To enable these functions, the wireless acoustofluidic chips leverage mechanisms, including inductive coupling‐based wireless power transfer (WPT), frequency multiplexing‐based control of multiple acoustic waves, and the resultant acoustic radiation and drag forces. For validation, the wirelessly generated acoustic waves are measured using laser vibrometry when different materials (e.g., bone, tissue, and hand) are inserted between the WPT transmitter and receiver. Moreover, the wireless acoustofluidic chips successfully arrange nanoparticles into different patterns, align cells into parallel pearl chains, generate streaming, and enrich in‐droplet microparticles. This research is anticipated to facilitate the development of embeddable wireless on‐chip flow generators, wearable sensors with liquid sample processing functions, and implantable devices with flow generation and acoustic stimulation abilities for engineering, veterinary, and biomedical applications.

Li, Jiali↗

DOE OSTI2026

Shower Reconstruction for Cross-Section Measurements with Photon(s) in the Final State at SBND

The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a 112-ton liquid argon time projection chamber operating in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab as part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program. Precise reconstruction of electromagnetic showers from photons and electrons is essential for searches for neutrino oscillations, cross-section measurements, and rare-process studies in liquid argon. In this poster, we present a unified set of SBND analyses enabled by the SPINE (Scalable Particle Imaging with Neural Embeddings) end-to-end machine-learning–based reconstruction framework, highlighting charged-current neutral pion (CC π⁰) production and neutral-current (NC) Δ radiative decay as complementary physics cases. Charged-current π⁰ interactions provide a high-statistics benchmark for validating photon reconstruction, constraining the electromagnetic energy scale, and modeling backgrounds to other cross-section measurements and BSM searches with one or more photons in the final state. We summarize progress toward the ongoing development of a CC π⁰ selection in SBND and, report on the current status of a search for NC resonant Δ production followed by radiative decay (Δ→Nγ) in SBND. This rare process, previously investigated in MicroBooNE, provides a stringent test of photon-only final-state reconstruction and is of interest in the context of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess. Together, these analyses demonstrate how modern machine-learning–based shower reconstruction enables a diverse and scalable physics program at SBND.

Chung, Seokju [Nevis Labs, Columbia U.]↗

DOE OSTI2025

Limits on the Low-energy Electron Antineutrino Flux from the Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst of All Time

The electron antineutrino flux limits are presented for the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) of all time, GRB221009A, over a range of 1.8–200 MeV using the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Antineutrino Detector. Using multiple time windows ranging from minutes to days surrounding the event to search for electron antineutrinos coincident with the GRB, we set an upper limit on the flux under the assumption of several power-law neutrino source spectra, with power-law indices ranging from 1.5 to 3 in steps of 0.5. No excess was observed in any time windows ranging from seconds to days around the event trigger time T 0 . For a power-law index of 2 and a time window of T 0 ± 500 s, a flux upper limit of 2.34 × 10 9 cm −2 was calculated. The limits are compared to the results presented by IceCube.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Integrated experimental studies of pore structure and fluid uptake in the Bossier Shale in eastern Texas, USA

Within the Haynesville-Bossier Shale complex, the Bossier Shale has not been extensively studied by either industry and academia, despite it being an unconventional gas reservoir and a potential caprock for carbon storage in the underlaying Haynesville Shale. The lack of knowledge of the complex pore structures and fluid-rock interactions hinders the effective extraction of gas and the characterization of fluid reservoirs and sealing capacity. Integrated experimental studies of pore structure and fluid-rock interactions were conducted in seven Bossier Shale core samples collected in eastern Texas. Petrographic, geochemical, and petrophysical properties such as mineral composition, organic richness, thermal maturity, porosity, pore/pore throat diameter distribution, water-accessible pores, liquid water imbibition, and water vapor adsorption were characterized using complementary approaches of thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, total organic matter, pyrolysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, (Ultra-) small angle X-rays scattering as well as small angle neutron scattering with deuterated liquids and contrast variation. Further, the results show that the thermally mature Bossier Shales are composed of mixed argillaceous mudstone, mixed mudstone, and mixed carbonate mudstone. The shale contains both organic and inorganic pores, with porosities of 3.24-9.37 %, pore-to-throat ratios of 1.65 to 19.4, and water-accessible pores accounting for 28.7-72.6 % of total pores. Approaches of liquid water imbibition and water vapor adsorption, with and without direct contact of water with shale samples, indicate that liquid water first enters the nano-sized pores under high capillary pressures, and water vapor adsorption is mainly controlled by both clay minerals and pores with diameters less than 10 nm. These findings contribute to a better understanding of pore structures and water-shale interactions and their controlling factors in the Bossier Shale.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Overview of Collaborative Research Between UNICAMP in Brazil and Fermilab in Cryogenics

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) situated at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, serves as the host for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), employing cryostats with nearly 70,000 metric tons of high purity liquid argon (LAr). The integrity of LAr quality is pivotal in determining the electron lifetime within DUNE, directly impacting its signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, Far Detector 1 (FD-1) in cryostat 1 requires an electron lifetime over 3 ms within its 3.5 m drift, corresponding to less than 100 parts-per-trillion (ppt) Oxygen equivalent contamination. Far Detector 2 (FD-2) in cryostat 2 demands over 6 ms electron lifetime within its 6.0 m drift, corresponding to less than 50 ppt Oxygen equivalent contamination. Nitrogen (N2) absorption of LAr scintillation light, known as quenching, necessitates N2 contamination in LAr to remain below 1 ppm to minimize photon loss and enhance energy reconstruction. Studies indicate that at 1 ppm N2, approximately 20% of scintillation light is lost, highlighting the importance of minimizing N2 contamination. Brazil State University of Campinas's (UNICAMP) contribution to LBNF focuses on developing argon purification and regeneration for DUNE FD-1 and FD-2. To that effect, they constructed a test facility to perform studies on LAr purification at a smaller scale, the Purification Liquid Argon Cryostat (PuLArC) with approximately 90 liters of LAr. One of the filtration materials was considered and tested Li-FAU molecular sieve. Value engineering on argon purification media was conducted, leading to the identification of Li-FAU zeolite's ability to effectively capture N2 impurities during LAr circulation. Testing at UNICAMP's PuLArC facility demonstrated that 1 kg of Li-FAU is capable of reducing N2 contamination from 20-50 ppm to 0.1-1.0 ppm within 1-2 hours of circulation. In October 2023, testing at the Iceberg cryostat in Fermilab's Noble Liquid Test Facility (NLTF), with approximately 2,625 liters of LAr, confirmed the efficacy of 3 kg of Li-FAU in reducing N2 contamination from ~ 5 ppm of injected N2 down to less than 1 ppm over 96-hour cycles, showcasing its potential for larger-scale LAr cryostats. Further tests are planned to validate Li-FAU's use as a possible alternative to Molecular Sieve 4A in LBNF-DUNE and related liquid argon experiments. This contribution will describe how the research was performed and present the test setups and results in detail. This advancement not only has the potential to enhance DUNE's precision but also to elevate liquid argon experiments globally, showcasing the power of international scientific collaboration.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Low-energy edge signatures of the Kitaev spin liquid

Recent experimental work indicates that the Kitaev spin liquid may be realizable close to zero magnetic field in exfoliated 𝛼−RuCl 3 flakes, thus providing a more versatile setting for studying non-Abelian anyons. Here, we propose a robust nanoscale signature of the Kitaev spin liquid that results from its edge states and manifests in the low-energy spin dynamics. In particular, we highlight a singular peak in the dynamical spin structure factor of a zigzag edge whose energy scales linearly with only one component of the magnetic field. This sharp feature in the local spin dynamics directly reflects the bond-directional Kitaev spin interactions and, more generally, the projective symmetries of the Kitaev spin liquid. In conclusion, we demonstrate that our proposed signature survives in the presence of edge disorder as well as non-Kitaev interactions, and provide detailed guidelines for experimentally observing it using inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy and color-center relaxometry.

Color centers↗

DOE OSTI2026

Probing the atomic dynamics of ultrafast melting with femtosecond electron diffraction

Melting is an every-day phase transition that is determined by thermodynamic parameters like temperature and pressure. In contrast, ultra-fast melting is governed by the microscopic response to a rapid energy input and, thus, can reveal the strength and dynamics of atomic bonds as well as the energy flow rate to the lattice. Accurately describing these processes remains challenging and requires detailed insights into transient states encountered. Here, we present data from femtosecond electron diffraction measurements that capture the structural evolution of copper during the ultrafast solid-to-liquid phase transformations. At absorbed energy densities 2-4 times the melting threshold, melting begins at the surface slightly below the nominal melting point followed by rapid homogeneous melting throughout the volume. Molecular dynamics simulations reproduce these observations and reveal a weak electron-lattice energy transfer rate for the given experimental conditions. Both simulations and experiments show no indications of rapid lattice collapse when its temperature surpasses proposed limits of superheating, providing evidence that the inherent dynamics limits the speed of disordering in ultrafast melting of metals.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

DOE OSTI2024

Ionization by XFEL radiation produces distinct structure in liquid water

In the warm dense matter (WDM) regime, where condensed, gas, and plasma phases coexist, matter frequently exhibits unusual properties that cannot be described by contemporary theory. Experiments reporting phenomena in WDM are therefore of interest to advance our physical understanding of this regime, which is found in dwarf stars, giant planets, and fusion ignition experiments. Using 7.1 keV X-ray free electron laser radiation (nominally 5×10 5 J/cm 2 ), we produced and probed transient WDM in liquid water. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) from the probe reveals a new ~9 Å structure that forms within 75 fs. By 100 fs, the WAXS peak corresponding to this new structure is of comparable magnitude to the ambient water peak, which is attenuated. Simulations suggest that the experiment probes a superposition of two regimes. In the first, fluences expected at the focus severely ionize the water, which becomes effectively transparent to the probe. In the second, out-of-focus pump radiation produces O 1+ and O 2+ ions, which rearrange due to Coulombic repulsion over 10 s of fs. Our simulations account for a decrease in ambient water signal and an increase in low-angle X-ray scattering but not the experimentally observed 9 Å feature, presenting a new challenge for theory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Low Temperature Dynamic Polaron Liquid in a Manganite Exhibiting Colossal Magnetoresistance

Polarons - fermionic charge carriers bearing a strong companion lattice deformation - exhibit a natural tendency for self-localization due to the recursive interaction between electrons and the lattice. While polarons are ubiquitous in insulators, how they evolve in transitions to metallic and superconducting states in quantum materials remains an open question. Here, we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to track the electron-lattice coupling in the colossal magneto-resistive bi-layer manganite La 1.2 Sr 1.8 Mn 2 O 7 across its metal-to-insulator transition. The response in the insulating high-temperature state features harmonic emissions of a dispersionless oxygen phonon at small energy transfer. Additionally, upon cooling into the metallic state, we observe a drastic redistribution of spectral weight from the region of these harmonic emissions to a broad high energy continuum. In concert with theoretical calculations, we show that this evolution implies a shift in electron-lattice coupling from static to dynamic lattice distortions that leads to a distinct polaronic ground state in the low temperature metallic phase - a dynamic polaron liquid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2026

Pushing the Limits of Pulse Shape Discrimination in a Large Liquid Xenon Detector

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a direct-detection dark matter experiment, optimized to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) through WIMP-nucleon interactions. The main challenge in dark matter detection is differentiating between WIMP signals and background events. In LZ, the ratio of ionization to scintillation signals (charge-to-light) is the primary method for rejecting electronic recoil (ER) background. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) offers a method for additional ER backgrounds rejection in liquid xenon detectors. In this paper, the discrimination power of PSD with the LZ experiment is discussed. To precisely characterize the scintillation pulse shape, an analysis framework is developed to reconstruct the detection time of individual photons. Using LZ calibration data, the photon-timing prompt fraction discriminator is optimized and achieves ER leakage as low as $15\%$. For specific background processes such as $^{124}$Xe double electron capture, the leakage is reduced further to about $5\%$. PSD is combined with charge-to-light to form two-factor discrimination (TFD). The optimized TFD performance is compared with the performance of the charge-to-light method, with the corresponding false positive rate reduced by up to a factor of two for large scintillation pulses. Finally, PSD and TFD are applied to data from LZ's WS2024 run and their performance is summarized.

Akerib, D. S. [SLAC; KIPAC, Menlo Park]↗