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At least 199 records · Page 11

The Effects of the War in Ukraine on National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Missions

While the challenge from a risen and revisionist China may prove greater and more enduring, Russia’s war on Ukraine profoundly changes the strategic context, importance, and requirements of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) missions. The world changed as much in February of 2022 as it did in November of 1989 or December of 1991 , when the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union fell apart. These changes will not likely be ephemeral. Russia is preparing for a long war and a prolonged period of isolation from and hostility toward the West. Although Russia has many political, economic, and military weaknesses, it retains the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Russia is therefore central to deterrence, arms control, nonproliferation, and nuclear security issues. Furthermore, Moscow’s permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council affords it a veto potentially affecting all these issues.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Exploring magnetic anisotropy and robustness of the J eff = 1/2 state under substantial orthorhombic distortion in Sr 2 IrO 4 thin films

Here, we present a comprehensive study revealing the intricate interplay of the magnetic anisotropy and orthorhombic distortion in thin films of Sr 2 IrO 4 through a Ca 3 Ru 2 O 7 substrate. By inducing a pronounced orthorhombic distortion along the direction of oxygen octahedral edges, we effectively modulated the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the system. Remarkably divergent responses along the easy and hard magnetic axes were unveiled through x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements under magnetic fields. Specifically, the spin flop transition observed when the magnetic field aligns with the hard axis allows us to estimate the magnetic anisotropy energy, which is around 14.2 µeV, close to that estimated from the single magnon peak measured via Raman spectroscopy. The observed anisotropy energy remains notably lower than the linear estimates derived from the strain-anisotropy energy relationship outlined in H.-H. Kim et al., Nat. Commun. 13, 6674 (2022). This underscores the enduring preservation of the isotropic character of the J eff = 1/2 states. This is also supported by the negligible XMCD intensity ratio at the L 2 edge compared to that of the L 3 edge. Furthermore, the branching ratio determined from x-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that the expectation value of the spin-orbit coupling is similar to that of bulk Sr 2 IrO 4 single crystals. Our findings indicate that even under a substantial anisotropic biaxial distortion, Sr 2 IrO 4 remains remarkably proximate to the J eff = 1/2 state. This study not only provides valuable information in understanding the interplay between magnetic anisotropy and strain but also the robustness of the J eff = 1/2 state under octahedral distortion within materials exhibiting emergent quantum phenomena.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Formation of Crystalline Silica–Carbonate Biomorphs of Alkaline Earth Metals (Ca, Ba, Sr) from Ambient to Low Temperatures: Chemical Implications during the Primitive Earth’s Life

The Earth has undergone at least four great glaciations, during which the ice layers and the glaciers have expanded all over the planet, corresponding to significant drops in global temperatures that lasted millions of years. Since the Precambrian era, ice ages have occurred at intervals of several millions of years. It is considered that the impact on the biosphere was large, because life was on the brink of disappearing completely from the planet. During these glaciation periods, carbon was reassigned, with the subsequent formation of carbonates called cap carbonates, which present stromatolite-like activity. These findings prove that life was conserved even during the glacial period. Knowledge on life conservation during the glacial period through stromatolites that have endured until the present day, is of special relevance. In recent investigations, in vitro structures have been synthesized; these crystalline aggregates have been named biomorphs because they mirror the morphologies of primitive organisms called Precambrian cherts. These biomorphs have been synthesized at different temperatures (from room temperature to lower ones). Finally, the aim of the present work was to synthesize CaCO 3 , BaCO 3 , and SrCO 3 silica–carbonate biomorphs at three low temperatures (4 °C, -20 °C, and -70 °C). CaCO 3 biomorphs present almost the same morphology at all temperatures with a calcite crystalline structure, whereas BaCO 3 and SrCO 3 biomorphs present remarkably different morphologies depending on temperature with witherite and strontianite crystalline structure, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A total of 19 months of daily weather logging on the US east coast: the WFIP3 event log

The Third Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3) is a multi-institutional field campaign designed to advance the understanding and prediction of the offshore atmospheric boundary layer along the US east coast. Extending from February 2024 through August 2025, WFIP3 combines long-term coastal and offshore measurements with targeted modeling and forecasting efforts. This data paper presents the WFIP3 event log, a curated record of 578 d of meteorological phenomena and field observations that complements the campaign's extensive high-frequency datasets. The event log provides both manually documented daily weather discussions and automatically derived indicators of atmospheric processes – including low-level jets, wind ramps, extreme wind veer, and weak wind conditions – based on observations from scanning lidars deployed at three coastal and offshore sites. The dataset offers structured metadata, standardized time and site identifiers, and consistent terminology to facilitate its integration with WFIP3's observational and modeling data products. The log supports diverse applications, from model evaluation and forecast verification to the selection of case studies on offshore boundary-layer dynamics. The WFIP3 event log is publicly available through the US Department of Energy's Wind Data Hub, providing the research community with a transparent and enduring contextual reference for the interpretation and use of WFIP3 measurements.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

LES Analysis of Loss Anomaly in a Turbine Blade with Large Trailing Edge Radius

There is great interest in the usage of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) as a turbine blade material. CMCs can tolerate higher temperatures than alloyed metallic blades, resulting in better thermal efficiency of gas turbine engines. However, depending on the manufacturing process of the CMC, blades may have a larger trailing edge thickness. The design space therefore needs to be updated due to the resulting flow physics. Recently, experimental results acquired at NASA Glenn Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Rig showed that a loss measure generally increased with increasing trailing edge thickness. For one case however, the losses initially decreased with increasing Reynolds number but rose and peaked at Re ~1.24x10 6 and then subsequently dropped to the original pre-peak trend. A possible cause of this intriguing phenomenon was speculated to be transonic vortex shedding, which is the mechanism of vortex shedding promoted by reflected shed pressure waves at the trailing edge at relatively high Reynolds numbers and higher Mach numbers. A Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) analysis or a low-resolution large eddy simulation (LES) does not reproduce this apparent anomaly and thus it is worth performing a wall-resolved LES (the total mesh count of ~290 million cells) to investigate the aerodynamics of the CMC blade in the context of transonic vortex shedding. Our numerical results at Re=1,246,350 show that the pressure waves generated by the vortex shedding in the wake travel upstream and significantly influence the transition and separation on the suction side thus enhancing the said vortex shedding in the wake. This feedback seems not to hold under a low-Re condition (Re=621,900). The Reynolds number dependence was also examined by numerical perturbation of the pressure waves in the wake and by examining how such perturbation attenuates or endures. It is confirmed that the perturbation of the pressure waves is quickly damped.

LES↗

Dynamical control in a prethermalized molecular ultracold plasma: Local dissipation drives global relaxation

Prethermalization occurs as an important phase in the dynamics of isolated many-body systems when coupled degrees of freedom relax in a subspace separated from a state of complete thermodynamic equilibrium by a gap in energy or other conserved quantity. Slow equilibration from a prethermal phase can localize the dynamics of natural and model systems despite high dimensionality and limited disorder. Here, we report the signature of an enduring prethermal regime of arrested relaxation in the molecular ultracold plasma that forms following the avalanche of a state-selected Rydberg gas of nitric oxide. For a wide range of initial conditions, this system enters a critical phase in which a density of NO + and electrons balances a population of Rydberg molecules. Electron collisions mix orbital angular momentum, scattering Rydberg electrons to states of very high ℓ . The rapid predissociation of molecules in states of low- ℓ purifies this high- ℓ ensemble. The angular momentum barrier that separates NO + ions and electrons creates an extraordinary gap between the plasma states of n ≈ ℓ , with measured n > 200 and penetrating states of ℓ = 0 , 1 , and 2. Evolution to a statistically equilibrated state of N and O atoms cannot occur without Rydberg electron penetration, and this gap blocks relaxation for a millisecond or more. A weak radiofrequency (RF) field drives ℓ -mixing electron collisions that erase this gap, causing wholesale dissipation. Remarkably, a local quantum-state transition promoting an exceedingly small fraction of the molecules in the prethermalized ensemble to a predissociative state also acts with a global effect, driving the entire system to a dissipative equilibrium. Using the Lindblad master equation, we illustrate qualitatively similar dynamics for a toy model of an open quantum system that consists of a localized set of spins on which dissipation acts at a single site as a gateway to equilibrium. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Wang, Ruoxi↗

High‐Loaded Electrode Filaments for Additive Manufacturing of Structural Batteries

Abstract The unique capability of 3D printing to create geometric complex structures presents a promising avenue for producing 3D electrodes aimed at enhancing power and energy densities within constrained spaces, which is challenging to achieve through traditional slurry casting methods. However, despite advancements over the years, 3D‐printed batteries have faced limitations in terms of mechanical robustness to endure significant volume changes during cycling and restricted electrochemical performance due to the lack of adequate electrode feedstock development or post‐processing treatments. Herein, a high‐loaded electrode filament with ≈65 wt.% fillers, enabling the fabrication of structural electrodes with improved electrochemical performance and superior mechanical properties, is developed. Through a combination of 3D printing and post‐processing techniques, interdigitated structures with high areal‐loading density, resulting in a full cell with an enhanced areal capacity of ≈12.28 mAh cm −2 at ≈0.92 mA cm −2 is fabricated. Moreover, the structural batteries, treated through the carbonizing process, are integrated by the carbon coating generated during carbonization, exhibiting remarkable compressive properties (with a modulus of 18.5 MPa and a strength of 1.09 MPa). Overall, the findings demonstrate the promising potential of 3D printed batteries for practical applications, while showcasing the scalability and design flexibility offered by 3D printing technology.

Chemistry↗

Filming movies of attosecond charge migration in single molecules with high harmonic spectroscopy

Electron migration in molecules is the progenitor of chemical reactions and biological functions after light-matter interaction. Following this ultrafast dynamics, however, has been an enduring endeavor. Here we demonstrate that, by using machine learning algorithm to analyze high-order harmonics generated by two-color laser pulses, we are able to retrieve the complex amplitudes and phases of harmonics of single fixed-in-space molecules. These complex dipoles enable us to construct movies of laser-driven electron migration after tunnel ionization of N 2 and CO 2 molecules at time steps of 50 attoseconds. Moreover, the angular dependence of the migration dynamics is fully resolved. By examining the movies, we observe that electron holes do not just migrate along the laser polarization direction, but may swirl around the atom centers. Our result establishes a general scheme for studying ultrafast electron dynamics in molecules, paving a way for further advance in tracing and controlling photochemical reactions by femtosecond lasers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Enriched Molecular-Level View of Saline Wetland Soil Carbon by Sensitivity-Enhanced Solid-State NMR

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a major role in mitigating greenhouse gas emission and regulating earth’s climate, carbon cycle, and biodiversity. Wetland soils account for one-third of all SOM; however, globally, coastal wetland soils are eroding faster due to increasing sea-level rise. Our understanding of carbon sequestration dynamics in wetlands lags behind that of upland soils. Here, we employ solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) to investigate the molecular-level structure of biopolymers in wetland soils spanning 11 centuries. High-resolution multidimensional spectra, enabled by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), demonstrate enduring preservation of molecular structures within herbaceous plant cores, notably condensing aromatic motifs and carbohydrates, even over a millennium, with the preserved cores constituting a decreasing minority among molecules from decomposition and repolymerization with depth and age. Such preserved cores occur alongside molecules from the decomposition of loosely packed parent biopolymers. These findings emphasize the relative vulnerability of coastal wetland SOM when exposed to oxygenated water due to geological and anthropogenic changes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Testing Capabilities for Superconducting Magnets at Fermilab

This presentation will focus on the current testing capabilities for superconducting magnets at Fermilab, highlighting existing systems, recent upgrades, and future plans. The Vertical Magnet Test Facility (VMTF) remains a cornerstone for testing superconducting magnets in R&D applications, maintaining its established capabilities. Stand 4 continues to support the Hi-Lumi AUP production line of magnets in cryostats and has achieved significant improvements through a redesign of lead connections, resolving issues with liquid helium levels and resistance, culminating in a successful endurance test without interruption. Similarly, Stand 7 underwent commissioning and a lead redesign to reduce heat load, while its core testing capabilities remain unchanged. Looking forward, Stand 3 is undergoing a redesign, with plans to restart and begin commissioning by the end of 2025, introducing new features such as background magnetic field testing and upgraded power supplies. Fermilab is also advancing the High Field Vertical Magnet Test Facility (HFVMTF), designed to support the fusion and magnet R&D program, with commissioning scheduled for 2025 and critical components, including the cryostat and power supplies, being delivered. Enhancing all operations, the newly commissioned IB1 cryoplant now offers automated overnight helium production and efficient transfer to a 10,000-liter dewar, streamlining support across all test stands. This talk will provide a comprehensive overview of testing capabilities, and showcasing how Fermilab is advancing its capabilities to meet the evolving demands of superconducting magnet testing.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Blood pressure responses to LBNP in nontrained and trained hypertensive rats

To study the influences of 16 wk of endurance training on the reflex regulation of resting blood pressure, nontrained (NT) and trained (T) female hypertensive rats (SHR) were subjected to conditions of lower body negative pressure (LBNP). Measurements of muscle cytochrome oxidase activity and run time to exhaustion indicated that the animals were endurance trained. The rats (NT = 6, T = 7) were tranquilized with 300-600 micrograms.kg-1 diazepam (IV) before heart rates and blood pressures were measured over a range of 2.5-10.0 mm Hg of negative pressure. When subjected to conditions of LBNP, the reflex tachycardia of the T group was greater than the NT at the lower (-2.5 and -5.0 mm Hg) negative pressures. Although arterial pressure declines were similar in both groups, the T group experienced significantly less of a decline in central venous pressure than the NT animals. When chlorisondamine was used as a ganglionic blocker (2.5 mg.kg-1, IV), the fall in CVP at 10 mm Hg negative pressure was greater for the NT group while the fall in the initial systemic arterial pressure was more for the T group. From these results we concluded that training had altered the interaction between cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflexes in these hypertensive rats and a nonneural component had been altered such as cardiac function.

Non-NASA Center↗

Electrochemical Random-Access Memory: Progress, Perspectives, and Opportunities

Non-von Neumann computing using neuromorphic systems based on analogue synaptic and neuronal elements has emerged as a potential solution to tackle the growing need for more efficient data processing, but progress toward practical systems has been stymied due to a lack of materials and devices with the appropriate attributes. Recently, solid state electrochemical ion-insertion, also known as electrochemical random access memory (ECRAM) has emerged as a promising approach to realize the needed device characteristics. ECRAM is a three terminal device that operates by tuning electronic conductance in functional materials through solid-state electrochemical redox reactions. This mechanism can be considered as a gate-controlled bulk modulation of dopants and/or phases in the channel. Early work demonstrating that ECRAM can achieve nearly ideal analogue synaptic characteristics has sparked tremendous interest in this approach. More recently, the realization that electrochemical ion insertion can be used to tune the electronic properties of many types of materials including transition metal oxides, layered two-dimensional materials, organic and coordination polymers, and that the changes in conductance can span orders of magnitude has further attracted interest in ECRAM as the basis for analogue synaptic elements for inference accelerators as well as for dynamical devices that can emulate a wide range of neuronal characteristics for implementation in analogue spiking neural networks. At its core, ECRAM shares many fundamental aspects with rechargeable batteries, where ion insertion materials are used extensively for their ability to reversibly store charge and energy. Computing applications, however, present drastically different requirements: systems will require many millions of devices, scaled down to tens of nanometers, all while achieving reliable electronic-state tuning at scaled-up rates and endurances, and with minimal energy dissipation and noise. Further, in this review, we discuss the history, basic concepts, recent progress, as well as the challenges and opportunities for different types of ECRAM, broadly grouped by their primary mobile ionic charge carrier, including Li, protons, and oxygen vacancies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Advanced Material Studies for High Intensity Proton Production Targets and Windows

The titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is widely used in accelerator facilities as beam windows, which are exposed to high cycle compressive stress waves from intense pulsed proton beams. Such materials interacting with the beam are subject to various forms of radiation damage, which can adversely affect their endurance limit. However, no fatigue data is currently available for high energy proton irradiated titanium alloy. Due to limitations in proton irradiation facilities, only miniature flat samples can be used for irradiation. To address this issue, we have developed a custom-made bend fatigue tester at Fermilab specifically for testing proton irradiated titanium alloy. In this presentation, we report on the fatigue test results obtained from this custom-fatigue tester using a non-ASTM standard specimen design. We plan to validate these sparse fatigue data with ASTM standard samples using standard fatigue samples. Furthermore, we have modified another commercial bend fatigue tester to accommodate miniature samples, and discuss some inherent deficiencies of the commercial fatigue tester to test miniature samples. To overcome this issue, a new fixture design is presented, which enables satisfactory fatigue testing on miniature samples over long periods. Finally, we present an upgrade to the custom-fatigue tester, featuring this new fixture design.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Advanced Material Studies for High Intensity Proton Production Targets and Windows

The titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is widely used in accelerator facilities as beam windows, which are exposed to high cycle compressive stress waves from intense pulsed proton beams. Such materials interacting with the beam are subject to various forms of radiation damage, which can adversely affect their endurance limit. However, no fatigue data is currently available for high energy proton irradiated titanium alloy. Due to limitations in proton irradiation facilities, only miniature flat samples can be used for irradiation. To address this issue, we have developed a custom-made bend fatigue tester at Fermilab specifically for testing proton irradiated titanium alloy. In this presentation, we report on the fatigue test results obtained from this custom-fatigue tester using a non-ASTM standard specimen design. We plan to validate these sparse fatigue data with ASTM standard samples using standard fatigue samples. Furthermore, we have modified another commercial bend fatigue tester to accommodate miniature samples, and discuss some inherent deficiencies of the commercial fatigue tester to test miniature samples. To overcome this issue, a new fixture design is presented, which enables satisfactory fatigue testing on miniature samples over long periods. Finally, we present an upgrade to the custom-fatigue tester, featuring this new fixture design.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Arterial baroreflex control of sympathetic nerve activity during acute hypotension: effect of fitness

We examined arterial baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) during abrupt decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and evaluated whether endurance training alters baroreflex function. Acute hypotension was induced nonpharmacologically in 14 healthy subjects, of which 7 were of high fitness (HF) and 7 were of average fitness (AF), by releasing a unilateral arterial thigh cuff after 9 min of resting ischemia under two conditions: control, which used aortic and carotid baroreflex (ABR and CBR, respectively) deactivation; and suction, which used ABR deactivation alone. The application of neck suction to counteract changes in carotid sinus transmural pressure during cuff release significantly attenuated the MSNA response (which increased 134 +/- 32 U/14 s) compared with control (which increased 195 +/- 43 U/14 s) and caused a greater decrease in MAP (19 +/- 2 vs. 15 +/- 2 mmHg; P < 0.05). Furthermore, during both trials, the HF subjects exhibited a greater decrease in MAP compared with AF subjects despite an augmented baroreflex control of MSNA. These data indicate that the CBR contributes importantly to the MSNA response during acute systemic hypotension. Additionally, we suggest that an impaired control of vascular reactivity hinders blood pressure regulation in HF subjects.

Non-NASA Center↗

Women as a force multiplier for bringing nuclear forensic capabilities to the international stage

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009-2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the U.S. Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next six years, a small team comprised of a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercises documentation was developed in the 2009-2015 timeframe, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Women as a Force Multiplier for Bringing Nuclear Forensic Capabilities to the International Stage

In 2009, the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Program initiated a new nuclear forensics outreach effort under its Confidence Building Measures Program. Little did they know that the timing could not have been better. This article focuses on the early years (2009–2015) of the NNSA’s international nuclear forensics outreach, specifically the efforts and experiences of the women who helped establish this program, building it from a fledgling, bilateral effort into an enduring technical capacity provider engaging with dozens of countries and multilateral organizations. At the onset of the program, nuclear forensics was an emerging priority within the US Government and receiving increased focus from international organizations through high-level diplomatic efforts such as the Nuclear Security Summit and Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Additionally, working-level initiatives were gaining traction through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Over the next 6 years, a small team comprising a uniquely large number of women NNSA federal, contract, and national laboratory staff served as key leaders engaging with the international community to strengthen global technical nuclear forensics capacity and best practices. The program continues today under the Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence Program as Investigation Support. The experiences shared here detail a unique time period when the new technical discipline of nuclear forensics was beginning to mature and gain international traction. The authors have made every effort to remember history correctly and be as inclusive as possible. A wealth of training, guidance, and exercise documentation was developed in the 2009–2015 time frame, much of which still serves as the foundation for today’s even more extensive program and community of dedicated technical and diplomatic practitioners.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Revealing Antiferroelectric Switching and Ferroelectric Wakeup in Hafnia by Advanced Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 )-based ferroelectrics offer remarkable promise for memory and logic devices in view of their compatibility with traditional silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, high switchable polarization, good endurance, and thickness scalability. These factors have led to a steep rise in the level of research on HfO 2 over the past number of years. While measurements on capacitors are promising for understanding macroscopic effects, many open questions regarding the emergence of ferroelectricity and electric field cycling behaviors remain. Continued progress requires information regarding the nanoscale ferroelectric behaviors on the bare surface (i.e., without encapsulation), which is notably absent. To overcome this barrier, we have applied complementary modes of piezoresponse force microscopy with the goal of directly and quantitatively sensing nanoscale ferroelectric behaviors in bare HfO 2 thin films. Our results on 8 nm Si-doped HfO 2 reveal nanoscale domains of local remnant polarization states exhibiting a weak piezoelectric coupling (deff) in the range 0.6–1.5 pm/V. While we observed localized enhancement of deff during progressive stressing of the bare HfO 2 thin film, we did not detect stable polarization switching which is a prerequisite of ferroelectric switching. We find that this result could be explained using polarization switching spectroscopy which revealed antiferroelectric-like switching in the form of pinched hysteresis loops as well as increasing remnant response with repeated cycling. As such, our results offer a promising route for material scientists who want to explore the nanoscale origins of antiferroelectricity and ferroelectric wakeup in HfO 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗