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At least 199 records · Page 11

Multiplexable intrinsic Fabry-Pérot interferometers inscribed by femtosecond laser for vibration measurement in high temperature environments

This article reports fabrication technique and demodulation algorithm developments to use multiplexable intrinsic Fabry-Pérot interferometer (IFPI) fiber sensor array for distributed vibration measurements at high temperatures. Using femtosecond laser direct writing scheme, IFPI array were fabricated through laser-induced Type II scattering points in single mode fiber cores. Reflection spectra of IFPI array were demodulated in real-time using modified Bunemen frequency analysis. The demodulation algorithm, which was implemented using a photodetector-array spectrometer, achieves 64-nε dynamic strain resolution at 1-kHz spectral acquisition rate and 2-kHz maximum vibration bandwidth. Performance and stabilities of IFPI sensor array were characterized from room temperatures to 800 °C. The static strain resolution was 0.6 με and the minimum detectable dynamic strain amplitude was 23 nε/√Hz at 800 °C. The multiplex performance was also tested by measuring dynamic strain in time domain through six IFPI sensor array fabricated in one fiber. This paper presents an integrated and low-cost sensing solution to perform distributed vibration measurements in harsh environments.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Real-Time Lifetime Prediction of Semiconductor Devices Using Hardware-in-the-Loop

This paper presents a unique approach to enable real-time lifespan prediction of semiconductor power modules using a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) system. By integrating the module's overall loss characteristics-specifically switching and conduction losses-with a thermoelectric model of the thermal management system, this research demonstrates that the model can dynamically estimates the junction temperature profile of the semiconductor devices in response to a changing torque demand profile for the motor drive system. This capability enables continuous monitoring of the module's operational time and cumulative stress induced on the devices to compute accumulated remaining lifetime or time-to-failure (TTF). This study provides an architectural framework for the HIL system with high-fidelity component models of multiple physical domains, allowing simulation of dynamic behaviors of a closely-coupled motor drive system. The advanced real-time computation and measurement functionalities of the HIL system allow for both dynamic lifetime calculations based on simulated data and aggregate lifetime predictions utilizing historical data. Moreover, this paper details an algorithm that not only computes cumulative damage but also synthesizes these data into a comprehensive aggregated lifetime metric. This methodology can enhance the maintenance scheduling strategies and operational reliability of semiconductor devices in critical applications, ultimately extending their service life while optimizing performance.

hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)↗

Comparison of Electromagnetic Transient and Phasor Dynamic Simulations: Implications for Inverter Dominated Systems

The simulation of very high shares of inverter-based resources in power systems has begun to draw into question the validity of phasor domain tools in capturing relevant dynamics. Electromagnetic transient simulators can capture the dynamics of power electronics with substantially smaller time steps, but are computationally expensive. This work contrasts the results of phasor domain and electromagnetic transient tools for simulations on a validated model of the Maui power system operating at very high inverter-based resource shares with near zero voltage forming devices. The results show that the phasor domain tool predicts optimistic stability with fewer voltage forming elements on the network, and loses computational stability before the electromagnetic transient tool. As the electromagnet transient model is of the entire system, and system-wide discrepancies are observed, this case study of a physical power system highlights the potential need for system-wide detailed modeling during periods of very high shares of inverter-based resources and few voltage forming devices.

electromagnetic transient-domain↗

Nonergodic dynamics in disorder-free potentials

Highlights: • Dynamics in tilted lattices with harmonic confinement is reviewed. • Both spinless and spinful fermions are analyzed. • Local effective tilt is the relevant parameter for nonergodicity. • Neel or domain wall initial states are studied. • Domains with similar spin orientation act as transport and communication barriers. We review the dynamics of interacting particles in disorder-free potentials concentrating on a combination of a harmonic binding with a constant tilt. We show that a simple picture of an effective local tilt describes a variety of cases. Our examples include spinless fermions (as modeled by Heisenberg spin chain in a magnetic field), spinful fermions as well as bosons that enjoy a larger local on-site Hilbert space. We also discuss the domain-wall dynamics that reveals nonergodic features even for a relatively weak tilt as suggested by Doggen et al. (2020). By adding a harmonic potential on top of the static field we confirm that the surprising regular dynamics is not entirely due to Hilbert space shuttering. It seems better explained by the inhibited transport within the domains of identically oriented spins. Once the spin-1/2 restrictions are lifted as, e.g., for bosons, the dynamics involve stronger entanglement generation. Again for domain wall melting, the effect of the harmonic potential is shown to lead mainly to an effective local tilt.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Structural basis of broad-spectrum β-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract Broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is a global healthcare burden 1,2 . In clinical strains, resistance is largely controlled by BlaR1 3 , a receptor that senses β-lactams through the acylation of its sensor domain, inducing transmembrane signalling and activation of the cytoplasmic-facing metalloprotease domain 4 . The metalloprotease domain has a role in BlaI derepression, inducing blaZ (β-lactamase PC1) and mecA (β-lactam-resistant cell-wall transpeptidase PBP2a) expression 3–7 . Here, overcoming hurdles in isolation, we show that BlaR1 cleaves BlaI directly, as necessary for inactivation, with no requirement for additional components as suggested previously 8 . Cryo-electron microscopy structures of BlaR1—the wild type and an autocleavage-deficient F284A mutant, with or without β-lactam—reveal a domain-swapped dimer that we suggest is critical to the stabilization of the signalling loops within. BlaR1 undergoes spontaneous autocleavage in cis between Ser283 and Phe284 and we describe the catalytic mechanism and specificity underlying the self and BlaI cleavage. The structures suggest that allosteric signalling emanates from β-lactam-induced exclusion of the prominent extracellular loop bound competitively in the sensor-domain active site, driving subsequent dynamic motions, including a shift in the sensor towards the membrane and accompanying changes in the zinc metalloprotease domain. We propose that this enhances the expulsion of autocleaved products from the active site, shifting the equilibrium to a state that is permissive of efficient BlaI cleavage. Collectively, this study provides a structure of a two-component signalling receptor that mediates action—in this case, antibiotic resistance—through the direct cleavage of a repressor.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Advancing simulations of coupled electron and phonon nonequilibrium dynamics using adaptive and multirate time integration

Electronic structure calculations in the time domain provide a deeper understanding of nonequilibrium dynamics in materials. The real-time Boltzmann equation (rt-BTE), used in conjunction with accurate interactions computed from first principles, has enabled reliable predictions of coupled electron and lattice dynamics. However, the timescales and system sizes accessible with this approach are still limited, with two main challenges being the different timescales of electron and phonon interactions and the cost of computing collision integrals. As a result, only a few examples of these calculations exist, mainly for two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here we leverage adaptive and multirate time integration methods to achieve a major step forward in solving the coupled rt-BTEs for electrons and phonons. Relative to conventional (non-adaptive) time-stepping, our approach achieves a 10x speedup for a target accuracy, or greater accuracy by 3–6 orders of magnitude for the same computational cost, enabling efficient calculations in both 2D and bulk materials. This efficiency is showcased by computing the coupled electron and lattice dynamics in graphene up to ~100 ps, as well as modeling ultrafast lattice dynamics and thermal diffuse scattering maps in bulk materials (silicon and gallium arsenide). In addition to improved efficiency, our adaptive method can resolve the characteristic rates of different physical processes, thus naturally bridging different timescales. This enables simulations of longer timescales and provides a framework for modeling multiscale dynamics of coupled degrees of freedom in matter. Our work opens new opportunities for quantitative studies of nonequilibrium physics in materials, including driven lattice dynamics with phonons coupled to electrons, spin, and other degrees of freedom.

Yao, Jia [California Institute of Technology (CalT↗

Avoided Level Crossing and Entangled States of Interacting Hydrogen Molecules Detected by the Quantum Superposition Microscope

Pump–probe measurements by ultrashort THz pulses can be used to excite and follow the coherence dynamics in the time domain of single hydrogen molecules (H 2 ) in the junction of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). By tailoring the resonance frequency through the sample bias, we identified two spectral signatures of the interactions among multiple H 2 molecules. First, the avoided level crossing featured by energy gaps ranging from 20 to 80 GHz was observed because of the level repulsion between two H 2 molecules. Second, the tip can sense the signal of H 2 outside the junction through the projective measurement on the H 2 inside the junction, owing to the entangled states created through the interactions. A dipolar-type interaction was integrated into the tunneling two-level system model of H 2 , enabling accurate reproduction of the observed behaviors. Furthermore, our results obtained by the quantum superposition microscope reveal the intricate quantum mechanical interplay among H 2 molecules and additionally provide a 2D platform to investigate unresolved questions of amorphous materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Charge carrier dynamics in two-dimensional hybrid perovskites: Dion–Jacobson vs. Ruddlesden–Popper phases

Two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites are promising materials for environmentally stable next-generation optoelectronic device applications. Besides the widely investigated Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) phases, Dion–Jacobson (DJ) phases are attracting considerable attention due to their rapid emergence as efficient solar cell materials. However, there is very little atomistic understanding of the charge carrier dynamics under ambient conditions for these DJ-phases, limiting the possibilities to tune their optoelectronic performances through compositional engineering routes. In this study, by combining nonadiabatic molecular dynamics with time-domain density functional theory methods at room temperature, we compare the dominant non-radiative carrier recombination and dephasing processes in RP and DJ monolayered lead halide perovskites. Our systematic study demonstrates that performance-limiting nonradiative carrier recombination processes greatly depends on the electron–phonon interactions induced by structural fluctuations and instantaneous charge localization in these materials. The stiffer interlayer packing due to the presence of single spacer dications, which separates the lead iodide slabs, reduces the thermal fluctuations in the DJ-phase to a greater extent than that in the RP-phase 2D-perovskites. Specific electronic coupling between the closely spaced lead iodide layers enhances the delocalization of band-edge charge densities in DJ-phase systems. Compared to the RP-phase, reduced inelastic electron–phonon scattering in DJ-phase perovskites significantly limits intrinsic non-radiative recombination processes. The consequent enhancement in the photogenerated charge carrier lifetime makes DJ-phase perovskites potentially suitable for various optoelectronic devices. The computational insights gained from this study allow us to outline a set of robust design principles for DJ-phase perovskites to strategically tune their optoelectronic properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

EXPANSE: A time-of-flight EXPanded Angle Neutron Spin Echo spectrometer at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source

EXPANSE, an EXPanded Angle Neutron Spin Echo instrument, has been proposed and selected as one of the first suite of instruments to be built at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This instrument is designed to address scientific problems that involve high-energy resolution (neV– μeV) of dynamic processes in a wide range of materials. The wide-angle detector banks of EXPANSE provide coverage of nearly two orders of magnitude in scattering wavenumbers, and the wide wavelength band affords approximately four orders of magnitude in Fourier times. This instrument will offer unique capabilities that are not available in the currently existing neutron scattering instruments in the United States. Specifically, EXPANSE will enable direct measurements of slow dynamics in the time domain over wide Q-ranges simultaneously and will also enable time-resolved spectroscopic studies. The instrument is expected to contribute to a diverse range of science areas, including soft matter, polymers, biological materials, liquids and glasses, energy materials, unconventional magnets, and quantum materials.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Structural basis for p50RhoGAP BCH domain–mediated regulation of Rho inactivation

Significance Small GTPases are binary proteins that rapidly switch between active and inactive states through the actions of GEF- and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), respectively. GAPs play significant roles in cellular signaling, and their dysregulation is linked to numerous cancers. Here, we show that the BNIP-2 and Cdc42GAP Homology (BCH) domain of p50RhoGAP, known to autoinhibit the adjacent GAP domain, adopts an intertwined, dimeric structure with unique RhoA interactions. The β5-strand of the BCH domain plays a crucial role in the autoinhibition of the GAP domain. A mutation in the β5-strand destabilizes this autoinhibition and leads to RhoGAP activation. Our studies on the dynamics of the RhoGAP BCH domain will clarify its potential role in cancer and other diseases.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Controllable Reset Behavior in Domain Wall–Magnetic Tunnel Junction Artificial Neurons for Task-Adaptable Computation

Neuromorphic computing with spintronic devices has been of interest due to the limitations of CMOS-driven von Neumann computing. Domain wall–magnetic tunnel junction (DW-MTJ) devices have been shown to be able to intrinsically capture biological neuron behavior. Edgy-relaxed behavior, where a frequently firing neuron experiences a lower action potential threshold, may provide additional artificial neuronal functionality when executing repeated tasks. In this letter, we demonstrate that this behavior can be implemented in DW-MTJ artificial neurons via three alternative mechanisms: shape anisotropy, magnetic field, and current-driven soft reset. Using micromagnetics and analytical device modeling to classify the Optdigits handwritten digit dataset, we show that edgy-relaxed behavior improves both classification accuracy and classification rate for ordered datasets while sacrificing little to no accuracy for a randomized dataset. This letter establishes methods by which artificial spintronic neurons can be flexibly adapted to datasets.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Frequency-domain terahertz spectroscopy using long-carrier-lifetime photoconductive antennas

We present a telecommunication-compatible frequency-domain terahertz spectroscopy system realized by novel photoconductive antennas without using short-carrier-lifetime photoconductors. Built on a high-mobility InGaAs photoactive layer, these photoconductive antennas are designed with plasmonics-enhanced contact electrodes to achieve highly confined optical generation near the metal/semiconductor surface, which offers ultrafast photocarrier transport and, hence, efficient continuous-wave terahertz operation including both generation and detection. Consequently, using two plasmonic photoconductive antennas as a terahertz source and a terahertz detector, we successfully demonstrate frequency-domain spectroscopy with a dynamic range more than 95 dB and an operation bandwidth of 2.5 THz. Moreover, this novel approach to terahertz antenna design opens up a wide range of new possibilities for many different semiconductors and optical excitation wavelengths to be utilized, therefore bypassing short-carrier-lifetime photoconductors with limited availability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

FY20 Proxy App Suite Release: Report for ECP Proxy App Project Milestone ADCD-504-10

Version 4.0 of the ECP Proxy App Suite is practically unchanged from the previous release. The current set of proxies has proven useful for many aspects of benchmarking and co-design and we see little reason to alter the suite. Although there have been few changes to the ECP suite, the team has been hard at work in other areas. In the area of Machine Learning (ML) we have now created a separate proxy suite dedicated to this scientific applications of ML. The suite includes: miniGAN (Generative Adversarial Networks), miniRL (Reinforcement Learning), CRADL (inline inference), Cosmoflow-Benchmark (Convolutional Neural Network), and MLPerf-DeepCam (Climate Segmentation Benchmark). Section 3 contains more information about these proxies as well as the principles that are guiding the development of the suite. We have surveyed available proxies for several application domains including Computational Fluid Dynamics, Quantum Chemistry, Quantum Computing Simulation, Molecular Dynamics, Monte Carlo Transport, and Density Functional Theory to identify gaps in proxy coverage. Several new proxy apps are either already available or will be released soon to fill these gaps. Section 4 provides full details. Finally, section 5 reports on our continued collaboration with the ECP Continuous Integration (CI) effort to use proxy apps to help identify problems and roadblocks to cross-lab CI. We have also assisted the El Capitan Center of Excellence (COE) to stand up a CI system that will be used to test releases of HPE and AMD software stacks. We hope that the COE effort can serve as a model for ECP by showing how the Proxy App Team can work with AD and ST teams identify critical features, kernels, patterns, etc. and incorporate them into a CI system that will help ensure that Frontier and Aurora will provide those needed capabilities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

AI-Based Faster-Than-Real-Time Stability Assessment of Large Power Systems with Applications on WECC System

Achieving clean energy goals will require significant advances in regard to addressing the computational needs for next-generation renewable-dominated power grids. One critical obstacle that lies in the way of transitioning today’s power grid to a renewable-dominated power grid is the lack of a faster-than-real-time stability assessment technology for operating a fast-changing power grid. This paper proposes an artificial intelligence (AI) -based method that predicts the system’s stability margin information (e.g., the frequency nadir in the frequency stability assessment and the critical clearing time (CCT) value in the transient stability assessment) directly from the system operating conditions without performing the conventional time-consuming time-domain simulations over detailed dynamic models. Since the AI method shifts the majority of the computational burden to offline training, the online evaluation is extremely fast. This paper has tested the AI-based stability assessment method using multiple dispatch cases that are converted and tuned from actual dispatch cases of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system model with more than 20,000 buses. The results show that the AI-based method could accurately predict the stability margin of such a large power system in less than 0.2 milliseconds using the offline-trained AI agent. Therefore, the proposed method has great potential to achieve faster-than-real-time stability assessment for practical large power systems while preserving sufficient accuracy.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

3D Hydrodynamics of Pre-supernova Outbursts in Convective Red Supergiant Envelopes

Eruptive mass loss likely produces the energetic outbursts observed from some massive stars before they become core-collapse supernovae (SNe). The resulting dense circumstellar medium may also cause the subsequent SNe to be observed as Type IIn events. The leading hypothesis of the cause of these outbursts is the response of the envelope of the red supergiant (RSG) progenitor to energy deposition in the months to years prior to collapse. Early theoretical studies of this phenomenon were limited to 1D, leaving the 3D convective RSG structure unaddressed. Using FLASH's hydrodynamic capabilities, we explore the 3D outcomes by constructing convective RSG envelope models and depositing energies less than the envelope binding energies on timescales shorter than the envelope dynamical time deep within them. We confirm the 1D prediction of an outward-moving acoustic pulse steepening into a shock, unbinding the outermost parts of the envelope. However, we find that the initial 2–4 km s -1 convective motions seed the intrinsic convective instability associated with the high-entropy material deep in the envelope, enabling gas from deep within the envelope to escape and increasing the amount of ejected mass compared to an initially "quiescent" envelope. The 3D models reveal a rich density structure, with column densities varying by ≈10× along different lines of sight. Our work highlights that the 3D convective nature of RSG envelopes impacts our ability to reliably predict the outburst dynamics, the amount, and the spatial distribution of the ejected mass associated with deep energy deposition.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Interplay between disorder and collective coherent response: Superradiance and spectral motional narrowing in the time domain

The interplay between static and dynamic disorder and collective optical response in molecular ensembles is an important characteristic of nanoplasmonic and nanophotonic molecular systems. Here we investigate the cooperative superradiant response of a molecular ensemble of quantum emitters under the influence of environmental disorder, including inhomogeneous broadening (as induced by a static random distribution of the molecular transition frequencies) and motional narrowing (as induced by stochastic modulation of these excitation energies). The effect of inhomogeneous broadening is to destroy the coherence of the collective molecular excitation and suppress superradiant emission. However, fast stochastic modulation of the molecular excitation energy can effectively restore the coherence of the quantum emitters and lead to a recovery of superradiant emission, which is an unexpected manifestation of motional narrowing. For a light-scattering process as induced by an off-resonant incident pulse, stochastic modulation leads to inelastic fluorescence emission at the average excitation energy at long times and suggests that dynamic disorder effects can actually lead to collective excitation of the molecular ensemble.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗