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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy Using Microcalorimeters

During the past 13 years high resolution X ray spectrometers have been developed that use cryogenically cooled microcalorimeters. These devices have inherently high signal-to-noise by operating at temperatures below 0.1 K and can achieve an energy resolution of < 10 eV over the 0.1-10 keV band. Existing devices use doped semiconductor thermometers and typically employ HgTe absorbers. The energy resolution depends on achieving a low heat capacity for the device. For soft X ray applications a relatively thin absorber (approximately 1 micrometer) may be used and an energy resolution of approximately 7 eV has been achieved. For applications up to approximately 10 keV an absorber thickness of approximately 10 micrometer is required and the energy resolution is typically approximately 12 eV. Improvements to the energy resolution in this energy band could be achieved if the problems of thermalizing X rays in low heat capacity superconductors can be overcome. The recent work on transition edge thermometers by Irwin et nl. looks particularly promising because of the higher sensitivity achievable from a sharp superconducting transition. The relatively low impedance of such a device permits the use of a low noise SQUID amplifier for readout. This would also significantly reduce the cryogen heat load compared with JFETs required by higher impedance semiconductor thermometers.

Kelley, R. L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Correlated Hofstadter spectrum and flavour phase diagram in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

In magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, the moiré superlattice potential gives rise to narrow electronic bands that support a multitude of many-body quantum phases. Further richness arises in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field, where the interplay between moiré and magnetic length scales leads to fractal Hofstadter subbands. In this strongly correlated Hofstadter platform, multiple experiments have identified gapped topological and correlated states, but little is known about the phase transitions between them in the intervening compressible regimes. Here we simultaneously unveil sequences of broken-symmetry Chern insulators and resolve sharp phase transitions between competing states with different topological quantum numbers and different occupations of the spin-valley flavour. Our measurements determine the energy spectrum of interacting Hofstadter subbands in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene and map out the phase diagram of flavour occupancy. In addition, we observe full lifting of the degeneracy of the zeroth Landau levels together with level crossings, indicating moiré valley splitting. We propose a unified flavour polarization mechanism to understand the intricate interplay of topology, interactions and symmetry breaking as a function of density and applied magnetic field in this system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Single-Grain Bulk YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} Superconductor Grown in Shorter Duration by IG Process

The top-seeded infiltration growth (IG) process is considered to be an attractive, well-established route compared to melt growth (MG) process due to its successful ability to resolve observed problems in MG process such as pores, shrinkage, and an ununiformed Y{sub 2}BaCuO{sub 5} (Y-211) secondary phase particle dispersion in Y-123 matrix. This is among the first accounts of superconductivity where a large grain YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} (Y-123) was produced by IG process. Further, by utilizing homemade Y-123 and Y-211, we had prepared YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} samples via Y-123 + liquid (1:1) as a liquid source and had further characterized by utilizing the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}), and critical current density (J{sub c}) at 77 K. Here, we provide temperature dependence of magnetization measurements that indicated a sharp superconducting transition with T{sub c} (onset) around 92 K. In addition, the critical current density was calculated on the basis of Bean’s model and resulted as 30,000 A/cm{sup 2} at 77 K (self-field), H//c-axis. Trapped field experiments had lucidly indicated that single-grain nature with maximum-trapped field of 0.3 T at 77 K and 1 mm above sample surface even samples are produced shorter duration, i.e., 50 h.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2023

Stratigraphic Change from Ca-Sulfate to Mg-Sulfate in the Sedimentary Bedrock of Gale Crater, Mars: Recent Results from Curiosity’s APXS

Curiosity’s APXS instrument has been quantifying sulfates over >30 km of traverse in Gale crater. The rover recently arrived at sedimentary strata where orbital data predicted hydrated Mg-sulfates that may record a change to a drier paleoenvironment. The sequence of strata is in the Marker Band Valley (MBV), the ~10-m-thick, metal-rich Marker Band (MB), and strata above the MB. Here, we report recent sulfate observations by the APXS and provide constraints on the occurrence of Mg-sulfate and the implications for paleoenvironment interpretations. In sedimentary strata below the MBV, Mg-sulfate enrichment (~5-10 wt%) is generally limited to larger diagenetic nodules (~1-3 cm). Ca is positively correlated with S at proportions consistent with Ca-sulfate addition to the bedrock matrix. S variation is thus controlled primarily by Ca-sulfate, which increases ~30% in transitional units below the MBV. The MBV contains the first evidence of Mg-sulfate enrichment in the bedrock matrix, confirmed by the detection of crystalline Mg-sulfate by CheMin. The MBV bedrock has the same overall bulk composition as the underlying Mt. Sharp gp. strata, but with an additional ~5-15 wt% Mg-sulfate. The MB has contrasting sulfate content: (1) targets with very high concentrations of MnO (1.5 wt%), FeO (47 wt%), and Zn (2.2 wt%) are depleted in S and (2) targets with lower metal content have evidence of Mg-sulfate addition. Strata above the MB have a bulk composition that is distinct from other rocks in Gale. For example, the bedrock has molar Fe/Mn (50-60) and Cr/Ti (0.4-0.7) similar to basaltic soil, but ~3X higher Zn and high Ge (50 ppm). Median SO3 above the MB (15 wt%) is higher than the MBV (14 wt%) as well as strata below the MBV (~8 wt%). S does not correlate with Ca or Mg above the MBV. MgO (~9 wt%) is higher than below the MBV (~5 wt%) and the SO3/MgO (1.7) is in the same range as the Mg-sulfate-bearing MBV, suggesting Mg-sulfate enrichment. APXS data indicate that the MBV and above the MB preserve a relatively sharp vertical transition (~5-10 m) from Ca-sulfate to Mg-sulfate in the rock matrix. The sharp contacts with the sulfate-depleted MB and the notable change in bulk composition above the MB may indicate a complex depositional and/or diagenetic history under conditions where enrichments in the highly soluble Mg-sulfates were ultimately preserved.

Jeffrey Allan Berger↗
DOE OSTI2019

Insulator–metal transition induced by electric voltage in a ruthenate Mott insulator

We report the observation of electric-voltage induced insulator–metal phase transition in a ruthenate Mott insulator Ca 3 (Ru 0.9 Ti 0.1 ) 2 O 7 . We show that the electric field effect dominates and leads to a sharp phase transition at measurement temperatures far below the Mott transition, whereas the thermal effect becomes more significant and broadens the phase transition as the measurement temperature approaches the insulator–metal transition. Here, the electric field induced insulator–metal transition is presumably attributed to the avalanche breakdown of the correlated insulating state when driven out of equilibrium. This work highlights the strategy of using electric voltage to control the phase transition of this system in addition to other nonthermal parameters such as magnetic field and pressure reported previously.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1989

Cyclic behavior at quasi-parallel collisionless shocks

Large scale one-dimensional hybrid simulations with resistive electrons have been carried out of a quasi-parallel high-Mach-number collisionless shock. The shock initially appears stable, but then exhibits cyclic behavior. For the magnetic field, the cycle consists of a period when the transition from upstream to downstream is steep and well defined, followed by a period when the shock transition is extended and perturbed. This cyclic shock solution results from upstream perturbations caused by backstreaming gyrating ions convecting into the shock. The cyclic reformation of a sharp shock transition can allow ions, at one time upstream because of reflection or leakage, to contribute to the shock thermalization.

Burgess, D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ferroelectricity and superconductivity in strained Eu x Sr 1 – x TiO 3 films

The superconducting transition of SrTiO 3 can be influenced by tuning its ferroelectric transition, but the underlying reasons remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate compressively strained, Sm-doped films of Eu x Sr 1-x TiO 3 that were grown by molecular beam epitaxy to determine the effect of alloying with Eu on both superconductivity and ferroelectricity, both of which are present in strained SrTiO 3 films. Remarkably, superconductivity survives up to x = 0.14. Films at the lowest alloy concentration studied here, x = 0.09, exhibit no suppression of their superconducting transition temperature, but a strong reduction of the upper critical field (H c2 ), compared to non-alloyed, strained SrTiO 3 films. In addition, these films lack the sharp ferroelectric transition that appears in films without Eu in second harmonic generation measurements. Here, we postulate that Eu-alloying causes a crossover from a globally ordered ferroelectric state to one with only short-range polar order. We discuss the connection between the loss of global polar order and the change in the superconducting properties.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Cooling Dynamics Through Transition Temperature of Niobium SRF Cavities Captured by Temperature Mapping

Cool-down dynamics of superconducting accelerating cavities became particularly important for obtaining very high quality factors in SRF cavities. Previous studies proved that when cavity is cooled fast, the quality factor is higher than when cavity is cooled slowly. This has been discovered to derive from the fact that a fast cool-down allows better magnetic field expulsion during the superconducting transition. In this paper we describe the first experiment where the temperature all around the cavity was mapped during the cavity cool-down through transition temperature, proving the existence of two different transition dynamics: a sharp superconducting-normal conducting transition during fast cool-down which favors flux expulsion and nucleation phase transition during slow cool-down, which leads to full flux trapping.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Heteroepitaxial VO{sub 2} thin films on GaN: Structure and metal-insulator transition characteristics

Monolithic integration of correlated oxide and nitride semiconductors may open up new opportunities in solid-state electronics and opto-electronics that combine desirable functional properties of both classes of materials. Here, we report on epitaxial growth and phase transition-related electrical properties of vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}) thin films on GaN epitaxial layers on c-sapphire. The epitaxial relation is determined to be (010){sub vo{sub 2}} parallel (0001){sub GaN} parallel (0001){sub A1{sub 2O{sub 3}}} and [100]{sub vo{sub 2}} parallel [1210]{sub GaN} parallel [0110]{sub A1{sub 2O{sub 3}}} from x-ray diffraction. VO{sub 2} heteroepitaxial growth and lattice mismatch are analyzed by comparing the GaN basal plane (0001) with the almost close packed corrugated oxygen plane in vanadium dioxide and an experimental stereographic projection describing the orientation relationship is established. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests a slightly oxygen rich composition at the surface, while Raman scattering measurements suggests that the quality of GaN layer is not significantly degraded by the high-temperature deposition of VO{sub 2}. Electrical characterization of VO{sub 2} films on GaN indicates that the resistance changes by about four orders of magnitude upon heating, similar to epitaxial VO{sub 2} films grown directly on c-sapphire. It is shown that the metal-insulator transition could also be voltage-triggered at room temperature and the transition threshold voltage scaling variation with temperature is analyzed in the framework of a current-driven Joule heating model. The ability to synthesize high quality correlated oxide films on GaN with sharp phase transition could enable new directions in semiconductor-photonic integrated devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Reduction in anti-ferromagnetic interactions in ion-beam deposited Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films

Phase pure Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films of thickness {approx}42 nm have been prepared on the Si(100) substrate by reactive ion beam sputtering in the growth temperature range of 150-250 deg. C. A high degree of phase purity in the 175 deg. C sample has been confirmed by the XRD, Raman shift, and R-T measurements. The polycrystalline films show a sharp Verway transition as supported by temperature dependent resistivity, AC susceptibility, and coercivity behavior. The significant feature of these films is the early saturation of their room temperature magnetization at {approx}400 mT, indicating the presence of low anti-ferromagnetic competitions in sharp contrast to most of the previous reports. The noticeable reduction of anti-phase boundaries and its dependence on growth temperature has been correlated with the energetic ion-beam deposition process, and explained in terms of the of ionic vacancy migration approach of Eerenstein et al.[Phys. Rev. B 68, 014428 (2003)]. The electronic conduction of these films is governed by near-neighbor hopping above 240 K and Shklovskii-Efros variable range hopping below this transition temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structural transition of nanogel star polymers with pH by controlling PEGMA interactions with acid or base copolymers

We use small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to characterise a class of star diblock polymers with a nanogel core on which the outer block arms are comprised of random copolymers of temperature sensitive PEGMA with pH sensitive basic (PDMAEMA) and acidic (PMAA) monomers. The acquired SAXS data show that many of the nanogel star polymers undergo a sharp structural transition over a narrow range of pH, but with unexpectedly large shifts in the apparent pKa with respect to that of the acidic or basic monomer unit, the linear polymer form or even an alternate star polymer with a tightly cross-linked core chemistry. We have demonstrated a distinct and quantifiable structural response for the nanogel star copolymers by altering the core or by pairing the monomers PDMAEMA–PEGMA and PMAA–PEGMA to achieve structural transitions that have typically been observed in stars through changes in arm length and number.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extrinsic and intrinsic properties in metal–insulator transition of hydrothermally prepared vanadium dioxide crystals

The clear insulator (monoclinic-VO{sub 2}) to metal (rutile-VO{sub 2}) transition (IMT) was observed in electrical conductivity and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements at around 340 K, which is IMT temperature (T{sub H}), in the hydrothermally prepared VO{sub 2} crystals. The occurrence of metal to insulator transition (MIT) temperature (T{sub C}) was observed below 333 K during the first resistance measurement cycle in the most of cases. The sudden jump of the electrical resistance at IMT and MIT points was amplified several times than that of the first cycle during the repeated successive thermal cycles (heating and cooling across the IMT and MIT temperatures). T{sub C} and T{sub H} shifted to higher temperature by the repeated successive thermal cycles. This shift and the amplified jump might be related to the mechanical stress between the VO{sub 2} crystals, i.e. extrinsic properties. However, the starting point of MIT, T{sub CS} = ∼ 336 K, and the starting point of IMT, T{sub HS} = ∼ 338 K, kept almost constant during the repeated thermal cycles (< 10 times). These two temperatures may be related to the intrinsic properties of the VO{sub 2}: the phase transitions initiated at these temperatures regardless of the number of the repeated thermal cycles. The neat surface of the VO{sub 2} crystals was severely damaged and the average size of particles reduced from 110 nm to 70–90 nm after extensively repeated thermal cycles (> 70 times). The damaged surface and the smaller particles, which would be originated from the mechanical stress caused by crystal volume change during the first order transition of the VO{sub 2}, would weaken the electrical conduction path (loosen grain boundaries) between the VO{sub 2} single crystals and would result in the amplified jump at the following MIT. This report may boost the study for the improved stability and lifetime of the VO{sub 2} based electronic devices. - Highlights: • The sharp phase transition in cluster of VO{sub 2} crystals depends on repeated thermal cycles. • Two intrinsic and two extrinsic temperatures are observed during the phase transition. • The mechanical stress change and surface damage may cause the extrinsic properties in transport measurement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comprehensive scenario for single-crystal growth and doping dependence of resistivity and anisotropic upper critical fields in (Ba1-xKx)Fe2As2 (0.22 <= X <= 1)

Large high-quality single crystals of hole-doped iron-based superconductor (Ba1-xKx)Fe2As2 were grown over a broad composition range 0.22 <= x <= 1 by inverted temperature gradient method. We found that high soaking temperature, fast cooling rate, and an adjusted temperature window of the growth are necessary to obtain single crystals of heavily K-doped crystals (0.65 <= x <= 0.92) with narrow compositional distributions as revealed by sharp superconducting transitions in magnetization measurements and close to 100% superconducting volume fraction. The crystals were extensively characterized by x-ray and compositional analysis, revealing monotonic evolution of the c-axis crystal lattice parameter with K substitution. Quantitative measurements of the temperature-dependent in-plane resistivity rho(T) found doping-independent, constant within error bars, resistivity at room temperature, rho(300 K), in sharp contrast with the significant doping dependence in electron and isovalent substituted BaFe2As2 based compositions. The shape of the temperature-dependent resistivity, rho(T), shows systematic doping-evolution, being close to T-2 in overdoped and revealing significant contribution of the T-linear component at optimum doping. The slope of the upper critical field, d H-c2/dT, scales linearly with T-c for both H parallel to c, H-c2,(c), and H parallel to ab, H-c2,H-ab. The anisotropy of the upper critical field. equivalent to Hc(2,ab)/H-c2,H-c determined near zero-field T-c increases from similar to 2 to 4-5 with increasing K doping level from optimal x similar to 0.4 to strongly overdoped x = 1.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Signatures of low-dimensional magnetism and short-range spin fluctuations in Co-based trirutiles

Features of low dimensional magnetism resulting from a square-net arrangement of Co atoms in trirutile CoTa2O6 is studied in the present work by means of density functional theory and is compared with the experimental results of specific heat and neutron diffraction. The small total energy differences between the ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) configuration of CoTa2O6 shows that competing magnetic ground states exist, with the possibility of transition from FM to AFM phase at low temperature. Our calculation further suggests the semi-conducting behavior for CoTa2O6 with a band gap of ~0.41 eV. The calculated magnetic anisotropy energy is ~2.5 meV with its easy axis along the [100] (in-plane) direction. Studying the evolution of magnetism in Co1-xMgxTa2O6 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1). it is found that the sharp AFM transition exhibited by CoTa2O6 at TN = 6.2 K in it’s heat capacity vanishes with Mg-dilution, indicating the obvious effect of weakening the superexchange pathways of Co. The current specific heat study reveals the robust nature of TN for CoTa2O6 in applied magnetic fields. Clear indication of short-range magnetism is obtained from the magnetic entropy, however, diffuse components are absent in neutron diffraction data. At TN , CoTa2O6 enters a long-range ordered magnetic state which can be described using a propagation vector, ( 1 1 0). Upon Mg-dilution at x =0.1, the long-range ordered magnetism is destroyed. The present results should motivate an investigation of magnetic excitations in this low-dimensional anisotropic magnet.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nonequilibrium gas-liquid transition in the driven-dissipative photonic lattice

In this work, we study the nonequilibrium steady state of the driven-dissipative Bose-Hubbard model with Kerr nonlinearity. Employing a mean-field decoupling for the intercavity hopping J, we find that the steep crossover between low and high photon-density states inherited from the single cavity transforms into a gas–liquid bistability at large cavity-coupling J. We formulate a van der Waals–like gas–liquid phenomenology for this nonequilibrium setting and determine the relevant phase diagrams, including a new type of diagram where a lobe-shaped boundary separates smooth crossovers from sharp, hysteretic transitions. Calculating quantum trajectories for a one-dimensional system, we provide insights into the microscopic origin of the bistability.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spectroscopic evidence for the Fe3+ spin transition in iron-bearing δ-AlOOH at high pressure

δ-AlOOH has emerged as a promising candidate for water storage in the lower mantle and could have delivered water into the bottom of the mantle. To date, it still remains unclear how the presence of iron affects its elastic, rheological, vibrational, and transport properties, especially across the spin crossover. In this study, we conducted high-pressure X-ray emission spectroscopy experiments on a δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 ) OOH sample up to 53 GPa using silicone oil as the pressure transmitting medium in a diamond-anvil cell. We also carried out laser Raman measurements on δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 )OOH and δ-(Al 0.52 Fe 0.48 )OOH up to 57 and 62 GPa, respectively, using neon as the pressure-transmitting medium. Evolution of Raman spectra of δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 )OOH with pressure shows two new bands at 226 and 632 cm –1 at 6.0 GPa, in agreement with the transition from an ordered ( P 2 1 nm ) to a disordered hydrogen bonding structure ( Pnnm ) for δ-AlOOH. Similarly, the two new Raman bands at 155 and 539 cm –1 appear in δ-(Al 0.52 Fe 0.48 )OOH between 8.5 and 15.8 GPa, indicating that the incorporation of 48 mol% FeOOH could postpone the order-disorder transition upon compression. On the other hand, the satellite peak ( K β') intensity of δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 )OOH starts to decrease at ~30 GPa and it disappears completely at 42 GPa. That is, δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 )OOH undergoes a gradual electronic spin-pairing transition at 30–42 GPa. Furthermore, the pressure dependence of Raman shifts of δ-(Al 0.85 Fe 0.15 )OOH discontinuously decreases at 32–37 GPa, suggesting that the improved hydrostaticity by the use of neon pressure medium could lead to a relatively narrow spin crossover. Notably, the pressure dependence of Raman shifts and optical color of δ-(Al 0.52 Fe 0.48 )OOH dramatically change at 41–45 GPa, suggesting that it probably undergoes a relatively sharp spin transition in the neon pressure medium. Together with literature data on the solid solutions between δ-AlOOH and ε-FeOOH, we found that the onset pressure of the spin transition in δ-(Al,Fe)OOH increases with increasing FeOOH content. These results shed new insights into the effects of iron on the structural evolution and vibrational properties of δ-AlOOH. The presence of FeOOH in δ-AlOOH can substantially influence its high-pressure behavior and stability at the deep mantle conditions and play an important role in the deep-water cycle

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Synthesis and Characterization of MoNb Films Superconducting at 100-200 mK

We have developed a new transition-edge sensor material with critical temperature (T-c) in the range 100-200 mK. The new material is a solid solution of two superconducting components, MoxNb1-x, co-sputtered from two high-purity single-component targets (Mo and Nb). The T-c has a minimum (dT(c)/dx = 0) at an intermediate concentration of the components. We have optimized the deposition parameters and composition to provide films with a sharp superconducting transition at ~ 150 mK. We investigated structural features of the films and surface morphology using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy. The XRD measurements indicate that the grown films are polycrystalline, with a preferred orientation along the (110) crystal direction and a clear correlation between superconducting properties and film microstructure.

superconducting alloys↗