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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 217 records · Page 12

Entanglement entropy of a color flux tube in (2+1)D Yang-Mills theory

We construct a novel flux tube entanglement entropy (FTE 2 ), defined as the excess entanglement entropy relative to the vacuum of a region of color flux stretching between a heavy quark-anti-quark pair in pure gauge Yang-Mills theory. We show that FTE 2 can be expressed in terms of correlators of Polyakov loops, is manifestly gauge-invariant, and therefore free of the ambiguities in computations of the entanglement entropy in gauge theories related to the choice of the center algebra. Employing the replica trick, we compute FTE 2 for SU(2) Yang-Mills theory in (2+1)D and demonstrate that it is finite in the continuum limit. We explore the properties of FTE 2 for a half-slab geometry, which allows us to vary the width and location of the slab, and the extent to which the slab cross-cuts the color flux tube. Following the intuition provided by computations of FTE 2 in (1+1)D, and in a thin string model, we examine the extent to which our FTE 2 results can be interpreted as the sum of an internal color entropy and a vibrational entropy corresponding to the transverse excitations of the string.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Higher order cumulants of net baryon-number distributions at non-zero μ

Using recent results on higher order cumulants of conserved charge fluctuations from lattice QCD, we construct mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, hyper-skewness and hyper-kurtosis of net-baryon number distributions for small baryon chemical potentials μ B . For the strangeness neutral case ( μ S = 0) at fixed ratio of electric charge to baryon number density ( n Q n B = 0.4 ), which is appropriate for a comparison with heavy ion collisions, we present results for κ B σ 2 B , S B σ 3 B / M B , κ H B σ 4 B and S H B σ 5 B / M B on the crossover line for the chiral transition, T pc ( μ B ). Furthermore, continuum extrapolations for this pseudo-critical transition line have recently been reported by HotQCD up to baryon chemical potentials μ B ≃ 300 MeV [A. Bazavov, et al., Chiral crossover in QCD at zero and non-zero chemical potentials, Phys. Lett. B 795 (2019) 15–21. arXiv:1812.08235 .]. These cumulant ratios are of direct relevance for comparisons with corresponding ratios measured by STAR in the BES-I and II runs at beam energies s NN ≥ 20 GeV . In particular, we point out that recent high statistics results on skewness and kurtosis of net-baryon number distributions obtained by STAR at s NN = 54.4 GeV put strong constraints on freeze-out parameters and are consistent with predictions from thermal QCD.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Ab initio investigation of the Li 7 ( p , e + e - ) Be 8 process and the X17 boson

Observations of anomalies in the electron-positron angular correlations in high-energy decays in 4 He, 8 Be, and 12 C have been reported recently by the ATOMKI collaboration. These could be explained by the creation and subsequent decay of a new boson with a mass of ≈ 17MeV. Theoretical understanding of pair creation in the proton capture reactions used in these experiments is important for the interpretation of the anomalies. We apply the ab initio no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) to the proton capture on 7 Li. The NCSMC describes both bound and unbound states in light nuclei in a unified way with chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions as the only input. We investigate the structure of 8 Be, the p+ 7 Li elastic scattering, the 7 Li(p,y)⁢ 8 Be cross section, and the internal pair creation 7 Li ⁢(p,e + ⁢e - ) 8 Be. Here we discuss the impact of a proper treatment of the initial scattering state on the electron-positron angular correlation spectrum and compare our results to available ATOMKI data sets. Finally, we calculate 7 Li ⁢(p,X)⁢ 8 Be cross sections for several proposed models of the hypothetical X17 particle.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Observation of the near-threshold intruder 0 – resonance in 12 Be

A resonant state at $3.21^{+0.12}_{–0.04}$ MeV, located just above the one-neutron separation threshold, was observed for the first time in 12 Be from the 11 Be(d,p) 12 Be one-neutron transfer reaction in inverse kinematics. This state is assigned a spin-parity of 0 – according to the systematics of the level scheme of the N=8 isotones and decay-width analysis. Gamow coupled-channel and Gamow shell-model calculations show the importance of the continuum coupling, which dramatically influences the excitation energy and ordering of low-lying states. Various exotic structures associated with cross-shell intruding configurations in 12 Be and in its isotonic nucleus 11 Li are comparably discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Cross Sections for Coherent Elastic and Inelastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

The prospects of extracting new physics signals in coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering (CEνNS) processes are limited by the precision with which the underlying nuclear structure physics, embedded in the weak nuclear form factor, is known. We present calculations of charge and weak nuclear form factors and CEνNS cross sections on 12C, 16O, 40Ar, 56Fe and 208Pb nuclei. We obtain the proton and neutron densities, and charge and weak form factors by solving Hartree–Fock (HF) equations with a Skyrme (SkE2) nuclear potential. We validate our approach by comparing 208Pb and 40Ar charge form factor predictions with available elastic electron scattering data. Since CEνNS experiments at stopped-pion sources are also well suited to measure inelastic charged–current and neutral–current neutrino–nucleus cross sections, we also present calculations for these processes, incorporating a continuum Random Phase Approximation (CRPA) description on top of the HF–SkE2 picture of the nucleus. Providing both coherent as well as inelastic cross sections in a consistent framework, we aim at obtaining a reliable and detailed comparison of the strength of these processes in the energy region below 100 MeV. Furthermore, we attempt to gauge the level of theoretical uncertainty pertaining to the description of the 40Ar form factor and CEνNS cross sections by comparing relative differences between recent microscopic nuclear theory and widely-used phenomenological form factor predictions. Future precision measurements of CEνNS will potentially help in constraining these nuclear structure details that will in turn improve prospects of extracting new physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Optimized continuum x-ray emission from laser-generated plasma

We study continuum x-ray emission from hot plasma at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). We find that the x-ray yield in the multi-keV photon energy range is larger in Ti than in Ag or Au. This apparent paradox is due to Ti K-shell vacancies generated by the extraordinary energy density achieved by the NIF lasers. This is supported by direct observations of large continuum enhancement above the Ti K-series limit due to both free–bound (recombination) emission and strong Ly α (H-like) emission. Detailed calculations agree well with our measurements and support our conclusions. <!--/abstract content--><!--fulltext content--> X-ray emission from matter pervades the universe and plays an important role in the high-energy density (HED) regime (~10 5 J/cm 3 ). For example, the emission and absorption of x-rays controls the thermal state and evolution of stellar interiors.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Lattice QCD constraints on the critical point from an improved precision equation of state

In this paper we employ lattice simulations to search for the critical point of QCD. We search for the onset of a first-order QCD transition on the phase diagram by following contours of constant entropy density from imaginary to real chemical potentials under conditions of strangeness neutrality. We scan the phase diagram and investigate whether these contours meet to determine the probability that the critical point is located in a certain region on the 𝑇−𝜇 𝐵 plane. To achieve this we introduce a new, continuum extrapolated equation of state at zero density with improved precision using lattices with 𝑁 𝜏 =8, 10, 12, 16 time slices, and supplement it with new data at imaginary chemical potential. The current precision allows us to exclude, at the 2⁢𝜎 level, the existence of a critical point at 𝜇 𝐵 <450 MeV.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Search for an s -wave resonance in Li 7 just above the proton-decay threshold

Near-threshold resonances play an important role in nucleosynthesis and applied nuclear science. The study of nuclei removed from stability has greatly extended the list of resonances close to decay thresholds. The no core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) recently predicted an s-wave resonance just above the proton-decay threshold of 7 Li at an excitation energy of 10.2 MeV. This potential case of a near-threshold resonance is dependent on the quantum mechanics of the p + 6 He fragments extended into the continuum. Further, the 6 He(d,n) 7 Li* reaction was employed in an attempt to populate this resonance and search for its proton decay via the invariant-mass method. No evidence of this resonance was found. However, the data collected in this search led to better constraints on the energy and width of the isobaric analog state (IAS) with (J π ,T) = (3/2 - , 3/2) and revealed a new weak resonance just above the IAS in energy, predicted by the NCSMC as a (J π , T ) = (3/2 – , 1/2) state and potentially a part of the antianalog structure.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Lattice B -field correlators for heavy quarks

We analyze the color-magnetic (or “ B ”) field two-point function that encodes the finite-mass correction to the heavy-quark momentum-diffusion coefficient. The simulations are done on fine isotropic lattices in the quenched approximation at 1.5 T c , using a range of gradient flow times for noise suppression and operator renormalization. The continuum extrapolation is performed at fixed flow time followed by a second extrapolation to zero flow time. Perturbative calculations to next-to-leading order of this correlation function, matching gradient-flowed correlators to MS ¯ , are used to resolve nontrivial renormalization issues. We perform a spectral reconstruction based on perturbative model fits to estimate the coefficient κ B of the finite-mass correction to the heavy-quark momentum-diffusion coefficient. The approach we present here yields high-precision data for the correlator with all renormalization issues incorporated at next-to-leading order and is also applicable for actions with dynamical fermions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Using spin alignment of inelastically excited nuclei in fast beams to assign spins: The spectroscopy of 13 O as a test case

Excited states in O 13 were investigated using inelastic scattering of an E / A = 69.5 MeV O 13 beam off of a Be 9 target. The excited states were identified in the invariant-mass spectra of the decay products. Both single-proton and sequential two-proton decays of the excited states were examined. Furthermore, for a number of the excited states, the protons were emitted with strong anisotropy where emissions transverse to the beam axis are favored. The measured proton-decay angular distributions were compared to predictions from distorted-wave Born-approximation calculations of the spin alignment which was shown to be largely independent of the excitation mechanism. The deduced O 13 level scheme is compared to ab initio no-core shell model with continuum predictions. The lowest-energy excited states decay isotropically consistent with predictions of strong proton 1 s 1 / 2 structure. Above these states in the level scheme, we observed a number of higher-spin states not predicted within the model. Possibly these are associated with rotational bands built on deformed cluster configurations predicted by antisymmetrized molecular dynamics calculations. The spin alignment mechanism is shown to be useful for making spin assignments and may have widespread use.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Quantum state preparation with resolution refinement

We introduce a method called resolution refinement that allows one to bootstrap eigenstate preparation on a quantum computer. We first prepare an eigenstate of a low-resolution Hamiltonian using any method of choice. The eigenstate is then lifted to higher resolution and adiabatically evolved to produce the corresponding eigenstate of a higher-fidelity Hamiltonian. We give examples of resolution refinement applied to both single-particle basis states as well as a spatial lattice grid. For basis refinement, we compute few-body ground states of the Busch model for interacting particles in a harmonic trap in one dimension. For lattice refinement, we compute Hartree-Fock nuclear states for a central Woods-Saxon potential in three dimensions, and we compute bound states and continuum states in a multi-species Hubbard model of fermions in one dimension. In all cases, the method is efficient and requires an adiabatic evolution time that scales with the inverse of the energy gap times the square root of the system size. We show that this very favorable scaling arises from the fact that resolution refinement does not make large changes to the structure or energies of the low-energy eigenstates.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Locating the QCD critical point through contours of constant entropy density

We propose a new method to investigate the existence and location of the conjectured high-temperature critical point of strongly interacting matter via contours of constant entropy density. By approximating these lines as a power series in the baryon chemical potential 𝜇 𝐵 , one can extrapolate them from first-principle results at zero net-baryon density, and use them to locate the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point, including the associated first-order and spinodal lines. As a proof of principle, we employ currently available continuum-extrapolated lattice data from the Wuppertal-Budapest collaboration to find a critical point at a temperature and a baryon chemical potential of 𝑇 𝑐 = 114.3 ± 6.9 MeV and 𝜇 𝐵,𝑐 = 602.1 ± 62.1 MeV, respectively, at expansion order 𝒪⁡(𝜇$^{2}_{𝐵}$). We advocate for a more precise determination of the required expansion coefficients via lattice QCD simulations as a means of pinpointing the location of the critical endpoint in the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Insights into the possible existence of a soft dipole mode in He 8

With an extreme neutron-to-proton ratio of N/Z = 3, 8 He provides an ideal laboratory for the study of a variety of exotic phenomena, such as the emergence of a soft dipole mode that is dominated by transitions into the continuum. In this contribution, a covariant density-functional theory (DFT) framework is used to compute ground-state properties and the dipole response of 8 He. Although 8 He is admittedly too light for DFT to be applicable, the great merit of the approach is that the spurious contamination associated with the center-of-mass motion is guaranteed to decouple from the physical response. Given that a strong mixing between the isoscalar and isovector dipole modes is expected for a system with such a large neutron-proton asymmetry as 8 He, the narrow structures that emerged at low energies in the isovector dipole response are attributed to the shift of the spurious strength to zero (or near zero) excitation energy. Furthermore, the theoretical framework implemented here disfavors the emergence of a soft dipole mode in 8 He.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

Neutron-rich calcium isotopes within realistic Gamow shell model calculations with continuum coupling

Based on the realistic nuclear force of the high-precision CD-Bonn potential, we have performed comprehensive calculations for neutron-rich calcium isotopes using the Gamow shell model (GSM) which includes resonance and continuum. The realistic GSM calculations produce well binding energies, one- and two-neutron separation energies, predicting that 57 Ca is the heaviest bound odd isotope and 70 Ca is the dripline nucleus. Resonant states are predicted, which provides useful information for future experiments on particle emissions in neutron-rich calcium isotopes. Shell evolutions in the calcium chain around neutron numbers $\textit{N}$ = 32, 34, and 40 are understood by calculating effective single-particle energies, the excitation energies of the first 2 + states and two-neutron separation energies. The calculations support shell closures at 52 Ca ($\textit{N}$ = 32) and 54 Ca ($\textit{N}$ = 34) but show a weakening of shell closure at 60 Ca ($\textit{N}$ = 40). Finally, the possible shell closure at 70 Ca ($\textit{N}$ = 50) is predicted.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

The Chemical Inventory of the Planet-hosting Disk PDS 70

As host to two accreting planets, PDS 70 provides a unique opportunity to probe the chemical complexity of atmosphere-forming material. We present ALMA Band 6 observations of the PDS 70 disk and report the first chemical inventory of the system. With a spatial resolution of 0."4–0."5 (~50 au), 12 species are detected, including CO isotopologs and formaldehyde, small hydrocarbons, HCN and HCO{sup +} isotopologs, and S-bearing molecules. SO and CH{sub 3}OH are not detected. All lines show a large cavity at the center of the disk, indicative of the deep gap carved by the massive planets. The radial profiles of the line emission are compared to the (sub)millimeter continuum and infrared scattered light intensity profiles. Different molecular transitions peak at different radii, revealing the complex interplay between density, temperature, and chemistry in setting molecular abundances. Column densities and optical depth profiles are derived for all detected molecules, and upper limits obtained for the nondetections. Excitation temperature is obtained for H{sub 2}CO. Deuteration and nitrogen fractionation profiles from the hydrocyanide lines show radially increasing fractionation levels. Comparison of the disk chemical inventory to grids of chemical models from the literature strongly suggests a disk molecular layer hosting a carbon-to-oxygen ratio C/O > 1, thus providing for the first time compelling evidence of planets actively accreting high C/O ratio gas at present time.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Eigenstate thermalization in ( 2 + 1 )-dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge theory

We present preliminary numerical evidence for the hypothesis that the Hamiltonian SU(2) gauge theory discretized on a lattice obeys the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH). To do so we study three approximations: (a) a linear plaquette chain in a reduced Hilbert space limiting the electric field basis to j = 0 , 1 2 , (b) a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice with periodic or closed boundary condition and the same Hilbert space constraint, and (c) a chain of only three plaquettes but such a sufficiently large electric field Hilbert space ( j ≤ 7 2 ) that convergence of all energy eigenvalues in the analyzed energy window is observed. While an unconstrained Hilbert space is required to reach the continuum limit of SU(2) gauge theory, numerical resource constraints do not permit us to realize this requirement for all values of the coupling constant and large lattices. In each of the three studied cases we check first for random matrix theory (RMT) behavior in the eigenenergy spectrum and then analyze the diagonal as well as the off-diagonal matrix elements between energy eigenstates for a few operators. Within current uncertainties all results for (a), (b) and (c) agree with ETH predictions. Furthermore, we find the off-diagonal matrix elements of the electric energy operator exhibit RMT behavior in frequency windows that are small enough in (b) and (c). To unambiguously establish ETH behavior and determine for which class of operators it applies, an extension of our investigations is necessary. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 from Möbius domain-wall fermions solved on gradient-flowed HISQ ensembles

We report the results of a lattice quantum chromodynamics calculation of 𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 using Möbius domain-wall fermions computed on gradient-flowed 𝑁 𝑓 =2 +1 +1 highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) ensembles. The calculation is performed with five values of the pion mass ranging from 130 ≲ 𝑚 𝜋 ≲ 400 MeV , four lattice spacings of 𝑎 ∼ 0.15, 0.12, 0.09 and 0.06 fm and multiple values of the lattice volume. The interpolation/extrapolation to the physical pion and kaon mass point, the continuum, and infinite volume limits are performed with a variety of different extrapolation functions utilizing both the relevant mixed-action effective field theory expressions as well as discretization-enhanced continuum chiral perturbation theory formulas. We find that the 𝑎 ∼ 0.06 fm ensemble is helpful, but not necessary to achieve a subpercent determination of 𝐹 𝐾 ⁡/𝐹 𝜋 . We also include an estimate of the strong isospin breaking corrections and arrive at a final result of 𝐹 $\hat{K}$ + ⁡ /𝐹 $\hat{𝜋}$ + = 1.1942⁢(45) with all sources of statistical and systematic uncertainty included. This is consistent with the Flavour Lattice Averaging Group average value, providing an important benchmark for our lattice action. Combining our result with experimental measurements of the pion and kaon leptonic decays leads to a determination of |𝑉 𝑢⁢𝑠 |/|𝑉 𝑢⁢𝑑 | = 0.2311⁢(10).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Outburst of the Young Star Gaia19bey

We report photometry and spectroscopy of the outburst of the young stellar object Gaia19bey. We have established the outburst light curve with archival Gaia “G,” ATLAS “Orange,” Zwicky Transient Facility r-band, and Pan-STARRS “rizy”-filter photometry, showing an outburst of ~4 yr duration, longer than typical EX Lupi objects but shorter than FU Orionis objects. Its pre-outburst spectral energy distribution shows a flat far-infrared spectrum, confirming the early evolutionary state of Gaia19bey and its similarity to other deeply embedded young stars experiencing outbursts. A lower limit to the peak outburst luminosity is ~182 L{sub ⊙} at an assumed distance of 1.4 kpc, the minimum plausible distance. Infrared and optical spectroscopy near maximum light show an emission line spectrum, including H i lines, strong red Ca ii emission, other metal emission lines, infrared CO bandhead emission, and a strong infrared continuum. Toward the end of the outburst, the emission lines have all but disappeared and the spectrum has changed into an almost pure continuum spectrum. This indicates a cessation of magnetospheric accretion activity. The near-infrared colors have become redder as Gaia19bey has faded, indicating a cooling of the continuum component. Near the end of the outburst, the only remaining strong emission lines are forbidden shock-excited emission lines. Adaptive optics integral-field spectroscopy shows the H{sub 2} 1–0 S(1) emission with the morphology of an outflow cavity and the extended emission in the [Fe ii] line at 1644 nm with the morphology of an edge-on disk. However, we do not detect any large-scale jet from Gaia19bey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗