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At least 307 records · Page 17

Early High-contrast Imaging Results with Keck/NIRC2-PWFS: The SR 21 Disk

High-contrast imaging of exoplanets and protoplanetary disks depends on wave front sensing and correction made by adaptive optics instruments. Classically, wave front sensing has been conducted at optical wavelengths, which made high-contrast imaging of red targets such as M-type stars or extincted T Tauri stars challenging. Keck/NIRC2 has combined near-infrared (NIR) detector technology with the pyramid wave front sensor (PWFS). With this new module we observed SR 21, a young star that is brighter at NIR wavelengths than at optical wavelengths. Compared with the archival data of SR 21 taken with the optical wave front sensing we achieved ~20% better Strehl ratio in similar natural seeing conditions. Further post-processing utilizing angular differential imaging and reference-star differential imaging confirmed the spiral feature reported by the Very Large Telescope/Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument polarimetric observation, which is the first detection of the SR 21 spiral in total intensity at L' band. We also compared the contrast limit of our result (10 -4 at 0.'4 and 2 × 10 -5 at 1.'0) with the archival data that were taken with optical wave front sensing and confirmed the improvement, particularly at ≤0.'5. Our observation demonstrates that the NIR PWFS improves AO performance and will provide more opportunities for red targets in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Dual-Band Polarization Control with Pairwise Positioning of Polarization Singularities in Metasurfaces

Emerging applications of metasurfaces in classical and quantum optics are driving the need for precise polarization control of nearly-degenerate, high quality (𝑄)-factor modes. However, current approaches to creating specifically polarized pairs of modes force a trade-off between maintaining high 𝑄 factors and robustness. Here, we solve this challenge by employing pairwise generation, annihilation, and positioning of polarization singularities, derived from symmetry-guaranteed pairs of symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum. We experimentally demonstrate this design paradigm in silicon metasurfaces with mode splittings of ≈ 20 nm, mode splitting deviations as low as 1 nm, and 𝑄 factors up to 200. Furthermore, this approach opens new avenues for enhancing metasurface performance across a diverse range of applications, including sensing, modulating, nonlinear mixing, and generating quantum light.

Metasurfaces↗

Reflection grating fabrication for the Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy

Abstract The Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy (tREXS) grating spectrograph uses modules of reflection gratings to collect spectroscopic data from extended astronomical sources of soft X-rays. Two blazed master gratings were produced on silicon substrates with electron-beam lithography (EBL) and complementary nanofabrication processes that include KOH etching. Substrate-conformal imprint lithography (SCIL) was then used to create 191 replicas of the two grating masters for use in the flight instrument. Diffraction efficiency was measured for several replica gratings, which achieve a peak of$$ \varvec{>} $$ > 70% absolute efficiency near 0.22 keV and an average of$$ \varvec{\approx } $$ ≈ 50% absolute efficiency across the measured band, from 0.18 – 0.8 keV. Here we detail the nanofabrication of the grating masters, including the EBL parameters and tREXS-specific fabrication considerations, and the SCIL replication process used to generate the final instrument gratings. A discussion of grating characterization and areas for future improvement is also presented.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Optical control of orbital magnetism in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Flat bands in twisted graphene structures host various strongly correlated and topological phenomena. Optically probing and controlling them can reveal important information such as symmetry and dynamics, but this has been challenging due to the small energy gap compared with optical wavelengths. Here, in this study, we report on the near-infrared optical control of orbital magnetism and associated anomalous Hall effects in a magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene on a monolayer WSe 2 device. We demonstrate control over the hysteresis and amplitude of the anomalous Hall effect near integer moiré fillings using circularly polarized light. By modulating the light helicity, we observe periodic modulation of the transverse resistance in a wide range of fillings, indicating light-induced orbital magnetization through a large inverse Faraday effect. At the transition between metallic and anomalous Hall effect regimes, we also reveal large and random switching of the Hall resistivity, which we attribute to the light-tuned percolating cluster of magnetic domains. Our results demonstrate the potential of the optical manipulation of correlation and topology in moiré structures.

Persky, Eylon [Stanford Univ., CA (United States);↗

Highly Distorted Chiral Two-Dimensional Tin Iodide Perovskites for Spin Polarized Charge Transport

Incorporating chiral organic molecules into organic/inorganic hybrid 2D-layered metal-halide perovskites results in a novel family of chiral hybrid semiconductors with unique spin-dependent properties. The embedded chiral organic moieties induce a chiroptical response from the inorganic metal-halide sublattice. However, the structural interplay between the chiral organic molecules and the inorganic sublattice, as well as their synergic effect on the resulting electronic band structure need to be explored in a broader material scope. Here we present three new layered tin iodide perovskites templated by chiral ( R/S -)methylbenzylammonium ( R/S -MBA), i.e. ( R-/S -MBA) 2 SnI 4 , and their racemic phase ( rac -MBA) 2 SnI 4 . These MBA 2 SnI 4 compounds exhibit the largest level of octahedral bond distortion compared to any other reported layered tin iodide perovskite. The incorporation of chiral MBA cations leads to circularly polarized absorption from the inorganic Sn–I sublattice, displaying chiroptical activity in the 300–500 nm wavelength range. The bandgap and chiroptical activity are modulated by alloying Sn with Pb, in the series of (MBA) 2 Pb 1-x Sn x I 4 . Finally, we show that vertical charge transport through oriented ( R-/S -MBA) 2 SnI 4 thin films is highly spin-dependent, arising from a chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. We demonstrate a spin-polarization in the current-voltage characteristics as high as 94%. Our work shows the tremendous potential of these chiral hybrid semiconductors for controlling both spin and charge degrees of freedom.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ultra compact Bragg grating devices with broadband selectivity

Current silicon waveguide Bragg gratings typically introduce perturbation to the optical mode in the form of modulation of the waveguide width or cladding. However, since such a perturbation approach is limited to weak perturbations to avoid intolerable scattering loss and higher-order modal coupling, it is difficult to produce ultra-wide stopbands. In this Letter, we report an ultra-compact Bragg grating device with strong perturbations by etching nanoholes in the waveguide core to enable an ultra-large stopband with apodization achieved by proper location of the nanoholes. With this approach, a 15 µm long device can generate a stopband as wide as 110 nm that covers the entire C + L band with a 40 dB extinction ratio and over a 10 dB sidelobe suppression ratio (SSR). Similar structures can be further optimized to achieve higher SSR of > <#comment/> 17 d B for a stopband of about 80 nm.

Li, Ang (ORCID:0000000232251280)↗

CO and H 2 adsorption on Au-Ni bimetallic surfaces: a combined experimental and DFT theoretical study

Au-Ni bimetallic thin films were grown on refractory metal substrates. CO and H 2 adsorption on Au-Ni bimetallic surfaces have been studied by a combination of in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is found CO desorption peak shifts from 413 K on pure Ni surfaces to 293 K on the isolated Ni atoms formed by alloying with Au atoms. The sharp decrease of CO desorption temperature on Au-Ni surfaces with increasing Au coverage is caused by the change of the favored CO adsorption sites from bridge/hollow sites on pure Ni surfaces to Ni top sites on Au-Ni bimetallic surfaces. In situ PM-IRRAS shows two CO adsorption bands on Au sites at 2119 cm −1 and 2103 cm −1 on Au-Ni surfaces at 80 K, which are due to CO bound on under-coordinated Au atoms and electron negatively charged Au sites modified with nearby Ni atoms, respectively. Even with the Au-Ni surface temperature at as low as 100 K, CO adsorption induced Ni surface segregation has been observed by in situ PM-IRRAS. Furthermore, DFT calculation results discover the adsorption energy of CO on Ni top sites continues to decrease with increasing Au coverage due to the geometric ensemble effect and the lowered d-band center after Ni alloying with Au. H 2 desorption temperature decreases from 363 K on pure Ni thin films to 302 K with increasing Au coverage to 0.6 ML. A new H 2 peak appears at around 170 K on the Au-Ni surfaces with Au coverages between 0.6 ML and 0.9 ML. This new H 2 TPD peak is assigned to H 2 desorption from the totally isolated Ni sites. With Au coverage above 1.5 ML, there is no any H 2 desorption detected. Finally, the combined surface science studies and DFT calculations provide new insights into the surface structure-activity correlation of Ni-base bimetallic surface alloys.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Electric Drive Technologies Research: ELT223 Component Modeling, Co-Optimization, and Trade-Space Evaluation Annual Report

This project is intended to support the development of new traction drive systems that meet the targets of 100 kW/L for power electronics and 50 kW/L for electric machines with reliable operation to 300,000 miles. To meet these goals, new designs must be identified that make use of state-of-the-art and next-generation electronic materials and design methods. Designs must exploit synergies between components, for example converters designed for high-frequency switching using wide band gap (WBG) devices and ceramic capacitors. This project included: (1) a survey of available technologies; (2) investigating new technologies, that for example, reduce volume of thermal management or magnetic components; (3) the development of computer aided design tools that consider the converter volume, reliability, and electrical performance; (4) exercising the design software to evaluate performance gaps and predict the impact of certain technologies and design approaches, i.e. GaN semiconductors, ceramic capacitors, ceramic thermal management components, and select topologies; (5) building and testing hardware prototypes to validate models and concepts. The design tools enable co-optimization of the power module and passive elements and provide some design guidance. At the end of the project, new advanced computing methods, such as machine learning approaches, were considered.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Generating Bright Emissive States by Modulating the Bandgap of Monolayer Tungsten Diselenide

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are essential due to their fascinating electronic and optical properties, strong exciton binding energy, and layer-dependent bandgap. They can be tuned to function as a single-photon emitter, but the quantum yield of photoluminescence of single-layer WSe 2 is low. There is some evidence that a bright emissive state can be produced by introducing local defects through functionalization. In this paper we use spin-polarized periodic density functional theory (DFT) to study the effect of functionalization for the specific case of cyclic carbenes. We find that the simplest of these molecules, cyclopentadiene carbene (Cyc), binds to the surface by a covalent bond leading to a substantial change in the bandgap (1.24 eV compared to 1.64 eV for the pristine surface). Moreover, there are semiflat bands below the Fermi level that originate from σ bonding and the interaction between the lone-pair p orbitals on the carbon of Cyc that bonds with Se on the TMD. Cyc is found to form a Type IIa heterojunction before and after contact with the surface, where the “a” refers to ordering of the energy levels where the TMD levels have the larger splitting and “b” to the reverse. The effect of various electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups on Cyc is investigated, and it is found that the direct bandgap and heterointerfaces can be chemically tuned with covalently bound functional groups. With an electron-withdrawing group (EWG) such as –CHO, –COCl, and –CN attached to Cyc, a Type III//Type IIa interface is formed, whereas all other EWGs used in this study form a Type IIa junction, before and after contact to the surface. The electron-donating groups (EDG) form Type Ib//Type Ia junctions, and in particular, we find that the system WSe 2 + Cyc-Me band structure consists of semiflat bands at valence band maxima localized on Cyc-Me and the conduction band minimum is coupled between the surface and functional group with a direct bandgap of 0.88 eV. Hence, we predict that the Cyc-Me-functionalized monolayer WSe 2 will produce a red-shifted bright emissive state. Furthermore, we also find that carbenes with the Cyc all-carbon ring have (1) a triplet ground state and (2) form covalent bonds to WSe 2 , while heterocyclic carbenes (1) have a singlet ground state and (2) do not form covalent bonds to WSe 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of mechanical properties and deformation behavior of highly irradiated 316L stainless steel from target modules at the Spallation Neutron Source using digital image correlation analysis

Tensile specimens with irradiation doses ranging from approximately 0.7 to 7.6 displacements per atom (dpa) were fabricated from 316L samples removed from Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) target vessels after service. Tensile tests were performed in conjunction with digital image correlation (DIC) characterization, which permitted detailed analysis of the strain distribution and deformation behavior of the specimen gauge sections during testing. The results show, while considerable hardening (500–700 MPa increase in yield strength) occurred in the 316L SNS target material with increasing dose, appreciable ductility (19–23% total elongation) remained in the material after irradiation to 7.6 dpa in the mixed neutron/proton environment of the SNS target region. The DIC data showed the strain distribution and deformation behavior of all irradiated specimens were nonuniform during testing. Strain localization in the form of deformation bands or “hotspots” was observed during testing, and in some specimens, the bands propagated as deformation waves along the gauge section. The “traveling wave” deformation behavior affected the amount of elongation each specimen achieved, and the scatter in the elongation data was attributed to the large variation in deformation behavior observed among different specimens. Bands of localized strain, or deformation bands, oriented at specific angles were observed in two-dimensional plots of the strain distribution in the gauge sections of some specimens. Overall, this paper describes the experimental procedures, results, and deformation behavior of tensile specimens from SNS targets after service and illustrates the value of DIC characterization during tensile testing of irradiated materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electron Density Measurements Using USPR (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

UC Davis has fabricated an ultrashort pulse reflectometer (USPR) diagnostic instrument for electron density profile measurements on compact, short duration, magnetically-confined fusion-energy concept devices such as spheromaks and FRCs. The USPR system transmits extremely short duration (~few nsec) chirped waveforms that together span 29 to 75 GHz. These chirped waveforms illuminate and reflect from the target plasma, with each frequency component reflecting from a different density layer (higher frequencies probe deeper into the plasma before reflecting). The reflected waveforms are split into roughly 42 different frequencies; time-of-flight (TOF) measurements made at each frequency with high resolution (~25 psec measurement resolution which corresponds to ~5 mm). These TOF data may then be inverted via software to generate electron density profiles with high time resolution (~10 μsec). At the heart of the system is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based controller which collects and processes all of the USPR data in addition to generating all of the control signals required for maximum flexibility. The FPGA controller has the software flexibility to be easily reconfigured for different plasma devices, and the entire system sufficiently compact to be easily and quickly transported between devices. A high speed impulse generator was transformed into a set of three ultrashort pulse transmitter chirps using a combination of dispersive waveguide, frequency doublers and high-pass filters. A mm-wave controller was fabricated to sequentially switch between the three chirps, directing the chirps one-by-one to three different mm-wave assemblies spanning 29-75 GHz. Each mm-wave assembly consists of a high power active multiplier chain which converts the transmitter chirp to higher frequencies, and a broadband mixer which downconverts the reflected waveform to the 2-18 GHz range of the UPSR receiver. The 16-channel receiver (shared by all 3 mm-wave assemblies) was fabricated employing custom TOF modules capable of operating at a high 1 MHz sampling rate. Laboratory testing of the full system revealed the presence of unwanted harmonics from the multiplication process, with interference observed in the downconverted reflections at selected frequency channels that could not be completely filtered out. Additional interference effects arising from internal reflections within the mm-wave assemblies were minimized using a high-speed switch which served to “gate out” much of these reflections. The USPR diagnostic was transported and installed onto the HIT-SIU plasma device, becoming operational on 11/08/2022. Although designed to span 3 distinct mm-wave bands, the HIT-SIU plasmas at this time were sufficiently low density such that only the lowest of the three bands was likely to have strong plasma reflections. The system was then set to operate on only the lowest band (assembly #1), with data collected every 1 μsec rather than 3 μsec which would have been the case when cycling through all three bands. Connected to HIT-SIU, time-varying plasma reflections were observed on 9 of 16 possible frequency channels. Close examination of the data collected revealed issues previously unobserved in laboratory testing, associated with (a) reflections from the small aperture horns required for operation within the HIT-SIU device, and (b) a dependence of the recorded TOF with the threshold voltage of a given channel. Plans were made to address each of these issues before undertaking any future campaigns.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Probing cosmic inflation with the LiteBIRD cosmic microwave background polarization survey

LiteBIRD, the Lite (Light) satellite for the study of B-mode polarization and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection, is a space mission for primordial cosmology and fundamental physics. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected LiteBIRD in May 2019 as a strategic large-class (L-class) mission, with an expected launch in the late 2020s using JAXA’s H3 rocket. LiteBIRD is planned to orbit the Sun–Earth Lagrangian point L2, where it will map the cosmic microwave background polarization over the entire sky for three years, with three telescopes in 15 frequency bands between 34 and 448 GHz, to achieve an unprecedented total sensitivity of $2.2\, \mu$K-arcmin, with a typical angular resolution of 0.5° at 100 GHz. The primary scientific objective of LiteBIRD is to search for the signal from cosmic inflation, either making a discovery or ruling out well-motivated inflationary models. The measurements of LiteBIRD will also provide us with insight into the quantum nature of gravity and other new physics beyond the standard models of particle physics and cosmology. We provide an overview of the LiteBIRD project, including scientific objectives, mission and system requirements, operation concept, spacecraft and payload module design, expected scientific outcomes, potential design extensions, and synergies with other projects.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Correlation Between Corrugation-Induced Flexoelectric Polarization and Conductivity of Low-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

The tunability of polar and semiconducting properties of low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have propelled them to the forefront of fundamental and applied physical research. These materials can vary their electrophysical properties from nonpolar to ferroelectric, and from direct-band semiconducting to metallic. In addition to classical controlling factors, such as field effect, composition, and doping, new degrees of freedom emerge in TMDs due to the curvature-induced electron redistribution and the associated changes in electronic properties. Here we theoretically explore the elastic and electric fields, flexoelectric polarization and free charge density for a TMD nanoflake placed on a rough substrate with a sinusoidal corrugation profile. Finite element modelling results for different flake thickness and corrugation depth yield insights into the flexoelectric nature of the out-of-plane electric polarization and establish the unambiguous correlation between the polarization and static conductivity modulation. The modulation is caused by the coupling between the deformation potential and inhomogeneous elastic strains, which evolve in the TMD nanoflake due to the adhesion between the flake surface and corrugated substrate. We reveal a pronounced maximum in the thickness dependences of the electron and hole conductivity of MoS 2 and MoTe 2 nanoflakes placed on a corrugated substrate, which opens the way for the optimization of their geometry towards significant improvement in their polar and electronic properties, necessary for advanced applications in nanoelectronics and memory devices. Specifically, the obtained results can be useful for the development of nanoscale straintronic devices based on the bended MoS 2 , MoTe 2 , and MoSTe nanoflakes, such as diodes and bipolar transistors with a bending-controllable sharpness of p-n junctions.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Optical control of orbital magnetism in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene

Flat bands in graphene-based moiré structures host a wide range of emerging strongly correlated and topological phenomena. Optically probing and controlling them can reveal important information such as symmetry and dynamics, but have so far been challenging due to the small energy gap compared to optical wavelengths. Here, we report near infrared optical control of orbital magnetism and associated anomalous Hall effects (AHE) in a magic angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) on monolayer WSe$_2$ device. We show that the properties of the AHE, such as hysteresis and amplitude, can be controlled by light near integer moiré fillings, where spontaneous ferromagnetism exists. By modulating the light helicity, we observe periodic modulation of the transverse resistance in a wide range of fillings, indicating light induced orbital magnetization through a large inverse Faraday effect. At the transition between metallic and AHE regimes, we also reveal large and random switching of the Hall resistivity, which are attributed to optical control of percolating cluster of magnetic domains. Our results open the door to optical manipulation of correlation and topology in MATBG and related structures.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Multicolored microwave absorbers with dynamic frequency modulation

Microwave-absorbing materials are extensively used in intelligent electronic devices and stealth technologies where the ability to dynamically adjust microwave-absorbing capacity in response to specific requirements is vitally important. Herein, we report a new approach for constructing dynamically tunable microwave absorbers with ultrawide tunable frequency ranges that are simultaneously endowed with vibrant structural colors. Here, the methodology produces structural colors and adjusts absorption properties by constructing ZnO coatings with precisely adjustable thicknesses on a polypyrrole/melamine foam (PPy/MF) surface by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in conjunction with a pressure-driven strategy that regulates the compression ratio. The electrical conductivity, electromagnetic parameters, thickness, and pore size of the ZnO-coated PPy/MF (ZnO/PPy/MF) are effectively adjusted, and simply applying external pressure widens the tunable frequency range and the effective absorption bandwidth. As a result, the effective absorption frequency of ZnO/PPy/MF is dynamically adjustable from the S band to the Ku band, thereby covering 94.3% of the entire microwave spectrum. Moreover, the brilliant and uniform structural colors of ZnO/PPy/MF, which span various color categories, are precisely regulated by tuning the thickness of the ZnO coating by adjusting the number of ALD cycles. ZnO/PPy/MF is strongly hydrophobic, which endows it with remarkable self-cleaning properties. Therefore, ZnO/PPy/MF provides a conceptually novel platform for the development of next-generation smart microwave-absorbing materials due to its integrated dynamic frequency-regulating ability, brilliant structural coloration, and self-cleaning features.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Observation of a massive phason in a charge-density-wave insulator

The lowest-lying fundamental excitation of an incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) material is widely believed to be a massless phason -- a collective modulation of the phase of the CDW order parameter. However, as first pointed out by Lee and Fukuyama, long-range Coulomb interactions should push the phason energy up to the plasma energy of the CDW condensate, resulting in a massive phason and a fully gapped spectrum. Whether such behavior occurs in a CDW system has been unresolved for more than four decades. Using time-domain THz emission spectroscopy, we investigate this issue in the material (TaSe 4 ) 2 I, a classical example of a quasi-one-dimensional CDW insulator. Upon transient photoexcitation at low temperatures, we find the material strikingly emits coherent, narrow-band THz radiation. The frequency, polarization and temperature-dependence of the emitted radiation imply the existence of a phason that acquires mass by coupling to long-range Coulomb interaction. Our observations constitute the first direct evidence of the massive "Lee-Fukuyama" phason and highlight the potential applicability of fundamental collective modes of correlated materials as compact and robust sources of THz radiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Foil backlighter development at the OMEGA laser facility for extended x-ray absorption fine structure experiments

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements require a bright and continuous x-ray source and a detection system with high spectral resolution to capture the modulations of the absorption coefficient above the material absorption edge. When performing EXAFS measurements under laser-driven dynamic compression, it is hence critical to optimize the backlighter x-ray emission. In this study, a series of experiments has been conducted at the OMEGA laser facility to characterize titanium (Z = 22), iron (Z = 26), germanium (Z = 32), molybdenum (Z = 42), silver (Z = 47), and gold (Z = 79) foil backlighters irradiated with 3 kJ–12 kJ of laser energy. The spectra have been recorded using a dual crystal spectrometer (DCS), a two-channel transmission spectrometer covering 11 keV–45 keV and 19 keV–90 keV energy bands. The DCS has been calibrated so that the spectral intensities can be compared between different campaigns.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗