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At least 325 records · Page 18

Advances in laser-plasma interactions using intense vortex laser beams

Low-intensity light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), commonly known as vortex beams, have garnered significant attention due to promising applications in areas ranging from optical trapping to communication. In recent years, there has been a surge in global research exploring the potential of high-intensity vortex laser beams and specifically their interactions with plasmas. Here, this paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in this area. Compared with conventional laser beams, intense vortex beams exhibit unique properties such as twisted phase fronts, OAM delivery, hollow intensity distribution, and spatially isolated longitudinal fields. These distinct characteristics give rise to a multitude of rich phenomena, profoundly influencing laser-plasma interactions and offering diverse applications. The paper also discusses future prospects and identifies promising general research areas involving vortex beams. These areas include low-divergence particle acceleration, instability suppression, high-energy photon delivery with OAM, and the generation of strong magnetic fields. With growing scientific interest and application potential, the study of intense vortex lasers is poised for rapid development in the coming years.

high energy density science↗

Modeling and Evaluation of Cyber-Attacks on Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) are not only exposed to passive threats (e.g., physical faults) but also active threats such as cyber-attacks launched on the network-based control systems. The impact of cyber-attacks on GEB operation are not yet fully understood, especially as regards the performance of grid services. To quantify the consequences of cyber-attacks on GEBs, this paper proposes a modeling and simulation framework that includes different cyber-attack models and key performance indexes to quantify the performance of GEB operation under cyber-attacks. The framework is numerically demonstrated to model and evaluate cyber-attacks such as data intrusion attacks and Denial-of-Service attacks on a typical medium-sized office building that uses the BACnet/IP protocol for communication networks. Simulation results show that, while different types of attacks could compromise the building systems to different extents, attacks via the remote control of a chiller yield the most significant consequences on a building system’s operation, including both the building service and the grid service. It is also noted that a cyber-attack impacts the building systems during the attack period as well as the post-attack period, which suggests that both periods should be considered to fully evaluate the consequences of a cyber-attack.

Fu, Yanyang↗

An added-mass partition algorithm for fluid–structure interactions of compressible fluids and nonlinear solids

We describe an added-mass partitioned (AMP) algorithm for solving fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems involving inviscid compressible fluids interacting with nonlinear solids that undergo large rotations and displacements. The computational approach is a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian scheme that makes use of deforming composite grids (DCG) to treat large changes in the geometry in an accurate, flexible, and robust manner. The current work extends the AMP algorithm developed in Banks et al. [1] for linearly elasticity to the case of nonlinear solids. To ensure stability for the case of light solids, the new AMP algorithm embeds an approximate solution of a nonlinear fluid–solid Riemann (FSR) problem into the interface treatment. The solution to the FSR problem is derived and shown to be of a similar form to that derived for linear solids: the state on the interface being fundamentally an impedance-weighted average of the fluid and solid states. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the AMP algorithm is stable even for light solids when added-mass effects are large. The accuracy and stability of the AMP scheme is verified by comparison to an exact solution using the method of analytical solutions and to a semi-analytical solution that is obtained for a rotating solid disk immersed in a fluid. The scheme is applied to the simulation of a planar shock impacting a light elliptical-shaped solid, and comparisons are made between solutions of the FSI problem for a neo-Hookean solid, a linearly elastic solid, and a rigid solid. The ability of the approach to handle large deformations is demonstrated for a problem of a high-speed flow past a light, thin, and flexible solid beam.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Computationally simple, analytic, closed form solution of the Coulomb self-interaction problem in Kohn–Sham density functional theory

We have developed and tested in terms of atomic calculations an exact, analytic and computationally simple procedure for determining the functional derivative of the exchange energy with respect to the density in the implementation of the Kohn–Sham formulation of density functional theory (KS-DFT), providing an analytic, closed-form solution of the self-interaction problem in KS-DFT. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method through ground-state calculations of the exchange potential and energy for atomic He and Be atoms, and comparisons with experiment and the results obtained within the optimized effective potential (OEP) method.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced CO 2 Methanation Activity of Sm 0.25 Ce 0.75 O 2-δ –Ni by Modulating the Chelating Agents-to-Metal Cation Ratio and Tuning Metal–Support Interactions

Highly active and selective CO 2 methanation catalysts are critical to CO 2 upgrading, synthetic natural gas production, and CO 2 emission reduction. Wet impregnation is widely used to synthesize oxide-supported metallic nanoparticles as the catalyst for CO 2 methanation. However, as the reagents cannot be homogeneously mixed at an atomic level, it is challenging to modulate the microstructure, crystal structure, chemical composition, and electronic structure of catalysts via wet impregnation. In this work, a scalable and straightforward catalyst fabrication approach has been designed and validated to produce Sm 0.25 Ce 0.75 O 2-δ -supported Ni (SDC–Ni) as the CO 2 methanation catalyst. By varying the chelating agents-to-total metal cations ratio (C/I ratio) during the catalyst synthesis, we can readily and simultaneously modulate the microstructure, metallic surface area, crystal structure, chemical composition, and electronic structure of SDC–Ni, consequently fine-tuning the oxide–support interactions and CO 2 methanation activity. The optimal C/I ratio (0.1) leads to an SDC–Ni catalyst that facilitates C–O bond cleavage and significantly improves CO 2 conversion at 250 °C. A CO 2 -to-CH 4 yield of >73% has been achieved at 250 °C. Furthermore, a stable operation of >1500 hours has been demonstrated, and no degradation is observed. Extensive characterizations were performed to fundamentally understand how to tune and enhance CO 2 methanation activity of SDC–Ni by modulating the C/I ratio. The correlation of physical, chemical, and catalytic properties of SDC–Ni with the C/I ratio is established and thoroughly elaborated in this work. This study could be applied to tune the oxide–support interactions of various catalysts for enhancing the catalytic activity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Impacts of oxo interactions within actinyl metal organic materials: highlight on thermal expansion behaviour

Physical properties of actinyl materials are influenced by the presence of oxo functional groups. Herein, we report large thermal expansion coefficients for a uranyl metal organic nanotube that switch from positive to negative upon dehydration. Finally, different behaviour is observed in the neptunyl system due to variations in the oxo interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Tritium plasma experiment: Parameters and potentials for fusion plasma-wall interaction studies

The tritium plasma experiment (TPE) is a unique facility devoted to experiments on the behavior of deuterium/tritium in toxic (e.g., beryllium) and radioactive materials for fusion plasma-wall interaction studies. A Langmuir probe was added to the system to characterize the plasma conditions in TPE. With this new diagnostic, we found the achievable electron temperature ranged from 5.0 to 10.0 eV, the electron density varied from 5.0 x 10{sup 16} to 2.5 x 10{sup 18} m{sup -3}, and the ion flux density varied between 5.0 x 10{sup 20} to 2.5 x 10{sup 22} m{sup -2} s{sup -1} along the centerline of the plasma. A comparison of these plasma parameters with the conditions expected for the plasma facing components (PFCs) in ITER shows that TPE is capable of achieving most ({approx}800 m{sup 2} of 850 m{sup 2} total PFCs area) of the expected ion flux density and electron density conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The interaction of 193-nm excimer laser radiation with single-crystal zinc oxide: The generation of atomic Zn line emission at laser fluences below breakdown

The production of gas phase atomic and ionic line spectra accompanying the high laser fluence irradiation of solid surfaces is well known and is most often due to the production and interaction of high densities of atoms, ions, and electrons generated from laser-induced breakdown. The resulting plasma expands and moves rapidly away from the irradiated spot and is accompanied by intense emission of light. This type of “plume” is well studied and is frequently exploited in the technique of chemical analysis known as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. Here, we describe a similar but weaker emission of light generated in vacuum by the laser irradiation of single crystal ZnO at fluences well below breakdown; this emission consists entirely of optical line emission from excited atomic Zn. We compare the properties of the resulting laser-generated gas-phase light emission (above and below breakdown) and describe a mechanism for the production of the low-fluence optical emission resulting from a fortuitous choice of material and laser wavelength.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Laser-to-hot-electron conversion limitations in relativistic laser matter interactions due to multi-picosecond dynamics

High-energy short-pulse lasers are pushing the limits of plasma-based particle acceleration, x-ray generation, and high-harmonic generation by creating strong electromagnetic fields at the laser focus where electrons are being accelerated to relativistic velocities. Understanding the relativistic electron dynamics is key for an accurate interpretation of measurements. We present a unified and self-consistent modeling approach in quantitative agreement with measurements and differing trends across multiple target types acquired from two separate laser systems, which differ only in their nanosecond to picosecond-scale rising edge. Insights from high-fidelity modeling of laser-plasma interaction demonstrate that the ps-scale, orders of magnitude weaker rising edge of the main pulse measurably alters target evolution and relativistic electron generation compared to idealized pulse shapes. This can lead for instance to the experimentally observed difference between 45 MeV and 75 MeV maximum energy protons for two nominally identical laser shots, due to ps-scale prepulse variations. Our results indicate that the realistic inclusion of temporal laser pulse profiles in modeling efforts is required if predictive capability and extrapolation are sought for future target and laser designs or for other relativistic laser ion acceleration schemes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Gyrokinetic turbulence cascade via predator-prey interactions between different scales

Gyrokinetic simulations in a closed fieldline geometry are presented to explore the physics of nonlinear transfer in plasma turbulence. As spontaneously formed zonal flows and small-scale turbulence demonstrate “predator-prey” dynamics, a particular cascade spectrum emerges. The electrostatic potential and the density spectra appear to be in good agreement with the simple theoretical prediction based on Charney-Hasegawa-Mima equation | ϕ{sup ~}{sub k} |{sup 2}∼| n{sup ~}{sub k} |{sup 2}∝k{sup −3}/(1+k{sup 2}){sup 2}, with the spectra becoming anisotropic at small scales. The results indicate that the disparate scale interactions, in particular, the refraction and shearing of larger scale eddies by the self-consistent zonal flows, dominate over local interactions, and contrary to the common wisdom, the comprehensive scaling relation is created even within the energy injection region.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Numerical investigation of fast-wave propagation and radio-frequency sheath interaction with a shaped tokamak wall

Interactions between propagating fast waves and radio-frequency (RF) sheaths in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies are numerically investigated based on a cold fluid plasma model coupled with a sheath boundary condition. In this two-dimensional study, the capability of the finite element code rfSOL, which was developed in previous numerical work, is extended to analyze self-consistent RF sheath-plasma interaction problems in a tokamak with a non-circular cross-section. It is found that a large sheath voltage is generated near the edges of the limiter-shaped deformation as a result of the conversion from fast to slow waves on the sheaths. The sheath voltage associated with this conversion is particularly significant in the localized region where the contact angle between the magnetic field line and the conducting wall varies rapidly along the curved sheath surface, which is consistent with the results in previous one-dimensional theoretical work. The dependences of the RF sheaths on various parameters in plasma such as the toroidal wavenumber, edge plasma density, and the degree of the RF wave absorption in the core region are also examined in detail.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Hexagonal boron nitride and water interaction parameters

The study of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in microfluidic and nanofluidic applications at the atomic level requires accurate force field parameters to describe the water-hBN interaction. In this work, we begin with benchmark quality first principles quantum Monte Carlo calculations on the interaction energy between water and hBN, which are used to validate random phase approximation (RPA) calculations. We then proceed with RPA to derive force field parameters, which are used to simulate water contact angle on bulk hBN, attaining a value within the experimental uncertainties. This paper demonstrates that end-to-end multiscale modeling, starting at detailed many-body quantum mechanics and ending with macroscopic properties, with the approximations controlled along the way, is feasible for these systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A deterministic alternative to the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method

Development of exponentially scaling methods has seen great progress in tackling larger systems than previously thought possible. One such approach, full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo, is a useful algorithm that allows exact diagonalization through stochastically sampling determinants. The method derives its utility from the information in the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian, along with a stochastic projected wave function, to find the important parts of Hilbert space. Yet, the stochastic representation of the wave function is not required to search Hilbert space efficiently, and here we describe a highly efficient deterministic method that can achieve chemical accuracy for a wide range of systems, including the difficult Cr 2 molecule. We demonstrate for systems like Cr 2 that such calculations can be performed in just a few cpu hours which makes it one of the most efficient and accurate methods that can attain chemical accuracy for strongly correlated systems. Furthermore, our method also allows efficient calculation of excited state energies, which we illustrate with benchmark results for the excited states of C 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Controlled plasma–droplet interactions: a quantitative study of OH transfer in plasma–liquid interaction

Plasmas in contact with liquids are a rich source of OH radicals and have been extensively studied in the last decade to leverage the ability to generate chemically reactive species in gas phase plasmas to decompose organics. Multiphase transfer of OH radicals is highly transport limited and to overcome transport limits, the plasma activation of aerosols, small liquid droplets, interspersed in the plasma has been proposed. In this work, we report a combined experimental and modeling study of a controlled plasma–droplet interaction experiment using a diffuse RF glow discharge in He + 0.2% H 2 O with detailed plasma diagnostics, ex situ analysis of the plasma-induced chemistry in the droplet containing formate, droplet trajectory and size measurements. This enables a quantitative study of the reactivity transfer of OH from the gas phase plasma to the liquid phase and how its diffusion limitations impact formate decomposition in the water droplet. For a droplet with a diameter of 36 μm, we observed 50% reduction in formate concentration in the droplets after plasma treatment for droplet residence times in the plasma of ~10 ms. These short droplet residence times in the plasma allow in some cases for droplet size reductions of ~5% in spite gas temperatures of 360 K. A one-dimensional reaction–diffusion model was used to calculate the OH transport and formate oxidation inside the droplet and was able to predict the conversion of formate by plasma in a droplet without any fitting parameters. The model further shows that formate conversion is dominated by near-interfacial reactions with OH radicals and is limited by diffusion of formate in the droplet. Here, the results show that a controlled plasma–micro-droplet reactor as reported in this study might be an excellent tool for detailed quantitative plasma–liquid interaction studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Radiative model of neutrino mass with neutrino interacting MeV dark matter

We consider the radiative generation of neutrino mass through the interactions of neutrinos with MeV dark matter. We construct a realistic renormalizable model with one scalar doublet (in additional to the standard model doublet) and one complex singlet together with three light singlet Majorana fermions, all transforming under a dark U(1){sub D} symmetry which breaks softly to Z{sub 2}. We study in detail the scalar sector which supports this specific scenario and its rich phenomenology.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗