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At least 37 records · Page 2

Shaded fraction and backtracking in single-axis trackers on rolling terrain

A generalized closed-form equation for the shaded collector fraction in solar arrays on rolling or undulating terrain is provided for single-axis tracking and fixed-tilt systems. The equation accounts for different rotation angles between the shaded and shading trackers, cross-axis slope between the two trackers, and offset between the collector plane and axis of rotation. The validity of the equation is demonstrated through comparison with numerical ray-tracing simulations and remaining minor sources of error are quantified. Additionally, a simple procedure to determine backtracking rotations for each row in an array installed on the rolling terrain (varying in the direction perpendicular to the tracker axes) is provided. The backtracking equation accounts for a desired shaded fraction (including complete shade avoidance) as well as an axis-collector offset. Test cases are provided to facilitate implementation of these equations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A six degrees of freedom femtosecond laser system for fabrication of small-scale mechanical property specimens

Here, we present the details of a novel ultra-short pulsed laser machining workstation that has been employed for high-throughput laser machining of small-scale mechanical property specimens. This system employs a six degrees of freedom hexapod positioning stage capable of macroscopic movements at high positional accuracy. We developed a methodology that uses quantitative image analysis to measure key parameters required to minimize the hexapod positioning and rotational error. Application of this system to laser machining of small-scale 316L stainless steel tensile specimens and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene compressive specimens using eucentric tilt and rotation about the specimen axis will be shown, where serial laser milling at a specimen tilt angle of 10° was used to effectively eliminate any taper in the sample cross section that is typically found in laser machining.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The crystal orientation of THF clathrates in nano-confinement by in situ polarized Raman spectroscopy

Gas hydrates form at high pressure and low temperatures in marine sediments and permafrost regions of the earth. Despite forming in nanoporous structures, gas hydrates have been extensively studied only in bulk. Understanding nucleation and growth of gas hydrates in nonporous confinement can help create ways for storage and utilization as a future energy source. Herein, we introduce a new method for studying crystal orientation/tilt during tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate crystallization under the influence of nano-confinement using polarized Raman spectroscopy. Uniform cylindrical nanometer size pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) are used as a model nano-confinement, and hydrate experiments are performed in a glass microsystem for control of the flash hydrate nucleation kinetics and analysis via in situ polarized Raman spectroscopy. The average THF hydrate crystal tilt of 56 ± 1° and 30.5 ± 0.5° were observed for the 20 nm and 40 nm diameter pores, respectively. Crystal tilt observed in 20 and 40-nanometer-size pores was proportional to the pore diameter, resulting in lower tilt relative to the axis of the confinement at larger diameter pores. Finally, the results indicate that the hydrates nucleation and growth mechanism can depend on the nanoconfinement size. A 1.6 ± 0.01 °C to 1.8 ± 0.01 °C depression in melting point compared to the bulk is predicted using the Gibbs–Thomson equation as a direct effect of nucleation in confinement on the hydrate properties.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Evidence for Asteroid Scattering and Distal Solar System Solids From Meteorite Paleomagnetism

Asteroid-sized bodies are predicted to have been scattered throughout the solar system following gravitational interactions with the giant planets. This process could have delivered water-rich small bodies to the inner solar system. However, evidence from the meteorite record supporting this scattering is limited due to difficulties in recovering the formation distance of meteorite parent bodies from laboratory measurements. Moreover, ancient millimeter-sized solids that formed in the inner solar system (calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and chondrules) have also been proposed to have migrated throughout the solar system, which could have been key to their survival. Our understanding of the driving mechanisms, distances and timings involved in this motion is also restricted for the same reasons. Here, we address these limitations by recovering the formation distance of the parent asteroid of the Tagish Lake meteorite from measurements of its natural remanent magnetization. We find that this meteorite experienced an ancient field intensity <0.15 µT. Accounting for the average effect of a tilted parent body rotation axis and possible uncertainties associated with the remanence acquisition mechanism, this result argues that the Tagish Lake parent body formed at >8 - 13 AU, suggesting this body originates from the distal solar system. Tagish Lake came to Earth from the asteroid belt, which, combined with our recovered formation distance, suggests that some small bodies travelled large distances throughout the solar system. Moreover, Tagish Lake contains calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and chondrules, indicating that these solids were capable of traveling to the distal solar system within just a few million years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Canted antiferromagnetism and spin reorientation in corner-shared single chain quasi-one-dimensional Ba 2 ⁢FeSe 3

Here, we report the canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure together with a spin reorientation in a single chain quasi-one-dimensional (Q-1D) iron chalcogenide Ba 2⁢ FeSe 3 . Ba 2 ⁢FeSe 3 crystallizes in Pnma (No. 62) orthorhombic structure with linear single iron chains consisting of corner-shared distorted FeSe 4 tetrahedra along the 𝑏 axis. Ba 2 ⁢FeSe 3 is a narrow-gap semiconductor and orders AFM below 60 K. Modeling of neutron powder diffraction data reveals a canted AFM ground state of magnetic space group 𝑃⁢𝑎⁢21/𝑐 (BNS No. 14.80) with commensurate propagation vector 𝐤 =(0, $\frac{1}{2}$, 0), where the Fe ion spins are AFM aligned with up-down-up-down (↑−↓−↑−↓) sequence along the Q-1D chain direction of the 𝑏 axis. In the magnetically ordered state, the canting of magnetic moments reorients from the 𝑎⁢𝑐 plane to the 𝑎⁢𝑏 plane below 30 K, with a 10° tilting angle toward the 𝑎 axis, and the magnetic moment does not induce a net moment in either orientation. The density functional theory results indicate that an ↑−↓−↑−↓ AFM state is stabilized along the chain direction. In this work, we elucidate the unique canted AFM of the iron chalcogenide and pave the way for searching exotic physics in Q-1D Ba 2⁢ FeSe 3 .

Gao, Fei [Univ. of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX↗

Evaluation of the anisotropic grain boundaries and surfaces of α -U via molecular dynamics

Alloys based on uranium-zirconium are gaining renewed interest as fuels for the Versatile Test Reactor and a number of microreactor designs. Implementing metallic fuel in reactors creates the need for robust descriptive and predictive fuel performance modeling. Here, the current state of metallic fuel performance modeling relies on empirical equations derived from historical experiments, which may be unreliable when applied outside of their temperature, power, and composition phase space. One area where such data is lacking is the irradiation behavior of alpha -U, specifically tearing and porosity formation at the early stages of irradiation. While grain boundaries likely play a key role in this fuel behavior, relatively little is known about grain boundaries in alpha-U. Thus, we evaluate the grain boundary, surface energy, and work of adhesion of alpha -U utilizing molecular dynamics. Symmetric tilt grain boundaries (STGBs) are analyzed with the tilt plane oriented along each major crystallographic axis, for a total of eighty unique grain boundaries. The effect of temperature, tilt plane, and misorientation angle on interfacial energies are analyzed. The interfacial energies typically increase with temperature and there is significant variance as a function of misorientation angle, irrespective of the tilt plane. At 500 K, the average surface energy (1.23 J/m 2 ) is approximately 1.5 times the grain boundary energy (0.79 J/m 2 ), and the work of adhesion is approximately twice the grain boundary energy (1.68 J/m 2 ). Orientations for the likely formation of twins and likely failure planes are identified.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Field orientation dependent magnetic phases in the Weyl semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2

Magnetism plays a key role in the emergence of topological phenomena in the Weyl semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2 , which exhibits ferromagnetic interactions along the c-axis of the crystal and antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions within the ab plane. Extensive studies on the temperature dependence of the magnetism with the magnetic field along the c-axis have uncovered a number of magnetic phases. Currently, the nature and origins of the reported magnetic phases are under debate. Here, in this work, we report on magnetic field orientation effects on the magnetism in Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2 . The shape of the hysteresis loop of the Hall resistance at a fixed temperature is found to change from rectangular to bow tie-like as the magnetic field is tilted from the c-axis toward the ab plane, resembling that reported for magnetic fields along the c-axis as the temperature approaches the Curie temperature from below. Unlike their temperature-dependent counterparts, the newly observed bow tie-like hysteresis loops show exchange bias. Our results showcase the contribution of the in-plane AFM interactions to the magnetism in Co 3 ⁢Sn 2⁢ S 2 and demonstrate a new way to tune its magnetic phases. They also shed light on the temperature-dependent magnetic phases occurring in the magnetic field along the c-axis of the crystal.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Quantifying spectral albedo effects on bifacial photovoltaic module measurements and system model predictions

We provide a comprehensive analysis of the effect of spectral albedo on photovoltaic (PV) module measurements and system model predictions. We demonstrate how to account for albedo in indoor bifacial device measurements by adjusting the applied irradiance using the scaled rear irradiance method, exemplified on fabricated silicon heterojunction (SHJ) modules. System model performance is studied using a detailed 3D finite-element model, DUET, for fixed-tilt and horizontal single-axis tracked (SAT) arrays between 15 and 75°N. Spectral effects cause variations in measured SHJ module short-circuit current up to 2% and efficiency variation up to 0.3% abs. We further demonstrate that rear-side spectral mismatch factors (SMMs) resulting from including or omitting spectral albedo in PV system modeling vary between ±13%, while total (front+rear) SMMs vary up to 3%, depending on the deployment configuration and latitude. SAT array SMMs are weakly correlated with latitude, while fixed-tilt array SMMs increase with latitude, driven by an increasing proportion of ground-reflected light on the front-side of modules. Ground-reflections can constitute between 2% and 32% of total incident module irradiance, with notably high (>10%) contributions for fixed-tilt arrays at high latitude. Effects of spectral albedo are most significant for: (1) fixed-tilt deployments at high latitudes, (2) wide bandgap technologies such as perovskite and cadmium telluride cells, (3) albedos which vary steeply over the technology's absorption range, and (4) high albedo ground covers. Overall, we demonstrate that omitting spectral albedo effects can result in PV measurement and system-level modeling uncertainties on the order of several percent in these cases.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Long-period Jovian Tilts the Orbits of Two sub-Neptunes Relative to Stellar Spin Axis in Kepler-129

We present the discovery of Kepler-129 d (P{sub d}=7.2{sub -0.3}{sup +0.4} yr, msini{sub d}=8.3{sub -0.7}{sup +1.1} M{sub Jup}, e{sub d}=0.15{sub -0.05}{sup +0.07}) based on six years of radial-velocity observations from Keck/HIRES. Kepler-129 also hosts two transiting sub-Neptunes: Kepler-129 b (P {sub b} = 15.79 days, r {sub b} = 2.40 ± 0.04 R {sub ⊕}) and Kepler-129 c (P {sub c} = 82.20 days, r {sub c} = 2.52 ± 0.07 R {sub ⊕}) for which we measure masses of m {sub b} < 20 M {sub ⊕} and m{sub c}=43{sub -12}{sup +13} M{sub ⊕}. Kepler-129 is a hierarchical system consisting of two tightly packed inner planets and a massive external companion. In such a system, two inner planets precess around the orbital normal of the outer companion, causing their inclinations to oscillate with time. Based on an asteroseismic analysis of Kepler data, we find tentative evidence that Kepler-129 b and c are misaligned with stellar spin axis by ≳38°, which could be torqued by Kepler-129 d if it is inclined by ≳19° relative to inner planets. Using N-body simulations, we provide additional constraints on the mutual inclination between Kepler-129 d and inner planets by estimating the fraction of time during which two inner planets both transit. The probability that two planets both transit decreases as their misalignment with Kepler-129 d increases. We also find a more massive Kepler-129 c enables the two inner planets to become strongly coupled and more resistant to perturbations from Kepler-129 d. The unusually high mass of Kepler-129 c provides a valuable benchmark for both planetary dynamics and interior structure, since the best-fit mass is consistent with this 2.5 R {sub ⊕} planet having a rocky surface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Triptycene-Based Molecular Rods for Langmuir-Blodgett Monolayers

In this report we introduce fully modular synthesis leading to three representative examples of rigid molecular rods that are intended to form sturdy monolayers on various surfaces. These molecules contain two triptycene units that are designed to interlock into a compact "double-decker" structure. Two of the three final products provided suitable crystals for X-ray diffraction (analyzed on synchrotron), allowing deeper insight into packing in the 3-D crystal lattice. The acidity of all three compounds were determined by capillary electrophoresis, and the pK a values ranged between 2.06-2.53. All three rigid rods easily formed Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers (LBMs) on the water-air interfaces, with the area per molecule equal to 55-59 Å 2 /molecule, suggesting tight intermolecular packing. The thickness of all three films reached ~19 Å after transfer to a gold (111) surface, meaning that individual molecules are tilted maximally 38° from the axis perpendicular to the surface. The structure of one of these films on a gold (111) surface was visualized by AFM. These geometrically unique molecules represent promising platforms with a wide scope of applicability in the supramolecular architecture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High-magnetic-field phases in U 1-x Th x Te 2

At temperatures T much lower than its superconducting critical temperature T c = 2.1 K, the heavy fermion superconductor UTe 2 has a unique phase diagram of magnetic field H vs. φ and θ, angles H is tilted from the b-axis toward the a- and c-axes, respectively, of its orthorhombic unit cell. The phase diagram contains three distinct superconducting phases: SC1 in which φ and θ extend from 0 to 90° and H ≤ ~15 T; SC 2 for φ ≤ ~7°, θ ≤ ~4° and ~15 T ≤ H ≤ H m = ~35 T, the onset of the magnetic field polarized (FP) phase, and SC FP which resides entirely within the FP phase in a pocket of superconductivity extending from θ ≈ 20° to 40° and from ~40 T to above 60 T. We studied the evolution of the H vs. θ phase diagram for Th concentrations 0.005 ≤ x ≤ 0.047 in the U 1-x Th x Te 2 system at ~0.6 K. Within this range of x values, SC 1 extends over 0 ≤ θ ≤ 90° and H ≤ ~10 T for x = 0.047, while SC 2 is suppressed. The SC FP and FP phases are unaffected to x = 0.02 but are completely suppressed in the region x = 0.025 to 0.047 where the residual resistance ratio RRR ~3 indicates a significant amount of disorder. In conclusion, these results complement recent studies of nonsuperconducting disordered UTe 2 single crystals in which the SC 1 and SC 2 phases are absent, but the FP and so-called “orphan” SC FP phases are retained.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic Order and Its Interplay with Structure Phase Transition in van der Waals Ferromagnet VI 3

We show that Van der Waals magnet VI 3 demonstrates intriguing magnetic properties that render it great for use in various applications. However, its microscopic magnetic structure has not been determined yet. Here, we report neutron diffraction and susceptibility measurements in VI 3 that revealed a ferromagnetic order with the moment direction tilted from the c-axis by ~36° at 4 K. A spin reorientation accompanied by a structure distortion within the honeycomb plane is observed, before the magnetic order completely disappears at $T_C$ = 50 K. The refined magnetic moment of ~1.3$μ_B$ at 4 K is much lower than the fully ordered spin moment of 2$μ_B$/V 3+ , suggesting the presence of a considerable orbital moment antiparallel to the spin moment and strong spin–orbit coupling in VI 3 . This results in strong magnetoelastic interactions that make the magnetic properties of VI 3 easily tunable via strain and pressure.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Polytypism in semi-disordered lizardite and amesite by low-dose HAADF-STEM

Serpentine minerals exert important controls on the physical properties of ultramafic rocks and have the potential to influence deformation phenomena in fault zones and to control the release of water in subducted slabs. Sheet serpentine generally, and lizardite and amesite specifically, can adopt alternative crystallographic stacking arrangements called polytypes. Polytypism has been extensively studied in fully ordered crystals, but it remains largely enigmatic in the more common semi-disordered crystals that in long-range analyses such as X-ray diffraction only exhibit random combinations of 0b and ±1/3b interlayer shifts. To date, atomic-resolution imaging to identify locally ordered polytypes has been precluded by the beam-sensitive nature of this hydrous magnesium silicate mineral. Here, in this study, we employed low-dose high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) to study the polytypic structure of semi-disordered lizardite and amesite. Because the electron dose was as low as ~6000 e–/Å 2 , it was possible to directly resolve oxygen atomic columns and all the cations with a resolution of ~1 Å and reveal the short-range order. For lizardite, we identified long-period non-standard polytypes, including examples with 3, 4, 8, and 9 layers stemming from the ordering of the octahedral tilt along the a-axis. For amesite, we found short-range ordered polytypes with periodicities of up to 42 Å stemming from the ordering of interlayer shifts along the b-axis. The resolution was sufficient to determine the relative abundance of 6R 2 , 6R 1 , 2H 1 , and 2H 2 polytypes in amesite to be 46.1, 29.6, 7.7, and 1.9%, respectively. This is contrary to the expectation that the most common form of amesite is the 2H 2 polytype, which may be more likely to form macroscopic crystals suitable for conventional X-ray diffraction-based studies. We conclude that HAADF-STEM methods open the way for the characterization of beam-sensitive minerals and to resolve the structural details of less well-ordered (but possibly more abundant) minerals at a unit-cell scale.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

PV Reference Cells for Outdoor Use: Comparison of First-Year Field Measurements

Reference cells are widely used in the photovoltaic (PV) industry to measure irradiance. For field applications and outdoor use, a variety of products are on the market, and they are often perceived as low-cost alternatives to thermopile pyranometers. But reference cell characteristics, such as directional and spectral response, fundamentally differ from pyranometers, and measurements made by the former cannot be substituted for or directly compared with the latter. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Solar Radiation Research Laboratory is currently in a multiyear effort to develop guidance and recommendations for the design and use of outdoor reference cells, with a view to reducing inconsistencies and measurement uncertainty. The core of this effort is the long-term deployment of multiple products from different manufacturers that are mounted at a fixed tilt, on a single-axis tracker, and on a dual-axis tracker. This report provides an analysis of the data collected during the first year of operation at the NREL location. An overall assessment is made by comparing the total energy measured by each instrument to the other instruments having the same orientation. These totals are calculated for three different scenarios: (1) using the factory calibration factors, (2) using the previously determined NREL Cell Lab calibration factors, and (3) using the newly determined field calibration factors derived from the recorded measurements. Because the true or correct measurement values are unknown, pair-wise comparisons are made. The results show that the difference between the highest and lowest measured energy can exceed 3% when using the factory calibration factors. Consistency among instruments improves when Cell Lab calibrations are used, and it further improves when using field calibration factors.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Methods for aligning a spectrometer

An example method for aligning a spectrometer is described herein. The spectrometer includes a radiation source, a crystal analyzer, and a detector that are all positioned on an instrument plane. The method includes rotating the crystal analyzer about an axis that is within the instrument plane and perpendicular to a rotation plane such that (i) a reciprocal lattice vector of the crystal analyzer is within the instrument plane or (ii) a component of the reciprocal lattice vector within the rotation plane is perpendicular to the instrument plane. An origin of the reciprocal lattice vector is located on the axis. The method further includes tilting the crystal analyzer or translating the detector such that the reciprocal lattice vector bisects a line segment that is bounded by the detector and the radiation source. Example spectrometers related to the example method are also disclosed.

Mortensen, Devon R.↗

Structural Distortions and Uniaxial Negative Thermal Expansion in the Polar Dion–Jacobson Oxide RbNdTa 2 O 7

We provide deeper insight into the crystal structures, sequential structural phase transitions (I2cm → Cmce → I4/mcm → P4/mmm), thermal expansion, and electronic properties of the n = 2 Dion–Jacobson polar oxide RbNdTa 2 O 7 , through X-ray powder diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, Raman studies, and density functional theory calculations. We observed a uniaxial negative thermal expansion (NTE) across the first-order transition, I2cm → Cmce, where the unit cell contracts along the c-axis, which is driven by a contraction of the NdTa 2 O 6 layer. Here, this NTE occurs within the temperature range of the first-order phase transition and contrasts with the corkscrew mechanism typically observed in Ruddlesden–Popper phases. In RbNdTa 2 O 7 , the I2cm (hybrid improper ferroelectric) → Cmce (antipolar) transition involves crucial changes in the bond lengths of Nd and Ta polyhedra, coupled with polar to antipolar displacement of the Nd ions, leading to a net contraction in the NdTa 2 O 6 layer along the c-axis, while preserving the overall octahedral tilting magnitude. This transition highlights the intricate interplay between the Nd and Ta coordination and the associated TaO 6 distortions. Temperature-dependent Raman spectra analysis further confirms the first-order structural transition and associated NTE, providing evidence for increased bond stiffness across this transition. Additionally, using neutron powder diffraction, we have determined that the transition I4/mcm → P4/mmm occurs at approximately 1150 K. Finally, we have calculated from DFT + U, the partial density of states, the energy bandgaps, and effective masses of the charge carriers of the polar ground structure.

Chemical structure↗

Tissue-specific directionality of cellulose synthase complex movement inferred from cellulose microfibril polarity in secondary cell walls of Arabidopsis

In plant cells, cellulose synthase complexes (CSCs) are nanoscale machines that synthesize and extrude crystalline cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) into the apoplast where CMFs are assembled with other matrix polymers into specific structures. We report the tissue-specific directionality of CSC movements of the xylem and interfascicular fiber walls of Arabidopsis stems, inferred from the polarity of CMFs determined using vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy. CMFs in xylems are deposited in an unidirectionally biased pattern with their alignment axes tilted about 25° off the stem axis, while interfascicular fibers are bidirectional and highly aligned along the longitudinal axis of the stem. These structures are compatible with the design of fiber-reinforced composites for tubular conduit and support pillar, respectively, suggesting that during cell development, CSC movement is regulated to produce wall structures optimized for cell-specific functions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The interplay between spatial and heliconical orientational order in twist-bend nematic materials

The helical pitch formed by organic molecules, such as the α-helix of proteins, usually requires hydrogen bonding between chiral units and long-range positional order. It was recently found that certain liquid crystal oligomers can have a twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase with nanoscale heliconical structure without hydrogen bonding, molecular chirality or positional order. To understand the nature of this unique structure, here we present hard and resonant tender X-ray scattering studies of two novel sulfur containing dimer materials. We simultaneously measure the temperature dependences of the helical pitch and the correlation length of both the helical and positional order. In addition to an unexpected strong variation of the pitch with the length of the spacer connecting the monomer units, we find that at the transition to the NTB phase the positional correlation length drops. Additionally, the helical structure was found not only in the NTB phase but observed even in the upper range of a smectic phase that forms just below the NTB state. The coexistence of smectic layering and the heliconical order indicates a layered (SmATB) phase wherein the rigid units of the dimers are tilted with respect to the smectic layer normal in order to accommodate the bent conformation of the dimers and the tilt direction rotates along the heliconical axis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗