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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Modified Monte Carlo method for study of electron transport in degenerate electron gas in the presence of electron–electron interactions, application to graphene

Standard computational methods used to take account of the Pauli Exclusion Principle into Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of electron transport in semiconductors may give unphysical results in low field regime, where obtained electron distribution function takes values exceeding unity. Modified algorithms were already proposed and allow to correctly account for electron scattering on phonons or impurities. Present paper extends this approach and proposes improved simulation scheme allowing including Pauli exclusion principle for electron–electron (e–e) scattering into MC simulations. Simulations with significantly reduced computational cost recreate correct values of the electron distribution function. Proposed algorithm is applied to study transport properties of degenerate electrons in graphene with e–e interactions. This required adapting the treatment of e–e scattering in the case of linear band dispersion relation. Hence, this part of the simulation algorithm is described in details.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

High pressure structural investigation on alluaudites Na{sub 2}Fe{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}-Na{sub 2}FeMn{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} system

Alluaudites are promising electrochemical materials benefited from the open structure. Structural variations of alluaudites Na{sub 2}M{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} (M{sub 3}=Fe{sub 3}, Fe{sub 2}Mn and FeMn{sub 2}) system have been studied by synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction combined with diamond anvil cell technique up to ~10 GPa at room temperature. No phase transition is observed. The excellent structural stability is mainly due to the flexible framework plus strong covalent P-O bond. Mn{sup 2+} instead of Fe can be described as Na{sup +}+2Fe{sup 2+}→Mn{sup 2+}+Fe{sup 3+}+□ where □ represents a lattice vacancy. The replacement of Fe with larger Mn{sup 2+} is equivalent to applying negative chemical pressure to the material. And it causes a more compressible b-axis, lattice expansion, structural compressibility and intensifies the core/electron-electron interactions of Fe. External pressure effect produces anisotropic lattice shrinkage. Structural considerations related to these variations and promising application prospects are discussed. - Graphical abstract: Figure 1 The crystal structure of alluaudites Na{sub 2}M{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} (M{sub 3}=Fe{sub 3}, Fe{sub 2}Mn and FeMn{sub 2}) projected along the c-axis. Alluaudites adopt a flexible framework plus strong covalent P-O bond, which contribute to excellent structural stability up to ~10 GPa. Mn{sup 2+} instead of Fe can be described as Na{sup ++}2Fe{sup 2+}→Mn{sup 2+}+Fe{sup 3+}+□ where □ represents a lattice vacancy, and it is equivalent to applying negative chemical pressure to the host. The substitution causes a more compressible b-axis, lattice expansion, structural compressibility and intensifies the core/electron-electron interactions of Fe.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Cluster glass behaviour in Co-substituted double perovskite Ca{sub 2}FeMoO{sub 6}

Research highlights: {yields} We have presented the crystallographic, electrical transport and dc and ac magnetic measurements on double perovskite Ca{sub 2}Fe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}MoO{sub 6} (0.1 {<=} x {<=} 0.4) system. {yields} Co exists in divalent state in these compounds. {yields} The substituted system exhibits cluster-glass like behaviour, close to that observed earlier in Sr{sub 2}Fe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}MoO{sub 6} compatible with an electronic phase segregation scenario (Phys. Rev. B 73 (2006) 104417). -- Abstract: The transport and magnetic properties of the double perovskite compounds Ca{sub 2}Fe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}MoO{sub 6} (0.1 {<=} x {<=} 0.4) have been explored through resistivity [{rho}(T)], dc magnetisation [M(H, T)] and ac susceptibility [{chi}(T, f)] measurements. Introduction of Co increases the lattice volume implying the divalent nature of cobalt in this system. For all the samples, {rho}(T) behaviour over the temperature range (25-273 K) can be adequately described by considering possible disorder-enhanced electron-electron interaction effect as well as spin-wave contribution. Our results reveal that with the increase of Co concentration, the ferromagnetic Curie temperatures (T{sub C}) gradually reduced due to the incorporation of antiferromagnetic Co{sup 2+}-Mo{sup 6+} pairs replacing ferromagnetic Fe{sup 3+}-Mo{sup 5+} pairs. A cluster-glass like behaviour is also observed in the system due to the presence of highly spin-disordered regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Probing Fe–V Bonding in a C 3 -Symmetric Heterobimetallic Complex

Direct metal–metal bonding of two distinct first-row transition metals remains relatively unexplored compared to their second- and third-row heterobimetallic counterparts. Herein, a recently reported Fe–V triply bonded species, [V( i PrNPPh 2 ) 3 FeI] (1; Kuppuswamy, S.; Powers, T. M.; Krogman, J. P.; Bezpalko, M. W.; Foxman, B. M.; Thomas, C. M. Vanadium–iron complexes featuring metal–metal multiple bonds. Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 3557–3565), is studied using high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance, field- and temperature-dependent 57 Fe nuclear gamma resonance (Mössbauer) spectroscopy, and high-field electron-electron double resonance detected nuclear magnetic resonance. From the use of this suite of physical methods, we have observed the electronic structure of 1. These studies allow us to establish the effective $ \tilde{g} $ tensors as well as the Fe/V electro-nuclear hyperfine interaction tensors of the spin S = 1/2 ground state. We have rationalized these tensors in the context of ligand field theory supported by quantum chemical calculations. This theoretical analysis suggests that the S = 1/2 ground state originates from a single unpaired electron predominately localized on the Fe site.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Uncovering Highly-Excited State Mixing in Acetone Using Ultrafast VUV Pulses and Coincidence Imaging Techniques

Here, understanding the ultrafast dynamics of highly-excited electronic states of small molecules is critical for a better understanding of atmospheric and astrophysical processes, as well as for designing coherent control strategies for manipulating chemical dynamics. In highly excited states, nonadiabatic coupling, electron-electron interactions, and the high density of states govern dynamics. However, these states are computationally and experimentally challenging to access. Fortunately, new sources of ultrafast vacuum ultraviolet pulses, in combination with electron-ion coincidence spectroscopies, provide new tools to unravel the complex electronic landscape. Here we report time-resolved photoelectron-photoion coincidence experiments using 8 eV pump photons to study the highly excited states of acetone. We uncover for the first time direct evidence that the resulting excited state consists of a mixture of both n y → 3p and π → π* character, which decays with a time constant of 330 fs. In the future, this approach can inform models of VUV photochemistry and aid in designing coherent control strategies for manipulating chemical reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

New Perspective on Electron Transfer through Molecules

Motivated by experiments which display unusual length and temperature effects for electron transfer in the nanometer length regime, we propose a new approach for describing long range electron transfer (ET) processes through molecules. We posit that the electron reorganization in the molecules (e.g., the electronic polarization of a macromolecule or organic film by an applied electric potential, or the injected charge generating a dipole moment) should be included in the description. We numerically solve a one-dimensional model for the electron transport, which includes electron-electron interactions explicitly; and we show that it generates a power law distance dependence for electron similar to that observed in experiments. The model does not include vibrations explicitly and should be consistent with the weak temperature dependences observed experimentally. This approach emphasizes the need to treat the electronic changes in the molecule(s) more explicitly to understand the behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Probing the Role of Interlayer Coupling and Coulomb Interactions on Electronic Structure in Few-Layer MoSe 2 Nanostructures

Despite the weak nature of interlayer forces in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials, their properties are highly dependent on the number of layers in the few-layer two-dimensional (2D) limit. Here, we present a combined scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and GW theoretical study of the electronic structure of high quality single- and few-layer MoSe2 grown on bilayer graphene. We find that the electronic (quasiparticle) bandgap, a fundamental parameter for transport and optical phenomena, decreases by nearly one electronvolt when going from one layer to three due to interlayer coupling and screening effects. Our results paint a clear picture of the evolution of the electronic wave function hybridization in the valleys of both the valence and conduction bands as the number of layers is changed. This demonstrates the importance of layer number and electron-electron interactions on van der Waals heterostructures and helps to clarify how their electronic properties might be tuned in future 2D nanodevices.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Temperature-Dependent Electron–Electron Interaction in Graphene on SrTiO 3

We present that the electron band structure of graphene on SrTiO 3 substrate has been investigated as a function of temperature. The high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission study reveals that the spectral width at Fermi energy and the Fermi velocity of graphene on SrTiO 3 are comparable to those of graphene on a BN substrate. Near the charge neutrality, the energy-momentum dispersion of graphene exhibits a strong deviation from the well-known linearity, which is magnified as temperature decreases. Such modification resembles the characteristics of enhanced electron-electron interaction. Lastly, our results not only suggest that SrTiO 3 can be a plausible candidate as a substrate material for applications in graphene-based electronics but also provide a possible route toward the realization of a new type of strongly correlated electron phases in the prototypical two-dimensional system via the manipulation of temperature and a proper choice of dielectric substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Low-Temperature 2D/2D Ohmic Contacts in WSe 2 Field-Effect Transistors as a Platform for the 2D Metal–Insulator Transition

in this work, we report the fabrication of hexagonal-boron-nitride (hBN) encapsulated multiterminal WSe 2 Hall bars with 2D/2D low-temperature Ohmic contacts as a platform for investigating the two-dimensional (2D) metal-insulator transition. We demonstrate that the WSe 2 devices exhibit Ohmic behavior down to 0.25 K and at low enough excitation voltages to avoid current-heating effects. Additionally, the high-quality hBN-encapsulated WSe 2 devices in ideal Hall-bar geometry enable us to accurately determine the carrier density. Measurements of the temperature (T) and density (n s ) dependence of the conductivity σ(T, n s ) demonstrate scaling behavior consistent with a metalinsulator quantum phase transition driven by electron-electron interactions, but where disorder-induced local magnetic moments are also present. Our findings pave the way for further studies of the fundamental quantum mechanical properties of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides using the same contact engineering.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2015

Comparing Quasiparticle H 2 O Level Alignment on Anatase and Rutile TiO 2

Knowledge of the alignment of molecular frontier levels in the ground state can be used to predict the photocatalytic activity of an interface. The position of the adsorbate’s highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels relative to the substrate’s valence band maximum (VBM) in the interface describes the favorability of photogenerated hole transfer from the VBM to the adsorbed molecule. This is a key quantity for assessing and comparing H 2 O photooxidation activities on two prototypical photocatalytic TiO 2 surfaces: anatase (A)-TiO 2 (101) and rutile (R)-TiO 2 (110). Using the projected density of states (DOS) from state-of-the-art quasiparticle (QP) G 0 W 0 calculations, we assess the relative photocatalytic activity of intact and dissociated H 2 O on coordinately unsaturated (Ticus) sites of idealized stoichiometric A-TiO 2 (101)/R-TiO 2 (110) and bridging O vacancies (O br vac ) of defective A-TiO 2-x (101)/R-TiO 2-x (110) surfaces (x = 1/4, 1/8) for various coverages. Such a many-body treatment is necessary to correctly describe the anisotropic screening of electron-electron interactions at a photocatalytic interface and, hence, obtain accurate interfacial level alignments. The more favorable ground state HOMO level alignment for A-TiO 2 (101) may explain why the anatase polymorph shows higher photocatalytic activities than the rutile polymorph. Our results indicate that (1) hole trapping is more favored on A-TiO 2 (101) than RTiO 2 (110) and (2) HO@Ti cus is more photocatalytically active than intact H 2 O@Ti cus .

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2024

Uncovering an Interfacial Band Resulting from Orbital Hybridization in Nickelate Heterostructures

The interaction of atomic orbitals at the interface of perovskite oxide heterostructures has been investigated for its profound impact on the band structures and electronic properties, giving rise to unique electronic states and a variety of tunable functionalities. In this study, we conducted an extensive investigation of the optical and electronic properties of epitaxial NdNiO 3 thin films grown on a series of single crystal substrates. Unlike films synthesized on other substrates, NdNiO 3 on SrTiO 3 (NNO/STO) gives rise to a unique band structure which features an additional unoccupied band situated above the Fermi level. Our comprehensive investigation, which incorporated a wide array of experimental techniques and density functional theory calculations, revealed that the emergence of the interfacial band structure is primarily driven by the orbital hybridization between Ti 3d orbitals of the STO substrate and O 2p orbitals of the NNO thin film. Furthermore, exciton peaks have been detected in the optical spectra of the NNO/STO film, attributable to the pronounced electron-electron (e-e) and electron-hole (e-h) interactions propagating from the STO substrate into the NNO film. Further, these findings underscore the substantial influence of interfacial orbital hybridization on the electronic structure of oxide thin-films, thereby offering key insights into tuning their interfacial properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Negative electronic compressibility and tunable spin splitting in WSe 2

We report that tunable bandgaps, extraordinarily large exciton-binding energies, strong light-matter coupling and a locking of the electron spin with layer and valley pseudospins have established transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as a unique class of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with wide-ranging practical applications. Using angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES), we show here that doping electrons at the surface of the prototypical strong spin-orbit TMD WSe 2 , akin to applying a gate voltage in a transistor-type device, induces a counterintuitive lowering of the surface chemical potential concomitant with the formation of a multivalley 2D electron gas (2DEG). These measurements provide a direct spectroscopic signature of negative electronic compressibility (NEC), a result of electron-electron interactions, which we find persists to carrier densities approximately three orders of magnitude higher than in typical semiconductor 2DEGs that exhibit this effect. An accompanying tunable spin splitting of the valence bands further reveals a complex interplay between single-particle band-structure evolution and many-body interactions in electrostatically doped TMDs. Lastly, understanding and exploiting this will open up new opportunities for advanced electronic and quantum-logic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of HfTe 5

Interacting electrons confined to their lowest Landau level in a high magnetic field can form a variety of correlated states, some of which manifest themselves in a Hall effect. Although such states have been predicted to occur in three-dimensional semimetals, a corresponding Hall response has not yet been experimentally observed. Here, we report the observation of an unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of the bulk semimetal HfTe 5 , adjacent to the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect of a single electron band at low magnetic fields. The additional plateau-like feature in the Hall conductivity of the lowest Landau level is accompanied by a Shubnikov-de Haas minimum in the longitudinal electrical resistivity and its magnitude relates as 3/5 to the height of the last plateau of the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect. Our findings are consistent with strong electron-electron interactions, stabilizing an unconventional variant of the Hall effect in a three-dimensional material in the quantum limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Visualizing delocalized correlated electronic states in twisted double bilayer graphene

Abstract The discovery of interaction-driven insulating and superconducting phases in moiré van der Waals heterostructures has sparked considerable interest in understanding the novel correlated physics of these systems. While a significant number of studies have focused on twisted bilayer graphene, correlated insulating states and a superconductivity-like transition up to 12 K have been reported in recent transport measurements of twisted double bilayer graphene. Here we present a scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study of gate-tunable twisted double bilayer graphene devices. We observe splitting of the van Hove singularity peak by ~20 meV at half-filling of the conduction flat band, with a corresponding reduction of the local density of states at the Fermi level. By mapping the tunneling differential conductance we show that this correlated system exhibits energetically split states that are spatially delocalized throughout the different regions in the moiré unit cell, inconsistent with order originating solely from onsite Coulomb repulsion within strongly-localized orbitals. We have performed self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations that suggest exchange-driven spontaneous symmetry breaking in the degenerate conduction flat band is the origin of the observed correlated state. Our results provide new insight into the nature of electron-electron interactions in twisted double bilayer graphene and related moiré systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Locally commensurate charge-density wave with three-unit-cell periodicity in YBa 2 Cu 3 O y

In order to identify the mechanism responsible for the formation of charge-density waves (CDW) in cuprate superconductors, it is important to understand which aspects of the CDW’s microscopic structure are generic and which are material-dependent. Here, we show that, at the local scale probed by NMR, long-range CDW order in YBa 2 Cu 3 O y is unidirectional with a commensurate period of three unit cells ( λ = 3 b ), implying that the incommensurability found in X-ray scattering is ensured by phase slips (discommensurations). Furthermore, NMR spectra reveal a predominant oxygen character of the CDW with an out-of-phase relationship between certain lattice sites but no specific signature of a secondary CDW with λ = 6 b associated with a putative pair-density wave. These results shed light on universal aspects of the cuprate CDW. In particular, its spatial profile appears to generically result from the interplay between an incommensurate tendency at long length scales, possibly related to properties of the Fermi surface, and local commensuration effects, due to electron-electron interactions or lock-in to the lattice.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Precision measurement of electron-electron scattering in GaAs/AlGaAs using transverse magnetic focusing

Electron-electron (e-e) interactions assume a cardinal role in solid-state physics. Quantifying the e-e scattering length is hence critical. In this paper we show that the mesoscopic phenomenon of transverse magnetic focusing (TMF) in two-dimensional electron systems forms a precise and sensitive technique to measure this length scale. Conversely we quantitatively demonstrate that e-e scattering is the predominant effect limiting TMF amplitudes in high-mobility materials. Using high-resolution kinetic simulations, we show that the TMF amplitude at a maximum decays exponentially as a function of the e-e scattering length, which leads to a ready approach to extract this length from the measured TMF amplitudes. The approach is applied to measure the temperature-dependent e-e scattering length in high-mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. The simulations further reveal current vortices that accompany the cyclotron orbits - a collective phenomenon counterintuitive to the ballistic transport underlying a TMF setting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evidence of a coupled electron-phonon liquid in NbGe 2

Whereas electron-phonon scattering relaxes the electron’s momentum in metals, a perpetual exchange of momentum between phonons and electrons may conserve total momentum and lead to a coupled electron-phonon liquid. Such a phase of matter could be a platform for observing electron hydrodynamics. Here we present evidence of an electron-phonon liquid in the transition metal ditetrelide, NbGe 2 , from three different experiments. First, quantum oscillations reveal an enhanced quasiparticle mass, which is unexpected in NbGe 2 with weak electron-electron correlations, hence pointing at electron-phonon interactions. Second, resistivity measurements exhibit a discrepancy between the experimental data and standard Fermi liquid calculations. Third, Raman scattering shows anomalous temperature dependences of the phonon linewidths that fit an empirical model based on phonon-electron coupling. We discuss structural factors, such as chiral symmetry, short metallic bonds, and a low-symmetry coordination environment as potential design principles for materials with coupled electron-phonon liquid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗