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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

Axial H-Bonding Solvent Controls Inhomogeneous Spectral Broadening, While Peripheral H-Bonding Solvent Controls Vibronic Broadening: Cresyl Violet in Methanol

The dynamics of the nuclei of both a chromophore and its condensed-phase environment control many spectral features, including the vibronic and inhomogeneous broadening present in spectral line shapes. For the cresyl violet chromophore in methanol, we here analyze and isolate the effect of specific chromophore–solvent interactions on simulated spectral densities, reorganization energies, and linear absorption spectra. Employing both chromophore and its condensed-phase environment control many spectral features, including the vibronic and inhomogeneous broadening present in spectral line shapes. For the cresyl violet chromophore in methanol, we here analyze and isolate the effect of specific chromophore–solvent interactions on simulated spectral densities, reorganization energies, and linear absorption spectra. Employing both force field and ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories along with the inclusion of only certain solvent molecules in the excited-state calculations, we determine that the methanol molecules axial to the chromophore are responsible for the majority of inhomogeneous broadening, with a single methanol molecule that forms an axial hydrogen bond dominating the response. Furthermore, the strong peripheral hydrogen bonds do not contribute to spectral broadening, as they are very stable throughout the dynamics and do not lead to increased energy-gap fluctuations. We also find that treating the strong peripheral hydrogen bonds as molecular mechanical point charges during the molecular dynamics simulation underestimates the vibronic coupling. Including these peripheral hydrogen bonding methanol molecules in the quantum-mechanical region in a geometry optimization increases the vibronic coupling, suggesting that a more advanced treatment of these strongly interacting solvent molecules during the molecular dynamics trajectory may be necessary to capture the full vibronic spectral broadening.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Emission line shapes produced by dissociative excitation of atmospheric gases

The spectral line shapes of the radiation emitted from O atoms produced by the dissociative excitation of O2, CO, CO2 and NO are investigated. Doppler line shapes are derived from time-of-flight spectra of O (5S0) atoms decaying by the emission of 1356-A radiation after being produced in electron impact experiments at incident electron energies from 25 to 300 eV. It is shown that the effective line width of the radiation is large compared with the Doppler absorption widths of ambient O atoms in both photoelectron and auroral excitation, and thus the dissociatively excited component of the O I 1304-A airglow will behave as though it were optically thin, exhibiting pronounced limb brightening effects and a scale height characteristic of the initial, local source function. It is found that the average kinetic energy of the dissociation fragments inferred from O I (5S) time-of-flight spectra is in good agreement with that of O I (3S) atoms in the electron impact dissociation of CO2, although not for O2. Finally, it is suggested that although electron impact dissociation of CO and CO2 contributes to the 1304-A emission in the upper atmosphere of Venus, it cannot be the dominant source of this radiation since the absolute cross sections for the reaction are too small.

Zipf, E. C.↗

Kubo-Anderson theory of polariton line shape

We apply the Kubo-Anderson stochastic theory of molecular spectral line shapes to the case of polaritons formed in the collective strong-coupling regime. We investigate both the fast and slow limits of the random frequency modulation of the emitter as well as the intermediate regime and show how the interplay between the characteristic timescales of the cavity and the molecular disorder is expressed in the observed polaritons line shapes. The analytical solution obtained for the slow limit is valid for any ratio between the inhomogeneous broadening of the molecules and the Rabi splitting, which is especially relevant for molecular polaritons where these two quantities can be of the same order of magnitude.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Spectral line-shape in collinear laser spectroscopy after atomic charge exchange

Collinear laser spectroscopy experiments on fast, neutral beams have been extensively used for studies on short-lived radioactive nuclei, taking advantage of its high sensitivity. The resulting resonance line-shape is known to show significant distortion, due to the energy exchange during the charge-exchange neutralization process, which can cause large systematic uncertainty in the determined centroid. A model for the line shape was constructed and simulated to be compared to measured Al, Si, and Ni hyperfine spectra. It is shown that the distortion is caused mainly by the transfer of electron into many different energy levels in the projectile atom and subsequent decays, rather than secondary inelastic collisions, which were often assumed in the line shape analysis before. Furthermore, the model can also be applied to other projectile–alkali pairs, providing a reliable line-shape with less fitting parameters than conventional phenomenological models.

Atom↗

PigmentHunter: A point-and-click application for automated chlorophyll-protein simulations

Chlorophyll proteins (CPs) are the workhorses of biological photosynthesis, working together to absorb solar energy, transfer it to chemically active reaction centers, and control the charge-separation process that drives its storage as chemical energy. Yet predicting CP optical and electronic properties remains a serious challenge, driven by the computational difficulty of treating large, electronically coupled molecular pigments embedded in a dynamically structured protein environment. To address this challenge, we introduce here an analysis tool called PigmentHunter, which automates the process of preparing CP structures for molecular dynamics (MD), running short MD simulations on the nanoHUB.org science gateway, and then using electrostatic and steric analysis routines to predict optical absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectra within a Frenkel exciton model. Inter-pigment couplings are evaluated using point-dipole or transition-charge coupling models, while site energies can be estimated using both electrostatic and ring-deformation approaches. The package is built in a Jupyter Notebook environment, with a point-and-click interface that can be used either to manually prepare individual structures or to batch-process many structures at once. Here, we illustrate PigmentHunter’s capabilities with example simulations on spectral line shapes in the light harvesting 2 complex, site energies in the Fenna–Matthews–Olson protein, and ring deformation in photosystems I and II.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Impact of substrates and quantum effects on exciton line shapes of 2D semiconductors at room temperature

Exciton resonances in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide exceptionally strong light–matter interaction at room temperature. Their spectral line shape is critical in the design of a myriad of optoelectronic devices, ranging from solar cells to quantum information processing. However, disorder resulting from static inhomogeneities and dynamical fluctuations can significantly impact the line shape. Many recent works experimentally evaluate the optical properties of TMD monolayers placed on a substrate and the line shape is typically linked directly to the material’s quality. Here, we highlight that the interference of the substrate and TMD reflections can strongly influence the line shape. We further show how basic, room-temperature reflection measurements allow investigation of the quantum mechanical exciton dynamics by systematically controlling the substrate reflection with index-matching oils. By removing the substrate contribution with properly chosen oil, we can extract the excitonic decay rates including the quantum mechanical dephasing rate. The results provide valuable guidance for the engineering of exciton line shapes in layered nanophotonic systems.

2D semiconductor↗

Collisional excitation of CO by H2O - An astrophysicist's guide to obtaining rate constants from coherent anti-Stokes Raman line shape data

Rate constants for excitation of CO by collisions with H2O are needed to understand recent observations of comet spectra. These collision rates are closely related to spectral line shape parameters, especially those for Raman Q-branch spectra. Because such spectra have become quite important for thermometry applications, much effort has been invested in understanding this process. Although it is not generally possible to extract state-to-state rate constants directly from the data as there are too many unknowns, if the matrix of state-to-state rates can be expressed in terms of a rate-law model which depends only on rotational quantum numbers plus a few parameters, the parameters can be determined from the data; this has been done with some success for many systems, especially those relevant to combustion processes. Although such an analysis has not yet been done for CO-H2O, this system is expected to behave similarly to N2-H2O which has been well studies; modifications of parameters for the latter system are suggested which should provide a reasonable description of rate constants for the former.

Green, Sheldon↗

Small Pitch Transition-Edge Sensors with Broadband High Spectral Resolution for Solar Physics

We are developing small pitch transition-edge sensor (TES) X-ray detectors optimized for solar astronomy. These devices are fabricated on thick Si substrates with embedded Cu heat-sink layer. We use 35 x 35 square micrometers Mo/Au TESs with 4.5 micrometer thick Au absorbers. We have tested devices with different geometric absorber stem contact areas with the TES and surrounding substrate area. This allows us to investigate the loss of athermal phonons to the substrate. Results show a correlation between thc stem contact area and a broadening in the spectral line shape indicative of athermal phonon loss. When the contact area is minimized we have obtained exceptional broadband spectral resolution of 1.28 plus or minus 0.03 eV at an energy of 1.5 keV, 1.58 plus or minus 0.07 eV at 5.9 keV and 1.96 plus or minus 0.08 eV at 8 keV. The linearity in the measured gain scale is understood in the context of the longitudinal proximity effect from the electrical bias leads resulting in transition characteristics that are strongly dependent upon TES size.

Smith, S. J.↗

High Broadband Spectral Resolving Transition-Edge Sensors for High Count-Rate Astrophysical Applications

We are developing arrays of transition-edge sensor (TES) X-ray detectors optimized for high count-rate solar astronomy applications where characterizing the high velocity motions of X-ray jets in solar flares is of particular interest. These devices are fabricated on thick Si substrates and consist of 35x35micron^2 TESs with 4.5micron thick, 60micron pitch, electroplated absorbers. We have tested devices fabricated with different geometric stem contact areas with the TES and surrounding substrate area, which allows us to investigate the loss of athermal phonons to the substrate. Results show a correlation between the stem contact area and a non-Gaussian broadening in the spectral line shape consistent with athermal phonon loss. When the contact area is minimized we have obtained remarkable board-band spectral resolving capabilities of 1.3 plus or minus 0.leV at an energy of 1.5 keV, 1.6 plus or minus 0.1 eV at 5.9 keV and 2.0 plus or minus 0.1 eV at 8 keV. This, coupled with a capability of accommodating 100's of counts per second per pixel makes these devices an exciting prospect of future x-ray astronomy applications.

Smith, Stephen↗

Absolute throughput calibration of multiple spherical crystals for the Orion High-REsolution X-ray spectrometer (OHREX)

We present absolute throughput analysis of several crystals for the Orion High-REsolution X-ray (OHREX) imaging crystal spectrometer using ray tracing and experimental measurements. The OHREX spectrometer is a high-resolution x-ray spectrometer designed to measure spectral line shapes at the Orion laser facility. The spectrometer is fielded with up to two spherical crystals simultaneously covering two independent spectral ranges. Each crystal has a nominal radius of curvature of R = 67.2 cm and is fielded at a nominal Bragg angle of 51.3°. To cover different bands of interest, several different crystals are available, including Ge (111), KAP, and several cuts of quartz, whose resolving power λ/Δλ exceeds 10 000. The calibrated response of the available crystals has previously been reported from measurements at the EBIT-I electron beam ion trap at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Here, we model the absolute throughput of each crystal using ray tracing and verify the results using experimental data for the quartz $(10\bar{1}1)$ crystal.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Absolute throughput calibration of multiple spherical crystals for the Orion High-REsolution X-ray spectrometer (OHREX)

We present absolute throughput analysis of several crystals for the Orion High-REsolution X-ray (OHREX) imaging crystal spectrometer using ray tracing and experimental measurements. The OHREX spectrometer is a high-resolution x-ray spectrometer designed to measure spectral line shapes at the Orion laser facility. The spectrometer is fielded with up to two spherical crystals simultaneously covering two independent spectral ranges. Each crystal has a nominal radius of curvature of R = 67.2 cm and is fielded at a nominal Bragg angle of 51.3°. To cover different bands of interest, several different crystals are available, including Ge (111), KAP, and several cuts of quartz, whose resolving power λ/Δλ exceeds 10 000. The calibrated response of the available crystals has previously been reported from measurements at the EBIT-I electron beam ion trap at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Here, we model the absolute throughput of each crystal using ray tracing and verify the results using experimental data for the quartz (10¯11) crystal.

M. J. MacDonald↗

Observed and computed stellar line profiles - The roles played by partial redistribution, geometrical extent and expansion

Partial redistribution (PRD) radiative transfer is reviewed with emphasis on the complex interaction of observations and theoretical predictions of spectral line shapes. Although the physics of PRD was understood and formal solutions to the radiative transfer equation including PRD were published as early as 1962, more than a decade elapsed before the clear inconsistency between observed and theoretical profiles calculated with the restrictive assumption of complete redistribution stimulated the development and use of PRD semiempirical spectral analysis for the solar Lyman alpha, Ca II, and Mg II resonance lines. Work is summarized that led to 'realistic' plane parallel static chromospheric models for the sun and other late type stars, with emphasis on the determination of the temperature minimum at the base of the chromosphere and the physical basis for resonance line limb darkening, the brightness of the line wings, and the width of the emission features. Finally the various roles played by atmospheric extension and expansion (winds) in determining resonance line profile shapes are discussed, and the existing PRD calculations for late type stars are summarized.

Linsky, J. L.↗

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of epitaxial films and heterostructures

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique that yields invaluable information on a range of phenomena that occur in solids, liquids, and gasses. The binding energy and shape of a photoemission peak is sensitive not only to the atomic number, valence and orbital from which the electron is ejected, but also to complex many-body effects that accompany photoemission. Provided the influences of these different drivers of spectral line shapes can be disentangled, a great deal can be learned about the electronic structures of specific atoms in the material of interest. In addition to these largely local effects, the long-range electrostatic environment and resulting electric potential at the emitting atom have a direct effect on the measured binding energies. Furthermore, this fact opens the door to extracting information about the dependence of the valence and conduction band minima on depth below the surface, which in turn allows both vertical and lateral electrical transport data to be better understood. One purpose of this Report is to describe how the different physical forces described above impact spectral properties of complex oxide epitaxial films. This class of materials typically incorporates transition metal cations in different valences and of all the elements, these exhibit the most complex core-level spectra. A second purpose is to show how a comprehensive understanding of local physical effects in x-ray photoemission allows one to extract detailed information on internal electric fields and band edge discontinuities in heterostructures involving complex oxides from core-level line shapes.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Extracting doubly excited state lifetimes in helium directly in the time domain with attosecond noncollinear four-wave-mixing spectroscopy

The helium atom, with one nucleus and two electrons, is a prototypical system to study quantum many-body dynamics. Doubly excited states, or quantum states in which both electrons are excited by one photon, showcase electronic-correlation mediated effects. In this paper, the natural lifetimes of the doubly excited 1 P o 2 s n p Rydberg series and the 1 S e 2 p 2 dark state in helium in the 60–65 eV region are measured directly in the time domain with extreme-ultraviolet/near-infrared noncollinear attosecond four-wave-mixing (FWM) spectroscopy. The measured lifetimes agree with lifetimes deduced from spectral linewidths and theoretical predictions, and the roles of specific decay mechanisms are considered. While complex spectral line shapes in the form of Fano resonances are common in absorption spectroscopy of autoionizing states, the background-free and thus homodyned character of noncollinear FWM results exclusively in Lorentzian spectral features in the absence of strong-field effects. The onset of strong-field effects that would affect the extraction of accurate natural lifetimes in helium by FWM is determined to be approximately 0.3 Rabi cycles. This study provides a systematic understanding of the FWM parameters necessary to enable accurate lifetime extractions, which can be utilized in more complex quantum systems in the future. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Rupprecht, Patrick (ORCID:000000026491793X)↗

Second-order spectral line shift comparisons

The second-order spectral line width formulae from the projection operator and kinetic theory methods were recently compared. It was shown that a systematic expansion of the projection operator width expression including initial correlations formally agrees with the second-order kinetic theory result. It is now shown that the second-order dynamic shifts are also formally the same. The static shifts, however, differ due to an ad hoc treatment of electron-electron correlations in the projection operator method. The approximation is necessary in order to screen the radiator-electron interactions. The differences, however, are expected to be small. Finally, the results suggest using the rigorous and more compact second-order width and shift expressions from the kinetic theory method as the starting point for spectral line shape calculations. At line center, however, the projection operator second-order expression for the width and shift simplifies and reduces to the kinetic theory result.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Explicit environmental and vibronic effects in simulations of linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy

Accurately simulating the linear and nonlinear electronic spectra of condensed phase systems and accounting for all physical phenomena contributing to spectral line shapes presents a significant challenge. Vibronic transitions can be captured through a harmonic model generated from the normal modes of a chromophore, but it is challenging to also include the effects of specific chromophore–environment interactions within such a model. We work to overcome this limitation by combining approaches to account for both explicit environment interactions and vibronic couplings for simulating both linear and nonlinear optical spectra. We present and show results for three approaches of varying computational cost for combining ensemble sampling of chromophore–environment configurations with Franck–Condon line shapes for simulating linear spectra. We present two analogous approaches for nonlinear spectra. Simulated absorption spectra and two-dimensional electronic spectra (2DES) are presented for the Nile red chromophore in different solvent environments. Furthermore, employing an average Franck–Condon or 2DES line shape appears to be a promising method for simulating linear and nonlinear spectroscopy for a chromophore in the condensed phase.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗