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DOE OSTI2020

Defect-Seeded Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxides on the Basal Plane of 2D Layered Materials

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) on mechanically exfoliated 2D layered materials spontaneously produces network patterns of metal oxide nanoparticles in triangular and linear deposits on the basal surface. The network patterns formed under a range of ALD conditions and were independent of the orientation of the substrate in the ALD reactor. The patterns were produced on MoS 2 or HOPG when either tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium or bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)manganese were used as precursors, suggesting that the phenomenon is general for 2D materials. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence, prior to deposition, of dislocation networks along the basal plane of mechanically exfoliated 2D flakes, indicating that periodical basal plane defects related to disruptions in the van der Waals stacking of layers, such as perfect line dislocations and triangular extended stacking faults networks, introduce a surface reactivity landscape that leads to the emergence of patterned deposition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1982

A comparison of control modes for time-delayed remote manipulation

Transmission time delay in the communication channel of a manual control system is investigated. A time delay can exist in remote manipulation systems, caused by long communication distances or bandwidth limitations. Ferrell 1 conducted the first research in time-delayed manipulation using a two degree-of-freedom manipulator. His subjects, working at time delays of 1.0, 2.1, and 3.2 s, could accomplish tasks even requiring great accuracy. The subjects spontaneously adopted a pattern of moving cautiously, then waiting to see the results of their actions. In experiments with a six degree-of-freedom master-slave manipulator system and time delays of 1.0 to 6 s, Black 2 saw that subjects tried to use the move-and-wait strategy; but there were often difficulties. The subjects seemed to have a problem in holding the master arm stationary while waiting for feedback. Any undesired drifting of the master arm introduced a discrepancy between the positions of the master and slave. This discrepancy was not perceived because of the time delay. The subject would then begin his next move with an inherent error. The difficulty of effectively using the move-and-wait strategy with a master-slave manipulator suggested that rate control might be a more effective control mode with time delay.

Starr, G. P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Magnetic reorientation and spontaneous formation of tangential discontinuities in deformed magnetic fields

This paper provides an explicit illustration of the formation of tangential discontinuities (current sheets) in a force-free magnetic field whose footpoints have been subjected to bounded continuous displacement and shuffling so that the lines of force are wound about each other in complex but continuous patterns. The discontinuities appear spontaneously because of the reorientation of the field under the enhanced pressure where two regions of different field topology are pressed together by the general winding and wrapping.

Parker, E. N.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Carrier density oscillation in the photoexcited semiconductor

Abstract The perturbation of a semiconductor from the thermodynamic equilibrium often leads to the display of non-linear dynamics and formation of spatiotemporal patterns due to the spontaneous generation of competing processes. Here, we use scanning ultrafast electron microscopy to show that the transport of hot carriers in the strongly excited semiconductor slows down by turning into an oscillatory process; this is evidenced by the expansions and contractions in the second moment of the distribution. We attribute such a response to the electric field generated by the spatial separation of photo-excited electrons and holes under intrinsic and photo-induced fields; we then introduce a transport model that mimics the experimental observation. Our finding provides a direct imaging evidence for the electrostatic oscillation of hot carriers in the highly excited semiconductor and offers new insights into their dynamics in space and time.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2020

Impact of thermodynamic fluctuations and pattern size on the nucleation behavior during area selective deposition

In this work, the authors explore the impact that thermodynamic fluctuations have on the spontaneous appearance of defects during area selective deposition on patterned surfaces that are fully covered by adsorbates under local thermodynamic equilibrium, such as self-assembled monolayers. By using a simple lattice gas model for the adsorbed monolayer, the authors were able to track the spontaneous formation of defects in the monolayer as a function of the pattern width. The results indicate that, for pattern widths of the order of tens of nanometers, roughening effects at the pattern edge can be the leading source for the spontaneous appearance of nucleation defects. This leads to an enhancement of the density of defects that can be up to three orders of magnitude higher than those expected in uniform (not patterned) surfaces. The model also predicts a density of defects that is inversely proportional to the pattern width. Finally, if the dynamic nucleation of defects during area selective deposition is driven by thermodynamic fluctuations, the model predicts that the nucleation rate should be proportional to the total precursor fluency and independent of purge times. Moreover, a tight confinement of the monolayer through a high quality smooth interface in the patterned substrate and strong cohesive interactions between adsorbates should each contribute to a reduction of the overall defect density.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Three-dimensional coherent Bragg imaging of spontaneously rotating nanoparticles

Series of coherent diffraction patterns were collected from crystalline gold nanoparticles as these rotated under the influence of a focused X-ray beam. The resulting movies show the (111) Bragg peaks crossing the Ewald sphere, and the frames can be assembled into three-dimensional diffraction volumes and phased.

60 nm truncated-octrahedral gold nanoparticles↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fractional Laplacian spectral approach to turbulence in a dusty plasma monolayer

This work presents an analytical investigation of anomalous diffusion and turbulence in a dusty plasma monolayer, where energy transport across scales leads to the spontaneous formation of spatially disordered patterns. Many-body simulations of 10,000-particle dusty plasma monolayers are used to demonstrate how the global dynamics depend on the statistical properties of the dust assembly for realistic laboratory conditions. We find that disorder due to variations in the dust size distribution and charge-driven nonlocal interactions resulting in anomalous dust diffusion are key factors for the onset of instabilities. The resulting dynamics exhibit features of inertial turbulence over slightly more than half a decade of scales proportional or smaller than the Debye shielding length. These processes are examined analytically using a recently developed Fractional Laplacian Spectral (FLS) technique, which identifies the active energy channels as a function of scale, disorder concentration, and features of the nonlocal-interactions. The predictions from the theoretical (spectral) analysis demonstrate agreement with the results from the many-body (kinetic) simulations, thus providing a powerful tool for the study of active turbulence.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Staircase formation by resonant and non-resonant transport of potential vorticity

The E × B staircase is a quasi-periodic pattern of pressure profile corrugations. In this work, we present a new mechanism for E × B staircase formation that involves resonant transport versus non-resonant transport. We start from a potential vorticity evolution system and use quasi-linear theory, a model dispersion relation, and a bi-Lorentzian spectrum approximation, to construct the relation between the fluxes and the profiles. With these fluxes, we close the profile evolution equations and the extended turbulence intensity evolution equation, which together constitute a turbulence-profile evolution system. In this system, the Doppler effect from the E × B mean flow can cause resonance between trapped ion precession motion and the trapped ion mode, which drives a resonant transport contribution to the fluxes. The profiles will be flattened where the resonant transport is switched on. In contrast, for the regions of non-resonant transport, profiles are steeper. A quasi-periodic pattern of profile corrugation (the E × B staircase) spontaneously emerges in this system, which is the two states mentioned above, arranged as alternating layers in space. The feedback processes during the staircase pattern formation are identified. An estimate of the critical value of the boundary heat flux is obtained, above which the staircase formation will be triggered. An estimate scaling of the step size in the staircase pattern is obtained. The resonant turbulent transport is also a mechanism for collisionless saturation of zonal flow. Furthermore, this work is related to internal transport barrier formation and suggests some new scenarios, such as an enhanced confined L mode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of Thermally Driven Domain Transformation in Ferroelectric Thin Films

An important feature in ultrathin ferroelectric films is the spontaneous formation of nanoscale polarization domain patterns. Epitaxial strain can greatly increase the ferroelectric transition temperature such that films can be in the ferroelectric state during growth. On the other hand, depolarization fields compete with ferroelectricity in ultrathin films, and, consequently, the optimal domain configuration during growth is a moving target. Under these conditions it is readily possible for a grown film to be in a nonequilibrium domain configuration. As the energy landscape in the system is quite complex, the relaxation dynamics by which a system can evolve towards the true equilibrium configuration are also quite interesting. Here, to capture the details of this process we used Bragg-geometry x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), in which x-ray scattering speckle patterns contain the information from the domain arrangements inside the film. With modest heating (∼15⁢0 °C) domain relaxation from 𝑇 (tetragonal) to 𝑀 𝐶 (monoclinic) was observed in BaTiO 3 films grown on ultrathin ferroelectric PbTiO 3 layers. Two-time correlation analysis reveals fascinating details associated with sticking points and reversals in the process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Nanoscale Editing of Multi and Single Layer Tungsten Disulfide via Gas‐Assisted Focused Electron Beam Induced Etching for Device Prototyping

Focused electron beam induced etching (FEBIE) with XeF 2 (xenon difluoride) precursor is conducted on multi-layer exfoliated WS 2 (tungsten disulfide) and monolayer WS 2 grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The films are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy post-etching. The etch rates/efficiencies are reported as a function of electron beam energy, current, dwell time, and XeF 2 pressure. Bulk film Raman spectra are unchanged post-FEBIE, indicating minimal subsurface damage. Monolayer WS 2 shows a decrease in Raman and PL intensity post-FEBIE, with a dose-to-clear of ≈2 nC µm −2 . The study reveals regimes affected by the various mass transport contributions such as refresh time and the ratio of electrons/XeF 2 . Spontaneous etching was discovered during FEBIE of large patterned areas due to the long frame/refresh times. Density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations compares desorption of SF x and WF x molecules from pristine WS 2 basal planes and pore edges, revealing the spontaneous etching is consistent with etching of partially etched monolayers during each frame. Single-line etching width of 21 nm, and patterning flakes into 100 nm wide channels are demonstrated. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the possibility of editing WS 2 flakes into electronic devices of arbitrary dimensions for semiconductor applications.

2D materials↗

DOE OSTI2025

Turbulent-like flows in quasi two-dimensional dense suspensions of motile colloids

Dense bacterial suspensions exhibit turbulent-like flows at low Reynolds numbers, driven by the activity of the microswimmers. In this study, we develop a model system to examine these dynamics using motile colloids that mimic bacterial locomotion. The colloids are powered by the Quincke instability, which causes them to spontaneously roll in a random-walk pattern when exposed to a square-wave electric field. We experimentally investigate the flow dynamics in dense suspensions of these Quincke random walkers under quasi two-dimensional conditions, where the particle size is comparable to the gap between the electrodes. The results suggest a scaling regime in the energy spectrum ∼k −4 at high wavenumbers, observed consistently across activity levels and particle concentrations. We observe that velocity time correlations decay within a single period of the square-wave field, yet an anti-correlation appears between successive field applications, indicative of a dynamic structural memory of the ensemble.

Luo, Rui [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United↗

DOE OSTI2020

Self-organization in 1 atm DC glows with liquid anodes: current understanding and potential applications

Self-organization refers to the spontaneous generation of spatially or temporally organized patterns in an otherwise disordered system. Self-organization is ubiquitous in plasma physics particularly in the low-pressure regime as observed in astrophysical jets or plasma loaded flux loops that form on the surface of the Sun. In recent times, self-organization in atmospheric pressure plasmas has captured the attention of researchers. Its occurrence has been observed in DBD discharges as well as DC 1 atm glows with liquid electrodes. The mechanism of pattern formation is still not well understood. In this work, we briefly review the current understanding of pattern formation in DC glows with liquid anode, surveying past work, application areas, theories on mechanisms of formation from the context of reaction diffusion systems, current experimental work and computational progress towards predicting pattern formation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Visualizing strange metallic correlations in the two-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model with artificial intelligence

Strongly correlated phases of matter are often described in terms of straightforward electronic patterns. This has so far been the basis for studying the Fermi-Hubbard model realized with ultracold atoms. Here, we show that artificial intelligence (AI) can provide an unbiased alternative to this paradigm for phases with subtle, or even unknown, patterns. Long- and short-range spin correlations spontaneously emerge in filters of a convolutional neural network trained on snapshots of single atomic species. In the less well-understood strange metallic phase of the model, we find that a more complex network trained on snapshots of local moments produces an effective order parameter for the non-Fermi-liquid behavior. We report our technique can be employed to characterize correlations unique to other phases with no obvious order parameters or signatures in projective measurements, and has implications for science discovery through AI beyond strongly correlated systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2022

Spontaneously broken subsystem symmetries

We investigate the spontaneous breaking of subsystem symmetries directly in the context of continuum field theories by calculating the correlation function of charged operators. Our methods confirm the lack of spontaneous symmetry breaking in some of the existing continuum field theories with subsystem symmetries, as had previously been established based on a careful analysis of the spectrum. We present some novel continuum field theory constructions that do exhibit spontaneous symmetry breaking whenever allowed by general principles. These interesting patterns of symmetry breaking occur despite the fact that all the theories we study are non-interacting.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2001

p53 deficiency alters the yield and spectrum of radiation-induced lacZ mutants in the brain of transgenic mice

Exposure to heavy particle radiation in the galacto-cosmic environment poses a significant risk in space exploration and the evaluation of radiation-induced genetic damage in tissues, especially in the central nervous system, is an important consideration in long-term manned space missions. We used a plasmid-based transgenic mouse model system, with the pUR288 lacZ transgene integrated in the genome of every cell of C57Bl/6(lacZ) mice, to evaluate the genetic damage induced by iron particle radiation. In order to examine the importance of genetic background on the radiation sensitivity of individuals, we cross-bred p53 wild-type lacZ transgenic mice with p53 nullizygous mice, producing lacZ transgenic mice that were either hemizygous or nullizygous for the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Animals were exposed to an acute dose of 1 Gy of iron particles and the lacZ mutation frequency (MF) in the brain was measured at time intervals from 1 to 16 weeks post-irradiation. Our results suggest that iron particles induced an increase in lacZ MF (2.4-fold increase in p53+/+ mice, 1.3-fold increase in p53+/- mice and 2.1-fold increase in p53-/- mice) and that this induction is both temporally regulated and p53 genotype dependent. Characterization of mutants based on their restriction patterns showed that the majority of the mutants arising spontaneously are derived from point mutations or small deletions in all three genotypes. Radiation induced alterations in the spectrum of deletion mutants and reorganization of the genome, as evidenced by the selection of mutants containing mouse genomic DNA. These observations are unique in that mutations in brain tissue after particle radiation exposure have never before been reported owing to technical limitations in most other mutation assays.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS2000

Oscillatory patterns in sympathetic neural discharge and cardiovascular variables during orthostatic stimulus

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that a common oscillatory pattern might characterize the rhythmic discharge of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and the spontaneous variability of heart rate and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) during a physiological increase of sympathetic activity induced by the head-up tilt maneuver. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten healthy subjects underwent continuous recordings of ECG, intra-arterial pressure, respiratory activity, central venous pressure, and MSNA, both in the recumbent position and during 75 degrees head-up tilt. Venous samplings for catecholamine assessment were obtained at rest and during the fifth minute of tilt. Spectrum and cross-spectrum analyses of R-R interval, SAP, and MSNA variabilities and of respiratory activity provided the low (LF, 0.1 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.27 Hz) rhythmic components of each signal and assessed their linear relationships. Compared with the recumbent position, tilt reduced central venous pressure, but blood pressure was unchanged. Heart rate, MSNA, and plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels increased, suggesting a marked enhancement of overall sympathetic activity. During tilt, LF(MSNA) increased compared with the level in the supine position; this mirrored similar changes observed in the LF components of R-R interval and SAP variabilities. The increase of LF(MSNA) was proportional to the amount of the sympathetic discharge. The coupling between LF components of MSNA and R-R interval and SAP variabilities was enhanced during tilt compared with rest. CONCLUSIONS: During the sympathetic activation induced by tilt, a similar oscillatory pattern based on an increased LF rhythmicity characterized the spontaneous variability of neural sympathetic discharge, R-R interval, and arterial pressure.

NASA Program Biomedical Research and Countermeasur↗

DOE OSTI2021

Nucleation and growth of blue phase liquid crystals on chemically-patterned surfaces: a surface anchoring assisted blue phase correlation length

In condensed matter, the correlation length is an essential parameter which describes the distance over which a material maintains its structural properties. In liquid crystals, for the orientational order parameter this characteristic length is of the order of nanometers, while in solid crystals it can extend to macroscopic length scales. Here, we report the measurement of the correlation length, or persistence length, of the crystallographic orientation of blue phases (BPs)—chiral liquid crystals with long-range 3D-crystalline structures and submicron-sized lattice-parameters. These materials exhibit phase transformations that have been identified as the liquid analog of crystal-crystal martensitic transformations. In this work, we use liquid epitaxial growth to achieve spontaneous BP-crystal nucleation and subsequent growth. Specifically, we design patterned substrates made of a binary array of regions with different liquid crystal anchoring, which facilitate a uniform nucleation and growth of BP-crystals with (100)-lattice orientation and a simple cubic symmetry. Furthermore, our results indicate that this simple cubic BP, the so-called blue phase II (BPII), forms first on the patterned surface, thereby propagating the growth of domains in directions parallel or perpendicular to the patterned regions. These results are used to understand the emergence of a surface anchoring assisted BPII-correlation length, taken as the distance over which the BP preserves its lattice orientation, as a function of time and pattern characteristics. We found that BPII single crystals can be achieved on patterned regions whose lateral dimensions are equal to or larger than 10 μm, consistent with our measurements of the BPII-correlation length. This newly acquired understanding of the role of surfaces on the formation of BPs is then used to design processes that permit formation of macroscopically large mono-domain, single-crystal BPs by relying on significantly reduced patterned areas (only part of the area is patterned), a feature that could benefit the applications of this intriguing class of materials.

correlation length↗

NASA NTRS2012

Investigations of a Combustor Using a 9-Point Swirl-Venturi Fuel Injector: Recent Experimental Results

This paper explores recent results obtained during testing in an optically-accessible, JP8-fueled, flame tube combustor using baseline Lean Direct Injection (LDI) research hardware. The baseline LDI geometry has nine fuel/air mixers arranged in a 3 x 3 array. Results from this nine-element array include images of fuel and OH speciation via Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), which describe fuel spray pattern and reaction zones. Preliminary combustion temperatures derived from Stokes/Anti-Stokes Spontaneous Raman Spectroscopy are also presented. Other results using chemiluminescence from major combustion radicals such as CH* and C2* serve to identify the primary reaction zone, while OH PLIF shows the extent of reaction further downstream. Air and fuel velocities and fuel drop size results are also reported.

Hicks, Yolanda R.↗