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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 OSTI2024

Probing the Quark Orbital Angular Momentum at Electron-Ion Colliders Using Exclusive π 0 Production

We propose to detect signals from quark orbital angular momentum (OAM) through exclusive π 0 production in electron- (longitudinally polarized) proton collisions. Our analysis demonstrates that the sin 2 ϕ azimuthal angular correlation between the transverse momentum of the scattered electron and the recoil proton serves as a sensitive probe of quark OAM. Additionally, we present a numerical estimate of the asymmetry associated with this correlation for the kinematics accessible at the Electron-Ion Colliders in the U.S. and China. This study aims to pave the way for the first experimental study of quark OAM in relation to the Jaffe-Manohar spin sum rule. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Orbital angular momentum at small $x$ revisited

We revisit the problem of the small Bjorken-x asymptotics of the quark and gluon orbital angular momentum (OAM) distributions in the proton utilizing the revised small-x helicity evolution derived recently in [1]. We relate the quark and gluon OAM distributions at small x to the polarized dipole amplitudes and their (first) impact-parameter moments. To obtain the OAM distributions, we derive novel small-x evolution equations for the impact-parameter moments of the polarized dipole amplitudes in the double-logarithmic approximation (summing powers of α s ln 2 (1/x) with α s the strong coupling constant). We solve these evolution equations numerically and extract the leading large-N c , small-x asymptotics of the quark and gluon OAM distributions, which we determine to be ${L}_{q+\overline{q}}\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim {L}_G\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim \Delta \Sigma \left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim \Delta G\left(x,{Q}^2\right)\sim {\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)}^{3.66\sqrt{\frac{\alpha_s{N}_c}{2_π}}}$in agreement with [2] within the precision of our numerical evaluation. (Here N c is the number of quark colors.) We also investigate the ratios of the quark and gluon OAM distributions to their helicity distribution counterparts in the small-x region.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase-matching analysis in high-order harmonic generation with nonzero orbital angular momentum Laguerre-Gaussian beams

Through high-order harmonic generation driven by intense ultrashort vortex infrared or midinfrared lasers, a nonzero orbital angular momentum can be imprinted onto extreme ultraviolet (XUV) or soft-x-ray (SXR) light pulses. Here we simulate the generation of vortex XUV harmonics in the gas medium as well as their propagation in vacuum till reaching the far field. In this work, we find that the intensity and phase of generated high harmonics are very sensitive to the position of gas jet with respect to the laser focus. The topological charge of the $\textit{q}$th harmonic is found to be $\textit{q}$ times that of the driving Laguerre-Gaussian beam. Each harmonic in the far field appears as a single ring in the transverse plane with an invariant diameter which is scalable with the fundamental topological charge only when the gas jet is placed after the laser focus. The underlying phase-matching mechanism is analyzed by examining the spatial map of the coherence length and by calculating the evolution of harmonic emission in the medium. We anticipate this work to stimulate interest in generating intense vortex XUV or SXR attosecond pulses for probing dynamics of molecules where special molecular features are difficult to be detected with linear or circular XUV or SXR pulses.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spin-textured neutron beams with orbital angular momentum

In this work, we present a rigorous theoretical framework underpinning the technique of spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS), and show how the technique can be extended in order to generate spin-textured neutron beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) via birefringent neutron spin-polarization devices known as magnetic Wollaston prisms. Neutron OAM beams are mathematically characterized by a “cork-screw” phase singularity e iℓΦ about the propagation axis where ℓ is the OAM quantum number. To understand the precise relationship between the emergent OAM state and the variety of spin textures realized by various setups, we have developed a path-integral approach that in the interferometric limit makes a judicious use of magnetic Snell's law. We show that our proposed technique produces a complex two-dimensional pattern of spin-OAM entangled states which may be useful as a probe of quantum magnetic materials. We compare our path-integral approach to the well-known single-path Larmor precession model and present a pedagogical derivation of magnetic Snell's law of refraction for both massive and massless particles based on Maupertuis's action principle.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Orbital angular momentum small- x evolution: exact results in the large- N c limit

We construct an exact solution to the revised small-x orbital angular momentum (OAM) evolution equations derived in [1], based on an earlier work [2]. These equations are derived in the double logarithmic approximation (summing powers of α s ln 2 (1/x) with α s the strong coupling constant and x the Bjorken x variable) and the large-N c limit, with N c the number of quark colors. From our solution, we extract the small-x, large-N c expressions of the quark and gluon OAM distributions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Generation of superposed orbital angular momentum beams using a free-electron laser oscillator

With wavelength tunability, free-electron lasers (FELs) are well-suited for generating orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams in a wide photon energy range. We report here the first experimental demonstration of OAM beam generation using an oscillator FEL with the tens of picosecond pulse duration. Lasing around 458 nm, we have produced the four lowest orders of superposed Laguerre-Gaussian beams using a very long FEL resonator of 53.73 m. The produced beams have good beam quality, excellent stability, and substantial average power. We have also developed a pulsed operation mode for these beams with a highly reproducible temporal structure for a range of repetition rate of 1–30 Hz. This development can be extended to short wavelengths, for example to x-rays using a future x-ray FEL oscillator. The OAM operation of such a storage-ring FEL also paves the way for the generation of OAM gamma-ray beams via inverse Compton scattering.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Magnon orbital angular momentum of ferromagnetic honeycomb and zigzag lattice models

By expanding the gauge 𝜆 𝑛 ⁡(𝐤) for magnon band 𝑛 in harmonics of momentum 𝐤=(𝑘,𝜙), we demonstrate that the only observable component of the magnon orbital angular momentum 𝑂 𝑛 ⁡(𝐤) is its angular average over all angles 𝜙, denoted by 𝐹 𝑛 ⁡(𝑘). Although 𝐹 𝑛 ⁡(𝑘) vanishes for antiferromagnetic honeycomb and zigzag (0<𝐽 1 <𝐽 2 ) lattices, it is nonzero for the ferromagnetic (FM) versions of those lattices in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. For a FM zigzag model with equal exchange interactions 𝐽 1⁢𝑥 and 𝐽 1⁢𝑦 along the 𝑥 and 𝑦 axes, the magnon bands are degenerate along the boundaries of the Brillouin zone with 𝑘 𝑥 −𝑘 𝑦 =±𝜋/𝑎 and the Chern numbers 𝐶 𝑛 are not well defined. However, a revised model with 𝐽 1⁢𝑦 ≠𝐽 1⁢𝑥 lifts those degeneracies and produces well-defined Chern numbers of 𝐶𝑛=±1 for the two magnon bands. When 𝐽 1⁢𝑦 =𝐽 1⁢𝑥 , the thermal conductivity 𝜅 𝑥⁢𝑦⁡ (𝑇) of the FM zigzag lattice is largest for 𝐽2/𝐽1>6 but is still about four times smaller than that of the FM honeycomb lattice at high temperatures. Due to the removal of band degeneracies, 𝜅𝑥⁢𝑦⁡(𝑇) is slightly enhanced when 𝐽 1⁢𝑦 ≠𝐽 1⁢𝑥 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Floquet vortex states induced by light carrying an orbital angular momentum

Here, we propose a scheme to create an electronic Floquet vortex state by irradiating a two-dimensional semiconductor with a laser light carrying nonzero orbital angular momentum. We analytically and numerically study the properties of the Floquet vortex states, with methods analogous to the ones previously applied to the analysis of superconducting vortex states. We show that such Floquet vortex states are similar to superconducting vortex states, and they exhibit a wide range of tunability. To illustrate the potential utility of such tunability, we show how such states could be used for quantum state engineering.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2025

Transverse orbital angular momentum and polarization entangled spatiotemporal structured light

Intra-system entanglement occurs between non-separable modes within the same system. For optical systems, the various degrees of freedom of light represent different modes, and the potential use of light to create higher dimensional classical entangle states offers a promising potential to drive new technological developments. In this work, we present experimental results demonstrating the orthogonality between transverse orbital angular momentum (t-OAM) of different spatiotemporal topological charges, a previously unverified property of t-OAM. Based on those results, we developed methods to create and characterize a novel family of t-OAM and polarization entangled spatiotemporal structured light. We further provide theoretical analysis to support our study of the entanglement between those modes. By demonstrating the feasibility of leveraging t-OAM as a new family of modes for classical entanglement, our work represents a new advancement towards higher dimensional classical entanglement strategies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Preparation of high orbital angular momentum Rydberg states by optical-millimeter-wave STIRAP

Rydberg states of molecules are intrinsically challenging to study due to the presence of fast non-radiative decay pathways, such as predissociation. However, selectively exciting Rydberg states with values of the orbital angular momentum (ℓ) ℓ ≳ 3 is a productive strategy to minimize this rapid decay and to populate molecular Rydberg states with lifetimes that approach those of atoms. Here, in this proof-of-principle demonstration, we transfer population to an nf Rydberg state of the calcium atom by stimulated Raman adiabatic passage, in which an optical and a millimeter-wave field couple the initial and final states via an intermediate nd Rydberg state. Numerical simulations reproduce the observed time and frequency dependences of the population transfer and suggest the utility of this scheme to populate high-ℓ Rydberg states of molecules.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Raman gain control in optical fibers with orbital-angular-momentum-induced chirality of light

Stimulated Raman scattering is a particularly robust nonlinearity, occurring in virtually every material because its spectral linewidth and associated frequency shift do not typically depend on phases or directions (i.e. wavevectors) of the interacting light beams. In amorphous materials such as glass fibers, Raman bandwidths are large, enabling its use as a broadband gain element. This ubiquity makes it a versatile means for achieving optical amplification or realizing lasers over a large range of pulsewidths at user-defined colors. However, this ease of deploying the effect also presents itself as a stubborn source of noise in fiber-based quantum sources or parasitic emission in fiber lasers. Here, we show that orbital angular momentum carrying light beams experiencing spin-orbit interactions yield novel phase-matching criteria for Raman scattering. This enables tailoring its spectral shape (by over half the Raman shift in a given material) as well as strength (by ∼ 100×) simply by controlling light’s topological charge – a capability of utility across the multitude of applications where modulating Raman scattering is desired.

Liu, Xiao (ORCID:000000032239762X)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spin–Lattice Relaxation Decoherence Suppression in Vanishing Orbital Angular Momentum Qubits

Multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy on oriented single crystals of magnetically dilute Gd(III) ions in Gd 0.004 Y 0.996 (trensal) is used to determine the Hamiltonian parameters of the ground 8 S 7/2 term and its phase memory time, Tm, characterizing its coherent spin dynamics. Here, the vanishing orbital angular momentum of the 8 S 7/2 term makes it relatively insensitive to spin–lattice relaxation mediated by magnetoelastic coupling and leads to a T m of 12 μs at 3 K, which is not limited by spin–lattice relaxation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-dimensional quantum key distribution using orbital angular momentum of single photons from a colloidal quantum dot at room temperature

High-dimensional quantum key distribution (HDQKD) is a promising avenue to address the inherent limitations of basic quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols. However, experimental realizations of HDQKD to date have relied on indeterministic photon sources that limit the achievable key rate. In this paper, we demonstrate a full emulation of a HDQKD system using a single colloidal giant quantum dot (gQD) as a deterministic, compact, and room-temperature single-photon source (SPS). We demonstrate a practical protocol by encoding information in a high-dimensional space (d = 3) of the orbital angular momentum of the photons. Our experimental configuration incorporates two spatial light modulators for encoding and decoding the spatial information carried by individual photons. Our experimental demonstration establishes the feasibility of utilizing high radiative quantum yield gQDs as practical SPSs for HDQKD. We also experimentally demonstrate surpassing the traditional d = 2 QKD capacity with comparable error rates, indicating a significant improvement in performance while maintaining reliability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Probing the Gluon Orbital Angular Momentum at the EIC

In these proceedings, we calculate double-spin asymmetry (DSA) in exclusive dijet production in ep collisions and we demonstrate for the first time that the cos(Φ) angular correlation between the scattered electron and proton is a simultaneous probe of the gluon orbital angular momentum and its interplay with the gluon helicity. We make a rough estimate of the DSA for the kinematics of the Electron–Ion Collider.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Orbital Angular Momentum from Self‐Assembled Concentric Nanoparticle Rings

Abstract Ring‐shaped nanostructures can focus, filter, and manipulate electromagnetic waves, but are challenging to incorporate into devices using standard nanofabrication techniques. Directed self‐assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) on lithographically patterned templates has successfully been used to fabricate concentric rings and spirals as etching masks. However, this method is limited by BCP phase behavior and material selection. Here, a straightforward approach to generate ring‐shaped nanoparticle assemblies in thin films of supramolecular nanocomposites is demonstrated. DSA is used to guide the formation of concentric rings with radii spanning 150–1150 nm and ring widths spanning 30–60 nm. When plasmonic nanoparticles are used, ring nanodevice arrays can be fabricated in one step, and the completed devices produce high‐quality orbital angular momentum (OAM). Nanocomposite DSA simplifies and streamlines nanofabrication by producing metal structures without etching or deposition steps; it also introduces interparticle coupling as a new design axis. Detailed analysis of the nanoparticle ring assemblies confirms that the supramolecular system self‐regulates the spatial distribution of its components, and thus exhibits a degree of flexibility absent in DSA of BCPs alone, where structures are determined by polymer‐pattern incommensurability. The present studies also provide guidelines for developing self‐regulating DSA as an alternative to incommensurability‐driven methods.

Vargo, Emma↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic field generation in a laser-irradiated thin collisionless plasma target by return current electrons carrying orbital angular momentum

Abstract Magnetized high energy density physics offers new opportunities for observing magnetic field-related physics for the first time in the laser–plasma context. We focus on one such phenomenon, which is the ability of a laser-irradiated magnetized plasma to amplify a seed magnetic field. We performed a series of fully kinetic 3D simulations of magnetic field amplification by a picosecond-scale relativistic laser pulse of intensity 4.2 × 10 18 W cm −2 incident on a thin overdense target. We observe axial magnetic field amplification from an initial 0.1 kT seed to 1.5 kT over a volume of several cubic microns, persisting hundreds of femtoseconds longer than the laser pulse duration. The magnetic field amplification is driven by electrons in the return current gaining favorable orbital angular momentum from the seed magnetic field. This mechanism is robust to laser polarization and delivers order-of-magnitude amplification over a range of simulation parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Transverse orbital angular momentum in the proton

Using the equations of motion of QCD and Lorentz invariance relations, we show a new, more direct way of obtaining the decomposition of the proton's quark transverse angular momentum into its spin and orbital components. The new decomposition can be understood as a twist-three relation, with the quark transverse spin described by the parton distribution g T . We find that the orbital component can be expressed in terms of a moment in the quark transverse momentum, k T , of the generalized transverse momentum-dependent distribution F 12 , or alternatively in terms of the twist-three generalized parton distributions H 2T and $\tilde{E}$ 2T .

Lorentz invariance relations↗