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At least 361 records · Page 20

Chirality, vorticity and spin polarization — Experimental overview

In this paper, we provide an exploration of the interrelated topics of chirality, vorticity, and spin polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions. Our discussion delves into the intricate relationships among these phenomena, examining the recent measurements conducted at both RHIC and LHC. We review the challenges faced, the progress made, and the current state of understanding regarding hot QCD matter under rotation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Electric field and turbulence in global Braginskii simulations across the ASDEX Upgrade edge and scrape-off layer

Turbulence simulations in diverted geometry across the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of ASDEX Upgrade are performed with the GRILLIX code (Stegmeir et al 2019 Phys. Plasmas 26 052517). The underlying global (full-f) drift-reduced Braginskii model allows to concurrently study the self-consistent dynamics of the turbulence and the background as well as the evolution of toroidal and zonal flows. Different contributions to the radial electric field are identified. The dominant contribution on closed flux surfaces comes from the ion pressure gradient, due to the diamagnetic drift in the curved magnetic field. Large deviations can be induced, in particular, by the polarization particle flux, leading to zonal flows. The latter are driven by small-scale eddies, but do not exhibit much impact on the overall transport which is driven by ballooning modes at larger scales. Ion viscosity is found to be important in damping poloidal rotation through adjusting of the parallel velocity profile, but not via direct vorticity damping. The zonal flow drive peaks at the separatrix, where a strong shear layer forms due to the sheath-induced counter-propagating SOL flow, allowing for the formation of a transport barrier. The temperature profile across the separatrix is determined by the competition between cross-field transport and outflow in the SOL, the latter being largely controlled by the parallel heat conductivity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Mini-Micropulse Lidar data from TAMU TRACER campaign in the Houston TX region from July to September 2022

During TRACER, the Texas A&M Rapid Onsite Atmospheric Measurements Van (ROAM-V) was deployed to capture airmasses behind (maritime) and ahead (continental) of the passage of the sea-breeze front through Houston. On select sampling days, ROAM-V sampled in the morning/mid-day on the coast and then transited to a second inland site for the afternoon/evening. The suite of instruments deployed on ROAM-V included a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC; GRIMM Model 5.403 CPC), Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS; TSI 3750 detector, TSI 3082 classifier, TSI 3088 neutralizer, TSI 3081A Differential Mobility Analyzer), Cloud Condensation Nuclei counter (Droplet Measurement Technologies CCN Counter), micro pulse lidar (Droplet Measurement Technologies Micro Pulse LiDAR (mini-MPL)), and a Davis Rotating Uniform size-cut Monitor (DRUM; DRUMAir 4-DRUM). Before sampling at each location, the latitude and longitude were recorded using the GPS on the phone application “My Altitude”. The mini-MPL deployed with ROAM-V is a 532 nm elastic and polarization lidar. The mini-MPL outputs normalized relative backscatter (NRB) derived from raw signal after after-pulse, overlap, and dead-time correction calibration. The depolarization ratio is calculated from the co-polarized and cross-polarized NRB (Flynna et al., 2007). The NRB and depolarization ratio data are resampled from the original data at 1-minute intervals. The vertical resolution of the mini-MPL data is 15 meters. The mini-MPL data can be used to determine the boundary layer, cloud top, and cloud bottom height and can be used to retrieve aerosol type and concentration profile. This data was collected for ARM Field Campaign AFC07055 and supported by DOE ASR grant DE-SC0021047. For any further questions, please feel free to contact the instrument PI, Sarah D. Brooks, sbrooks@tamu.edu . Flynna, C. J., Mendozaa, A., Zhengb, Y., & Mathurb, S. (2007). Novel polarization-sensitive micropulse lidar measurement technique. Optics express, 15(6), 2785-2790.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Latent Mechanisms of Polarization Switching from In Situ Electron Microscopy Observations

In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy enables observation of the domain dynamics in ferroelectric materials as a function of externally applied bias and temperature. The resultant data sets contain a wealth of information on polarization switching and phase transition mechanisms. However, identification of these mechanisms from observational data sets has remained a problem due to a large variety of possible configurations, many of which are degenerate. Here, an approach based on a combination of deep learning-based semantic segmentation, rotationally invariant variational autoencoder (VAE), and non-negative matrix factorization to enable learning of a latent space representation of the data with multiple real-space rotationally equivalent variants mapped to the same latent space descriptors is introduced. By varying the size of training sub-images in the VAE, the degree of complexity in the structural descriptors is tuned from simple domain wall detection to the identification of switching pathways. Importantly, this yields a powerful tool for the exploration of the dynamic data in mesoscopic electron, scanning probe, optical, and chemical imaging. Moreover, this work adds to the growing body of knowledge of incorporating physical constraints into the machine and deep-learning methods to improve learned descriptors of physical phenomena.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Plasma potential shaping using end-electrodes in the Large Plasma Device

We perform experiments in the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying how different end-electrode biasing schemes modify the radial potential profile in the machine. We impose biasing profiles of different polarities and gradient signs on a set of five concentric electrodes placed 12 m downstream from the plasma source. We find that imposing concave-down profiles (negative potential radial gradient) on the electrodes creates radial potential profiles halfway up the plasma column that are comparable to those imposed on the electrodes and a few electron temperature in height, regardless of the biasing polarity. On the other hand, imposing concave-up profiles (positive potential radial gradient) leads to non-monotonic radial potential profiles. This observation can be explained by the current drawn through the electrodes and the parallel plasma resistivity, highlighting their important role in controlling the rotation of plasma. Concave-down plasma potential profiles, obtained by drawing electrons on the axis, are predicted to drive azimuthal drift velocities that can approach significant fractions of the ion sound speed in the central region of the plasma column.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Evaluation of a High-Power Target Design for Positron Production at CEBAF

A source for polarized positron beams at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab is being designed. The Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons (PEPPo) concept is used to produce polarized e$^+$e$^-$-pairs from the bremsstrahlung radiation of a longitudinally polarized electron beam interacting within a high-Z conversion target. The scheme under consideration includes a 4 mm thick tungsten target that absorbs 17 kW deposited by a 1 mA continuous-wave electron beam with an energy of 120 MeV. The concept of a rotating tungsten rim mounted on a water-cooled copper disk was explored. The results of ANSYS thermal and mechanical analyses are discussed together with FLUKA evaluations of the radiation damages.

Ushakov, A.↗

Evaluation of a High-Power Target Design for Positron Production at CEBAF

A source for polarized positron beams at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab is being designed. The Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons (PEPPo) concept is used to produce polarized e$^+$e$^-$-pairs from the bremsstrahlung radiation of a longitudinally polarized electron beam interacting within a high-Z conversion target. The scheme under consideration includes a 4 mm thick tungsten target that absorbs 17 kW deposited by a 1 mA continuous-wave electron beam with an energy of 120 MeV. The concept of a rotating tungsten rim mounted on a water-cooled copper disk was explored. The results of ANSYS thermal and mechanical analyses are discussed together with FLUKA evaluations of the radiation damages.

Ushakov, A.↗

Stable Spin Direction Measurements at RHIC with Polarized Proton Beams

We describe methods for measuring the three-dimensional stable spin vector at the STAR detector (using STAR local polarimetry) and at the proton-Carbon coulomb nuclear interaction polarimeter at the 12 o’clock RHIC interaction region (hereafter the pC polarimeter). These polarimeters can only provide information about the two transverse components of the stable spin direction. If a known, local spin rotation can be generated at the location of the polarimeter, then the longitudinal component can be calculated by comparing the transverse components before and after the rotation. At STAR the stable spin direction can be rotated using the helical dipole spin rotators. At the pC polarimeter, a local horizontal orbital angle is introduced to rotate the stable spin direction. The stable spin direction at the hydrogen jet polarimeter is determined by transporting the spin vector at the pC polarimeter target to the location of the jet using a Zgoubi model. We describe the measurement and analysis methods used and present results of measurements made during RHIC Run 22.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Strongly Interacting Matter Under Rotation: An Introduction

Ultrarelativistic collisions between heavy nuclei briefly generate the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), a new state of matter characterized by deconfined par- tons last seen microseconds after the Big Bang. The properties of the QGP are of intense interest, and a large community has developed over several decades, to pro- duce, measure and understand this primordial plasma. The plasma is now recog- nized to be a strongly-coupled fluid with remarkable properties, and hydrodynamics is commonly used to quantify and model the system. An important feature of any fluid is its vorticity, related to the local angular momentum density; however, this degree of freedom has received relatively little attention because no experimental signals of vorticity had been detected. Thanks to recent high-statistics datasets from experiments with precision tracking and complete kinemetic coverage at collider energies, hyperon spin polarization measurements have begun to uncover the vor- ticity of the QGP created at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The injection of this new degree of freedom into a relatively mature field of research represents an enormous opportunity to generate new insights into the physics of the QGP. The community has responded with enthusiasm, and this book (to be published as a volume of Lecture Notes in Physics series by Springer) represents some of the diverse lines of inquiry into aspects of strongly interacting matter under rotation

Becattini, Francesco↗

Heteroepitaxial registry and band structures at the polar-to-polar STO/ZnO($000\bar{1}$) interfaces

The interface between ZnO and SrTiO 3 (STO) provides a paradigm for combining perovskite oxides and wurtzite-structure semiconductors. However, the heteroepitaxial and energy band structures of the polar-to-polar STO/ZnO($000\bar{1}$) interfaces has rarely been studied. In this study, it is shown that the STO films prepared on the ZnO($000\bar{1}$) substrate by pulsed laser deposition possess [011]STO and [111]STO azimuth orientations, which exhibit three- and two-fold rotation domains respectively, as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The band structures of the STO(011)/ZnO($000\bar{1}$) and STO(111)/ZnO($000\bar{1}$) interfaces are bending downward as shown in the I-V characteristic spectra and first principle calculations. These results are different from the single orientation ZnO films grown on STO-(011) and -(111) substrate, as reported in previous literatures, showing the heteroepitaxial asymmetry between STO/ZnO and ZnO/STO interfaces. This work presents an approach towards the physical modeling of combinations between perovskite oxides and wurtzite-structure semiconductors.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Pomeranchuk instability from electronic correlations in CsTi 3 Bi 5 kagome metal

Electronic nematicity, the spontaneous breaking of rotational symmetry, has emerged as a key instability in correlated quantum systems. CsTi 3 Bi 5 , a kagome metal of the AV 3 Sb 5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) family, hosts rich unconventional electronic phases, yet the origin of its nematicity remains unsettled. Here, we combine polarization-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with functional renormalization group calculations on a fully interacting ab initio model. We reveal an orbital-selective nematic deformation in the low-energy band structure and identify a finite angular momentum (d-wave) Pomeranchuk instability driven by electronic correlations in specific orbital channels and detuning from Van Hove singularities. Our results establish a direct link between orbital selectivity and symmetry-breaking instabilities in CsTi 3 Bi 5 , providing a microscopic framework for nematic order in kagome systems.

Bigi, Chiara [Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin (Fra↗

Evidence for a single-layer van der Waals multiferroic

Here we searched for signatures of type-II multiferroic order in ultrathin van der Waals materials, to determine if such a state, comprising coexisting electrical polarization and spin order with strong magnetoelectric effects, could persist down to a single-atomic layer. We reported the first observation of such a state in triangular lattice material NiI 2 . This system has a layered structure and built-in magnetic frustration that promotes a complex magnetic ground state with proper-screw spin helices. The spin helix pattern breaks inversion symmetry and induces electrical polarization via magnetoelectric coupling. We use circular dichroic Raman measurements to directly probe the magneto-chiral ground state and its electromagnon modes originating from dynamic magnetoelectric coupling. Using birefringence and second-harmonic generation measurements, we detect a highly anisotropic electronic state simultaneously breaking three-fold rotational and inversion symmetry. The evolution of the optical signatures as a function of temperature and layer number surprisingly revealed a multiferroic state that persists down to the ultrathin limit of monolayer NiI 2 . These observations establish NiI 2 and transition metal dihalides as a new platform for studying emergent multiferroic phenomena, chiral magnetic textures and ferroelectricity in the 2D limit.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Light-induced anomalous Hall conductivity in the massive three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2

Weyl semimetals can emerge from Dirac semimetals when the time-reversal or spatial-inversion symmetries are broken. Recently, it has been proposed based on Floquet theory that Dirac semimetals can be converted into Weyl semimetals even by shining circularly polarized light (CPL). Here we have investigated the possibility of such a Dirac-Weyl conversion by measuring the CPL-induced anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) in a massive 3D Dirac semimetal Co 3 ⁢Sn 2 ⁢S 2 in the paramagnetic phase using ultrafast midinfrared pump-terahertz Faraday rotation probe spectroscopy. We find that the field-strength and driving frequency dependence of the observed AHC is well accounted for by CPL-induced nonzero Berry curvature associated with the splitting of the Dirac bands as predicted by the Floquet theory. As a result, the estimated splitting of the Dirac bands reaches about 60% of the mass gap and the calculated CPL-induced AHC quantitatively reproduces the experimental observation, demonstrating a promising route toward the realization of Floquet-Weyl states from massive Dirac semimetals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Lone Pair Rotational Dynamics in Solids

Traditional classifications of crystalline phases focus on nuclear degrees of freedom. Through examination of both electronic and nuclear structure, we introduce the concept of an electronic plastic crystal. Such a material is classified by crystalline nuclear structure, while localized electronic degrees of freedom — here lone pairs — exhibit orientational motion at finite temperatures. This orientational motion is an emergent phenomenon arising from the coupling between electronic structure and polarization fluctuations generated by collective motions, such as phonons. Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we predict the existence of electronic plastic crystal motion in halogen crystals and halide perovskites, and suggest that such motion may be found in a broad range of solids with lone pair electrons. Finally, such fluctuations in the charge density should be observable, in principle via synchrotron scattering.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Mesoscopic structure of mixed type domain walls in multiaxial ferroelectrics

The structure of a 180° uncharged rotational domain wall in a multiaxial ferroelectric film is studied in the framework of an analytical Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) approach. Finite element modeling (FEM) is used to solve numerically the system of the coupled nonlinear Euler-Lagrange (EL) second-order differential equations for two components of polarization. We show that the structure of the domain wall and corresponding metastable or stable phase of the film are controlled by a single parameter—the dimensionless ferroelectric anisotropy factor μ. We fitted the static profile of a solitary domain wall, calculated by FEM, with kinklike functions for polarization components, and extracted the five μ-dependent parameters from the fitting to FEM curves. The surprisingly high accuracy of the fitting results for two polarization components in the entire μ range allows us to conclude that the analytical functions, which are trial functions in the direct variational method, can be treated as a high-accuracy variational solution of the static EL equations. We further derive exact two-component analytical solutions of the static EL equations for a polydomain 180° domain structure in a multiaxial ferroelectric film. Using these, we derive analytical expressions for the system free energy and analyze its dependence on the film thickness and boundary conditions at the film surfaces. The single-domain state is ground for zero polarization derivative at the surfaces, while the polydomain states minimize the system energy for zero polarization at the surfaces. Counterintuitively, the energy of the polydomain states split into two levels, “0” and “1,” for zero polarization at the surfaces, and each of the levels contains a large number of close-energy sublevels, whose structure is characterized by a different number and type of domain walls. The analytical solutions can become a useful tool for Bayesian analysis of high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy images in ferroelectric films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Sample spinning to mitigate polarization artifact and interstitial-vacancy imbalance in ion-beam irradiation

Accelerator-based ion-beam irradiation has been widely used to mimic the effects of neutron radiation damage in nuclear reactors. However, ion radiation is most often monodisperse in the incoming ions’ momentum direction, leading to excessive polarization in defect distribution, while the scattering under neutron irradiation is often more isotropic and has less radiation-induced polarization. Mitigation of the excess-polarization as well as the damage non-uniformity artifact might be crucial for making the simulation of neutron radiation by ion-beam radiation more realistic. In this work, a general radiation polarization theory in treating radiation as external polar stimuli is established to understand the natural material responses in different contexts, and the possibility to correct the defect polarization artifact in ion-beam irradiation. Inspired by Magic Angle Spinning in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, we present a precise sample spinning strategy to reduce the point-defect imbalance effect in ion-beam irradiation. It can be seen that with optimized surface inclination angle and the axis of sample rotation, the vacancy-interstitial population imbalance, as well as the damage profile non-uniformity in a designated region in the target are both reduced. It is estimated that sample spinning frequency on the order of kHz should be sufficient to scramble the ion momentum monodispersity for commonly taken ion fluxes and dose rates, which is experimentally feasible.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Shape-anisotropy inverses the behavior of emergent vortices in active chiral fluids

Active colloidal fluids exhibit spontaneous emergence of correlated states, characterized by complex collective dynamics and self-organization. In geometrically confined systems, activity modulations trigger robust polar state reversals of a macroscopic vortex formed by colloidal rollers. Here, we reveal that the shape anisotropy of dielectric rollers transforms the system into a chiral active fluid comprised of rollers of arbitrary handedness. The chiral rollers self-assemble into multiple freestanding vortices with a spontaneously selected sense of rotation. We demonstrate that upon reactivation of the system after a complete cessation of activity beyond all relevant timescales, the vortices simultaneously restore their previous chiral states in striking contrast to the chiral state reversals demonstrated by spherical rollers. The analysis reveals that shape-anisotropy modifies the collective state memory of the ensemble. The findings provide insights into the emergence of complex collective behavior in chiral colloidal fluids governed by an interplay between shape anisotropy, chiral motion, and activity modulations.

Colloids↗

Crystal Orientation Independent Strong TERS Response in Anisotropic ReS2 on Gold

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) crystallizes in a distorted 1T' lattice with triclinic symmetry arising from Re–Re dimerization, which produces in-plane anisotropic properties and a dense set of Raman-active modes with mixed atomic displacements. Unlike far-field Raman spectroscopy, which shows strong polarization and orientation dependence, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) probes out-of-plane Raman tensor components. Here we use 785 nm (1.58 eV) gap-mode TERS to investigate monolayer to four-layer thick ReS2 crystals.. TERS maps and averaged spectra reveal that all modes remain invariant under 90° rotation of the crystal, and the only thickness-dependent feature is the emergence of the multilayer breathing mode. These results demonstrate that TERS yields a crystal-orientation-independent Raman response in ReS2 and provides direct access to Raman tensor components that are not easily accessible in conventional far-field measurements.

Valencia Acuna, Pavel A.↗