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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Low-energy electrodynamics and a hidden Fermi liquid in the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn 5

We present time-domain THz spectroscopy of thin films of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn 5 . Below the ≈40 K Kondo coherence temperature, a narrow Drude-like peak forms, as a result of the 𝑓-orbital–conduction-electron hybridization and the formation of the heavy-fermion state. The complex optical conductivity is analyzed through a Drude model and extended Drude model analysis. Via the extended Drude model analysis, we measure the frequency-dependent scattering rate (1/𝜏) and effective mass (𝑚*/𝑚 𝑏 ). This scattering rate shows a linear dependence on temperature, which matches the dependence of the resistivity as expected. Nevertheless, the width of the low-frequency Drude peak itself that is set by the renormalized quasiparticle scattering rate (1/𝜏*=𝑚 𝑏 /𝑚*⁢𝜏) shows a 𝑇 2 dependence. This is the scattering rate that characterizes the relaxation time of the renormalized quasiparticles. In conclusion, this gives evidence for a Fermi liquid state, which in conventional transport experiments is hidden by the strong temperature dependent mass.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Visualization and quantum control of light-accelerated condensates by terahertz multi-dimensional coherent spectroscopy

Abstract Characterizing and controlling high-order correlation of quantum systems is key for developing quantum devices and switching technologies. Although conventional static and ultrafast spectroscopy gives access to collective excitations characterizing quantum states, more exotic correlations cannot be easily separated from other contributions. Here we develop density matrix simulations to show that seventh-order-wave-mixing peaks with distinct temperature and field dependences in two-dimensional terahertz nonlinear spectra reveal light-induced correlations in non-equilibrium superconducting states. Above critical terahertz driving, these emerging peaks split from conventional peaks along the second axis introduced by pump-probe relative phase in two-dimensional frequency space. They are photo-generated by correlations between two-photon fluctuations and interacting quasi-particle and quasi-particle/Higgs superconductor excitations. By photo-inducing persistent symmetry breaking via light-wave propagation, we also demonstrate seventh-order-wave-mixing sensing of Higgs collective modes. Our theory suggests to use multi-dimensional spectroscopy for quantum sensing of light-driven superconductivity and paves a path for quantum operations by few-cycle-THz-periodic photocurrent modulation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probing electromagnetic nonreciprocity with quantum geometry of photonic states

Reciprocal and nonreciprocal effects in dielectric and magnetic materials provide crucial information about the microscopic properties of electrons. However, experimentally distinguishing the two has proven to be challenging, especially when the associated effects are extremely small. To this end, we propose a contactless detection using a cross-cavity device where a material of interest is placed at its center. We show that the optical properties of the material, such as Kerr and Faraday rotation, or birefringence, manifest in the coupling between the cavity's electromagnetic modes and in the shift of their resonant frequencies. By calculating the dynamics of a geometrical photonic state, we formulate a measurement protocol based on the quantum metric and quantum process tomography that isolates the individual components of the material's complex refractive index and minimizes the quantum mechanical Cramér-Rao bound on the variance of the associated parameter estimation. Our approach is expected to be applicable across a broad spectrum of experimental platforms including Fock states in optical cavities, or coherent states in microwave and THz resonators. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Petrides, Ioannis (ORCID:0000000174842444)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Novel Concepts for High Gradient Acceleration (Final Technical Report)

We have conducted an intensive, pioneering program to demonstrate novel concepts for achieving high gradient acceleration at frequencies from the conventional microwave bands up to the millimeter wave /THz bands. High gradient accelerators hold the promise of smaller and less costly accelerators for applications ranging from the largest scale accelerators used for discovery science down to the smallest accelerators used for industrial, homeland security and medical applications. The research consisted of two major research thrusts: 1.) Structure-based wakefield accelerator (SWFA) research in collaboration with the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator research group and 2.) Millimeter Wave / THz high gradient acceleration in collaboration with SLAC. The specific goals of the research program were: Design novel metallic metamaterial structures that increase the beam-wave coupling for the accelerator mode and reduce the effect of high order modes; test novel metamaterial structures to achieve higher output power, > 1 GW at X-Band (11.7 GHz), in test at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA); determine the experimental breakdown threshold for nanosecond-scale pulses at X-Band in testing at the AWA; test a 110 GHz accelerator structure with a field emission electron gun, built at SLAC, using pulses from a 1 MW, 110 GHz gyrotron; design, build and test a 110 GHz quasi-optical, resonant-ring pulse compressor to compress microsecond pulses from the 1 MW gyrotron into > 20 MW, 5 ns output pulses for accelerator structure testing. The proposed research program built on our successes in our research program including: Generation of 510 MW, 2.1 ns (FWHM) pulses at 11.7 GHz from a metallic metamaterial structure in test at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator using a train of eight 65 MeV electron bunches spaced at 1.3 GHz with a total charge of 280 nC. The metamaterial structure consisted of 100 copper unit cells each consisting of a “wagon-wheel” plate and a spacer plate with a total structure length of 0.2 m. The 510 MW pulse generated an on-axis wakefield of 130 MV/m that could be used to accelerate a trailing witness bunch. Demonstration of coupling of an unprecedented rf power level of 575kW into a 110 GHz accelerator structure using a quasi-optical setup. The standing structure consisted of a central copper cavity located between two matching cavities fed by a TM01 mode. The 6 ns input pulses were sliced from 3 microsecond pulses from the gyrotron using a laser-driven silicon switch. We obtained an unprecedented high gradient up to 230MV/m corresponding to a peak surface electric field of more than 520 MV/m.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Nanoklystron: A Monolithic Tube Approach to THz Power Generation

The authors propose a new approach to THz power generation: the nanoklystron. Utilizing silicon micromachining techniques, the design and fabrication concept of a monolithic THz vacuum-tube reflex-klystron source is described. The nanoklystron employs a separately fabricated cathode structure composed of densely packed carbon nanotube field emitters and an add-in repeller. The nanotube cathode is expected to increase the current density, extend the cathode life and decrease the required oscillation voltage to values below 100 V. The excitation cavity is based on ridged-waveguide and differs from the conventional cylindrical re-entrant structures found in lower frequency klystrons. A quasi-static field analysis of the cavity and output coupling structure show excellent control of the quality factor and desired field distribution. Output power is expected to occur through an iris coupled matched rectangular waveguide and integrated pyramidal feed horn. The entire circuit is designed so as to be formed monolithically from two thermocompression bonded silicon wafers processed using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) techniques. To expedite prototyping, a 600 GHz mechanically machined structure has been designed and is in fabrication. A complete numeric analysis of the nanoklystron circuit, including the electron beam dynamics has just gotten underway. Separate evaluation of the nanotube cathodes is also ongoing. The authors will describe the progress to date as well as plans for the immediate implementation and testing of nanoklystron prototypes at 640 and 1250 GHz.

Siegel, Peter H.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Fabrication of a Cryogenic Terahertz Emitter for Bolometer Focal Plane Calibrations

A fabrication process is reported for prototype emitters of THz radiation, which operate cryogenically, and should provide a fast, stable blackbody source suitable for characterization of THz devices. The fabrication has been demonstrated and, at the time of this reporting, testing was underway. The emitter is similar to a monolithic silicon bolometer in design, using both a low-noise thermometer and a heater element on a thermally isolated stage. An impedance-matched, high-emissivity coat ing is also integrated to tune the blackbody properties. This emitter is designed to emit a precise amount of power as a blackbody spectrum centered on terahertz frequencies. The emission is a function of the blackbody temperature. An integrated resistive heater and thermometer system can control the temperature of the blackbody with greater precision than previous incarnations of calibration sources that relied on blackbody emission. The emitter is fabricated using a silicon- on-insulator substrate wafer. The buried oxide is chosen to be less than 1 micron thick, and the silicon device thickness is 1-2 microns. Layers of phosphorus compensated with boron are implanted into and diffused throughout the full thickness of the silicon device layer to create the thermometer and heater components. Degenerately doped wiring is implanted to connect the devices to wire-bondable contact pads at the edge of the emitter chip. Then the device is micromachined to remove the thick-handle silicon behind the thermometer and heater components, and to thermally isolate it on a silicon membrane. An impedance- matched emissive coating (ion assisted evaporated Bi) is applied to the back of the membrane to enable high-efficiency emission of the blackbody spectrum.

Chervenak, James↗
NASA NTRS1988

Free-flying experiment to measure the Schawlow-Townes linewidth limit of a 300 THz laser oscillator

Recent advances in laser diode-pumped solid state laser sources permit the design and testing of laser sources with linewidths that approach the Schawlow-Townes limit of 1 Hz/mW of output power. Laser diode pumped solid state ring oscillators have been operated with CW output power levels of 25 mW at electrical efficiencies that exceed 6 percent. These oscillators are expected to operate for lifetimes that approach those of the laser diode sources which is now approaching 20,000 hours. The efficiency and lifetime of these narrow linewidth laser sources will enable space measurements of gravity waves, remote sensing applications (including local range rate and measurements), and laser sources for frequency and time standards. A free-flight experiment, 'SUNLITE', is being designed to measure the linewidth of this all-solid-state laser system.

Byer, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Silicon Micromachining for Terahertz Component Development

Waveguide component technology at terahertz frequencies has come of age in recent years. Essential components such as ortho-mode transducers (OMT), quadrature hybrids, filters, and others for high performance system development were either impossible to build or too difficult to fabricate with traditional machining techniques. With micromachining of silicon wafers coated with sputtered gold it is now possible to fabricate and test these waveguide components. Using a highly optimized Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) process, we are now able to fabricate silicon micromachined waveguide structures working beyond 1 THz. In this paper, we describe in detail our approach of design, fabrication, and measurement of silicon micromachined waveguide components and report the results of a 1 THz canonical E-plane filter.

Filter↗
DOE OSTI2026

Conductivity Spectroscopy for Investigation and Discovery of Photovoltaic Materials

Conductivity spectroscopy is an extremely powerful set of methods for probing the properties of optoelectronic materials, especially photovoltaics, where photoconductivity is one of the best spectroscopic proxies for performance. Despite this power, they are substantially less commonly used than time-resolved photoluminescence (for instance) because they tend to be more expensive to implement (THz) and/or require specialized knowledge (GHz) to construct instruments, which are not widely available. The goal of this review is to illustrate the utility of these experiments in the discovery and study of photovoltaic absorber materials and simultaneously make them more accessible to the community by providing a central tutorial resource. We provide a comprehensive review of how conductivity spectroscopy has developed over the past decade and been applied in the discovery and development of photovoltaic materials, with a primary focus on emerging solution-processable technologies. Along the way we aim to demystify conductivity spectroscopy with focused tutorial sections that explain the physical models used to fit the data and illustrate how to think about “high-frequency conductivity”.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spin-phonon dispersion in magnetic materials

Microscopic coupling between the electron spin and the lattice vibration is responsible for an array of exotic properties from morphic effects in simple non magnets to magnetodielectric coupling in multiferroic spinels and hematites. Traditionally, a single spin–phonon coupling constant is used to characterize how effectively the lattice can affect the spin, but it is hardly enough to capture novel electromagnetic behaviors to the full extent. Here, we introduce a concept of spin–phonon dispersion to project the spin moment change along the phonon crystal momentum direction, so the entire spin change can be mapped out. Different from the phonon dispersion, the spin–phonon dispersion has both positive and negative frequency branches even in the equilibrium ground state, which correspond to the spin enhancement and spin reduction, respectively. Our study of bcc Fe and hcp Co reveals that the spin force matrix, that is, the second-order spatial derivative of spin moment, is similar to the vibrational force matrix, but its diagonal elements are smaller than the off-diagonal ones. This leads to the distinctive spin–phonon dispersion. Furthermore, the concept of spin–phonon dispersion expands the traditional Elliott-Yafet theory in nonmagnetic materials to the entire Brillouin zone in magnetic materials, thus opening the door to excited states in systems such as CoF 2 and NiO, where a strong spin-lattice coupling is detected in the THz regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Compact single-shot electro-optic detection system for THz pulses with femtosecond time resolution at MHz repetition rates

Electro-optical detection has proven to be a valuable technique to study temporal profiles of THz pulses with pulse durations down to femtoseconds. As the Coulomb field around a relativistic electron bunch resembles the current profile, electro-optical detection can be exploited for non-invasive bunch length measurements at accelerators. We have developed a very compact and robust electro-optical detection system based on spectral decoding for single-shot longitudinal bunch profile monitoring at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) for electron bunch lengths down to 200 fs (rms). Apart from the GaP crystal and the corresponding laser optics at the electron beamline, all components are housed in 19 in. chassis for rack mount and remote operation inside the accelerator tunnel. An advanced laser synchronization scheme based on radio-frequency down-conversion has been developed for locking a custom-made Yb-fiber laser to the radio-frequency of the European XFEL accelerator. In order to cope with the high bunch repetition rate of the superconducting accelerator, a novel linear array detector has been employed for spectral measurements of the Yb-fiber laser pulses at frame rates of up to 2.26 MHz. In this paper, we describe all sub-systems of the electro-optical detection system as well as the measurement procedure in detail and discuss the first measurement results of longitudinal bunch profiles of around 400 fs (rms) with an arrival-time jitter of 35 fs (rms).

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1972

Multichannel television coupling modulation experiments using a CO2 laser.

Experiments are described in which a carbon dioxide laser oscillating at 28.4 THz has been modulated simultaneously by three commercial television signals with carriers at 54, 66, and 82 MHz. Signal-to-noise degradation in the system was measured to be less than 1 dB, corresponding to modulator drive power of 1 W. This combination of wide bandwidth and low power consumption was made possible by the application of coupling modulation. This technique employs an intracavity electrooptic crystal to which the modulating fields are applied. Despite the fact that the crystal is positioned inside the laser cavity, the maximum bandwidth attainable is independent of both the cavity Q and the laser transition linewidth, and is limited only by modulator characteristics and optical transit time. Rigrod's (1965) method has been adapted to obtain an expression for the power coupled out of the laser. Modulator frequency response and drive power requirements are also summarized. It is seen that the noise bandwidth performance of the system would allow simultaneous modulation by 17 color television channels, or equivalently, more than a 300-megabit/sec capacity.

Hall, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

T-shaped emitter metal heterojunction bipolar transistors for submillimeter wave applications

We report on the development of submillimeter wave transistors at JPL. The goal of the effort is to produce advance-reliable high frequency and high power amplifiers, voltage controlled oscillators, active multipliers, and high-speed mixed-signal circuits for space borne applications. The technology in development to achieve this is based on the Indium Phosphide (InP) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT). The HBT is well suited for high speed, high power and uniform (across wafer) performance, due to the ability to tailor the material structure that electrons traverse through by well-controlled epitaxial growth methods. InP with its compatible lattice matched alloys such as indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) and indium aluminium arsenide (InAlAs) provides for high electron velocities and high voltage breakdown capabilities. The epitaxial methods for this material system are fairly mature, however the implementation of high performance and reliable transistors are still under development by many laboratories. Our most recently fabricated, second generation mesa HBTs at JPL have extrapolated current gain cutoff frequency (FJ of 142GHz and power gain cutoff frequency (Fm,) of approximately 160GHz. This represents a 13% and 33% improvement of Ft and F, respectively, compared to the first generation mesa HBTs [l]. Analysis based on the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) device model, RF device characteristics can be significantly improved by reducing base contact resistance and base metal contact width. We will describe our effort towards increasing transistor performance and yield.

transistor↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evolution of the cyclotron mass with doping in La 2–x Sr x CuO 4

The recent observation of cyclotron resonance in optimally doped La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 using time-domain THz spectroscopy in high magnetic field has given new possibilities for the study of cuprate superconductors. One can measure the cyclotron mass in the more disordered cuprates possessing short scattering times, therefore expanding the study to materials and dopings in which quantum oscillations have not been observed. In this paper we present the measurement of the carrier mass of the hole-doped cuprate La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 across a range of dopings spanning from the slightly underdoped (p=0.13) to highly overdoped (p=0.26), near the termination of the superconducting dome. These results reveal a systematic increase of m c with doping, up to values greater than 13 times the bare electron mass. This is in contrast with the masses extracted from the heat capacity, which show a peak near the pseudogap critical point p* and/or Lifshitz transition. The cyclotron frequency is linear in field up to 31 T for all dopings, giving no evidence for field-induced Fermi surface reconstructions. The cyclotron mass is found to be positive for all dopings, but with a magnitude systematically below the heat-capacity mass for under and optimally doped samples, while exceeding it for overdoped samples. Among other aspects, these results are surprising as photoemission reveals a Lifshitz transition in the middle of our doping range and the sign of the cyclotron mass determined from a finite-frequency resonance is, in conventional theories, a topological quantity only sensitive to whether or not the Fermi surface is closed around holes or electrons. We see no sign of a divergence of the mass near p* nor near the Lifshitz transition, showing that any singularity, if it exists, is not strong enough to affect the cyclotron mass.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Terahertz Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy of Molecular Assemblies and Nanostructures

Chemical, physical, biological and materials engineering disciplines use a variety of chiroptical spectroscopies to probe geometrical and optical asymmetry in molecules and particles. Electronic (ECD) and vibrational (VCD) circular dichroism are the most common of these techniques and collectively enable the studies of electronic and vibronic transitions with energies between 0.1 and 5.0 eV. The vibrational states with characteristic energies in the range of 0.001–0.01 eV carry valuable information about concerted intermolecular motions in molecules and crystals involving multiple atoms. These vibronic transitions located in the terahertz (THz) part of the spectrum become increasingly more important for the chemistry, physics, and biology of complex molecules and materials However, the methodology and hardware of THz circular dichroism (TCD) are much less developed than the chiroptical spectroscopies for ultraviolet, visible, near- and mid infrared photons. In this report we provide theoretical foundations, practical implementations, comparative assessments, and exemplary applications of TCD spectroscopy. We show that the sign, intensity, and position of TCD peaks are highly sensitive to the three-dimensional structure and long-range organization of molecular crystals, which offer unique capabilities to study (bio) molecules, their crystals, and nanoscale assemblies and apply the novel data processing methodologies. TCD also offers a convenient toolbox to identify new physical phenomena, such as chiral phonons and their propagation in nanostructured matter. We also discuss the major challenges, emerging opportunities and promising research directions, including broad investigation of chiral phonons observed in chiral (nano) crystals and emerging machine learning methodologies for TCD in biological and nanoscale structures. Ubiquity of low-frequency vibrations with rotational components in biomolecular structures, combined with sharpness of peaks in TCD spectra, enables a variety of technological translations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Burst-mode dual-comb spectroscopy

We introduce a new modality of dual-comb spectroscopy that enables a simplified and powerful new approach for time-resolved measurements with increased acquisition rates. This "burst mode" form of dual-comb spectroscopy (BM-DCS) relies on the multiplexing of each probe pulse into a short train of pulses. With this approach we demonstrate a time-resolved series of absorption-based spectroscopic measurements of a laser-induced plasma using only a single laser ablation shot and identify 22 Nd lines not previously reported in the literature. The transmission spectra spanned 3.1 THz and were acquired at an effective acquisition rate of 25 kHz with 40 ms time-resolution. This simple modification to 100 MHz level dual-comb systems provides a flexible approach for studying transient and low duty-cycle events such as laser-induced plasmas, combustion, and explosive reactions.

(280.5395) Plasma Diagnostics, broadband laser spe↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electrical Manipulation of Quantum Coherence in a Two-Level Molecular System

We report the manipulation of ultrafast quantum coherence of a two-level single hydrogen molecular system by employing static electric field from the sample bias in a femtosecond terahertz scanning tunneling microscope. A H 2 molecule adsorbed on the polar Cu 2⁢ N surface develops an electric dipole and exhibits a giant Stark effect. An avoided crossing of the quantum state energy levels is derived from the resonant frequency of the single H 2 two levels in a double-well potential. The dephasing time of the initial wave packet can also be changed by applying the electric field. The electrical manipulation for different tunneling gaps in three dimensions allows quantification of the surface electrostatic fields at the atomic scale. Further, our work demonstrated the potential application of molecules as controllable two-level molecular systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1999

Performance of a 2.5 THz Receiver Front-End for Spaceborne Applications

The OH radical plays a significant role in a great many of the known ozone destruction cycles, and has become the focus of an important radiometer development effort for NASA's Earth Observing System Chem I satellite, which will monitor and study many tropospheric and stratospheric gases and is scheduled for launch in 2002. Here we describe the design, fabrication, and testing of a receiver front end used to detect the OH signals at 2.5 THz. This is to be the first Terahertz heterodyne receiver to be flown in space. The challenges of producing the necessary high-performance mixers are numerous, but for this application, there is the added challenge of designing a robust receiver which can withstand the environmental extremes of a rocket launch and five years in space. The receiver front-end consists of the following components: a four-port dual-polarization diplexer, off-axis elliptical feed mirrors, mixers for horizontal and vertical polarization, support structures allowing simple and rugged alignment, low noise IF amplification from 7.7 to 21.1 GHz, and mixer DC bias circuitry. The front-end design, alignment, and operation will be covered in depth, followed by a discussion of the most recent results in receiver noise and dual-mode horn beam patterns. JPL MOMED mixers are employed, and have resulted in receiver noise temperatures of 14,500 K, DSB with LO frequency 2.522 GHz and IF of 12.8 GHz. Horn beam patterns correspond well with theory, with no significant sidelobes above the -25 dB level. Considering the high-quality beam of this receiver, these results are competitive with the best reported in the literature.

Gaidis, Michael C.↗