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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Graphene on boron-nitride: Moiré pattern in the van der Waals energy

The spatial dependence of the van der Waals (vdW) energy between graphene and hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) is investigated using atomistic simulations. The van der Waals energy between graphene and h-BN shows a hexagonal superlattice structure identical to the observed Moiré pattern in the local density of states, which depends on the lattice mismatch and misorientation angle between graphene and h-BN. Our results provide atomistic features of the weak van der Waals interaction between graphene and BN which are in agreement with experiment and provide an analytical expression for the size of the spatial variation of the weak van der Waals interaction. We also found that the A-B-lattice symmetry of graphene is broken along the armchair direction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Field-effect BaTiO{sub 3}-Si solar cells

Conventional solar cells make use of the spatial variation in electronic environment due to junctions for charge separation. We investigated field-effect BaTiO{sub 3}-Si solar cells that utilize the bound surface charges of BaTiO{sub 3} to separate charge carriers in silicon. Rectifying behavior and photovoltaic effect were observed on cells with forward polarization. Theoretical simulation indicated that the induced electric field due to BaTiO{sub 3} polarization could extend into the silicon layer, which is consistent with experimental observations. In addition, adjusting relevant parameters may optimize the electric field distribution. The cells are promising in terms of material selection, device design, and fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

On the evolution of cured voxel in bulk photopolymerization upon focused Gaussian laser exposure

Unconstrained depth photopolymerization is emerging as a promising technique for fabrication of several polymer microstructures such as self propagating waveguides, 3D freeform structures by bulk lithography, and polymer nanoparticles by flash exposure. Experimental observations reveal governing physics beyond Beer Lambert's law and scattering effects. This paper seeks to model unconstrained depth photopolymerization using classical nonlinear Schrödinger equation coupled with transient diffusion phenomenon. The beam propagation part of the proposed model considers scattering effects induced due to spatial variation of the refractive index as a function of the beam intensity. The critical curing energy model is used to further predict profile of polymerized voxel. Profiles of photopolymerized voxel simulated using proposed model are compared with the corresponding experimental results for several cases of exposure dose and duration. The comparison shows close match leading to conclusion that the experimentally observed deviation from Beer Lambert's law is indeed due to combined effect of diffusion of photoinitiator and scattering of light because of change in the refractive index.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of morphology and electronic properties in (K{sub 0.7}Na{sub 0.3})Fe{sub 2−y}Se{sub 2} single crystal

We investigated the microstructure of the iron selenide superconductor (K{sub 0.7}Na{sub 0.3})Fe{sub 2−y}Se{sub 2} with a T{sub c} = 32 K and a near 100% Meissner screening volume fraction. Topography and electron transport properties were studied using electron microscopy and ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) techniques. Room temperature STM measurements reliably identify spatial variations of the local electronic properties of this material. The studied crystals consist of continuous regions with significantly different shapes of current-voltage curves reflecting different electronic transport properties of these regions. Fitting of the local current-voltage curves with the Simmons model for metal-dielectric-metal structure confirmed a phase separation in the sample to a metal and semiconducting phases. The observed regions have dimensions in the range of several tenths of a micrometer and indicate a phase separation in the sample.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Infrared laser induced plasma diagnostics of silver target

In the present work, the optical emission spectra of silver (Ag) plasma have been recorded and analyzed using the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. The emission line intensities and plasma parameters were investigated as a function of lens to sample distance, laser irradiance, and distance from the target surface. The electron number density (n{sub e}) and electron temperature (T{sub e}) were determined using the Stark broadened line profile and Boltzmann plot method, respectively. A gradual increase in the spectral line intensities and the plasma parameters, n{sub e} from 2.89 × 10{sup 17} to 3.92 × 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} and T{sub e} from 4662 to 8967 K, was observed as the laser irradiance was increased 2.29 × 10{sup 10}–1.06 × 10{sup 11} W cm{sup −2}. The spatial variations in n{sub e} and T{sub e} were investigated from 0 to 5.25 mm from the target surface, yielding the electron number density from 4.78 × 10{sup 17} to 1.72 × 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} and electron temperature as 9869–3789 K. In addition, the emission intensities and the plasma parameters of silver were investigated by varying the ambient pressure from 0.36 to 1000 mbars.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Heat transfer and material flow during laser assisted multi-layer additive manufacturing

A three-dimensional, transient, heat transfer, and fluid flow model is developed for the laser assisted multilayer additive manufacturing process with coaxially fed austenitic stainless steel powder. Heat transfer between the laser beam and the powder particles is considered both during their flight between the nozzle and the growth surface and after they deposit on the surface. The geometry of the build layer obtained from independent experiments is compared with that obtained from the model. The spatial variation of melt geometry, cooling rate, and peak temperatures is examined in various layers. The computed cooling rates and solidification parameters are used to estimate the cell spacings and hardness in various layers of the structure. Good agreement is achieved between the computed geometry, cell spacings, and hardness with the corresponding independent experimental results.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Influence of magnetic field on laser-produced barium plasmas: Spectral and dynamic behaviour of neutral and ionic species

The expansion dynamics and spectral behaviour of plasma produced by a Nd:YAG laser (λ=1.064 μm, pulse width: 8 ns) from barium target and expanding in 0.45 T transverse magnetic field in vacuum (10⁻⁵Torr pressure) are investigated using time-of-flight optical emission spectroscopy. The experiments are carried out at various laser fluences from 12 to 31 J/cm². The temporal profiles of neutral (Ba I 553.5 and 577.7 nm) lines are temporally broadened, while that of ionic (Ba II 413.0 and 455.4 nm) lines show strong confinement in the presence of a magnetic field. In the absence of magnetic field, the temporal profile of Ba I 553.5 nm is exactly reproduced by fitting with two Shifted Maxwell Boltzmann (SMB) Distribution components, while in the presence of a magnetic field the profile could only be fitted with three components. The field enhanced and field induced SMB components of neutral profile are correlated with populations of ground state, metastable states, and long-lived Rydberg states present in the barium plasma, while SMB components of ionic lines are explained on the basis of the presence of super-elastic collisions among the excited species in the plasma. The spatial variation of electron temperature and temporal variation of electron density are deduced and correlated to the different collisional processes in the barium plasma. The ionic profiles show efficient confinement in the presence of a magnetic field at higher fluences.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The formation and stability of Petschek reconnection

A combined analytical and numerical study of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamics is carried out by using different explicit spatial variations of the resistivity. A special emphasis on the existence of stable/unstable Petschek's solutions is taken, comparing with the recent analytical model given by Forbes et al. [Phys. Plasmas 20, 052902 (2013)]. Our results show good quantitative agreement between the analytical theory and the numerical solutions for a Petschek-type solution to within an accuracy of about 10% or better. Our simulations also show that if the resistivity profile is relatively flat near the X-point, one of two possible asymmetric solutions will occur. Which solution occurs depends on small random perturbations of the initial conditions. The existence of two possible asymmetric solutions, in a system which is otherwise symmetric, constitutes an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

A reconsideration of the noise equivalent power and the data analysis procedure for the infrared imaging video bolometers

The infrared imaging video bolometer (IRVB) used for measurement of the two-dimensional (2D) radiation profiles from the Large Helical Device has been significantly upgraded recently to improve its signal to noise ratio, sensitivity, and calibration, which ultimately provides quantitative measurements of the radiation from the plasma. The reliability of the quantified data needs to be established by various checks. The noise estimates also need to be revised and more realistic values need to be established. It is shown that the 2D heat diffusion equation can be used for estimating the power falling on the IRVB foil, even with a significant amount of spatial variation in the thermal diffusivity across the area of the platinum foil found experimentally during foil calibration. The equation for the noise equivalent power density (NEPD) is re-derived to include the errors in the measurement of the thermophysical and the optical properties of the IRVB foil. The theoretical value estimated using this newly derived equation matches closely, within 5.5%, with the mean experimental value. The change in the contribution of each error term of the NEPD equation with rising foil temperature is also studied and the blackbody term is found to dominate the other terms at elevated operating temperatures. The IRVB foil is also sensitive to the charge exchange (CX) neutrals escaping from the plasma. The CX neutral contribution is estimated to be marginally higher than the noise equivalent power (NEP) of the IRVB. It is also established that the radiation measured by the IRVB originates from the impurity line radiation from the plasma and not from the heated divertor tiles. The change in the power density due to noise reduction measures such as data smoothing and averaging is found to be comparable to the IRVB NEPD. The precautions that need to be considered during background subtraction are also discussed with experimental illustrations. Finally, the analysis algorithm with all the improvements is validated and found to reproduce the input power well within 10% accuracy. This article answers many fundamental questions relevant to the IRVB and illustrates the care to be exercised while processing the IRVB data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

High spatial uniformity of photoluminescence spectra in semipolar (202{sup ¯}1) plane InGaN/GaN quantum wells

Scanning near-field optical spectroscopy was applied to study spatial variations of emission spectra at room temperature in semipolar (202{sup ¯}1) In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN single quantum wells (QWs) for 0.11≤x≤0.36. Photoluminescence (PL) was found to be highly uniform, with peak wavelength deviations and peak intensity deviations divided by average values in the range of 6–12 meV and 0.03–0.07, respectively. Near-field maps of PL parameters showed large, ∼5 to 10 μm size areas of similar values, as opposed to 100 nm scale variations, often reported for InGaN QWs. The near-field PL spectra were found to broaden with increasing InN molar fraction. In the low In content QWs, the broadening is primarily determined by the random cation distribution, while for larger InN molar fractions 10 nm scale localization sites with increasingly deeper band potentials are suggested as the linewidth broadening cause.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature dependence of the superconducting proximity effect quantified by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Here, we present the first systematic study on the temperature dependence of the extension of the superconducting proximity effect in a 1–2 atomic layer thin metallic film, surrounding a superconducting Pb island. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements reveal the spatial variation of the local density of state on the film from 0.38 up to 1.8 K. In this temperature range the superconductivity of the island is almost unaffected and shows a constant gap of a 1.20 ± 0.03 meV. Using a superconducting Nb-tip a constant value of the proximity length of 17 ± 3 nm at 0.38 and 1.8 K is found. In contrast, experiments with a normal conductive W-tip indicate an apparent decrease of the proximity length with increasing temperature. This result is ascribed to the thermal broadening of the occupation of states of the tip, and it does not reflect an intrinsic temperature dependence of the proximity length. Our tunneling spectroscopy experiments shed fresh light on the fundamental issue of the temperature dependence of the proximity effect for atomic monolayers, where the intrinsic temperature dependence of the proximity effect is comparably weak.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Alfvén wave coupled with flow-driven fluid instability in interpenetrating plasmas

The Alfvén wave is analyzed in case of one quasineutral plasma propagating with some constant speed v{sub 0} through another static quasineutral plasma. A dispersion equation is derived describing the Alfvén wave coupled with the flow driven mode ω=kv{sub 0} and solutions are discussed analytically and numerically. The usual solutions for two oppositely propagating Alfvén waves are substantially modified due to the flowing plasma. More profound is modification of the solution propagating in the negative direction with respect to the magnetic field and the plasma flow. For a large enough flow speed (exceeding the Alfvén speed in the static plasma), this negative solution may become non-propagating, with frequency equal to zero. In this case, it represents a spatial variation of the electromagnetic field. For greater flow speed it becomes a forward mode, and it may merge with the positive one. This merging of the two modes represents the starting point for a flow-driven instability, with two complex-conjugate solutions. The Alfvén wave in interpenetrating plasmas is thus modified and coupled with the flow-driven mode and this coupled mode is shown to be growing when the flow speed is large enough. The energy for the instability is macroscopic kinetic energy of the flowing plasma. The dynamics of plasma particles caused by such a coupled wave still remains similar to the ordinary Alfvén wave. This means that well-known stochastic heating by the Alfvén wave may work, and this should additionally support the potential role of the Alfvén wave in the coronal heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dynamic equilibria and magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in toroidal plasmas with non-uniform transport coefficients

It can be shown that in the presence of a toroidal magnetic field induced by poloidal coils, combined with the electromagnetic field induced by a central solenoid, no static equilibrium is possible within the MHD description, as soon as non-zero resistivity is assumed. The resulting dynamic equilibrium was previously discussed for the case of spatially homogeneous resisitivity. In the present work, it is shown how a spatial inhomogeneity of the viscosity and resisitivity coefficients influences this equilibrium. Parameters in both the stable, tokamak-like regime and unstable, reversed field pinch-like regime are considered. It is shown that, whereas the magnitudes of the velocity and magnetic field fluctuations are strongly modified by the spatial variation of the transport coefficients, the qualitative flow behaviour remains largely unaffected.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of electrode spacing on the density distributions of electrons, ions, and metastable and radical molecules in SiH{sub 4}/NH{sub 3}/N{sub 2}/He capacitively coupled plasmas

Semiconductor fabrication often requires the deposition of hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}H{sub y}) film using SiH{sub 4}/NH{sub 3}/N{sub 2}/He capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge. As analysis of the discharge geometry is essential to understanding CCP deposition, the effect of electrode spacing on the two-dimensional distributions of electrons, ions, and metastable and radical molecules was analyzed numerically using a fluid model. The simulation shows that the spatial variations in the ionization rates near the sheath become more obvious as the electrode spacing increases. In addition, as molecule-molecule gas-phase reactions are significantly affected by the local residence time, large electrode spacings are associated with significant volumetric losses for positive ions. Consequently, an increase of the electrode spacing leads axial density profiles of ions to change from bell shaped to double humped. However, NH{sub 4}{sup +} persistently maintains a bell-shaped axial density profile regardless of the degree of electrode spacing. We set the mole fraction of NH{sub 3} to only 1% of the total flow at the inlet, but NH{sub 4}{sup +} is the most abundant positive ion at the large electrode spacings. As the gas flow can transport the radicals around the space between the electrodes, we found that radical density distribution shifts toward the grounded electrode. The shift becomes pronounced as the electrode spacing increases. Finally, to validate our model, we compared the calculated deposition rate profile with the experimental data obtained along the wafer radius. According to our numerical results, the SiN{sub x}H{sub y} deposition rate decreases by approximately 16% when the electrode spacing increases from 9 to 20 mm.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ultra-violet absorption induced modifications in bulk and nanoscale electrical transport properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Using conductive atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy, we study local electrical transport properties in aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al or AZO) thin films. Current mapping shows a spatial variation in conductivity which corroborates well with the local mapping of donor concentration (∼10{sup 20 }cm{sup −3}). In addition, a strong enhancement in the local current at grains is observed after exposing the film to ultra-violet (UV) light which is attributed to persistent photocurrent. Further, it is shown that UV absorption gives a smooth conduction in AZO film which in turn gives rise to an improvement in the bulk photoresponsivity of an n-AZO/p-Si heterojunction diode. This finding is in contrast to the belief that UV absorption in an AZO layer leads to an optical loss for the underneath absorbing layer of a heterojunction solar cell.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spatial mapping and statistical reproducibility of an array of 256 one-dimensional quantum wires

We utilize a multiplexing architecture to measure the conductance properties of an array of 256 split gates. We investigate the reproducibility of the pinch off and one-dimensional definition voltage as a function of spatial location on two different cooldowns, and after illuminating the device. The reproducibility of both these properties on the two cooldowns is high, the result of the density of the two-dimensional electron gas returning to a similar state after thermal cycling. The spatial variation of the pinch-off voltage reduces after illumination; however, the variation of the one-dimensional definition voltage increases due to an anomalous feature in the center of the array. A technique which quantifies the homogeneity of split-gate properties across the array is developed which captures the experimentally observed trends. In addition, the one-dimensional definition voltage is used to probe the density of the wafer at each split gate in the array on a micron scale using a capacitive model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mapping power-law rheology of living cells using multi-frequency force modulation atomic force microscopy

We present multi-frequency force modulation atomic force microscopy (AFM) for mapping the complex shear modulus G* of living cells as a function of frequency over the range of 50–500 Hz in the same measurement time as the single-frequency force modulation measurement. The AFM technique enables us to reconstruct image maps of rheological parameters, which exhibit a frequency-dependent power-law behavior with respect to G{sup *}. These quantitative rheological measurements reveal a large spatial variation in G* in this frequency range for single cells. Moreover, we find that the reconstructed images of the power-law rheological parameters are much different from those obtained in force-curve or single-frequency force modulation measurements. This indicates that the former provide information about intracellular mechanical structures of the cells that are usually not resolved with the conventional force measurement methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photoluminescence studies of polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}: Lateral inhomogeneities beyond Abbe's diffraction limit

We analyze Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} absorbers with a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) by photoluminescence (PL). Such measurements allow one to extract local fluctuations of the integral PL yield, the quasi-Fermi level splitting, and the material composition in the submicron range. However, the experimental findings depend strongly on the surface roughness of the absorber: If the surface is rough, artifact-prone correlations between surface contour and PL features measured by SNOM can be found that complicate the study of recombination effects. For smooth surfaces, such correlations no longer exist and the influence of grain boundaries on the integral PL yield and the quasi-Fermi level splitting is revealed. The method also allows a detailed determination of the local band gaps in neighboring grains and their spatial variation inside, and thus of possibly local changes in chemical composition of different grains.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗