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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 487 records · Page 27
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DOE OSTI2015

Experimental implementation of phase locking in a nonlinear interferometer

Based upon two cascade four-wave mixing processes in two identical hot rubidium vapor cells, a nonlinear interferometer has been experimentally realized [Jing et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 011110 (2011); Hudelist et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 3049 (2014)]. It has a higher degree of phase sensitivity than a traditional linear interferometer and has many potential applications in quantum metrology. Phase locking of the nonlinear interferometer is needed before it can find its way into applications. In this letter, we investigate the experimental implementation of phase locking of the relative phase between the three beams at different frequencies involved in such a nonlinear interferometer. We have utilized two different methods, namely, beat note locking and coherent modulation locking. We find that coherent modulation locking can achieve much better phase stability than beat note locking in our system. Our results pave the way for real applications of a nonlinear interferometer in precision measurement and quantum manipulation, for example, phase control in phase-sensitive N-wave mixing process, N-port nonlinear interferometer and quantum-enhanced real-time phase tracking.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Convergence of shock waves generated by underwater electrical explosion of cylindrical wire arrays between different boundary geometries

The results of experiments and numerical simulations of a shock wave propagating between either conical or parabolic bounding walls are presented. The shock wave was generated by a microsecond timescale underwater electrical explosion of a cylindrical wire array supplied by a current pulse having an amplitude of ∼230 kA and a rise time of ∼1 μs. It is shown that with the same energy density deposition into the exploding wire array, the shock wave converges faster between parabolic walls, and as a result, the pressure in the vicinity of convergence is ∼2.3 times higher than in the case of conical walls. The results obtained are compared to those of earlier experiments [Antonov et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 124104 (2013)] with explosions of spherical wire arrays. It is shown that at a distance of ∼400 μm from the implosion origin the pressure obtained in the current experiments is higher than for the case of spherical wire arrays.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Realization of an all optical exciton-polariton router

We report on the experimental realization of an all optical router for exciton-polaritons. This device is based on the design proposed by Flayac and Savenko [Appl. Phys. Lett. 103, 201105 (2013)], in which a zero-dimensional island is connected through tunnel barriers to two periodically modulated wires of different periods. Selective transmission of polaritons injected in the island, into either of the two wires, is achieved by tuning the energy of the island state across the band structure of the modulated wires. We demonstrate routing of ps polariton pulses using an optical control beam which controls the energy of the island quantum states, thanks to polariton-exciton interactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Distribution theory for Schrödinger’s integral equation

Much of the literature on point interactions in quantum mechanics has focused on the differential form of Schrödinger’s equation. This paper, in contrast, investigates the integral form of Schrödinger’s equation. While both forms are known to be equivalent for smooth potentials, this is not true for distributional potentials. Here, we assume that the potential is given by a distribution defined on the space of discontinuous test functions. First, by using Schrödinger’s integral equation, we confirm a seminal result by Kurasov, which was originally obtained in the context of Schrödinger’s differential equation. This hints at a possible deeper connection between both forms of the equation. We also sketch a generalisation of Kurasov’s [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 201(1), 297–323 (1996)] result to hypersurfaces. Second, we derive a new closed-form solution to Schrödinger’s integral equation with a delta prime potential. This potential has attracted considerable attention, including some controversy. Interestingly, the derived propagator satisfies boundary conditions that were previously derived using Schrödinger’s differential equation. Third, we derive boundary conditions for “super-singular” potentials given by higher-order derivatives of the delta potential. These boundary conditions cannot be incorporated into the normal framework of self-adjoint extensions. We show that the boundary conditions depend on the energy of the solution and that probability is conserved. This paper thereby confirms several seminal results and derives some new ones. In sum, it shows that Schrödinger’s integral equation is a viable tool for studying singular interactions in quantum mechanics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optimal ancilla-free Pauli+V circuits for axial rotations

We address the problem of optimal representation of single-qubit rotations in a certain unitary basis consisting of the so-called V gates and Pauli matrices. The V matrices were proposed by Lubotsky, Philips, and Sarnak [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 40, 401–420 (1987)] as a purely geometric construct in 1987 and recently found applications in quantum computation. They allow for exceptionally simple quantum circuit synthesis algorithms based on quaternionic factorization. We adapt the deterministic-search technique initially proposed by Ross and Selinger to synthesize approximating Pauli+V circuits of optimal depth for single-qubit axial rotations. Our synthesis procedure based on simple SL{sub 2}(ℤ) geometry is almost elementary.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Melting curves and structural properties of tantalum from the modified-Z method

The melting curves and structural properties of tantalum (Ta) are investigated by molecular dynamics simulations combining with potential model developed by Ravelo et al. [Phys. Rev. B 88, 134101 (2013)]. Before calculations, five potentials are systematically compared with their abilities of producing reasonable compressional and equilibrium mechanical properties of Ta. We have improved the modified-Z method introduced by Wang et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 114, 163514 (2013)] by increasing the sizes in L{sub x} and L{sub y} of the rectangular parallelepiped box (L{sub x} = L{sub y} ≪ L{sub z}). The influences of size and aspect ratio of the simulation box to melting curves are also fully tested. The structural differences between solid and liquid are detected by number density and local-order parameters Q{sub 6}. Moreover, the atoms' diffusion with simulation time, defects, and vacancies formations in the sample are all studied by comparing situations in solid, solid-liquid coexistence, and liquid state.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Sound velocities in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite shocked to 18 GPa: Orientational order dependence and elastic instability

Previous reports of rapid phase transformation above 18 GPa [Erskine and Nellis, Nature 349, 317 (1991)] and large elastic waves below 18 GPa [Lucas et al., J. Appl. Phys. 114, 093515 (2013)] for shock-compressed ZYB-grade highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), but not for less oriented ZYH-grade HOPG, indicated a link between the orientational order dependence of the HOPG response above and below the phase transformation stress. To gain insight into this link and into the mechanical response of HOPG shocked to peak stresses approaching the phase transformation onset, the compressibility of ZYB- and ZYH-grade HOPG in the shocked state was examined using front surface impact experiments. Particle velocity histories and sound velocities were measured for peak stresses reaching 18 GPa. Although the locus of the measured peak stress-particle velocity states is indistinguishable for the two grades of HOPG, the measured sound velocities in the peak state reveal significant differences between the two grades. Specifically, 1) The measured sound velocities are somewhat higher for ZYH-grade HOPG, compared to ZYB-grade HOPG. 2) The measured sound velocities for ZYH-grade HOPG increase smoothly with compression, whereas those for ZYB-2 grade HOPG exhibit a significant reduction in the compression dependence from 12 GPa to 17 GPa and an abrupt increase from 17 GPa to 18 GPa. 3) The longitudinal moduli, determined from the measured sound velocities, are smaller than the calculated bulk moduli for ZYB-grade HOPG shocked to peak stresses above 15 GPa, indicating the onset of an elastic instability. The present findings demonstrate that the softening of the longitudinal modulus (or elastic instability) presented here is linked to the large elastic waves and the rapid phase transformation reported previously – all observed only for shocked ZYB-grade HOPG. The elastic instability in shocked ZYB-grade HOPG is likely a precursor to the rapid phase transformation observed above 18 GPa for this HOPG grade.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electromagnetic cloak to restore the antenna radiation patterns affected by nearby scatter

We have theoretically verified the feasibility of the concept of mantle cloak for very high frequency (VHF) antenna communications. While the applicability of the concept has been demonstrated for an infinitely long cylindrical obstacle and infinitely long electric source [Y.R. Padooru, A.B. Yakovlev, and P.-Y. Chen and Andrea Alù, J. Appl. Phys., 112, 104902, (2012)], the use of this cloak in realistic conditions is not straightforward. In this paper as an electric source we consider a typical VHF monopole antenna mounted on ground plane together with a metallic cylindrical obstacle. The both ground plane and obstacle affect the antenna radiation scattering. Nevertheless, we could show that the mantle cloak can bee successfully applied to restore the radiation patterns of antenna even when the source, the cylindrical metallic obstacle, and the ground plane have finite length. We have studied the antenna adaptation in the presence of the cloaked obstacle and found that the complete radiation system is still functional in the bandwidth that is reduced only by 11%.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Early stage time evolution of a dense nanosecond microdischarge used in fast optical switching applications

The mechanism of high-voltage nanosecond microdischarges is studied by the self-consistent two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collisions model. These microdischarges were recently proposed for use as fast switches of visible light in Bataller et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 223501 (2014)]. The microdischarge is found to develop in two stages. The first stage is associated with the electrons initially seeded in the cathode-anode gap. These electrons lead to the formation of a cathode-directed streamer. The second stage starts when the secondary electron emission from the cathode begins. In this stage, a rather dense plasma (∼10{sup 16 }cm{sup −3}) is generated which results in the narrow cathode sheath. The electric field in this sheath exceeds the critical electric field which is necessary for the runaway electrons generation. We have found that the presence of these energetic electrons is crucial for the discharge maintenance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Experimental demonstration of laser to x-ray conversion enhancements with low density gold targets

The enhancement of laser to x-ray conversion efficiencies using low density gold targets [W. L. Shang, J. M. Yang, and Y. S. Dong, Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 094105 (2013)] is demonstrated. Laser to x-ray conversion efficiencies with 6.3% and 12% increases are achieved with target densities of 1 and 0.25 g/cm 3 , when compared with that of a solid gold target (19.3 g/cm 3 ). Experimental data and numerical simulations are in good agreement. Lastly, the enhancement is caused by larger x-ray emission zone lengths formed in low density targets, which is in agreement with the simulation results.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2016

Numerical simulation of systems of shear bands in ductile metal with inclusions

We develop a method for numerical simulations of high strain-rate loading of mesoscale samples of ductile metal with inclusions. Because of its small-scale inhomogeneity, the composite material is prone to localized shear deformation (adiabatic shear bands). This method employs the Generalized Method of Cells of Paley and Aboudi [Mech. Materials, vol. 14, pp. 127–139, 1992] to ensure that the micro mechanical behavior of the metal and inclusions is reflected properly in the behavior of the composite at the mesoscale. To find the effective plastic strain rate when shear bands are present, we extend and apply the analytic and numerical analysis of shear bands of Glimm, Plohr, and Sharp [Mech. Materials, vol. 24, pp. 31–41, 1996]. Our tests of the method focus on the stress/strain response in uniaxial-strain flow, both compressive and tensile, of depleted uranium metal containing silicon carbide inclusions. We use the Preston-Tonks-Wallace viscoplasticity model [J. Appl. Phys., vol. 93, pp. 211–220, 2003], which applies to the high strain-rate regime of an isotropic viscoplastic solid. In results, we verify the elevated temperature and thermal softening at shear bands in our simulations of pure DU and DU/SiC composites. We also note that in composites, due the asymmetry caused by the inclusions, shear band form at different times in different subcells. In particular, in the subcells near inclusions, shear band form much earlier than they do in pure DU.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Modeling reaction histories to study chemical pathways in condensed phase detonation

The estimation of pressure and temperature histories, which are required to understand chemical pathways in condensed phase explosives during detonation, is discussed. We argue that estimates made from continuum models, calibrated by macroscopic experiments, are essential to inform modern, atomistic-based reactive chemistry simulations at detonation pressures and temperatures. We present easy to implement methods for general equation of state and arbitrarily complex chemical reaction schemes that can be used to compute reactive flow histories for the constant volume, the energy process, and the expansion process on the Rayleigh line of a steady Chapman-Jouguet detonation. A brief review of state-of-the-art of two-component reactive flow models is given that highlights the Ignition and Growth model of Lee and Tarver [Phys. Fluids 23, 2362 (1980)] and the Wide-Ranging Equation of State model of Wescott, Stewart, and Davis [J. Appl. Phys. 98, 053514 (2005)]. We discuss evidence from experiments and reactive molecular dynamic simulations that motivate models that have several components, instead of the two that have traditionally been used to describe the results of macroscopic detonation experiments. We present simplified examples of a formulation for a hypothetical explosive that uses simple (ideal) equation of state forms and detailed comparisons. Then, we estimate pathways computed from two-component models of real explosive materials that have been calibrated with macroscopic experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

A thermalization energy analysis of the threshold voltage shift in amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin film transistors under positive gate bias stress

Thin film transistors (TFTs) employing an amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) channel layer exhibit a positive shift in the threshold voltage under the application of positive gate bias stress (PBS). The time and temperature dependence of the threshold voltage shift was measured and analysed using the thermalization energy concept. The peak energy barrier to defect conversion is extracted to be 0.75 eV and the attempt-to-escape frequency is extracted to be 10{sup 7} s{sup −1}. These values are in remarkable agreement with measurements in a-IGZO TFTs under negative gate bias illumination stress (NBIS) reported recently (Flewitt and Powell, J. Appl. Phys. 115, 134501 (2014)). This suggests that the same physical process is responsible for both PBS and NBIS, and supports the oxygen vacancy defect migration model that the authors have previously proposed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Measurement and analysis of electron-neutral collision frequency in the calibrated cutoff probe

As collisions between electrons and neutral particles constitute one of the most representative physical phenomena in weakly ionized plasma, the electron-neutral (e-n) collision frequency is a very important plasma parameter as regards understanding the physics of this material. In this paper, we measured the e-n collision frequency in the plasma using a calibrated cutoff-probe. A highly accurate reactance spectrum of the plasma/cutoff-probe system, which is expected based on previous cutoff-probe circuit simulations [Kim et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 131502 (2011)], is obtained using the calibrated cutoff-probe method, and the e-n collision frequency is calculated based on the cutoff-probe circuit model together with the high-frequency conductance model. The measured e-n collision frequency (by the calibrated cutoff-probe method) is compared and analyzed with that obtained using a Langmuir probe, with the latter being calculated from the measured electron-energy distribution functions, in wide range of gas pressure.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comment on “Early stage time evolution of a dense nanosecond microdischarge used in fast optical switching applications” [Phys. Plasmas 22, 123518 (2015)]

In an effort to understand the opaque nature of high-voltage nanosecond microdischarges and their ability to block 532 nm nanosecond laser pulses, as demonstrated by Bataller et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 223501 (2014)], Levko and Raja have published a paper [Phys. Plasmas 22, 123518 (2015)] which simulates spark discharges in 1 bar of xenon gas. At this ambient pressure, Levko and Raja simulate final electron densities much too low to explain the observed opacity and conclude the probing laser generates the requisite ionization for self-blocking. However, the experimental findings of Bataller et al. showed opacity being reached at 10 bar, an order of magnitude larger than the pressure simulated by Levko and Raja. Furthermore, Bataller et al. showed the spark remained opaque for very low laser intensities, insufficient to cause any significant ionization. Although the simulation performed by Levko and Raja could have merit at 1 bar, it is not an appropriate comparison to the regime studied by Bataller et al.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Explicit accounting of electronic effects on the Hugoniot of porous materials

A generalized enthalpy based equation of state, which includes thermal electron excitations explicitly, is formulated from simple considerations. Its application to obtain Hugoniot of materials needs simultaneous evaluation of pressure-volume curve and temperature, the latter requiring solution of a differential equation. The errors involved in two recent papers [Huayun et al., J. Appl. Phys. 92, 5917 (2002); 92, 5924 (2002)], which employed this approach, are brought out and discussed. In addition to developing the correct set of equations, the present work also provides a numerical method to implement this approach. Constant pressure specific heat of ions and electrons and ionic enthalpy parameter, needed for applications, are calculated using a three component equation of state. The method is applied to porous Cu with different initial porosities. Comparison of results with experimental data shows good agreement. It is found that temperatures along the Hugoniot of porous materials are significantly modified due to electronic effects.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dynamic response in a finite size composite multiferroic thin film

Composite multiferroics, heterostructures of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials, are characterized by a remarkable magnetoelectric effect at the interface. Previous work has supported the ferromagnetic structure with magnetic spins and the ferroelectric with pseudospins which act as electric dipoles in a microscopic model, coupled with a magnetoelectric interaction [Wang and Grimson, J. Appl. Phys. 118, 124109 (2015)]. In this work, by solving the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, the electric-field-induced magnetization switching in a twisted boundary condition has been studied, and a behavior of domain wall in the ferromagnetic structure is discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Bifurcation, chaos, and scan instability in dynamic atomic force microscopy

The dynamical motion at any point on the cantilever of an atomic force microscope can be expressed quite generally as a superposition of simple harmonic oscillators corresponding to the vibrational modes allowed by the cantilever shape. Central to the dynamical equations is the representation of the cantilever-sample interaction force as a polynomial expansion with coefficients that account for the interaction force “stiffness,” the cantilever-to-sample energy transfer, and the displacement amplitude of cantilever oscillation. Renormalization of the cantilever beam model shows that for a given cantilever drive frequency cantilever dynamics can be accurately represented by a single nonlinear mass-spring model with frequency-dependent stiffness and damping coefficients [S. A. Cantrell and J. H. Cantrell, J. Appl. Phys. 110, 094314 (2011)]. Application of the Melnikov method to the renormalized dynamical equation is shown to predict a cascade of period doubling bifurcations with increasing cantilever drive force that terminates in chaos. The threshold value of the drive force necessary to initiate bifurcation is shown to depend strongly on the cantilever setpoint and drive frequency, effective damping coefficient, nonlinearity of the cantilever-sample interaction force, and the displacement amplitude of cantilever oscillation. The model predicts the experimentally observed interruptions of the bifurcation cascade for cantilevers of sufficiently large stiffness. Operational factors leading to the loss of image quality in dynamic atomic force microscopy are addressed, and guidelines for optimizing scan stability are proposed using a quantitative analysis based on system dynamical parameters and choice of feedback loop parameter.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗