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At least 487 records · Page 27

Atomic-Layer-Deposited Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Probed with X-ray Scattering and Compared to Molecular Dynamics and Density Functional Theory Models

A better understanding of amorphous aluminum oxide’s structure and electronic properties is obtained through combined experimental and computational approaches. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering measurements were carried out on aluminum oxide thin films grown using thermal atomic layer deposition. The corresponding pair distribution functions (PDFs) showed structures similar to previously reported PDFs of solid-state amorphous alumina and molten alumina. Structural models based on crystalline alumina polymorphs (PDFgui) and amorphous alumina (molecular dynamics, MD) were examined for structural comparisons to the experimental PDF data. Smaller MD models were optimized and verified against larger models to allow for quantum chemical electronic structure calculations. The electronic structure of the amorphous alumina models yields additional insight into the band structure and electronic defects present in amorphous alumina that are not present in crystalline samples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Semiclassical Wigner theory of photodissociation in three dimensions: Shedding light on its basis

The semiclassical Wigner theory (SCWT) of photodissociation dynamics, initially proposed by Brown and Heller [J. Chem. Phys. 75, 186 (1981)] in order to describe state distributions in the products of direct collinear photodissociations, was recently extended to realistic three-dimensional triatomic processes of the same type [Arbelo-González et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 15, 9994 (2013)]. The resulting approach, which takes into account rotational motions in addition to vibrational and translational ones, was applied to a triatomic-like model of methyl iodide photodissociation and its predictions were found to be in nearly quantitative agreement with rigorous quantum results, but at a much lower computational cost, making thereby SCWT a potential tool for the study of polyatomic reaction dynamics. Here, we analyse the main reasons for this agreement by means of an elementary model of fragmentation explicitly dealing with the rotational motion only. We show that our formulation of SCWT makes it a semiclassical approximation to an approximate planar quantum treatment of the dynamics, both of sufficient quality for the whole treatment to be satisfying.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Massively Parallel Quantum Chemistry: A high-performance research platform for electronic structure

The Massively Parallel Quantum Chemistry (MPQC) program is a 30-year-old project that enables facile development of electronic structure methods for molecules for efficient deployment to massively parallel computing architectures. Here, we describe the historical evolution of MPQC’s design into its latest (fourth) version, the capabilities and modular architecture of today’s MPQC, and how MPQC facilitates rapid composition of new methods as well as its state-of-the-art performance on a variety of commodity and high-end distributed-memory computer platforms.

Peng, Chong↗

Conductivity and size quantization effects in semiconductor $$\delta$$-layer systems

Abstract We present an open-system quantum-mechanical 3D real-space study of the conduction band structure and conductive properties of two semiconductor systems, interesting for their beyond-Moore and quantum computing applications: phosphorus $$\delta$$ δ -layers and P $$\delta$$ δ -layer tunnel junctions in silicon. In order to evaluate size quantization effects on the conductivity, we consider two principal cases: nanoscale finite-width structures, used in transistors, and infinitely-wide structures, electrical properties of which are typically known experimentally. For devices widths $$W<10$$ W < 10 nm, quantization effects are strong and it is shown that the number of propagating modes determines not only the conductivity, but the distinctive spatial distribution of the current-carrying electron states. For $$W>10$$ W > 10 nm, the quantization effects practically vanish and the conductivity tends to the infinitely-wide device values. For tunnel junctions, two distinct conductivity regimes are predicted due to the strong conduction band quantization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Adaptive Circuit Learning for Quantum Metrology

Quantum sensing is an important application of emerging quantum technologies. We explore whether a hybrid system of quantum sensors and quantum circuits can surpass the classical limit of sensing. In particular, we use optimization techniques to search for encoder and decoder circuits that scalably improve sensitivity under given application and noise characteristics. Furthermore, our approach uses a variational algorithm that can learn a quantum sensing circuit based on platform-specific control capacity, noise, and signal distribution. The quantum circuit is composed of an encoder which prepares the optimal sensing state and a decoder which gives an output distribution containing information of the signal. We optimize the full circuit to maximize the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). Furthermore, this learning algorithm can be run on real hardware scalably by using the "parameter-shift" rule which enables gradient evaluation on noisy quantum circuits, avoiding the exponential cost of quantum system simulation. We demonstrate up to 13.12x SNR improvement over existing fixed protocol (GHZ), and 3.19x Classical Fisher Information (CFI) improvement over the classical limit on 15 qubits using IBM quantum computer. More notably, our algorithm overcomes the decreasing performance of existing entanglement-based protocols with increased system sizes.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Stochastic many-body perturbation theory for anharmonic molecular vibrations

A new quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method for anharmonic vibrational zero-point energies and transition frequencies is developed, which combines the diagrammatic vibrational many-body perturbation theory based on the Dyson equation with Monte Carlo integration. The infinite sums of the diagrammatic and thus size-consistent first- and second-order anharmonic corrections to the energy and self-energy are expressed as sums of a few m- or 2m-dimensional integrals of wave functions and a potential energy surface (PES) (m is the vibrational degrees of freedom). Each of these integrals is computed as the integrand (including the value of the PES) divided by the value of a judiciously chosen weight function evaluated on demand at geometries distributed randomly but according to the weight function via the Metropolis algorithm. In this way, the method completely avoids cumbersome evaluation and storage of high-order force constants necessary in the original formulation of the vibrational perturbation theory; it furthermore allows even higher-order force constants essentially up to an infinite order to be taken into account in a scalable, memory-efficient algorithm. The diagrammatic contributions to the frequency-dependent self-energies that are stochastically evaluated at discrete frequencies can be reliably interpolated, allowing the self-consistent solutions to the Dyson equation to be obtained. This method, therefore, can compute directly and stochastically the transition frequencies of fundamentals and overtones as well as their relative intensities as pole strengths, without fixed-node errors that plague some QMC. It is shown that, for an identical PES, the new method reproduces the correct deterministic values of the energies and frequencies within a few cm{sup −1} and pole strengths within a few thousandths. With the values of a PES evaluated on the fly at random geometries, the new method captures a noticeably greater proportion of anharmonic effects.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quasiprobabilistic Readout Correction of Midcircuit Measurements for Adaptive Feedback via Measurement Randomized Compiling

Quantum measurements are a fundamental component of quantum computing. However, on present-day quantum computers, measurements can be more error prone than quantum gates and are susceptible to nonunital errors as well as nonlocal correlations due to measurement crosstalk. While readout errors can be mitigated in postprocessing, this is inefficient in the number of qubits due to a combinatorially large number of possible states that need to be characterized. In this work, we show that measurement errors can be tailored into a simple stochastic error model using randomized compiling, enabling the efficient mitigation of readout errors via quasiprobability distributions reconstructed from the measurement of a single preparation state in an exponentially large confusion matrix. We demonstrate the scalability and power of this approach by correcting readout errors without matrix inversion on a large number of different preparation states applied to a register of eight superconducting transmon qubits. Moreover, we show that this method can be extended to midcircuit measurements used for active feedback via quasiprobabilistic error cancellation, and we demonstrate the correction of measurement errors on an ancilla qubit used to detect and actively correct bit-flip errors on an entangled memory qubit. Our approach enables the correction of readout errors on large numbers of qubits and offers a strategy for correcting readout errors in adaptive circuits in which the results of midcircuit measurements are used to perform conditional operations on nonlocal qubits in real time.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum Information Science in High Energy Physics at the Large Hadron Collider (Final Report-QuantISED)

We pursue scientific research at the interface of High Energy Physics and Quantum Information Science. This includes studies of thermal radiation and quantum entanglement in high-energy collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), with special emphasis on entanglement entropy and the Higgs boson. This project has also been extended to include quantum entanglement and charged current weak interactions using Fermilab results. And most recently, we have begun tests of the temporal entanglement using LHC data. Collider experiments such as proton-proton collisions at the LHC yield hadrons that exhibit an exponential behavior at low transverse momenta. This surprising behavior is seen in data from both the ATLAS and CMS collaborations. We attribute this phenomenon to quantum entanglement between the regions in the nucleon wave function. The exponential component to the transverse momentum distribution is a result of thermal radiation that is akin to Hawking or Unruh radiation that should exist at the event horizon of astrophysical black holes and neutron stars. The Principal Investigator, in collaboration with a theoretical physicist at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, and with Yale University students, has shown evidence for this thermal radiation in several production and decay processes in the ATLAS and CMS data, and its connection to entanglement entropy (O.K. Baker and D.E Kharzeev, Phys. Rev. D 98, 054007 (2018)), including even the Higgs boson sector. Interestingly, this thermal behavior is also seen in momentum distributions of charged current weak interactions according to our studies. These findings suggest a deep connection between quantum entanglement (entanglement entropy) and thermalization in both hadron collisions at the energy frontier and neutrino scattering at the intensity frontier. We have confirmed the proposed relation between the effective temperature and the hard-scattering scale at lower energies using the most recent LHC data for the following systems: Higgs bosons, top quarks, and charged hadrons. Additionally, we have results for hadron production in neutrino scattering from nuclei using Fermilab weak interaction data. This study is carried out using data from the MINERvA collaboration. In those cases where entanglement is expected, there is an exponential component to the momentum distribution, while this component is absent in those processes where no entanglement is expected. This research thus tests the hypothesis about a link between quantum entanglement and thermalization in strong and weak interactions. See Phys Lett B 811, 135948 (2020). We also initiated research applying a quantum search algorithm (Grover's Algorithm) to LHC data. This quantum algorithm was used to show how rare events in LHC data can be searched for in large, unsorted databases, with quadratic speedup compared to classical search algorithms on classical computers. See "Application of a Quantum Search Algorithm to High- Energy Physics Data at the Large Hadron Collider", arXiv:2010.00649 [quant-ph].

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Microscale-Resolution Thermal Mapping Using a Flexible Platform of Patterned Quantum Sensors

Here, temperature sensors with micro- and nanoscale spatial resolution have long been explored for their potential to investigate the details of physical systems at an unprecedented scale. In particular, the rapid miniaturization of transistor technology, with its associated steep boost in power density, calls for sensors that accurately monitor heating distributions. Here, we report on a simple and scalable fabrication approach, based on directed self-assembly and transfer-printing techniques, to constructing arrays of nanodiamonds containing temperature-sensitive fluorescent spin defects. The nano-particles are embedded within a low-thermal-conductivity matrix that allows for repeated use on a wide range of systems with minimal spurious effects. Additionally, we demonstrate access to a wide spectrum of array parameters ranging from sparser single-particle arrays, with the potential for quantum computing applications, to denser devices with 98 ± 0.8% yield and stronger photoluminescence signals, ideal for temperature measurements. With these, we experimentally reconstruct the temperature map of an operating coplanar waveguide to confirm the accuracy of these platforms.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Efficient generation of sum-of-products representations of high-dimensional potential energy surfaces based on multimode expansions

The transformation of multi-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) from a grid-based multimode representation to an analytical one is a standard procedure in quantum chemical programs. Within the framework of linear least squares fitting, a simple and highly efficient algorithm is presented, which relies on a direct product representation of the PES and a repeated use of Kronecker products. It shows the same scalings in computational cost and memory requirements as the POTFIT approach. In comparison to customary linear least squares fitting algorithms, this corresponds to a speed-up and memory saving by several orders of magnitude. Different fitting bases are tested, namely, polynomials, B-splines, and distributed Gaussians. Benchmark calculations are provided for the PESs of a set of small molecules.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Finding the order in complexity: The electronic structure of 14-1-11 zintl compounds

Yb 14 MnSb 11 and Yb 14 MgSb 11 have rapidly risen to prominence as high-performing p-type thermoelectric materials. However, the fairly complex crystal structure of A 14 MX 11 Zintl compounds renders the interpretation of the electronic band structure obscure, making it difficult to chemically guide band engineering and optimization efforts. In this work, we delineate the valence-balanced Zintl chemistry of A 14 MX 11 compounds using the molecular orbital theory. By analyzing the electronic band structures of Yb 14 MgSb 11 and Yb 14 AlSb 11 , we show that the conduction band minimum is composed of either an antibonding molecular orbital originating from the (Sb 3 ) 7– trimer or a mix of atomic orbitals of A, M, and X. The singly degenerate valence band is comprised of non-bonding Sb pz orbitals primarily from the Sb atoms in the (MSb 4 ) m– tetrahedra and of isolated Sb atoms distributed throughout the unit cell. Such a chemical understanding of the electronic structure enables strategies to engineer electronic properties (e.g., the bandgap) of A 14 MX 11 compounds.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

SU-G-IeP2-04: Dosimetric Accuracy of a Monte Carlo-Based Tool for Cone-Beam CT Organ Dose Calculation: Validation Against OSL and XRQA2 Film Measurements

Purpose: The intensive use of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) during radiotherapy treatments raise some questions about the dose to healthy tissues delivered during image acquisitions. We hence developed a Monte Carlo (MC)-based tool to predict doses to organs delivered by the Elekta XVI kV-CBCT. This work aims at assessing the dosimetric accuracy of the MC tool, in all tissue types. Methods: The kV-CBCT MC model was developed using the PENELOPE code. The beam properties were validated against measured lateral and depth dose profiles in water, and energy spectra measured with a CdTe detector. The CBCT simulator accuracy then required verification in clinical conditions. For this, we compared calculated and experimental dose values obtained with OSL nanoDots and XRQA2 films inserted in CIRS anthropomorphic phantoms (male, female, and 5-year old child). Measurements were performed at different locations, including bone and lung structures, and for several acquisition protocols: lung, head-and-neck, and pelvis. OSLs and film measurements were corrected when possible for energy dependence, by taking into account for spectral variations between calibration and measurement conditions. Results: Comparisons between measured and MC dose values are summarized in table 1. A mean difference of 8.6% was achieved for OSLs when the energy correction was applied, and 89.3% of the 84 dose points were within uncertainty intervals, including those in bones and lungs. Results with XRQA2 are not as good, because incomplete information about electronic equilibrium in film layers hampered the application of a simple energy correction procedure. Furthermore, measured and calculated doses (Fig.1) are in agreement with the literature. Conclusion: The MC-based tool developed was validated with an extensive set of measurements, and enables the organ dose calculation with accuracy. It can now be used to compute and report doses to organs for clinical cases, and also to drive strategies to optimize imaging protocols.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Pion and kaon structure at the electron-ion collider

Understanding the origin and dynamics of hadron structure and in turn that of atomic nuclei is a central goal of nuclear physics. Here, this challenge entails the questions of how does the roughly 1 GeV mass-scale that characterizes atomic nuclei appear; why does it have the observed value; and, enigmatically, why are the composite Nambu-Goldstone (NG) bosons in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) abnormally light in comparison? In this perspective, we provide an analysis of the mass budget of the pion and proton in QCD; discuss the special role of the kaon, which lies near the boundary between dominance of strong and Higgs mass-generation mechanisms; and explain the need for a coherent effort in QCD phenomenology and continuum calculations, in exa-scale computing as provided by lattice QCD, and in experiments to make progress in understanding the origins of hadron masses and the distribution of that mass within them. We compare the unique capabilities foreseen at the electron-ion collider (EIC) with those at the hadron-electron ring accelerator (HERA), the only previous electron-proton collider; and describe five key experimental measurements, enabled by the EIC and aimed at delivering fundamental insights that will generate concrete answers to the questions of how mass and structure arise in the pion and kaon, the Standard Model's NG modes, whose surprisingly low mass is critical to the evolution of our Universe.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

SGEMP Algorithm Development and Demonstration for ICEPIC

Algorithms designed to facilitate calculation of gas-modified System-Generated Electromagnetic Pulse (SGEMP) phenomena have been developed for use in ICEPIC. Improvements and extensions of these and related models are considered for helping them be more widely applicable for SGEMP modeling. Confluent Sciences has developed a Buneman-Villasenor unit test tool for assessing particle merge algorithms and has applied that to several candidate algorithms. Statistical analysis of Maxwellian and near-Maxwellian velocity distribution functions has been used to understand limits and tradeoffs of particle merging. Collisional phenomena and plasma models that relieve the burden of a fully kinetic approach have also been developed and assessed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

High-throughput spin-bath characterization of spin defects in semiconductors

Detailed knowledge of the local environments of spin defects in semiconductors, such as nitrogenvacancy (NV) centers in diamond or divacancies in silicon carbide, is crucial for optimizing control and entanglement protocols in quantum sensing and information applications. However, at present a direct experimental characterization of individual defect environments is not scalable, as conventional spin-bath measurements are time consuming and difficult to automate. Achieving high-throughput characterization requires short experiments to probe the spin bath. However, with fewer and noisier measurements, the inverse problem of recovering spin-bath properties from measured data becomes ill posed, with multiple spin baths having a high likelihood of yielding the same data. In this work, we present a set of computational tools to resolve the ill-posed inverse problem of recovering the atomic positions and hyperfine couplings of random nuclei surrounding spin defects from sparse, noisy experimental coherence data, which can be obtained in hours. Here, we use a trans-dimensional Bayesian approach that incorporates ab initio data to yield full posterior distributions over nuclear spin environments, enabling robust recovery from limited data. We also provide practical tools and guidelines to determine the limits of detectability for hyperfine couplings under specific dynamical decoupling sequences and sampling conditions. In addition, we demonstrate how the tools developed here, in combination with ab initio simulations of spin baths, can guide the design of efficient experimental protocols for application-specific high-throughput screening. To showcase the utility of our approach, we apply it to design fast dynamical decoupling experiments to characterize the spin baths often individual NV centers in diamond. While the primary focus is on accelerating spin-bath characterization of spin defects, this Bayesian approach also lays the foundation for digital-twin studies of spin defects, where a virtual model of the spin-defect system evolves in real time with ongoing experimental measurements. Together, the set of tools we designed and applied paves the way for scalable deployment of spin defects in semiconductors for quantum sensing and information applications.

Bayesian methods↗

Defects go green: using defects in nanomaterials for renewable energy and environmental sustainability

Induction of point defects in nanomaterials can bestow upon them entirely new physics or augment their pre-existing physical properties, thereby expanding their potential use in green energy technology. Predicting structure-property relationships for defects a priori is challenging, and developing methods for precise control of defect type, density, or structural distribution during synthesis is an even more formidable task. Hence, tuning the defect structure to tailor nanomaterials for enhanced device performance remains an underutilized tool in materials design. We review here the state of nanomaterial design through the lens of computational prediction of defect properties for green energy technology, and synthesis methods to control defect formation for optimal performance. We illustrate the efficacy of defect-focused approaches for refining nanomaterial physics by describing several specific applications where these techniques hold potential. Most notably, we focus on quantum dots for reabsorption-free solar windows and net-zero emission buildings, oxide cathodes for high energy density lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, and transition metal dichalcogenides for electrocatalytic green hydrogen production and carbon-free fuels.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A mesh partitioning algorithm for preserving spatial locality in arbitrary geometries

Highlights: •An algorithm for partitioning computational meshes is proposed. •The Morton order space-filling curve is modified to achieve improved locality. •A spatial locality metric is defined to compare results with existing approaches. •Results indicate improved performance of the algorithm in complex geometries. -- Abstract: A space-filling curve (SFC) is a proximity preserving linear mapping of any multi-dimensional space and is widely used as a clustering tool. Equi-sized partitioning of an SFC ignores the loss in clustering quality that occurs due to inaccuracies in the mapping. Often, this results in poor locality within partitions, especially for the conceptually simple, Morton order curves. We present a heuristic that improves partition locality in arbitrary geometries by slicing a Morton order curve at points where spatial locality is sacrificed. In addition, we develop algorithms that evenly distribute points to the extent possible while maintaining spatial locality. A metric is defined to estimate relative inter-partition contact as an indicator of communication in parallel computing architectures. Domain partitioning tests have been conducted on geometries relevant to turbulent reactive flow simulations. The results obtained highlight the performance of our method as an unsupervised and computationally inexpensive domain partitioning tool.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Self-consistent inclusion of classical large-angle Coulomb collisions in plasma Monte Carlo simulations

Large-angle Coulomb collisions allow for the exchange of a significant proportion of the energy of a particle in a single collision, but are not included in models of plasmas based on fluids, the Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation, or currently available plasma Monte Carlo techniques. Their unique effects include the creation of fast ‘knock-on’ ions, which may be more likely to undergo certain reactions, and distortions to ion distribution functions relative to what is predicted by small-angle collision only theories. We present a computational method which uses Monte Carlo techniques to include the effects of large-angle Coulomb collisions in plasmas and which self-consistently evolves distribution functions according to the creation of knock-on ions of any generation. The method is used to demonstrate ion distribution function distortions in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) relevant scenario of the slowing of fusion products.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗