Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “INTERACTION RANGE”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 523 records · Page 29

Geometry and speed of evolution for a spin-s system with long-range zz-type Ising interaction

We study the evolution of a spin-s system described by the long-range zz-type Ising interaction. The Fubini–Study metric of the quantum state manifold defined by this evolution is obtained. We explore the topology of this manifold and show that it corresponds to a sphere. Exploration of the Riemannian curvature allows us to determine the manifold geometry. Also we calculate the speed of evolution of the system and represent the curvature by means of this speed. This is important for an experimental measurement of the curvature. The conditions for achieving the minimal and maximal values of the speed of evolution are obtained. Also we examine the geometry of state manifold and speed of evolution of spin system in the thermodynamic limit. We propose the physical system of methane molecule for application of our considerations. Finally, we study the influence of an external magnetic field on the metric of state manifold and on the speed of evolution. In this case we obtain the conditions for achieving the minimal possible speed of evolution. For some predefined initial states the orientations of magnetic fields to reach the minimal and maximal values of the speed are found.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Probing short-range nucleon-nucleon interactions with an electron-ion collider

For this research, we derive the cross section for exclusive vector meson production in high-energy deeply inelastic scattering off a deuteron target that disintegrates into a proton and a neutron carrying large relative momentum in the final state. This cross section can be expressed in terms of a novel gluon transition generalized parton distribution (T-GPD); the hard scale in the final state makes the T-GPD sensitive to the short-distance nucleon-nucleon interaction. We perform a toy model computation of this process in a perturbative framework and discuss the time scales that allow the separation of initial- and final-state dynamics in the T-GPD. We outline the more general computation based on the factorization suggested by the toy computation: In particular, we discuss the relative role of “pointlike” and “geometric” Fock configurations that control the parton dynamics of short-range nucleon-nucleon scattering. With the aid of exclusive J/ψ production data at the Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator at DESY, as well as elastic nucleon-nucleon cross sections, we estimate rates for exclusive deuteron photodisintegration at a future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). Our results, obtained using conservative estimates of EIC integrated luminosities, suggest that center-of-mass energies sNN ~12GeV 2 of the neutron-proton subsystem can be accessed. We argue that the high energies of the EIC can address outstanding dynamical questions regarding the short-range quark-gluon structure of nuclear forces by providing clean gluon probes of such “knockout” exclusive reactions in light and heavy nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

CrI 3 revisited with a many-body ab initio theoretical approach

CrI 3 has recently been shown to exhibit low-dimensional, long-range magnetic ordering from few layers to single layers of CrI 3 . The properties of CrI 3 bulk and few layered systems are uniquely defined by a combination of short-range intralayer and long-range interlayer interactions; including strong correlations, exchange and spin orbit coupling. Unfortunately, both the long-range van der Waals interactions, which are driven by dynamic, many-body electronic correlations and the competing strong intralayer correlations, present a formidable challenging for the local or semi local mean-field approximations employed in workhorse electronic structure approaches like density functional theory. In this work, we employ a sophisticated many-body approach that can simultaneously describe long- and short-range correlations. Herein, we establish that the fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo (FNDMC) method reproduces the experimental interlayer separation distance of bulk CrI 3 for the high-temperature, monoclinic phase, with a reliable prediction of the interlayer binding energy. We subsequently employed, the FNDMC results to benchmark the accuracy of several density functional theory exchange-correlation approximations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Solid state synthesis of Mn{sub 5}Ge{sub 3} in Ge/Ag/Mn trilayers: Structural and magnetic studies

The thin-film solid-state reaction between elemental Ge and Mn across chemically inert Ag layers with thicknesses of (0, 0.3, 1 and 2.2 µm) in Ge/Ag/Mn trilayers was studied for the first time. The initial samples were annealed at temperatures between 50 and 500 °C at 50 °C intervals for 1 h. The initiation temperature of the reaction for Ge/Mn (without a Ag barrier layer) was ~ 120 °C and increased slightly up to ~ 250 °C when the Ag barrier layer thickness increased up to 2.2 µm. In spite of the Ag layer, only the ferromagnetic Mn{sub 5}Ge{sub 3} compound and the Nowotny phase were observed in the initial stage of the reaction after annealing at 500 °C. The cross-sectional studies show that during Mn{sub 5}Ge{sub 3} formation the Ge is the sole diffusing species. The magnetic and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies show an almost complete transfer of Ge atoms from the Ge film, via a 2.2 µm Ag barrier layer, into the Mn layer. We attribute the driving force of the long-range transfer to the long-range chemical interactions between reacting Mn and Ge atoms. - Graphical abstract: The direct visualization of the solid state reaction between Mn and Ge across a Ag buffer layer at 500 °C. - Highlights: • The migration of Ge, via an inert 2.2 µm Ag barrier, into a Mn layer. • The first Mn{sub 5}Ge{sub 3} phase was observed in reactions with different Ag layers. • The Ge is the sole diffusing species during Mn{sub 5}Ge{sub 3} formation • The long-range chemical interactions control the Ge atomic transfer.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Numerical Methods of Computational Electromagnetics for Complex Inhomogeneous Systems

Understanding electromagnetic phenomena is the key in many scientific investigation and engineering designs such as solar cell designs, studying biological ion channels for diseases, and creating clean fusion energies, among other things. The objectives of the project are to develop high order numerical methods to simulate evanescent electromagnetic waves occurring in plasmon solar cells and biological ion-channels, where local field enhancement within random media in the former and long range electrostatic interactions in the latter are of major challenges for accurate and efficient numerical computations. We have accomplished these objectives by developing high order numerical methods for solving Maxwell equations such as high order finite element basis for discontinuous Galerkin methods, well-conditioned Nedelec edge element method, divergence free finite element basis for MHD, and fast integral equation methods for layered media. These methods can be used to model the complex local field enhancement in plasmon solar cells. On the other hand, to treat long range electrostatic interaction in ion channels, we have developed image charge based method for a hybrid model in combining atomistic electrostatics and continuum Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics. Such a hybrid model will speed up the molecular dynamics simulation of transport in biological ion-channels.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Nanodomain Formation and Temperature-Dependent Diffusion in Deep Eutectic Solvents Revealed by Single-Molecule Tracking

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are typically regarded as homogeneous liquids; however, recent work shows that many exhibit nanoscale structural heterogeneity. Most studies attribute these nanoscale features to short-range chemical interactions. It is still unclear whether a long-range physical mechanism also plays a role. Here, in this study, we examined the nanoscale structure in two hydrophobic DESs, 1:3 tetrabutylammonium bromide: l-menthol (DES-butyl) and 1:3 tetraoctylammonium bromide: l-menthol (DES-octyl). The notation 1:3 represents the molar ratio of the hydrogen bond acceptors to hydrogen bond donors used in the synthesis of the DESs. Single-molecule tracking (SMT) coupled with maximum entropy method (MEM) analysis was used to measure the number of diffusion populations of a dilute concentration of an added fluorescent probe. The presence of more than one population of diffusion coefficients indicates the existence of multiple local environments for the fluorescent probe (i.e., nanoscale structures in the DES). DES-butyl showed a relatively narrow diffusion coefficient distribution centered at 0.55 μm 2 /s, whereas DES-octyl displayed two distinct diffusing populations at 20 °C, with diffusion coefficients of 0.12 μm 2 /s and 0.53 μm 2 /s for the slow and fast populations, respectively. As DES-octyl was heated, the slow-diffusing population steadily diminished and disappeared above ∼30 °C, indicating that the nanodomains present at lower temperatures collapse as the liquid becomes more thermodynamically mixed. This temperature-dependent homogenization is consistent with a physical mechanism of nanostructure formation, for example, liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), wherein the structure is not driven solely by specific chemical interactions. The SMT-MEM results suggest that a long-range physical mechanism is the most plausible origin of the measured nanoscale structure in DES-octyl.

Opare-Addo, Jemima [Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, ↗

Observation of a massive phason in a charge-density-wave insulator

The lowest-lying fundamental excitation of an incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) material is widely believed to be a massless phason -- a collective modulation of the phase of the CDW order parameter. However, as first pointed out by Lee and Fukuyama, long-range Coulomb interactions should push the phason energy up to the plasma energy of the CDW condensate, resulting in a massive phason and a fully gapped spectrum. Whether such behavior occurs in a CDW system has been unresolved for more than four decades. Using time-domain THz emission spectroscopy, we investigate this issue in the material (TaSe 4 ) 2 I, a classical example of a quasi-one-dimensional CDW insulator. Upon transient photoexcitation at low temperatures, we find the material strikingly emits coherent, narrow-band THz radiation. The frequency, polarization and temperature-dependence of the emitted radiation imply the existence of a phason that acquires mass by coupling to long-range Coulomb interaction. Our observations constitute the first direct evidence of the massive "Lee-Fukuyama" phason and highlight the potential applicability of fundamental collective modes of correlated materials as compact and robust sources of THz radiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

On the application of the MARTINI coarse-grained model to immersion of a protein in a phospholipid bilayer

An important step in the simulation of a membrane protein in a phospholipid bilayer is the correct immersion of the protein in the bilayer. Crystal structures are determined without the bilayer. Particularly for proteins with monotopic domains, it can be unclear how deeply and in which orientation the protein is being inserted in the membrane. We have previously developed a procedure combining coarse-grain (CG) with all-atom (AA) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to insert and simulate a cytochrome P450 (CYP) possessing an N-terminal transmembrane helix connected by a flexible linker region to a globular domain that dips into the membrane. The CG simulations provide a computationally efficient means to explore different orientations and conformations of the CYP in the membrane. Converged configurations obtained in the CG simulations are then refined in AA simulations. Here, we tested different variants of the MARTINI CG model, differing in the water model, the treatment of long-range non-bonded interactions, and the implementation (GROMACS 4.5.5 vs 5.0.4), for this purpose. We examined the behavior of the models for simulating a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayer in water and for the immersion of CYP3A4 in a POPC bilayer, and compared the CG-MD results with the previously reported experimental and simulation results. We also tested the methodology on a set of four other CYPs. Finally, we propose an optimized protocol for modeling such protein-membrane systems that provides the most plausible configurations and is computationally efficient; this incorporates the standard non-polar water model and the GROMACS 5.0.4 implementation with a reaction field treatment of long-range interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Self-organization of S adatoms on Au(111): √3R30° rows at low coverage

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe an adlayer structure that is dominated by short rows of S atoms, on unreconstructed regions of a Au(111) surface. This structure forms upon adsorption of low S coverage (less than 0.1 monolayer) on a fully reconstructed clean surface at 300 K, then cooling to 5 K for observation. The rows adopt one of three orientations that are rotated by 30° from the close-packed directions of the Au(111) substrate, and adjacent S atoms in the rows are separated by √3 times the surface lattice constant, a. Monte Carlo simulations are performed on lattice-gas models, derived using a limited cluster expansion based on density functional theory energetics. Models which include long-range pairwise interactions (extending to 5a), plus selected trio interactions, successfully reproduce the linear rows of S atoms at reasonable temperatures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Neutron-proton effective mass splitting in terms of symmetry energy and its density slope

Using a simple density-dependent finite-range effective interaction having Yukawa form, the density dependence of isoscalar and isovector effective masses is studied. The isovector effective mass is found to be different for different pairs of like and unlike nucleons. Using HVH theorem, the neutron-proton effective mass splitting is represented in terms of symmetry energy and its density slope. It is again observed that the neutron-proton effective mass splitting has got a positive value when isoscalar effective mass is greater than the isovector effective mass and has a negative value for the opposite case. Furthermore, the neutron-proton effective mass splitting is found to have a linear dependence on asymmetry β. The second-order symmetry potential has a vital role in the determination of density slope of symmetry energy but it does not have any contribution on neutron-proton effective mass splitting. The finite-range effective interaction is compared with the SLy2, SKM, f{sub −}, f{sub 0}, and f{sub +} forms of interactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

A Toolkit to Study Sensitivity of the Geant4 Predictions to the Variations of the Physics Model Parameters

Geant4 is the leading detector simulation toolkit used in high energy physics to design detectors and to optimize calibration and reconstruction software. It employs a set of carefully validated physics models to simulate interactions of particles with matter across a wide range of interaction energies. These models, especially the hadronic ones, rely largely on directly measured cross-sections and phenomenological predictions with physically motivated parameters estimated by theoretical calculation or measurement. Because these models are tuned to cover a very wide range of possible simulation tasks, they may not always be optimized for a given process or a given material. This raises several critical questions, e.g. how sensitive Geant4 predictions are to the variations of the model parameters, or what uncertainties are associated with a particular tune of a Geant4 physics model, or a group of models, or how to consistently derive guidance for Geant4 model development and improvement from a wide range of available experimental data. We have designed and implemented a comprehensive, modular, user-friendly software toolkit to study and address such questions. It allows one to easily modify parameters of one or several Geant4 physics models involved in the simulation, and to perform collective analysis of multiple variants of the resulting physics observables of interest and comparison against a variety of corresponding experimental data. Based on modern event-processing infrastructure software, the toolkit offers a variety of attractive features, e.g. flexible run-time configurable workflow, comprehensive bookkeeping, easy to expand collection of analytical components. Design, implementation technology, and key functionalities of the toolkit are presented and illustrated with results obtained with Geant4 key hadronic models.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Roughness effects in uncompensated antiferromagnets

Monte Carlo simulations show that roughness in uncompensated antiferromagnets decreases not just the surface magnetization but also the net magnetization and particularly strongly affects the temperature dependence. In films with step-type roughness, each step creates a new compensation front that decreases the global net magnetization. The saturation magnetization decreases non-monotonically with increasing roughness and does not scale with the surface area. Roughness in the form of surface vacancies changes the temperature-dependence of the magnetization; when only one surface has vacancies, the saturation magnetization will decrease linearly with surface occupancy, whereas when both surfaces have vacancies, the magnetization is negative and exhibits a compensation point at finite temperature, which can be tuned by controlling the occupancy. Roughness also affects the spin-texture of the surfaces due to long-range dipolar interactions and generates non-collinear spin configurations that could be used in devices to produce locally modified exchange bias. These results explain the strongly reduced magnetization found in magnetometry experiments and furthers our understanding of the temperature-dependence of exchange bias.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Anticorrelated Contributions to Pre-edge Features of Aluminate Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in Concentrated Electrolytes

Ion pairing within complex solutions and electrolytes is a difficult phenomenon to measure and investigate, yet it has significant impact upon macroscopic processes, such as crystal formation. Traditional methods of detecting and characterizing ion pairing are sensitive to contact ion pairs, may require minimum concentrations that limit applicability,and can have difficulty in characterizing solutions with many components. Because of its element specificity and sensitivity to local environment, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) is a promising tool for investigating ion pairing in complex solutions. In concentrated sodium aluminate solutions, a shift in the pre-edge shoulder correlated to sodium concentration is observed, and the physical origins of that shift are investigated using energy specific time-dependent density functional theory of sub-ensembles obtained from ab-initio molecular dynamics. Two transitions are found to contribute to the pre-edge feature, yet they are anti-correlated with respect to the sodium...aluminate distance. Unexpectedly, this causes Al XANES to be an effective probe for longer-range ion interactions than the traditional counterparts of NMR or vibrational spectroscopies. Given the nature of the transitions involved, this observation may be extended to other systems where ion-ion interactions dominate, however a complete understanding of the contributing transitions is necessary for accurate analysis of XANES pre-edge features in concentrated electrolytes.

Wildman, Andrew↗

Simulated galaxy interactions as probes of merger spectral energy distributions

We present the first systematic comparison of ultraviolet-millimeter spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of observed and simulated interacting galaxies. Our sample is drawn from the Spitzer Interacting Galaxy Survey and probes a range of galaxy interaction parameters. We use 31 galaxies in 14 systems which have been observed with Herschel, Spitzer, GALEX, and 2MASS. We create a suite of GADGET-3 hydrodynamic simulations of isolated and interacting galaxies with stellar masses comparable to those in our sample of interacting galaxies. Photometry for the simulated systems is then calculated with the SUNRISE radiative transfer code for comparison with the observed systems. For most of the observed systems, one or more of the simulated SEDs match reasonably well. The best matches recover the infrared luminosity and the star formation rate of the observed systems, and the more massive systems preferentially match SEDs from simulations of more massive galaxies. The most morphologically distorted systems in our sample are best matched to the simulated SEDs that are close to coalescence, while less evolved systems match well with the SEDs over a wide range of interaction stages, suggesting that an SED alone is insufficient for identifying the interaction stage except during the most active phases in strongly interacting systems. This result is supported by our finding that the SEDs calculated for simulated systems vary little over the interaction sequence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Ionic liquids-mediated interactions between nanorods

Surface forces mediated by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) play an essential role in diverse applications including self-assembly, lubrication, and electrochemical energy storage. In this work, using molecular simulations we study the interactions between two nanorods immersed in model RTILs at rod-rod separations where both structural and double layer forces are important. The interaction force between neutral rods oscillates as the two rods approach each other, similar to the classical structural forces. Such oscillatory force originates from the density oscillation of RTILs near each rod and is affected by the packing constraints imposed by the neighboring rods. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force are mainly dictated by the ion density distribution near isolated nanorods. When charges are introduced on the rods, the interaction force remains short-range and oscillatory, similar to the interactions between planar walls mediated by some protic RTILs reported earlier. Nevertheless, introducing net charges to the rods greatly changes the rod-rod interactions, e.g., by delaying the appearance of the first force trough and increasing the oscillation period and decay length of the interaction force. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force and free energy are commensurate with those of the space charge density near an isolated, charged rod. The free energy of rod-rod interactions reaches local minima (maxima) at rod-rod separations when the space charges near the two rods interfere constructively (destructively). Here, the insight on the short-range interactions between nanorods in RTILs helps guide the design of novel materials, e.g., crystalline ion gels based on rigid-rod polyanions and RTILs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Moving beyond the Solvent-Tip Approximation to Determine Site-Specific Variations of Interfacial Water Structure through 3D Force Microscopy

Although interfacial solution structure impacts environmental, biological, and technological phenomena, including colloidal stability, protein assembly, heterogeneous nucleation, and water desalination, its molecular details remain poorly understood. Here, we visualize the three-dimensional (3D) hydration structure at the boehmite(010)-water interface using fast force mapping (FFM). Using a self-consistent scheme to decouple long-range tip-sample interactions from short-range solvation forces, we obtain the solution structure with lattice resolution. The results are benchmarked against molecular dynamics simulations that explicitly include the effects of the tip with different levels of approximation and systematically account for tip size, chemistry, and confinement effects. We find four laterally structured water layers within 1 nm of the surface, with the highest water densities at sites adjacent to hydroxyl groups. The key features beyond the first two layers can only be predicted using a full-scale simulation of the boehmite-water-silica system. Our findings further reveal a complex relationship between site-specific chemistry, water density, and long-range particle interactions; and present important advances toward quantitative data interpretation in 3D FFM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Constraining the range of Yukawa gravity interaction from S2 star orbits II: bounds on graviton mass

Recently LIGO collaboration discovered gravitational waves [1] predicted 100 years ago by A. Einstein. Moreover, in the key paper reporting about the discovery, the joint LIGO and VIRGO team presented an upper limit on graviton mass such as m {sub g} < 1.2 × 10{sup −22} eV [2] (see also more details in another LIGO paper [3] dedicated to a data analysis to obtain such a small constraint on a graviton mass). Since the graviton mass limit is so small the authors concluded that their observational data do not show violations of classical general relativity. We consider another opportunity to evaluate a graviton mass from phenomenological consequences of massive gravity and show that an analysis of bright star trajectories could bound graviton mass with a comparable accuracy with accuracies reached with gravitational wave interferometers and expected with forthcoming pulsar timing observations for gravitational wave detection. It gives an opportunity to treat observations of bright stars near the Galactic Center as a wonderful tool not only for an evaluation specific parameters of the black hole but also to obtain constraints on the fundamental gravity law such as a modifications of Newton gravity law in a weak field approximation. In particular, we obtain bounds on a graviton mass based on a potential reconstruction at the Galactic Center.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗