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At least 685 records · Page 38

Magnetic transitions driven by temperature in surface oxidized Co{sub 0.10}Ni{sub 0.90}/Cu(001) ultrathin films

The magnetization of Co{sub 0.10}Ni{sub 0.90}/Cu(001) films before and after surface oxidization at 300 K is presented. Before the oxidization, the magnetization of the films in the thickness of 11 to 20 monolayers (ML) is in the in-plane direction at the temperature ranging from 140 K to 300 K. After the oxidization, the magnetizations of the films are in the in-plane direction at the temperature above 200 K, but transit to magnetization demolishment, in-plane-and-out-of-plane co-existence, spin reorientation transition, and coercivity enhancement, for films of 11, 12, 13, and above 15 ML, respectively. The blocking temperature of this film is also 200 K, which implies the transitions might be driven by the ordering of the antiferromagnetic surface oxides. The various magnetizations provide a model system for manipulating the magnetization direction, as well as a spin valve device by combination of the oxidized films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Estimating T2 from surface NMR FID data using a forward model based on the full-Bloch equation

An integral component of the surface nuclear magnetic resonance forward model involves predicting the magnitude of the transverse magnetization following excitation. To predict the transverse magnetization, the Bloch equation must be solved. Traditional surface NMR forward models solve a simplified version of the Bloch equation where the relaxation terms are neglected. A shortcoming of this approach is that it can struggle to accurately describe the impact of relaxation during pulse effects. To address this concern, an alternative forward model based on solution of the full-Bloch equation is proposed. The advantage of the proposed scheme is that it implicitly accounts for relaxation during pulse effects, increases the flexibility to implement alternative parametrizations of the inverse model, and can readily describe an arbitrary excitation protocol given that it no longer requires closed form expressions of the transverse magnetizations. To demonstrate the potential of the updated forward modelling scheme, a novel approach for the inversion of complex-valued free-induction decay (FID) data is presented. The inverse model is reparametrized in order to produce depth profiles of the water content, T2* and T2. This approach has great potential to enhance the ability of FID measurements to provide insights into pore size and permeability as it can provide direct sensitivity to T2. In contrast, traditional approaches that employ a forward model based on the simplified Bloch equation and estimate only T2* are plagued by uncertainty surrounding the link between T2* and pore size/permeability. Synthetic and field results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed forward model and FID inversion framework.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Contribution from Ising domains overlapping out-of-plane to perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Mn 4 N thin films on MgO(001)

Single phase ε-Mn4N thin and ultrathin films are grown on MgO(001) using molecular beam epitaxy. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and outof-plane x-ray diffraction measurements are taken for each sample in order to determine the in- and out-of-plane strain for each sample. Vibrating sample magnetometry and superconducting quantum interference device measurements, which are performed on the thin and ultrathin films respectively, are used to plot the magnetization of each sample versus both in- and out-of-plane $\vec H$-fields and to determine the magnitude of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in these films. Three significant components of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are observed in these films and are attributed to sample strain (1 component) and shape (2 components). Among these components, the most significant component (0.8 to 4.9 $\frac{Merg}{cm^3}$) is identified as a second term of shape anisotropy, which possesses a negative linear relationship with sample thickness over the range from 9 nm to 310 nm. Atomic (magnetic) force microscopy measurements show the presence of a surface localized magnetic polarization (22% to 82%), which increases with decreasing thickness, when the net magnetization of the films is zero. The second term of shape anisotropy as well as the surface localized polarization, which each depend on sample thickness, are each regarded as a consequence of Ising domains overlapping out-of-plane in these films.

Materials Science↗

High-order discretization of a gyrokinetic Vlasov model in edge plasma geometry

We describe a new spatial discretization of a continuum gyrokinetic Vlasov model in axisymmetric tokamak edge plasma geometries. The geometries are represented using a multiblock decomposition in which logically distinct blocks are smoothly mapped from rectangular computational domains and are aligned with magnetic flux surfaces to accommodate strong anisotropy induced by the magnetic field. We employ a fourth-order, finite-volume discretization in mapped coordinates to mitigate the computational expense associated with discretization on 4D phase space grids. Applied to a conservative formulation of the gyrokinetic system, a finite-volume approach expresses local conservation discretely in a natural manner involving the calculation of normal fluxes at cell faces. In the approach presented here, the normal fluxes are computed in terms of face-averaged velocity normals in such a way that (i) the divergence-free property of the gyrokinetic velocity is preserved discretely to machine precision, (ii) the configuration space normal velocities are independent of mapping metrics, and (iii) the configuration space normal velocities are computed from exact pointwise evaluation of magnetic field data except for one term. The algorithms described in this paper form the foundation of a continuum gyrokinetic edge code named COGENT, which is used here to perform a convergence study verifying the accuracy of the spatial discretization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Signatures of a Majorana-Fermi surface in the Kitaev magnet Ag 3 LiIr 2 O 6

Detecting Majorana fermions in experimental realizations of the Kitaev honeycomb model is often complicated by non-trivial interactions inherent to potential spin liquid candidates. In this work, we identify several distinct thermodynamic signatures of massive, itinerant Majorana fermions within the well-established analytical paradigm of Landau-Fermi liquid theory. We find a qualitative and quantitative agreement between the salient features of our Landau-Majorana liquid theory and the Kitaev spin liquid candidate Ag 3 LiIr 2 O 6 . Our study presents strong evidence for a Fermi liquid-like ground state in the fundamental excitations of a honeycomb iridate, and opens new experimental avenues to detect itinerant Majorana fermions in condensed matter systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Temperature gradient scale length measurement: A high accuracy application of electron cyclotron emission without calibration

Calibration is a crucial procedure in electron temperature (T{sub e}) inference from a typical electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic on tokamaks. Although the calibration provides an important multiplying factor for an individual ECE channel, the parameter ΔT{sub e}/T{sub e} is independent of any calibration. Since an ECE channel measures the cyclotron emission for a particular flux surface, a non-perturbing change in toroidal magnetic field changes the view of that channel. Hence the calibration-free parameter is a measure of T{sub e} gradient. B{sub T}-jog technique is presented here which employs the parameter and the raw ECE signals for direct measurement of electron temperature gradient scale length.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Universal Scaling Laws for Solar and Stellar Atmospheric Heating: Catalog of Power-law Index between Solar Activity Proxies and Various Spectral Irradiances

The formation of extremely hot outer atmospheres is one of the most prominent manifestations of magnetic activity common to late-type dwarf stars, including the Sun. It is widely believed that these atmospheric layers, the corona, transition region, and chromosphere, are heated by the dissipation of energy transported upwards from the stellar surface by the magnetic field. This is signified by the spectral line fluxes at various wavelengths, scaled with power-law relationships against the surface magnetic flux over a wide range of formation temperatures, which are universal to the Sun and Sunlike stars of different ages and activity levels. This study describes a catalog of power-law indices between solar activity proxies and various spectral line fluxes. Compared to previous studies, we expanded the number of proxies, which now includes the total magnetic flux, total sunspot number, total sunspot area, and the F10.7 cm radio flux, and further enhanced the number of spectral lines by a factor of 2. This provides the data to study in detail the flux–flux scaling laws from the regions specified by the temperatures of the corona (log(T/K) = 6–7) to those of the chromosphere (log(T/K) ∼ 4), as well as the reconstruction of various spectral line fluxes of the Sun in the past, F-, G-, and K-type dwarfs, and the modeled stars.

Stellar coronae↗

Numerical solution of the geoelectrodynamic problem

The primary goal is to understand the sources of the near-Earth ambient magnetic field as observed by recent spacecraft surveys and surface variational magnetic observations so as to determine the electrical properties of the crust and upper mantle. Also included is the structure and changes on a short time scale of the core field which must be separated and identified. The Magsat data collection interval provides an opportunity to compare the vector field projections of ionospheric currents computed from surface data above the ionosphere as does the POGO data for scalar projections. The limitation of Magsat is its sun-synchronous orbit, which only sampled low latitudes at dawn and dusk, whereas POGO, though only making observations of the scalar field, sampled all local times. Magsat operated at a lower altitude than POGO (down to 350 km) whereas the orbits of the three POGO spacecraft ranged up to 1500 km and were never lower than about 400 km.

Cain, Joseph C.↗

Reduction in the interface-states density of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors fabricated on high-index Si (114) surfaces by using an external magnetic field

After fabrication of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) devices on high-index silicon (114) surfaces, their threshold voltage (Vth) and interface-states density (Dit) characteristics were measured under the influence of an externally applied magnetic field of B = 6 μT at room temperature. The electron flow of the MOSFET's channel presents high anisotropy on Si (114), and this effect is enhanced by using an external magnetic field B, applied parallel to the Si (114) surface but perpendicular to the electron flow direction. This special configuration results in the channel electrons experiencing a Lorentzian force which pushes the electrons closer to the Si (114)-SiO{sub 2} interface and therefore to the special morphology of the Si (114) surface. Interestingly, Dit evaluation of n-type MOSFETs fabricated on Si (114) surfaces shows that the Si (114)-SiO{sub 2} interface is of high quality so that Dit as low as ∼10{sup 10 }cm{sup −2}·eV{sup −1} are obtained for MOSFETs with channels aligned at specific orientations. Additionally, using both a small positive Vds ≤ 100 mV and B = 6 μT, the former Dit is reduced by 35% in MOSFETs whose channels are aligned parallel to row-like nanostructures formed atop Si (114) surfaces (channels having a 90° rotation), whereas Dit is increased by 25% in MOSFETs whose channels are aligned perpendicular to these nanostructures (channels having a 0° rotation). From these results, the special morphology of a high-index Si (114) plane having nanochannels on its surface opens the possibility to reduce the electron-trapping characteristics of MOSFET devices having deep-submicron features and operating at very high frequencies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Experimental study on magnetically insulated transmission line electrode surface evolution process under MA/cm current density

The design of high-current density magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) is a difficult problem of current large-scale Z-pinch device. In particular, a thorough understanding of the MITL electrode surface evolution process under high current density is lacking. On the “QiangGuang-I” accelerator, the load area possesses a low inductance short-circuit structure with a diameter of 2.85 mm at the cathode, and three reflux columns with a diameter of 3 mm and uniformly distributed circumference at the anode. The length of the high density MITL area is 20 mm. A laser interferometer is used to assess and analyze the state of the MITL cathode and anode gap, and their evolution process under high current density. Experimental results indicate that evident current loss is not observed in the current density area at pulse leading edge, and peak when the surface current density reaches MA/cm. Analysis on electrode surface working conditions indicates that when the current leading edge is at 71.5% of the peak, the total evaporation of MITL cathode structure can be realized by energy deposition caused by ohmic heating. The electrode state changes, and diffusion conditions are reflected in the laser interferometer image. The MITL cathode area mainly exists in metal vapor form. The metal vapor density in the cathode central region is higher than the upper limit of laser penetration density (∼4 × 10{sup 21}/cm{sup 3}), with an expansion velocity of ∼0.96 km/s. The metal vapor density in the electrode outer area may lead to evident distortion of fringes, and its expansion velocity is faster than that in the center area (1.53 km/s).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

On the Origin and Evolution of Stellar Chromospheres, Coronae and Winds

This grant was awarded by NASA to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to construct state-of-the-art, theoretical, two-component, chromospheric models for single stars of different spectral types and different evolutionary status. In our proposal, we suggested to use these models to predict the level of the "basal flux", the observed range of variation of chromospheric activity for a given spectral type, and the decrease of this activity with stellar age. In addition, for red giants and supergiants, we also proposed to construct self-consistent, purely theoretical wind models, and used these models to investigate the origin of "dividing lines" in the H-R diagram. In the following, we describe our completed work. We have accomplished the first main goal of our proposal by constructing first purely theoretical, time-dependent and two-component models of stellar chromospheres.1 The models require specifying only three basic stellar parameters, namely, the effective temperature, gravity and rotation rate, and they take into account non-magnetic and magnetic regions in stellar chromospheres. The non-magnetic regions are heated by acoustic waves generated by the turbulent convection in the stellar subphotospheric layers. The magnetic regions are identified with magnetic flux tubes uniformly distributed over the entire stellar surface and they are heated by longitudinal tube waves generated by turbulent motions in the subphotospheric and photospheric layers. The coverage of stellar surface by magnetic regions (the so-called filling factor) is estimated for a given rotation rate from an observational relationship. The constructed models are time-dependent and are based on the energy balance between the amount of mechanical energy supplied by waves and radiative losses in strong Ca II and Mg II emission lines. To calculate the amount of wave energy in the non-magnetic regions, we have used the Lighthill-Stein theory for sound generation.

Musielak, Z. E.↗

Role of turbulent separatrix tangle in the improvement of the integrated pedestal and heat exhaust issue for stationary-operation tokamak fusion reactors

Abstract The magnetic separatrix surface is designed to provide the final and critical confinement to the hot stationary-operation core plasma in modern tokamak reactors in the absence of an external magnetic perturbation (MP) or transient magneto-hydrodynamic perturbation, while diverting the exhaust heat to divertor plates. All the stationary operational boundary plasma studies and reactor designs have been performed under this assumption. However, there has been a long-standing suspicion that a stationary-operation tokamak plasma even without external MPs or edge localized modes (ELMs) activities may not have a stable closed separatrix surface, especially near the magnetic X-point. Here, the first gyrokinetic numerical observation is reported that the divertor separatrix surface, due to homoclinic tangles caused by intrinsic electromagnetic turbulence, is not a stable closed surface in a stationary operation phase even without MPs or ELMs. Unlike the MP- or ELM-driven homoclinic tangles that could cause deleterious effects to core confinement or divertor plates, it is found that the micro-turbulence driven homoclinic tangles could connect the divertor plasma to the pedestal plasma in a constructive way by broadening the divertor heat-exhaust footprint and weakening the pedestal slope to the ELM-safe direction. Micro-turbulent homoclinic tangles can open a new research direction in understanding and controlling these two most troublesome and non-locally connected edge-plasma issues in a tokamak fusion reactor.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗