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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 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Width-Tuned Magnetic Order Oscillation on Zigzag Edges of Honeycomb Nanoribbons

Quantum confinement and interference often generate exotic properties in nanostructures. One recent highlight is the experimental indication of a magnetic phase transition in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons at the critical ribbon width of about 7 nm [Magda, G. Z. et al. Nature 2014, 514, 608]. Here in this work, we show theoretically that with further increase in the ribbon width, the magnetic correlation of the two edges can exhibit an intriguing oscillatory behavior between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic, driven by acquiring the positive coherence between the two edges to lower the free energy. The oscillation effect is readily tunable in applied magnetic fields. In conclusion, these novel properties suggest new experimental manifestation of the edge magnetic orders in graphene nanoribbons and enhance the hopes of graphene-like spintronic nanodevices functioning at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unveiling Hidden Shake-Up Features in the Uranyl M 4 -Edge Spectrum

The M 4,5 -edge high energy resolution X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HR-XANES) spectra of actinyls offer valuable insights into the electronic structure and bonding properties of heavy-element complexes. To conduct a comprehensive spectral analysis, it is essential to employ computational methods that accurately account for relativistic effects and electron correlation. In this work, we utilize variational relativistic multireference configurational interaction methods to compute and analyze the X-ray M 4 -edge absorption spectrum of uranyl. By employing these advanced computational techniques, we achieve excellent agreement between the calculated spectral features and experimental observations. Moreover, the calculations unveil significant shake-up features, which arise from the intricate interplay between strongly correlated 3d core-electron and ligand excitations. This research provides important theoretical insights into the spectral characteristics of heavy-element complexes. Furthermore, it establishes the foundation for utilizing M 4,5 -edge spectroscopy as a means to investigate the chemical activities of such complexes. By leveraging this technique, we can gain a deeper understanding of the bonding behavior and reactivity of heavy-element compounds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigating Tropical Versus Extratropical Influences on the Southern Hemisphere Tropical Edge in the Unified Model

Abstract Since the late 1970s, observations have shown a widening of the tropical Hadley cell (HC) circulation. State‐of‐the‐art climate models reproduce the general trend along with a projected continuous expansion. Discrepancies in expansion rates of observation‐ and model‐based studies have been attributed to differences in applied methods, natural variability and model shortcomings. Furthermore, the driving influence of tropical or extratropical processes on these changes is not well understood. All of this highlights the dynamical mechanisms and the region of origin controlling the tropical width are still insufficiently understood. Here we examine the influence of systematic model biases of the atmosphere‐only Unified Model (UM) onto the simulation of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) tropical edge. We utilize nudged experiments with prescribed sea surface temperatures, where potential temperature and horizontal winds are relaxed back to ERA‐Interim reanalysis for a 20‐year period in selected regions. Correcting model biases in the tropics and extratropics separately allows us to dissect the dominant remote impacts of present model errors onto the SH tropical edge simulation. The experiments are applied to established tropical width metrics ranging from near‐surface to upper‐level metrics capturing the poleward flank of the HC. We find both regions work remotely to reduce errors in the UM fields and location of the tropical edge. Surprisingly, correcting the extratropical biases, south of 45°S, more consistently improves the tropical width across the metrics and seasons than nudging the tropics (10°N–10°S). These findings demonstrate the substantial role of extratropical influences in locating the SH tropical edge.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Tuning colloidal quantum dot band edge positions through solution-phase surface chemistry modification

Band edge positions of semiconductors determine their functionality in many optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaics, photoelectrochemical cells and light emitting diodes. Here we show that band edge positions of lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, specifically quantum dots (QDs), can be tuned over 2.0 eV through surface chemistry modification. We achieved this remarkable control through the development of simple, robust and scalable solution-phase ligand exchange methods, which completely replace native ligands with functionalized cinnamate ligands, allowing for well-defined, highly tunable chemical systems. By combining experiments and ab initio simulations, we establish clear relationships between QD surface chemistry and the band edge positions of ligand/QD hybrid systems. We find that in addition to ligand dipole, inter-QD ligand shell inter-digitization contributes to the band edge shifts. As a result, we expect that our established relationships and principles can help guide future optimization of functional organic/inorganic hybrid nanostructures for diverse optoelectronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Edge supercurrent reveals competition between condensates in a Weyl superconductor

In topological materials, the edge states are readily distinguished from the bulk states. The situation where a topological semimetal becomes superconducting so that Cooper pairs occupy both the bulk and the edge states is not well understood. In particular, we do not know if we can force their pairing symmetries to be different. Here we show that, when supercurrent is injected into the superconducting Weyl semimetal MoTe 2 from Nb contacts, the invasive s-wave pairing potential from Nb is incompatible with the intrinsic Cooper pair condensate in MoTe 2 . This incompatibility leads to strong stochasticity in the switching current and an unusual anti-hysteretic behaviour in the current–voltage loops. There is also an asymmetry in the edge oscillations where, as the magnetic field crosses zero, the phase noise switches from one with a noisy spectrum to one that is noise free. Furthermore, using the noise spectrum as a guide, we track the anomalous features to field-induced switching of the device gap function between s-wave symmetry and the unconventional symmetry intrinsic to MoTe 2 . We infer that the behaviour of the gap function along the edges is different from that in the bulk.

Superconducting properties and materials↗
DOE OSTI2013

Interpretation of changes in diffusive and non-diffusive transport in the edge plasma during pedestal buildup following a low-high transition in DIII-D

The evolution of diffusive and non-diffusive transport during pedestal buildup following a low-high (L-H) transition has been interpreted from a particle-momentum-energy balance analysis of the measured density, temperature, and rotation velocity profiles in the plasma edge (0.82<{rho}<1.0) of a DIII-D [Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] discharge. In the discharge examined, there was an edge-localized-mode-free period of more than 600 ms following the L-H transition, and the majority of edge pedestal development occurred within the first 100 ms following the L-H transition. There appears to be a spatio-temporal correlation among the measured toroidal and poloidal rotation, the formation of a negative well in the measured radial electric field, the creation of a large inward particle pinch, the calculated intrinsic rotation due to ion orbit loss, and the measured formation of steep gradients in density and temperature in the outer region ({rho}>0.95) of the edge pedestal.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Towards understanding edge localised mode mitigation by resonant magnetic perturbations in MAST

Type-I Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) have been mitigated in MAST through the application of n=3,4, and 6 resonant magnetic perturbations. For each toroidal mode number of the non-axisymmetric applied fields, the frequency of the ELMs has been increased significantly, and the peak heat flux on the divertor plates reduced commensurately. This increase in ELM frequency occurs despite a significant drop in the edge pressure gradient, which would be expected to stabilise the peeling-ballooning modes thought to be responsible for type-I ELMs. Various mechanisms which could cause a destabilisation of the peeling-ballooning modes are presented, including pedestal widening, plasma rotation braking, three dimensional corrugation of the plasma boundary, and the existence of radially extended lobe structures near to the X-point. This leads to a model aimed at resolving the apparent dichotomy of ELM control, which is to say ELM suppression occurring due to the pedestal pressure reduction below the peeling-ballooning stability boundary, whilst the reduction in pressure can also lead to ELM mitigation, which is ostensibly a destabilisation of peeling-ballooning modes. In the case of ELM mitigation, the pedestal broadening, 3d corrugation, or lobes near the X-point degrade ballooning stability so much that the pedestal recovers rapidly to cross the new stability boundary at lower pressure more frequently, whilst in the case of suppression, the plasma parameters are such that the particle transport reduces the edge pressure below the stability boundary, which is only mildly affected by negligible rotation braking, small edge corrugation or short, broad lobe structures.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Edge electron density profiles and fluctuations measured by two-dimensional beam emission spectroscopy in the KSTAR

Beam emission spectroscopy (BES) system in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) has recently been upgraded. The background intensity was reduced from 30% to 2% by suppressing the stray lights. This allows acquisition of the relative electron density profiles on the plasma edge without background subtraction from the beam power modulation signals. The KSTAR BES system has its spatial resolution of 1 cm, the temporal resolution of 2 MHz, and a total 32 channel (8 radial × 4 poloidal) avalanche photo diode array. Most measurements were done on the plasma edge, r/a ∼ 0.9, with 8 cm radial measurement width that covers the pedestal range. High speed density profile measurements reveal temporal behaviors of fast transient events, such as the precursors of edge localized modes and the transitions between confinement modes. Low background level also allows analysis of the edge density fluctuation patterns with reduced background fluctuations. Propagation of the density structures can be investigated by comparing the phase delays between the spatially distributed channels.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Boundary condition for toroidal plasma flow imposed at the separatrix in high confinement JT-60U plasmas with edge localized modes and the physics process in pedestal structure formation

Modulation charge eXchange recombination spectroscopy measurements with high spatial and temporal resolution have made the evaluation of the toroidal plasma flow of fully stripped carbon impurity ions (V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+}) in the JT-60U tokamak peripheral region (including, in particular, the separatrix) possible with a better signal-to-noise ratio. By comparing co- and counter-neutral beam injection discharges experimentally, we have identified the boundary condition of V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} and radial electric field shear (∇E{sub r}) imposed at the separatrix in high confinement (H-mode) plasmas with edge localized modes (ELMs). The V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} value at the separatrix is not fixed at zero but varies with the momentum input direction. On the other hand, the ∇E{sub r} value is nearly zero (or very weakly positive) at the separatrix. Furthermore, the edge localized mode perturbation does not appear to affect both V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} and ∇E{sub r} values at the separatrix as strongly as that in the pedestal region. The above experimental findings based on the precise edge measurements have been used to validate a theoretical model and develop a new empirical model. A better understanding of the physical process in the edge transport barrier (ETB) formation due to the sheared E{sub r} formation is also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Impact of edge harmonic oscillations on the divertor heat flux in NSTX

Previously, ELM-free and inter-ELM divertor peak heat flux reduction induced by an edge harmonic oscillation (EHO) was observed in NSTX (K.F. Gan et al., 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 126053). This paper introduces new analysis of the EHO impact on the divertor heat flux. It was found that enhanced edge turbulence significantly altered the divertor heat flux footprint in NSTX H-modes, relative to ELM-free discharges. When the background edge fluctuation level was low, the EHO significantly increased the heat flux width and decreased the divertor peak heat flux. When the background edge fluctuation level was high, the EHO actually increased the divertor peak heat flux. As a result, it was also found that the heat flux width increased with increasing frequency of the EHO.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling transient edge plasma transport with dynamic recycling

The work presents numerical simulation studies of the role that dynamic plasma recycling on the main wall and divertor target surfaces plays in transient edge plasma transport phenomena, such as edge localized modes (ELMs). The studies are performed by coupling the edge plasma transport code UEDGE [Rognlien et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 196–198, 347 (1992)] and the wall reaction–diffusion transport code FACE [Smirnov et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 71, 75 (2017)]. The two-dimensional, time-dependent, two-way coupling of the codes, in a realistic tokamak geometry, is accomplished using the Integrated Plasma Simulator framework [Elwasif et al., in 18th Euromicro Conference on Parallel, Distributed and Network-Based Processing (PDP 2010), Pisa, Italy (IEEE, 2010), pp. 419–427] for all modeled material plasma boundaries. The simulations show that dynamic plasma recycling has substantially different characteristics on the main wall and on the divertor plates. It is demonstrated that during an ELM cycle the outer wall can dynamically absorb and release a number of particles comparable to that expelled by the ELM from the core plasma, by far exceeding the dynamic retention capacity of the divertor surfaces. The resulting evolution of the edge and divertor plasma conditions during an ELM cycle is analyzed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

The role of shear flow collapse and enhanced turbulence spreading in edge cooling approaching the density limit

Abstract Experimental studies of the dynamics of shear flow and turbulence spreading at the edge of tokamak plasmas are reported. Scans of line-averaged density and plasma current are carried out while approaching the Greenwald density limit on the J-TEXT tokamak. In all scans, when the Greenwald fraction f G = n ¯ / n G = n ¯ / ( I p / π a 2 ) increases, a common feature of enhanced turbulence spreading and edge cooling is found. The result suggests that turbulence spreading is a good indicator of edge cooling, indeed better than turbulent particle transport is. The normalized turbulence spreading power increases significantly when the normalized E × B shearing rate decreases. This indicates that turbulence spreading becomes prominent when the shearing rate is weaker than the turbulence scattering rate. The asymmetry between positive/negative (blobs/holes) spreading events, turbulence spreading power and shear flow are discussed. These results elucidate the important effects of interaction between shear flow and turbulence spreading on plasma edge cooling.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Density fluctuation statistics and turbulence spreading at the edge of L–mode plasmas

Long-wavelength density fluctuations ($k{\rho _i}$ <1) are studied using beam emission spectroscopy (BES) at the edge of DIII-D L-mode plasmas (ρ = 0.88–1.1) in scenarios with electron cyclotron heating (ECH) power ramp (P ECH up to 1.5 MW), neutral beam injection (NBI) power ramp (P NBI up to 2.5 MW), and injected torque scan (-1 < T inj <0.6 Nm). We find that broadband turbulent density fluctuations (ƒ ~ 20–120 kHz) have a non-Gaussian distribution. The skewness of $\delta n/n$ changes sign from negative at ρ < 0.95–0.97 to positive at ρ > 0.97, indicating the prevalence of density 'voids' at inner radii and density 'blobs' at outer radii and outside of the separatrix. The turbulence intensity flux $\left\langle {{{\tilde v}_{\text{r}}}{{\tilde n}^2}} \right\rangle$ is calculated to characterize turbulence spreading at the plasma edge. During ECH/NBI power ramps and at counter-I p injected torque, $\left\langle {{{\tilde v}_{\text{r}}}{{\tilde n}^2}} \right\rangle$ is directed inward inside the separatrix, which is evidence of inward spreading of turbulence intensity from the edge gradient region caused by the inner propagation of density 'voids'. Significantly weaker $\left\langle {{{\tilde v}_{\text{r}}}{{\tilde n}^2}} \right\rangle$ is observed with co-I p torque. A correlation between co-I p torque, turbulence intensity $\delta n/n$ at ρ = 0.97, and increased srape-off layer (SOL) heat flux decay length ${\lambda _q}$ is found in the torque scan scenario, showing that edge turbulence plays a material role in determining the SOL conditions and heat flux width.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Simulations of edge and SOL turbulence in diverted negative and positive triangularity plasmas

Optimizing the performance of magnetic confinement fusion devices is critical to achieving an attractive fusion reactor design. Negative triangularity (NT) scenarios have been shown to achieve excellent levels of energy confinement, while avoiding edge localized modes. Modeling turbulent transport in the edge and SOL is key in understanding the impact of NT on turbulence and extrapolating the results to future devices and regimes. Previous gyrokinetic turbulence studies have reported beneficial effects of NT across a broad range of parameters. However, most simulations have focused on the inner plasma region, neglecting the impact of NT on the outermost edge. In this work, we investigate the effect of NT in edge and scrape-off layer simulations, including the magnetic X-point and separatrix. For the first time, we employ a multi-fidelity approach, combining global, non-linear gyrokinetic simulations with drift-reduced fluid simulations, to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying physics at play. First-principles simulations using the GENE-X code demonstrate that in comparable NT and PT geometries, similar profiles are achieved, while the turbulent heat flux is reduced by more than 50% in NT. Comparisons with results from the drift-reduced fluid turbulence code GRILLIX suggest that the turbulence is driven by trapped electron modes. The parallel heat flux width on the divertor targets is reduced in NT, primarily due to a lower spreading factor S.

GENE-X↗
DOE OSTI2022

Edge states of α-bismuthene nanostructures

We present a systematic investigation of the edge states (ESs) of two-dimensional α-bismuthene (α-Bi) structures self-assembled on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrates, using scanning tunnelling microscopy and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy. The measurements are carried out for 3ML, 5ML and 7ML thick Bi structures. Our spectroscopy studies reveal clear features at the edges of the 5ML and 7ML thick structures, and the positions of the ESs coincide with the topographical step edges. In contrast, in 3ML structures the ESs appear to be absent and instead new states are sometimes observed, far from the topographical edge. These states are associated with a moiré pattern and result from strain-induced modulation of the topology. Our observations demonstrate the impact on the ESs of coupling to adjacent structures.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2020

Valley pumping via edge states and the nonlocal valley Hall effect in two-dimensional semiconductors

Recent experiments have studied the temperature and gate voltage dependence of nonlocal transport in bilayer graphene, identifying features thought to be associated with the two-dimensional semiconductor's bulk intrinsic valley Hall effect. Here, we use both simple microscopic tight-binding ribbon models and phenomenological bulk transport equations to emphasize the impact of sample edges on the nonlocal voltage signals. We show that the nonlocal valley Hall response is sensitive to electronic structure details at the sample edges and that it is enhanced when the local longitudinal conductivity is larger near the sample edges than in the bulk. We discuss recent experiments in light of these findings and also discuss the close analogy between electron pumping between valleys near two-dimensional sample edges in the valley Hall effect and bulk pumping between valleys due to the chiral anomaly in three-dimensional topological semimetals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Fractional Chern insulator edges and layer-resolved lattice contacts

Fractional Chern insulators (FCIs) realized in fractional quantum Hall systems subject to a periodic potential are topological phases of matter for which space group symmetries play an important role. In particular, lattice dislocations in an FCI can host non-Abelian topological defects, known as genons. Genons can increase the ground-state degeneracy of the system and are thus potentially useful for topological quantum computing. In this work, we study FCI edges and how they can be used to detect genons. We find that translation symmetry can impose a quantized momentum difference between the edge electrons of a partially filled Chern band. We propose layer-resolved lattice contacts, which utilize this momentum difference to selectively contact a particular FCI edge electron. The relative current between FCI edge electrons can then be used to detect the presence of genons in the bulk FCI. Recent experiments have demonstrated graphene is a viable platform to study FCI physics. Here, we describe how the lattice contacts proposed here could be implemented in graphene subject to an artificial lattice, thereby outlining a path forward for experimental dectection of non-Abelian topological defects.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Edge magnetoplasmon dispersion and time-resolved plasmon transport in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator

A quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator breaks reciprocity by combining magnetic polarization and spin-orbit coupling to generate a unidirectional transmission of signals in the absence of an external magnetic field. Such behavior makes QAH materials a good platform for the innovation of circulator technologies. However, it remains elusive as to how the wavelength of the chiral edge plasmon relates to its frequency and how the plasmon wave packet is excited in the time domain in a QAH insulator. Here, we investigate the edge magnetoplasmon (EMP) resonances in Cr-(Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 by frequency and time domain measurements. From disk shaped samples with various dimensions, we obtain the dispersion relation of EMPs and extract the drift velocity of the chiral edge state. From the time-resolved transport measurements, we identify the velocity of the plasmon wave packet and observe a transition from the edge to bulk transport at an elevated temperature. We show that the frequency and time domain measurements are well modeled by loss from the microwave induced dissipative channels in the bulk area. Our results demonstrate that the EMP decay rate can be significantly reduced by applying a low microwave power and fabricating devices of larger diameter ≥ 100 µ m . In a R = 125 µ m sample, a nonreciprocity of 20 dB has been realized at 1.3 GHz, shining light on using QAH insulators to develop on-chip nonreciprocal devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗