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At least 739 records · Page 41

Constraints on axion-like particles with different magnetic field models from the PKS 2155–304 energy spectrum

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are a promising kind of dark matter candidate particle that are predicted to couple with photons in the presence of magnetic fields. The oscillations between photons and ALPs traveling in the magnetic fields have been used to constrain ALP properties. In this work, we obtain some new constraints on the ALP mass m a and the photon-ALP coupling constant g with two different magnetic field models through TeV photons from PKS 2155–304. Here, the first is the discrete-Ψ model in which the magnetic field has the orientation angle Ψ that changes discretely and randomly from one coherent domain to the next, and the second is the linearly-continuous-Ψ model in which the magnetic field orientation angle Ψ varies continuously across neighboring coherent domains.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Chemically Synthesized FeCo Powder for Advanced Applications

Very weak stray magnetic fields, H ∼ 10{sup − 4} Oe, of an assembly of FeCo particles of mesoscopic dimensions, d = 10–50 μm, are investigated using a sensitive scanning giant magneto-impedance magnetometer. Direct magnetic force microscopy measurement of individual FeCo particles reveals a complicated domain structure. It is proved, however, that the mean square value of the stray magnetic field of a dilute assembly of FeCo particles randomly distributed on the plane is a statistically well-defined quantity. It depends on the average particle diameter, average distance between the particles, and average particle magnetization per unit volume. It is shown that the average particle magnetization can be determined using a measured mean square value of the stray magnetic field and geometrical parameters of the assembly obtained from optical measurement.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Solar protons E greater than 100 Mev incident over Antarctica during January- February 1967.

Commencing at 0825 +a -1 UT on January 28, 1967, a large and prolonged increase in the intensity of penetrating charged particles was observed by balloon-borne instruments floating over Byrd Station, Antarctica. (80°S, 120°W). A peak intensity of approximately 50 protons per cm 2 -sec-steradian with E> 100 MeV occurred at about 1230 UT on the 28th. The event was under observation almost continuously over a period of about 100 hours until the intensity decayed below cosmic-ray background on February 1. The initial decay was rapid but, some 40 hours after onset, went over into a slow exponential decay characterized by a 20 hour time-constant. The decay phase of an additional, though considerably less intense, event was observed on February 3 and 4. Presumably both events had their origins in major disturbances on the far side of the sun since nether event has been definitely linked to any feature which existed on the visible disk within an appropriate time interval. Results pertaining to the time-intensity profile and to the energy spectrum for protons E> 100 MeV are presented for the January 29 event. Comparison of the balloon results with neutron-monitor and satellite measurements and with models of interplanetary diffusion has led to some conclusions regarding the role of small-angle scattering by irregularities and by the random walk of magnetic lines of force relative to the mean interplanetary field within the orbit of earth.

Energy spectrum↗

The kinematics of intermediate-redshift gaseous galaxy halos

High-resolution spectroscopy of the absorption lines associated with four intermediate-redshift galaxies are presented. These observations are combined with existing spectroscopy of the redshifted 21-cm absorption lines toward 0235 + 164 and 1229 - 021. Evidence is presented to the effect that the lines of sight through the absorbers toward 0235 + 164 and 1229 - 021 penetrate material for which the velocity fields are dominated by systematic rather than by random motions, and the line profiles are found to be consistent with what is expected for rotating ensembles of clouds. It is suggested that for these two absorbers the absorption arises in individual clouds within single galaxy halos rather than, for example, in collections of coalescing subgalactic fragments, for which the expected velocity fields are more turbulent, or as a result of galaxy-galaxy clustering. It is concluded that lines of sight that impact absorbing regions at small impact parameters intercept many clouds, sample large velocity intervals, and are likely to show redshifted 21-cm absorption, whereas lines of sight that impact absorbing regions at large impact parameters intercept few clouds, sample small velocity intervals, and are unlikely to show redshifted 21-cm absorption.

Lanzetta, Kenneth M.↗

Effect of atomic flux reversal in a fluctuating moving optical lattice

The dynamics of an ensemble of noninteracting cold atoms is considered in the field of a moving optical lattice subjected to random amplitude and phase fluctuations. The effect of the reversal of an atomic ensemble under the action of lattice fluctuations is demonstrated, in which the atoms begin to move in the direction opposite to that of the lattice motion. A kinetic model is constructed that reproduces this effect and makes it possible to relate its emergence to the asymmetry of the amplitudes of the interlevel transitions in a momentum space. (paper)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

First-Principles Modeling Of Electromagnetic Scattering By Discrete and Discretely Heterogeneous Random Media

A discrete random medium is an object in the form of a finite volume of a vacuum or a homogeneous material medium filled with quasi-randomly and quasi-uniformly distributed discrete macroscopic impurities called small particles. Such objects are ubiquitous in natural and artificial environments. They are often characterized by analyzing theoretically the results of laboratory, in situ, or remote-sensing measurements of the scattering of light and other electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic scattering and absorption by particles can also affect the energy budget of a discrete random medium and hence various ambient physical and chemical processes. In either case electromagnetic scattering must be modeled in terms of appropriate optical observables, i.e., quadratic or bilinear forms in the field that quantify the reading of a relevant optical instrument or the electromagnetic energy budget. It is generally believed that time-harmonic Maxwell's equations can accurately describe elastic electromagnetic scattering by macroscopic particulate media that change in time much more slowly than the incident electromagnetic field. However, direct solutions of these equations for discrete random media had been impracticable until quite recently. This has led to a widespread use of various phenomenological approaches in situations when their very applicability can be questioned. Recently, however, a new branch of physical optics has emerged wherein electromagnetic scattering by discrete and discretely heterogeneous random media is modeled directly by using analytical or numerically exact computer solutions of the Maxwell equations. Therefore, the main objective of this Report is to formulate the general theoretical framework of electromagnetic scattering by discrete random media rooted in the Maxwell- Lorentz electromagnetics and discuss its immediate analytical and numerical consequences. Starting from the microscopic Maxwell-Lorentz equations, we trace the development of the first principles formalism enabling accurate calculations of monochromatic and quasi-monochromatic scattering by static and randomly varying multiparticle groups. We illustrate how this general framework can be coupled with state-of-the-art computer solvers of the Maxwell equations and applied to direct modeling of electromagnetic scattering by representative random multi-particle groups with arbitrary packing densities. This first-principles modeling yields general physical insights unavailable with phenomenological approaches. We discuss how the first-order-scattering approximation, the radiative transfer theory, and the theory of weak localization of electromagnetic waves can be derived as immediate corollaries of the Maxwell equations for very specific and well-defined kinds of particulate medium. These recent developments confirm the mesoscopic origin of the radiative transfer, weak localization, and effective-medium regimes and help evaluate the numerical accuracy of widely used approximate modeling methodologies.

Michael I Mishchenko↗

Dynamics of Spectral Composition of Fluorescence of Cold Atoms in External Electric and Magnetic Fields

A consistent quantum-mechanical approach is used to calculate a fluorescence signal from a cold atomic ensemble excited by pulsed radiation and exposed to a DC electric or magnetic field. The short time Fourier transform is used to analyze the spectral composition of this signal and to investigate its changes over time after the end of excitation. It is demonstrated that external fields substantially change both the shape of the spectrum and its dynamics. The discovered effects are explained as being the result of action of these fields on the spectrum of states of the two-atomic quasi-molecular clusters that randomly form in disordered ensembles.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Geometrically Tunable Beamed Light Emission from a Quantum‐Dot Ensemble Near a Gradient Metasurface

Abstract Optical metasurfaces have been widely investigated in recent years as a means to tailor the wavefronts of externally incident light for passive device applications. At the same time, their use in active optoelectronic devices such as light emitters is far less established. This work explores their ability to control the radiation properties of a nearby continuous ensemble of randomly oriented incoherent dipole sources via near‐field interactions. Specifically, a film of colloidal quantum dots is deposited on a plasmonic metasurface consisting of a 1D array of metallic nanoantennas on a metal film. The array is designed to introduce a linear phase profile upon reflection, and a bi‐periodic nanoparticle arrangement is introduced to ensure adequate sampling of the desired phase gradient. Highly directional radiation patterns are correspondingly obtained from the quantum dots at an enhanced emission rate. The underlying radiation mechanism involves the near‐field excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the metal film, and their selective diffractive scattering by the metasurface into well‐collimated beams along predetermined geometrically tunable directions. These results underscore the distinctive ability of metasurfaces to control radiation properties directly at the source level, which is technologically significant for the continued miniaturization and large‐scale integration of optoelectronic devices.

Wang, Xiaowei↗

Modeling the migration of platinum nanoparticles on surfaces using a kinetic Monte Carlo approach

We propose a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model for simulating the movement of platinum particles on supports, based on atom-by-atom diffusion on the surface of the particle. The proposed model was able to reproduce equilibrium cluster shapes predicted using Wulff-construction. The diffusivity of platinum particles was simulated both purely based on random motion and assisted using an external field that causes a drift velocity. The overall particle diffusivity increases with temperature; however, the extracted activation barrier appears to be temperature independent. Additionally, this barrier was found to increase with particle size, as well as, with the adhesion between the particle and the support.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deep Learning Estimation of Daily Ground–Level NO 2 Concentrations from Remote Sensing Data

The limited number of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) surface measurements calls for the development of highly accurate approaches to estimating surface NO 2 concentrations. In this study, we leverage a new satellite instrument, the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), along with other predictor variables, to estimate daily surface NO 2 concentrations over Texas in 2019. We use the deep convolutional neural network (Deep-CNN), an advanced deep learning algorithm, to obtain estimates and achieve a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.91, an index of agreement (IOA) of 0.95, and a mean absolute bias (MAB) of 1.75 ppb in surface NO 2 estimation. Additionally, we leverage a novel approach, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), to describe how Deep-CNN understands each predictor variable. The SHAP results show that the Deep-CNN model has an advanced understanding of the dataset, revealing that TROPOMI closely captures levels of NO 2 . In addition, we show the superiority of our Deep-CNN model at estimating surface NO 2 over other well-known machine learning and regression models in the field, including the support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF), and multiple linear regression (MLR). Although SVM and RF show strong capabilities at estimating surface NO 2 concentrations, their accuracy is inferior to that of the Deep-CNN model, ranking second and third in model accuracy in this study. The MLR, however, shows a poor ability at NO 2 estimation and ranks last among all models. Furthermore, testing the impact of sample size on model performance, we also show that, compared to other models, Deep-CNN needs more samples to trigger its strength at surface NO 2 estimation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Measurements of the momentum-dependence of plasmonic excitations in matter around 1 Mbar using an X-ray free electron laser

We present measurements of the plasmon shift in shock-compressed matter as a function of momentum transfer beyond the Fermi wavevector using an X-ray Free Electron Laser. We eliminate the elastically scattered signal retaining only the inelastic plasmon signal. Our plasmon dispersion agrees with both the random phase approximation (RPA) and static Local Field Corrections (sLFC) for an electron gas at both zero and finite temperature. Further, we find the inclusion of electron-ion collisions through the Born-Mermin Approximation (BMA) to have no effect. Whilst we cannot distinguish between RPA and sLFC within our error bars, our data suggest that dynamic effects should be included for LFC and provide a route forward for higher resolution future measurements.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Demonstration of improvement of energy conversion rate from kJ PW laser to protons with electron confinement

Kilojoule-class relativistic intensity lasers can produce energetic protons with high energy conversion efficiencies in the interaction with a thin foil target. Using the national ignition facility advanced radiographic capability (NIF-ARC) laser, we demonstrated an enhancement of energy conversion from laser to protons by the effective confinement of fast electrons in the laser spot by random kicks from the self-excited field. The number of fast electrons was increased by 4.6 times by increasing the ratio of the laser spot size to the foil thickness to strengthen the confinement effect. The energy conversion efficiency from laser to protons increases approximately linearly with the enhancement of the number of fast electrons. The conversion rate for protons with energies above 8 MeV was 1.8 %. The result leads to high efficiency proton acceleration which is beneficial in applications, such as proton radiography and plasma heating in laser fusion.

Physics↗

Evidence of ordering in Cu-Ni alloys from experimental electronic entropy measurements

Phase diagrams exhibiting extended solid-solution and lenslike melting are often reproduced using ideal solutions, where ideal mixing considers a fully random configurational entropy of mixing. In the field of irreversible thermodynamics, experimental measurements of the composition variation of high-temperature electronic transport and molten-state properties suggest, however, a strong role for short-range atomic ordering in these systems. Herein, measurements of the thermopower and resistivity are reported for Cu-Ni solid solutions as a function of temperature and composition. The electronic transport properties were interpreted with an irreversible thermodynamic framework, revealing a large electronic contribution to the entropy of mixing. By considering a cluster model for the configurational entropy that uses the electronic contribution to inform the existence of ordered associates, we rationalize such a contribution of the electronic entropy with the ideal entropy of mixing commonly used to model such systems. In conclusion, these results suggest that the short-range order of the atoms plays a significant role in both solid and liquid states, even when there are no dominant intermetallic compounds in these alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Dasymetric-Based Monte Carlo Simulation Approach to the Probabilistic Analysis of Spatial Variables

Monte Carlo simulation is a popular numerical experimentation technique used in a range of scientific fields to obtain the statistics of unknown random output variables. Despite its widespread applicability, it can be difficult to infer required input probability distributions when they are related to population counts unknown at desired spatial resolutions. To overcome this challenge, we propose a framework that uses a dasymetric model to infer the probability distributions needed for a specific class of Monte Carlo simulations which depend on population counts.

Morton, April↗

Estimating Switchgrass Biomass Yield and Lignocellulose Composition from UAV-Based Indices

Innovative methods for estimating commercial-scale switchgrass yields and feedstock quality are essential to optimize harvest logistics and biorefinery efficiency for sustainable aviation fuel production. This study utilized vegetation indices (VIs) derived from multispectral images to predict biomass yield and lignocellulose concentrations of advanced bioenergy-type switchgrass cultivars (“Liberty” and “Independence”) under two N rates (28 and 56 kg N ha –1 ). Field-scale plots were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times at Urbana, IL. Multispectral images captured during the 2021–2023 growing seasons were used to extract VIs. The results show that linear and exponential models outperformed partial least square and random forest models, with mid-August imagery providing the best predictions for biomass, cellulose, and hemicellulose. The green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI) was the best univariate predictor for biomass yield (R 2 = 0.86), while a multivariate combination of the GNDVI and normalized difference red-edge index (NDRE) enhanced prediction accuracy (R 2 = 0.88). Cellulose was best predicted using the NDRE (R 2 = 0.53), whereas hemicellulose prediction was most effective with a multivariate model combining the GNDVI, NDRE, NDVI, and green ratio vegetation index (GRVI) (R 2 = 0.44). These findings demonstrate the potential of UAV-based VIs for the in-season estimation of biomass yield and cellulose concentration.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

The abundances of nuclei in the cosmic radiation

The relative abundances are treated as a consequence of processes in cosmic ray transport occurring during passage of the radiation through interstellar material at high velocity. Some of the subjects mentioned are nuclear fragmentation and the production of secondary nuclei, nuclear reactions, energy loss and nuclear decay, ionization, the range-energy relation and propagation variables, capture and loss of electrons, the propagation of nuclei, the transport equation, equilibrium solutions, energy-dependent path length distribution, exponential path length distributions, discrete spectra, sources, supernovae, and the origin of the abundances. The connection between the space-time features of the sources, the material traversed, and the effects of magnetic fields is established by describing the particle-field interaction as a diffusive or random-walk process.

Reames, D. V.↗

Numerical Modeling of Turbulent Combustion

The work in numerical modeling is focused on the use of the random vortex method to treat turbulent flow fields associated with combustion while flame fronts are considered as interfaces between reactants and products, propagating with the flow and at the same time advancing in the direction normal to themselves at a prescribed burning speed. The latter is associated with the generation of specific volume (the flame front acting, in effect, as the locus of volumetric sources) to account for the expansion of the flow field due to the exothermicity of the combustion process. The model was applied to the flow in a channel equipped with a rearward facing step. The results obtained revealed the mechanism of the formation of large scale turbulent structure in the wake of the step, while it showed the flame to stabilize on the outer edges of these eddies.

Ghoneim, A. F.↗

Error growth in operational ECMWF forecasts

A parameterization scheme used at the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasting to model the average growth of the difference between forecasts on consecutive days was extended by including the effect of error growth on forecast model deficiencies. Error was defined as the difference between the forecast and analysis fields during the verification time. Systematic and random errors were considered separately in calculating the error variance for a 10 day operational forecast. A good fit was obtained with measured forecast errors and a satisfactory trend was achieved in the difference between forecasts. Fitting six parameters to forecast errors and differences that were performed separately for each wavenumber revealed that the error growth rate grew with wavenumber. The saturation error decreased with the total wavenumber and the limit of predictability, i.e., when error variance reaches 95 percent of saturation, decreased monotonically with the total wavenumber.

Kalnay, E.↗