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DOE OSTI2016

Spherical nuclei near the stability line and far from it

Results of microscopic and semiphenomenological calculations of features of spherical nuclei lying near the stability line and far from it are presented. The reason why the nuclei being considered are spherical is that they are magic at least in one nucleon sort. The present analysis is performed for Z = 50 and Z = 28 isotopes and for N = 50 isotones, the region extending from neutron-rich to neutron-deficient nuclei being covered. The isotopic dependence of the mean-field spin–orbit nuclear potential is revealed; systematics of energies of levels and probabilities for electromagnetic transitions is examined; and root-mean-square radii of nuclei are calculated, along with the proton- and neutron-density distributions in them. Nuclei in the vicinity of closed shells are considered in detail, and the axial-vector weak coupling constant in nuclei is evaluated. A systematic comparison of the results of calculations with experimental data is performed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Criticality calculation of non-ordinary systems

The specific features of calculation of the effective multiplication factor using the Monte Carlo method for weakly coupled and non-asymptotic multiplying systems are discussed. Particular examples are considered and practical recommendations on detection and Monte Carlo calculation of systems typical in numerical substantiation of nuclear safety for VVER fuel management problems are given. In particular, the problems of the choice of parameters for the batch mode and the method for normalization of the neutron batch, as well as finding and interpretation of the eigenvalue spectrum for the integral fission matrix, are discussed.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Nonperturbative calculations in the framework of variational perturbation theory in QCD

We discuss applications of the method based on the variational perturbation theory to perform calculations down to the lowest energy scale. The variational series is different from the conventional perturbative expansion and can be used to go beyond the weak-coupling regime. We apply this method to investigate the Borel representation of the light Adler function constructed from the τ data and to determine the residual condensates. It is shown that within the method suggested the optimal values of these lower dimension condensates are close to zero.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Attenuation of Bragg backscattering of electromagnetic waves from density fluctuations near the region of polarization degeneracy in magnetoactive plasma

Specific features of Bragg backscattering under conditions of strong polarization degeneracy near the cutoff surface in an anisotropic medium are studied analytically and numerically. It is shown that the linear interaction of normal waves can substantially affect wave scattering by suppressing the amplification of Bragg backscattering near the cutoff region in the case of weak coupling between normal waves.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Electron–Phonon Interaction on the Conductivity and Work Function of Epitaxial Graphene

In the context of the cluster model of epitaxial graphene, the condition for a stepwise change in the charge of carbon atoms under the action of graphene–substrate electron–phonon interaction and an external electric field is derived. Such charge transfer brings about corresponding steps of the static conductivity and work function of epitaxial graphene. Numerical estimates for the case of weak coupling of quasi-free graphene with metal and semiconductor substrates are given.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Estimations of the Fermi Velocity and Effective Mass in Epitaxial Graphene and Carbyne

It is shown that the Fermi velocity of electrons is a natural characteristic of gapless graphene and cumulene modification of carbyne weakly coupled with the substrate. At the same time, in the presence of gap (graphene with a gap and polyyne modification of carbyne), the corresponding characteristic is the effective electron mass. The corresponding analytical estimations have been performed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2023

A proof of concept for matchete: an automated tool for matching effective theories

Abstract Studying the impact of new-physics models on low-energy observables necessitates matching to effective field theories at the relevant mass thresholds. We introduce the first public version of , a computer tool for matching weakly-coupled models at one-loop order. It uses functional methods to directly compute all matching contributions in a manifestly gauge-covariant manner, while simplification methods eliminate redundant operators from the output. We sketch the workings of the program and provide examples of how to match simple Standard Model extensions. The package, documentation, and example notebooks are publicly available at https://gitlab.com/matchete/matchete .

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

The Physics of Pair-Density Waves: Cuprate Superconductors and Beyond

Herein we review the physics of pair-density wave (PDW) superconductors. We begin with a macroscopic description that emphasizes order induced by PDW states, such as charge-density wave, and discuss related vestigial states that emerge as a consequence of partial melting of the PDW order. We review and critically discuss the mounting experimental evidence for such PDW order in the cuprate superconductors, the status of the theoretical microscopic description of such order, and the current debate on whether the PDW is a mother order or another competing order in the cuprates. In addition, we give an overview of the weak coupling version of PDW order, Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov states, in the context of cold atom systems, unconventional superconductors, and noncentrosymmetric and Weyl materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dark Matter Candidates of a Very Low Mass

We review dark matter (DM) candidates of a very low mass appearing in the window below the traditional weakly interacting massive particle (m χ ≲ 10 GeV) and extending down to m χ ≳ 1 meV, somewhat below the mass limit at which DM becomes wavelike. Such candidates are motivated by hidden sectors such as hidden valleys, which feature hidden forces and rich dynamics, but have evaded traditional accelerator searches for New Physics because of their relatively weak coupling to the Standard Model (SM). Such sectors can still be detected through dedicated low-energy colliders, which, through their intense beams, can have sensitivity to smaller couplings, or through astrophysical observations of the evolution of DM halos and stellar structures, which, through the Universe's epochs, can be sensitive to small DM interactions. We also consider mechanisms whereby the DM abundance is fixed through the interaction with the SM, which directly motivates the search for light DM in terrestrial experiments. The bulk of this review is dedicated to the new ideas that have been proposed for direct detection of such DM candidates of a low mass through nuclear recoils, electronic excitations, or collective modes such as phonons and magnons. The rich tapestry of materials and modes in the condensed matter landscape is reviewed along with specific prospects for detection.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2025

New Technologies for Axion and Dark Photon Searches

The search for dark matter and physics beyond the Standard Model has grown to encompass a highly interdisciplinary approach. In this review, we survey recent searches for light, weakly coupled particles—axions and dark photons—over the past decade, focusing on new experimental results and the incorporation of technologies and techniques from fields as diverse as quantum science, microwave engineering, precision magnetometry, and condensed matter physics. We also review theoretical progress that has been useful in identifying new experimental directions and identify the areas of most rapid experimental progress and the technological advances required to continue exploring the parameter space for axions and dark photons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

LOKI

LOKI is a simulation code that models weakly-coupled plasma evolution using Eulerian kinetic models in four phase space dimensions. The code is useful to understand basic plasma nonlinear plasma physics phenomena - in particular, wave-particle and wave-wave resonances that occur in laser plasma interactions. LOKI can simulate fundamental physical process in low-density plasmas on a scale of hundreds of light wavelengths. It does so by solving the relativistic Vlasov and Valsov-Fokker-Planck differential transport equations describing the collision less and low-collisionality evolution of charged particles in electromagnetic fields in two configuration space and two velocity space dimensions. Two principle electromagnetic models are provided: electrostatic (Poisson's Equation) and electromagnetic (Maxwell's equations).

DIMITS, ANDRIS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Human and Environmental Impacts on River Sediment Microbial Communities

Sediment microbial communities are responsible for a majority of the metabolic activity in river and stream ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics in community structure and function across freshwater environments will help us to predict how these ecosystems will change in response to human land-use practices. Here we present a spatiotemporal study of sediments in the Tongue River (Montana, USA), comprising six sites along 134 km of river sampled in both spring and fall for two years. Sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons and shotgun metagenomes revealed that these sediments are the richest (~65,000 microbial ‘species’ identified) and most novel (93% of OTUs do not match known microbial diversity) ecosystems analyzed by the Earth Microbiome Project to date, and display more functional diversity than was detected in a recent review of global soil metagenomes. Community structure and functional potential have been significantly altered by anthropogenic drivers, including increased pathogenicity and antibiotic metabolism markers near towns and metabolic signatures of coal and coalbed methane extraction byproducts. The core (OTUs shared across all samples) and the overall microbial community exhibited highly similar structure, and phylogeny was weakly coupled with functional potential. Together, these results suggest that microbial community structure is shaped by environmental drivers and niche filtering, though stochastic assembly processes likely play a role as well. These results indicate that sediment microbial communities are highly complex and sensitive to changes in land use practices.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

A tail of eternal inflation

Non-trivial inflaton self-interactions can yield calculable signatures of primordial non-Gaussianity that are measurable in cosmic surveys. We calculate the non-Gaussian corrections to Stochastic Inflation within the framework of Soft de Sitter Effective Theory, from which we derive the associated probability distribution for the scalar fluctuations. As a consequence of this new result, we show that the phase transition to slow-roll eternal inflation is often incalculable in these models. Instead, this transition is sensitive to the non-Gaussian tail of the distribution of scalar fluctuations, which probes physics inside the horizon, potentially beyond the cutoff scale of the Effective Field Theory of Inflation. We delineate the parameter space consistent with current observations and weak coupling at horizon crossing in which the large fluctuations relevant for eternal inflation can only be determined by appealing to a UV completion. We also argue that this breakdown of the perturbative description is required for the de Sitter entropy to reflect the number of de Sitter microstates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Apparent fine tunings for field theories with broken space-time symmetries

We exhibit a class of effective field theories that have hierarchically small Wilson coefficients for operators that are not protected by symmetries but are not finely tuned. These theories possess bounded target spaces and vacua that break space-time symmetries. We give a physical interpretation of these theories as generalized solids with open boundary conditions. We show that these theories realize unusual RG flows where higher dimensional (seemingly irrelevant) operators become relevant even at weak coupling. Finally, we present an example of a field theory whose vacuum energy relaxes to a hierarchically small value compared to the UV cut-off.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2024

Single-gap isotropic s- wave superconductivity in single crystals AuSn 4

In this article, London, λ L (T), and Campbell, λ C (T), penetration depths were measured in single crystals of a topological superconductor candidate AuSn 4 . At low temperatures, λ L (T) is exponentially attenuated and, if fitted with the power law, λ(T) ~ T n , gives exponents n > 4, indistinguishable from the isotropic single s- wave gap Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) asymptotic. The superfluid density fits perfectly in the entire temperature range to the BCS theory. The superconducting transition temperature, T c = 2.40 ± 0.05 K, does not change after 2.5 MeV electron irradiation, indicating the validity of the Anderson theorem for isotropic s- wave superconductors. Campbell penetration depth before and after electron irradiation shows no hysteresis between the zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) protocols, consistent with the parabolic pinning potential. Interestingly, the critical current density estimated from the original Campbell theory decreases after irradiation, implying that a more sophisticated theory involving collective effects is needed to describe vortex pinning in this system. In general, our thermodynamic measurements strongly suggest that the bulk response of the AuSn 4 crystals is fully consistent with the isotropic s- wave weak-coupling BCS superconductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2024

Conventional single-gap $s-$wave superconductivity and hidden peak effect in single crystals of Mo$_8$Ga$_{41}$ superconductor

London and Campbell penetration depths were measured in single crystals of the endohedral gallide cluster superconductor, Mo _8 8 Ga _41 41 . The full temperature range superfluid density, \rho_s(T) ρ s ( T ) , is consistent with the clean isotropic s- s − wave weak-coupling BCS theory without any signs of the second gap or strong coupling. The temperature dependence of the Campbell length is hysteretic between zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) protocols, indicating an anharmonic vortex pinning potential. The field dependence of the effective critical current density, j_{c}(H) j c ( H ) , reveals an unusual result. While in the ZFC protocol, j_{c}(H) j c ( H ) is monotonically suppressed by the magnetic field, it exhibits a profound “hidden” peak effect in the FC protocol, that is, without a vortex density gradient. We suggest a possible novel mechanism for such a peak effect, which involves both static and dynamic aspects of vortex pinning.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2013

Modeling X-Ray Thomson Scattering Spectra of Warm Dense Matter

Warm dense matter (WDM) is sometimes described as a \solid density plasma" where neither weakly coupled plasma theory nor condensed matter theory are applicable. More specifically, WDM has densities of ~ 0:1 - 50 times solid density, temperatures of ~ 1 - 100 eV, is partially ionized, globally neutral, has strongly correlated particles (due to interactions), and partial electron degeneracy. In nature, WDM may be found in the interiors of planets such as Jupiter or in the envelopes of white dwarf stars, and in man-made processes such as inertial confinement fusion (ICF), WDM exists as a transient state of matter. To model these physical systems, the equation of state as well as opacity, conductivity, and diffusion coefficients must be known. Experimentally WDM is probed with an experimental technique known as X-Ray Thomson Scattering (XRTS). In such an experiment X-rays photons are scattered off of WDM and the resulting photons are measured at a given solid angle. The resulting spectrum gives information on the density and temperature of WDM, but a model of WDM and the scattering experiment is often required to interpret the results. As a result, these experiments also serve as a method of validation for potential models of WDM. The work presented here focuses on the model of WDM proposed by Starrett and Saumon and a model for scattering based off of Chihara’s work. The model proposed by Starrett and Saumon is an average-atom model that is coupled with a two component plasma model, hereafter referred to as an AA+TCP model. The AA+TCP model is an ab initio model with no free parameters, only requiring knowledge of the element under investigation, the density, and the temperature. The outputs from the model completely determine all the input parameters needed for Chihara’s structure function (chemical potential, elastic feature, screening potential, bound-state wavefunctions, and free wavefunctions), which in turn determines the double differential scattering cross-section of the experiment. This approach to determining the outcome of an XRTS experiment parallels that of Johnson, et al., but expands the work in many respects. For example, the AA+TCP model completely determines all the input parameters to the structure function; hence no ad hoc approximations are necessary to close the system. Also, the free-electron feature and the bound-free feature are modified to include collisions and occupation of free electron states, respectively.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

Non-Equilibrium Dynamics of Many-Body Quantum Systems: Fundamentals and New Frontiers

Rapid progress in nanotechnology and naofabrication techniques has ushered in a new era of quantum transport experiments. This has in turn heightened the interest in theoretical understanding of nonequilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated quantum systems. This project has advanced the frontiers of understanding in this area along several fronts. For example, we showed that under certain conditions, quantum impurities out of equilibrium can be reformulated in terms of an effective equilibrium theory; this makes it possible to use the gamut of tools available for quantum systems in equilibrium. On a different front, we demonstrated that the elastic power of a transmitted microwave photon in circuit QED systems can exhibit a many-body Kondo resonance. We also showed that under many circumstances, bipartite fluctuations of particle number provide an effective tool for studying many-body physics—particularly the entanglement properties of a many-body system. This implies that it should be possible to measure many-body entanglement in relatively simple and tractable quantum systems. In addition, we studied charge relaxation in quantum RC circuits with a large number of conducting channels, and elucidated its relation to Kondo models in various regimes. We also extended our earlier work on the dynamics of driven and dissipative quantum spin-boson impurity systems, deriving a new formalism that makes it possible to compute the full spin density matrix and spin-spin correlation functions beyond the weak coupling limit. Finally, we provided a comprehensive analysis of the nonequilibrium transport near a quantum phase transition in the case of a spinless dissipative resonant-level model. This project supported the research of two Ph.D. students and two postdoctoral researchers, whose training will allow them to further advance the field in coming years.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗