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At least 91 records · Page 5

Status Update of Permanent Magnet Radiation Resiliency Studies at CEBAF

The proposed energy upgrade of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) incorporates Fixed-Field Alternating-gradient (FFA) arcs utilizing permanent magnet technology. Given the radiation environment within the CEBAF tunnel enclosure, validating the long-term magnetic stability of these materials is a critical step for the project's technical feasibility. This contribution presents an overview of the ongoing permanent magnet radiation resiliency program at Jefferson Lab. We briefly review the experimental methodology used to monitor demagnetization in situ and summarize the operational experience from the initial data-taking campaign. Furthermore, we discuss the upgrades implemented for the second exposure campaign, currently underway, which aims to refine dose correlation and reduce systematic uncertainties. We report on the general status of the program and the roadmap for certifying permanent magnet optics for the proposed upgrade energies.

Bodenstein, R. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelera↗

Strategies for mitigating residual magnetic field effect on pre-production PIP-II SSR2 cryomodule performance

This paper outlines the strategy aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of residual magnetic fields on the performance of pre-production SSR2 superconducting cavities within the context of the PIP-II project at Fermilab. Residual magnetic fields can significantly impact cavity performance, leading to reduced quality factor. To address this challenge, our strategy integrates various approaches including magnetic shielding, careful selection of materials, quality controls aimed at measuring magnetic permeability, magnetic hygiene to reduce residual magnetic field at the installation phase. Additionally, experimental studies are being planned to analyze the behavior of the cavities under different magnetic field conditions, and the effectiveness of advanced demagnetization procedures.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Magnetic Avalanche Detector using Single-Molecule Magnets

Here we discuss the results of the 9 month add-on project: “Magnetic Avalanche Detector using Single-Molecule Magnets”. The key point of the projects was to design a cryogenic system that is capable of applying magnetic fields high enough to magnetize the Single-Molecule Magnets (SMMs), maintain temperatures below 1K, and be able to detect magnetic avalanches of the SMM domains. We were able to achieve these goals. Our system was able to magnetize and sense the magnetization of SMM crystals. Moreover, we were able to detect avalanche demagnetization events caused by an alpha particle interacting with a magnetized SMM.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Cryogenic Performance of the SPT-SLIM Receiver

The South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) is a millimeter-wave line-intensity mapping experiment, deployed on the South Pole Telescope (SPT) during the 2024-2025 Austral Summer season. This pathfinder experiment serves to demonstrate the on-sky operation of multi-pixel on-chip spectrometer technology. We present on the cryogenic performance of the SPT-SLIM receiver for this Year 1 observing campaign. The SPT-SLIM receiver utilizes an Adiabatic Demagnetization Referigerator (ADR) for cooling the focal plane of superconducting filterbank spectrometers to a temperature of 150mK. We demonstrate stable thermal performance of the focal plane module during observing operations in line with thermal modelling, enabling a cryogenic operation efficiency above 80%. We also report on the receiver control system design utilizing the Observatory Control System (OCS) platform for automated cryogenic operation on the SPT.

Young, Matthew [Fermilab]↗

AL-CRADA-2025-01 Final Report: American-Made Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Accelerate! Phase 2

This report summarizes the Phase 2 achievements of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize project led by Critical Materials Recycling (CMR) in partnership with Ames National Laboratory. The team demonstrated the technical feasibility and economic viability of recovering and reusing rare-earth Nd-Fe-B magnets from end-of-life (EOL) wind turbine generators. Through mechanical disassembly, demagnetization, and precision processing, magnets were harvested and characterized to assess structural, compositional, and magnetic properties. Results showed that recovered magnets performed on par with commercial-grade counterparts, enabling their integration into actuator and motor prototypes without redesign. System-level modeling and finite-element simulations validated operational performance, while Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis revealed up to 20% material cost savings and 2–3% reductions in overall motor system costs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) further confirmed substantial environmental benefits, including a ~94% reduction in global warming potential relative to virgin magnet production. The project’s success was enabled by a tightly integrated partnership between industry and national lab experts, illustrating a viable path for domestic magnet-to-magnet recycling. These findings support a scalable, circular solution for rare-earth material recovery, reducing dependence on imported critical minerals and advancing sustainable clean energy technologies.

Lograsso, Thomas [Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA↗

Efficient Optical Control of Magnon Dynamics in van der Waals Ferromagnets

Optical control of magnons in two-dimensional (2D) materials promises new functionalities for spintronics and magnonics in atomically thin devices. Here, we report control of magnon dynamics, using laser polarization, in a ferromagnetic van der Waals (vdW) material, Fe 3.6 Co 1.4 GeTe 2 . The magnon amplitude, frequency, and lifetime are controlled and monitored by time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. We show substantial (over 25%) and continuous modulation of magnon dynamics as a function of incident laser polarization. Our results suggest that the modification of the effective demagnetization field and magnetic anisotropy by the pump laser pulses with different polarizations is due to anisotropic optical absorption. This implies that pump laser pulses modify the local spin environment, which enables the launch of magnons with tunable dynamics. Our first-principles calculations confirm the anisotropic optical absorption of different crystal orientations. Our findings suggest a new route for the development of opto-spintronic or opto-magnonic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

System and method for the recycling of rare earth magnets

A system and a method for separating and recycling magnets made from rare earth elements from an article of manufacture used an alignment device to property position the rare earth magnet for processing. Once proper alignment is made, a separating device removes the magnet and a portion of the article. A heating device demagnetizes the magnets and vibration causes the magnets to separate from the portion of the article. Electromagnets remove the portion of the article and the rare earth magnets pass through for reclamation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

System and method for the recycling of rare earth magnets

A system and a method for separating and recycling magnets made from rare earth elements from an article of manufacture used an alignment device to property position the rare earth magnet for processing. Once proper alignment is made, a separating device removes the magnet and a portion of the article. A heating device demagnetizes the magnets and vibration causes the magnets to separate from the portion of the article. Electromagnets remove the portion of the article and the rare earth magnets pass through for reclamation.

McIntyre, Timothy J.↗

Design and Performance of the SPT-SLIM Receiver Cryostat

The South Pole Telescope Shirokoff Line Intensity Mapper (SPT-SLIM) is a millimeter-wavelength line-intensity mapping experiment, which was deployed on the South Pole Telescope (SPT) during the 2024-2025 Austral summer season. This pathfinder experiment serves to demonstrate the on-sky operation of multi-pixel on-chip spectrometer technology. We report on the cryogenic performance of the SPT-SLIM receiver for the first year of commissioning observations. The SPT-SLIM receiver utilizes an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) for cooling the focal plane of superconducting filterbank spectrometers to a temperature of 150 mK. We demonstrate stable thermal performance of the focal plane module during observations consistent with thermal modeling, enabling a cryogenic operating efficiency above 80%. We also report on the receiver control system design utilizing the Observatory Control System (OCS) platform for automated cryogenic operation on the SPT.

Young, M. R. [Fermilab; Chicago U., KICP]↗

Cavity-assisted magnetization switching in a quantum spin-phonon chain

Néel order switching in antiferromagnets has typically required intense optical driving, leading to substantial heating and limited efficiency. By placing antiferromagnets inside a terahertz-driven optical cavity, we propose a multi-particle mechanism for Néel order switching that benefits from reduced heating. Our analysis reveals that phonons are indispensable to this mechanism. A driven cavity mode couples to a spin-phonon chain, with all excitations dissipating energy through external baths. Mean-field analysis shows that cavity photons induce sublattice spin-density imbalance—an intrinsic symmetry-breaking effect absent without the cavity. Contrary to known (1–10 V/nm) laser fields required to switch the Néel order, our mechanism enables switching at remarkably low laser fields (1–5 V/μm), selectively targeting low-energy and perpendicular magnon modes. By virtue of the suppressed heating, the switching remains highly tunable through laser fluence, damping, and photon loss, establishing a low-dissipation route toward cavity-assisted opto-spintronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Conventional superconductivity in single-crystalline BiPt

Binary Bi-Pd/Pt systems have attracted a lot of interest because of their topologically nontrivial nature along with superconductivity. We report the structural and superconducting properties of high-quality single-crystalline BiPt using a comprehensive range of experimental techniques, including X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, muon spin rotation/relaxation (𝜇⁢SR), magnetization, resistivity, and heat capacity. Our findings establish that BiPt is a weak type-II superconductor with a transition temperature (𝑇 𝑐 ) of 1.2 K which exhibits pronounced anisotropic superconducting characteristics attributed to its hexagonal crystal structure. Magnetization and electronic transport studies reveal that BiPt lies within the dirty limit, while 𝜇⁢SR and heat capacity data indicate conventional 𝑠-wave superconductivity that maintains time-reversal symmetry. Here, this work provides valuable insights into the pairing symmetry and superconducting mechanism of topologically trivial BiPt, a sound comparison system for other Bi-based topologically nontrivial superconductors.

Demagnetization↗

Meissner-London Susceptibility of Superconducting Right Circular Cylinders in an Axial Magnetic Field

Analysis of magnetic susceptibility of nonellipsoidal samples is a long-standing problem in experimental studies of magnetism and superconductivity. Here the quantitative description of the Meissner-London response (no Abrikosov vortices) of right circular cylinders in an axial magnetic field is given. Three-dimensional adaptive finite-element modeling is used to calculate the total magnetic moment ( m ) in a wide range of London penetration depth ( λ ) to sample size ( a ) ratios, λ /a. Furthermore, by fitting numerical solutions, the closed-form empirical magnetic susceptibility is obtained involving only sample dimensions and λ, thus providing a recipe for determining the London penetration depth from the precision measurements of the magnetic susceptibility. Detailed protocols of the experimental data analysis using the developed approach are given. The results can be readily extended to the most frequently used cuboid-shaped samples.

3-dimensional systems↗

Ferromagnetic Resonance Modes in the Exchange-Dominated Limit in Cylinders of Finite Length

We analyze the magnetic mode structure of axially magnetized finite-length nanoscopic cylinders in a regime where the exchange interaction dominates, along with simulations of the mode frequencies of the ferrimagnet yttrium iron garnet. For the bulk modes, we find that the frequencies can be represented by an expression given by Herring and Kittel by using wavevector components obtained by fitting the mode patterns emerging from these simulations. In addition to the axial, radial, and azimuthal modes that are present in an infinite cylinder, we find localized “cap modes” that are “trapped” at the top and bottom cylinder faces by the inhomogeneous dipole field emerging from the ends. Semiquantitative explanations are given for some of the modes, in terms of a one-dimensional Schrodinger equation, which is valid in the exchange-dominant case. The assignment of the azimuthal-mode number is carefully discussed, and the frequency splitting of a few pairs of nearly degenerate modes is determined through the beat pattern emerging from them.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Unifying femtosecond and picosecond single-pulse magnetic switching in Gd-Fe-Co

Many questions are still open regarding the physical mechanisms behind the magnetic switching in Gd-Fe-Co alloys by single optical pulses. Phenomenological models suggest a femtosecond scale exchange relaxation between sublattice magnetization as the driving mechanism for switching. The recent observation of thermally induced switching in Gd-Fe-Co by using both several picosecond optical laser pulse as well as electric current pulses has questioned this previous understanding. This has raised the question of whether or not the same switching mechanics are acting at the femtosecond and picosecond scales. In this work, we aim at filling this gap in the understanding of the switching mechanisms behind thermal single-pulse switching. To that end, we have studied experimentally thermal single-pulse switching in Gd-Fe-Co alloys, for a wide range of system parameters, such as composition, laser power, and pulse duration. We provide a quantitative description of the switching dynamics using atomistic spin dynamics methods with excellent agreement between the model and our experiments across a wide range of parameters and timescales, ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds. Furthermore, we find distinct element-specific damping parameters as a key ingredient for switching with long picosecond pulses and argue that switching with pulse durations as long as 15 ps is possible due to a low damping constant of Gd. Our findings can be easily extended to speed up dynamics in other contexts where ferrimagnetic Gd-Fe-Co alloys have been already demonstrated to show fast and energy-efficient processes, e.g., domain-wall motion in a track and spin-orbit torque switching in spintronics devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ultrafast perturbation of magnetic domains by optical pumping in a ferromagnetic multilayer

Ultrafast optical pumping of spatially nonuniform magnetic textures is known to induce far-from-equilibrium spin transport effects. Here, we use ultrafast x-ray diffraction with unprecedented dynamic range to study the laser-induced dynamics of labyrinth domain networks in ferromagnetic CoFe/Ni multilayers. We detected azimuthally isotropic, odd order, magnetic diffraction rings up to fifth order. The amplitudes of all three diffraction rings quench to different degrees within 1.6 ps. In addition, all three of the detected diffraction rings both broaden by 15% and radially contract by 6% during the quench process. We are able to rigorously quantify a 31% ultrafast broadening of the domain walls via Fourier analysis of the order-dependent quenching of the three detected diffraction rings. Here, the broadening of the diffraction rings is interpreted as a reduction in the domain coherence length, but the shift in the ring radius, while unambiguous in its occurrence, remains unexplained. In particular, we demonstrate that a radial shift explained by domain-wall broadening can be ruled out. With the unprecedented dynamic range of our data, our results provide convincing evidence that labyrinth domain structures are spatially perturbed at ultrafast speeds under far-from-equilibrium conditions, albeit the mechanism inducing the perturbations remains yet to be clarified.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Symmetry-dependent ultrafast manipulation of nanoscale magnetic domains

Symmetry is a powerful concept in physics, but its applicability to far-from-equilibrium states is still being understood. Recent attention has focused on how far-from-equilibrium states lead to spontaneous symmetry breaking. Conversely, ultrafast optical pumping can be used to drastically change the energy landscape and quench the magnetic order parameter in magnetic systems. Here, we find a distinct symmetry-dependent ultrafast behaviour by use of ultrafast x-ray scattering from magnetic patterns with varying degrees of isotropic and anisotropic symmetry. After pumping with an optical laser, the scattered intensity reveals a radial shift exclusive to the isotropic component and exhibits a faster recovery time from quenching for the anisotropic component. These features arise even when both symmetry components are concurrently measured, suggesting a correspondence between the excitation and the magnetic order symmetry. Our results underline the importance of symmetry as a critical variable to manipulate the magnetic order in the ultrafast regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dynamic magnetic phase transition induced by parametric magnon pumping

Uncovering pathways to optically drive magnetic order-disorder transitions on ultrashort timescales can lead to the realization of novel out-of-equilibrium quantum phenomena. A long-sought pathway is to directly excite a highly nonthermal energy-momentum distribution of magnons, bypassing both charge and lattice degrees of freedom. However, this remains elusive owing to the weak coupling and large momentum mismatch between photons and magnons. Here we demonstrate strong parametric excitation of magnons across the entire Brillouin zone of the antiferromagnetic insulator Sr 2 ⁢Cu 3 ⁢O 4 ⁢Cl 2 by periodically modulating the superexchange interaction with the electric field of light. The excitation efficiency is greatly enhanced by tuning to the van Hove singularity in the magnon spectrum, sufficient to transiently collapse the antiferromagnetic state using a pulsed laser field of 10 9 V/m. The order parameter recovery timescale increases by over 1000 times as a function of excitation density, reflecting a crossover from high- to low-energy magnon dominated decay dynamics. This electric-field induced parametric magnon pumping mechanism is applicable to a broad range of magnetic insulators and opens up the possibility of dynamically engineering magnon distributions by design.

antiferromagnetism↗

Magnetic properties of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice material BaNd 2 ZnO 5

We investigate the physical properties of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice material BaNd 2 ZnO 5 . Neutron diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat measurements reveal antiferromagnetic order below 1.65 K. The magnetic order is found to be a 2–Q magnetic structure with the magnetic moments lying in the Shastry-Sutherland lattice planes comprising the tetragonal crystal structure of BaNd 2 ZnO 5 . The ordered moment for this structure is 1.9(1) μB per Nd ion. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal that the crystal field ground state doublet is well separated from the first excited state at 8 meV. The crystal field Hamiltonian is determined through simultaneous refinement of models with both the LS coupling and intermediate coupling approximations to the inelastic neutron scattering and magnetic susceptibility data. The ground state doublet indicates that the magnetic moments lie primarily in the basal plane with magnitude consistent with the size of the determined ordered moment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗