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Results for “Magnetization Dynamics”

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 919 records · Page 51

Pinning time statistics for vortex lines in disordered environments

We study the pinning dynamics of magnetic flux (vortex) lines in a disordered type-II superconductor. Using numerical simulations of a directed elastic line model, we extract the pinning time distributions of vortex line segments. We compare different model implementations for the disorder in the surrounding medium: discrete, localized pinning potential wells that are either attractive and repulsive or purely attractive, and whose strengths are drawn from a Gaussian distribution; as well as continuous Gaussian random potential landscapes. Here, we find that both schemes yield power-law distributions in the pinned phase as predicted by extreme-event statistics, yet they differ significantly in their effective scaling exponents and their short-time behavior.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dynamics of potential vorticity staircase evolution and step mergers in a reduced model of beta-plane turbulence

A two-field model of potential vorticity (PV) staircase structure and dynamics relevant to both beta-plane and drift-wave plasma turbulence is studied numerically and analytically. The model evolves averaged PV whose flux is both driven by and regulates a potential enstrophy field, ε. The model employs a closure using a mixing length model. Its link to bistability, vital to staircase generation, is analyzed and verified by integrating the equations numerically. Long-time staircase evolution consistently manifests a pattern of metastable quasiperiodic configurations, lasting for hundreds of time units, yet interspersed with abrupt ( Δt << 1 ) mergers of adjacent steps in the staircase. The mergers occur at the staircase lattice defects where the pattern has not completely relaxed to a strictly periodic solution that can be obtained analytically. Other types of stationary solutions are solitons and kinks in the PV gradient and ε-profiles. The waiting time between mergers increases strongly as the number of steps in the staircase decreases. This is because of an exponential decrease in interstep coupling strength with growing spacing. The long-time staircase dynamics is shown numerically be determined by local interaction with adjacent steps. In conclusion, mergers reveal themselves through the explosive growth of the turbulent PV flux, which, however, abruptly drops to its global constant value once the merger is completed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Giant Anisotropy of Gilbert Damping in Epitaxial CoFe Films

Tailoring Gilbert damping of metallic ferromagnetic thin films is one of the central interests in spintronics applications. We report a giant Gilbert damping anisotropy in epitaxial ${\mathrm{Co}}_{50}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{50}$ thin films with a maximum-minimum damping ratio of 400%, determined by broadband spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance as well as inductive ferromagnetic resonance. We conclude that the origin of this damping anisotropy is the variation of the spin orbit coupling for different magnetization orientations in the cubic lattice, which is further corroborated from the magnitude of the anisotropic magnetoresistance in ${\mathrm{Co}}_{50}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{50}$.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Floquet Gauge Pumps as Sensors for Spectral Degeneracies Protected by Symmetry or Topology

We introduce the concept of a Floquet gauge pump whereby a dynamically engineered Floquet Hamiltonian is employed to reveal the inherent degeneracy of the ground state in interacting systems. We demonstrate this concept in a one-dimensional XY model with periodically driven couplings and transverse field. In the high-frequency limit, we obtain the Floquet Hamiltonian consisting of the static XY and dynamically generated Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction (DMI) terms. The dynamically generated magnetization current depends on the phases of complex coupling terms, with the XY interaction as the real and DMI as the imaginary part. As these phases are cycled, the current reveals the ground-state degeneracies that distinguish the ordered and disordered phases. In conclusion, we discuss experimental requirements needed to realize the Floquet gauge pump in a synthetic quantum spin system of interacting trapped ions.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Phonon Hall Viscosity of Ionic Crystals

When time-reversal symmetry is broken, the low-energy description of acoustic lattice dynamics allows for a dissipationless component of the viscosity tensor, the phonon Hall viscosity, which captures how phonon chirality grows with the wave vector. In this work, we show that, in ionic crystals, a phonon Hall viscosity contribution is produced by the Lorentz forces on moving ions. We calculate typical values of the Lorentz force contribution to the Hall viscosity using a simple square lattice toy model, and we compare it with literature estimates of the strengths of other Hall-viscosity mechanisms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effective spin-mixing conductance of topological-insulator/ferromagnet and heavy-metal/ferromagnet spin-orbit-coupled interfaces: A first-principles Floquet-nonequilibrium Green function approach

The spin-mixing conductance (SMC) is a key quantity determining efficiency of spin transport across interfaces. Thus, knowledge of its precise value is required for accurate measurement of parameters quantifying numerous effects in spintronics, such as spin-orbit torque, spin Hall magnetoresistance, spin Hall effect, and spin pumping. However, the standard expression for SMC, provided by the scattering theory in terms of the reflection probability amplitudes, is inapplicable when strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is present directly at the interface. This is the precisely the case of topological-insulator/ferromagnet and heavy-metal/ferromagnet interfaces of great contemporary interest. We introduce an approach where first-principles Hamiltonian of these interfaces, obtained from noncollinear density functional theory (ncDFT) calculations, is combined with charge-conserving Floquet-nonequilibrium-Green-function formalism to compute directly the pumped spin current $I^{S_z}_L$ into semi-infinite left lead of two-terminal heterostructures Cu/X/Co/Cu or Y/Co/Cu—where X = Bi 2 Se 3 and Y = Pt or W—due to microwave-driven steadily precessing magnetization of the Co layer. This allows us to extract an effective SMC as a prefactor in $I^{S_z}_L$ versus precession cone angle θ dependence, as long as it remains the same, $I^{S_z}$ ∝ sin 2 θ , as in the case where SOC is absent. By comparing calculations where SOC in switched off versus switched on in ncDFT calculations, we find that SOC consistently reduces the pumped spin current and therefore the effective SMC.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Exploring Quantum Materials with Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

Understanding quantum materials—solids in which interactions among constituent electrons yield a great variety of novel emergent quantum phenomena—is a forefront challenge in modern condensed matter physics. This goal has driven the invention and refinement of several experimental methods, which can spectroscopically determine the elementary excitations and correlation functions that determine material properties. Here we focus on the future experimental and theoretical trends of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), which is a remarkably versatile and rapidly growing technique for probing different charge, lattice, spin, and orbital excitations in quantum materials. We provide a forward-looking introduction to RIXS and outline how this technique is poised to deepen our insight into the nature of quantum materials and of their emergent electronic phenomena. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Emulating 2D Materials with Magnons

Spin waves (magnons) in two-dimensional (2D) materials have received increasing interest due to their unique states and potential for tunability. However, many interesting features of these systems, including Dirac points and topological states, occur at high frequencies, where experimental probes are limited. Here, we study a crystal formed by patterning a hexagonal array of holes in a perpendicularly magnetized thin film. Through simulation, we find that the magnonic band structure imitates that of graphene, but additionally has some kagomelike character and includes a few flat bands. Surprisingly, its nature can be understood using a nine-band tight-binding Hamiltonian. This clear analogy to 2D materials enables band-gap engineering in 2D, topological magnons along 1D phase boundaries, and spectrally isolated modes at 0D point defects. Interestingly, the 1D phase boundaries allow access to the valley degree of freedom through a magnonic analog of the quantum valley Hall insulator. These approaches can be extended to other magnonic systems, but are potentially more general due to the simplicity of the model, which resembles existing results from electron, phonon, photon, and cold-atom systems. This finding brings the physics of spin waves in 2D materials to more experimentally accessible scales, augments it, and outlines a few principles for controlling magnonic states.

Ferrimagnets↗

Orbital Inverse Faraday and Cotton-Mouton Effects in Hall Fluids

We report two light-induced orbital magnetization effects in quantum Hall (QH) fluids, stemming from their transverse response. The first is a purely transverse contribution to the inverse Faraday effect (IFE), where circularly polarized light induces a dc magnetization by stirring the charged fluid. This contribution dominates the IFE in the QH regime. The second is the orbital inverse Cotton-Mouton effect (ICME), in which linearly polarized light generates a dc magnetization. Since the applied field in the ICME does not break time-reversal symmetry, the induced magnetization directly probes the chiral orbital response of the fluid at the driving frequency. We estimate that the resulting magnetization lies in the range of 0.5–10 Bohr magnetons per charge carrier in materials such as graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in the QH regime. Finally, we show that the induced magnetization is accompanied by a local correction to the static particle density, enabling optical quantum printing of density profiles into the QH fluid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Condensed matter research at the modernized IBR-2 reactor: from functional materials to nanobiotechnologies

An overview of the main scientific areas of condensed matter research, which are extended with the use of the IBR-2 high-flux research reactor, is presented. It is demonstrated that the spectrometer facility of the upgraded reactor has great potential for studying the structural, magnetic, and dynamical properties of novel functional materials and nanobiosystems, which ensures the leading position of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in neutron research of condensed matter for the long-term prospect.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Phase Transition in Cylindrical Ising Nanowires and Nanotubes: Approximation of the Molecular Field Theory

Within the approximation of the molecular field theory, the critical behavior of cylindrical Ising nanowires and nanotubes is studied. The model considered in this work consists of ferromagnetic spins S{sub c} situated in the core of the system and ferromagnetic spins S{sub s} situated on the surface wall; they are interconnected by the exchange coupling J{sub 1}. The transition temperature T{sub c} for such systems has been calculated as a function of exchange interaction parameters. The influence of the surface exchange interaction and surface coupling on the magnetodynamic behavior of the system have been studied. Some characteristic properties obtained on the phase diagram are related to the ratio of characteristic physical parameters on the surface and core of the abovementioned nanostructures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Plasma Science and Innovation Center at Washington, Wisconsin, and Utah State: Final Scientific Report for the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison component of the Plasma Science and Innovation Center (PSI Center) contributed to modeling capabilities and algorithmic efficiency of the Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics with Rotation (NIMROD) Code, which is widely used to model macroscopic dynamics of magnetically confined plasma. It also contributed to the understanding of direct-current (DC) injection of electrical current for initiating and sustaining plasma in three spherical torus experiments: the Helicity Injected Torus-II (HIT-II), the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment, and the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The effort was funded through the PSI Center's cooperative agreement with the University of Washington and Utah State University over the period of March 1, 2005 - August 31, 2016. In addition to the computational and physics accomplishments, the Wisconsin effort contributed to the professional education of four graduate students and two postdoctoral research associates. The modeling for HIT-II and Pegasus was directly supported by the cooperative agreement, and contributions to the NSTX modeling were in support of work by Dr. Bickford Hooper, who was funded through a separate grant. Our primary contribution to model development is the implementation of detailed closure relations for collisional plasma. Postdoctoral associate Adam Bayliss implemented the temperature-dependent effects of Braginskii's parallel collisional ion viscosity. As a graduate student, John O'Bryan added runtime options for Braginskii's models and Ji's K2 models of thermal conduction with magnetization effects and thermal equilibration. As a postdoctoral associate, O'Bryan added the magnetization effects for ion viscosity. Another area of model development completed through the PSI-Center is the implementation of Chodura's phenomenological resistivity model. Finally, we investigated and tested linear electron parallel viscosity, leveraged by support from the Center for Extended Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling (CEMM). Work on algorithmic efficiency improved NIMROD's element-based computations. We reordered arrays and eliminated a level of looping for computations over the data points that are used for numerical integration over elements. Moreover, the reordering allows fewer and larger communication calls when using distributed-memory parallel computation, thereby avoiding a data starvation problem that limited parallel scaling over NIMROD's Fourier components for the periodic coordinate. Together with improved parallel preconditioning, work that was supported by CEMM, these developments allowed NIMROD's first scaling to over 10,000 processor cores. Another algorithm improvement supported by the PSI Center is nonlinear numerical diffusivities for implicit advection. We also developed the Stitch code to enhance the flexibility of NIMROD's preprocessing. Our simulations of HIT-II considered conditions with and without fluctuation-induced amplification of poloidal flux, but our validation efforts focused on conditions without amplification. A significant finding is that NIMROD reproduces the dependence of net plasma current as the imposed poloidal flux is varied. The modeling of Pegasus startup from localized DC injectors predicted that development of a tokamak-like configuration occurs through a sequence of current-filament merger events. Comparison of experimentally measured and numerically computed cross-power spectra enhance confidence in NIMROD's simulation of magnetic fluctuations; however, energy confinement remains an open area for further research. Our contributions to the NSTX study include adaptation of the helicity-injection boundary conditions from the HIT-II simulations and support for linear analysis and computation of 3D current-driven instabilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Center for Extended Magnetohydrodynamics Modeling

This researcher participated in the DOE-funded Center for Extended Magnetohydrodynamics Modeling (CEMM), a multi-institutional collaboration led by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory with Dr. Stephen Jardin as the overall Principal Investigator. This project developed advanced simulation tools to study the non-linear macroscopic dynamics of magnetically confined plasmas. The collaborative effort focused on the development of two large numerical simulation codes, M3D-C1 and NIMROD, and their application to a wide variety of problems. Dr. Ramos was responsible for theoretical aspects of the project, deriving consistent sets of model equations applicable to weakly collisional plasmas and devising test problems for verification of the numerical codes. This activity was funded for twelve years.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Interrelationship between Lab, Space, Astrophysical, Magnetic Fusion, and Inertial Fusion Plasma Experiments (Graduate support for DIII-D Frontier Science Experiments)

The project, to explore the use of the DIII-D facility to investigate questions of value to discovery plasma science and provide a deepened scientific understanding behind basic plasma processes that are outside of the fusion-energy-science research line, began in September 2016 when five discovery-plasma physicists were contacted by General Atomics to form a Frontier Science Experiments (FSE) panel for brainstorming and for implementing the FSE campaign at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. After advertising the FSE opportunity at the annual plasma physics conference, the panel grew to include six others. By January 2017, the panel for reviewing and ranking proposals was established. Evaluation of FY2017 proposals took place in February 2017. Evaluation of FY2018 proposals took place in January 2018. This proposal began 15 August 2017 and funded two research assistantships for three students who interacted, gained expertise in experimental and computational physics, and shared responsibilities on the following projects within the DIII-D (non-fusion) Frontier Science Experiments (FSE) campaign: (1) "Impact of Magnetic Perturbations on Turbulence - Zonal Flow Interactions and Saturation", (2) "Nonlinear Processes during Toroidal Alfvén Mode-Mode Interaction", (3) "Self-Consistent Chaos in Magnetic Field Dynamics", (4) “Nonmodal Decomposition of Turbulence”, and (5) “Multi-harmonic EMIC Emission -- Species mix and distribution function dependence of instabilities near the ion-cyclotron frequency”. The outcome was a fraction of one doctoral dissertation and the entirety of one master of science thesis. The work took advantage of the unique capabilities of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility to serve as the first phase of the Frontier Science Experiment (FSE) campaign, an innovative concept aiming to advance fundamental understanding in 3 key general plasma science areas - particle acceleration and energetic particles in plasmas, turbulence and transport in plasmas, and nonlinear waves and processes – all at discovery’s cutting edge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas (Final Technical Report)

This document details the work accomplished during the period 04/15/2012-01/31/2020 for the collaborative project “Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas,” and serves as the final report on the University of California, San Diego part of this collaborative project for Department of Energy Office of Science - Fusion Energy Sciences Grant No. DE- SC0007783. This project focused on the development of analytic and computational tools, seeking to better understand the mutual interactions between small-scale temperature-gradient driven microturbulence and macroscopic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities, particularly tearing modes, in magnetically confined plasmas relevant for the generation of fusion energy. This project advanced understanding through numerical simulations of different sets of model equations, corresponding to different microturbulence instabilities. Questions addressed included how the magnitudes, spatial structures, and scaling's of turbulent forcing's and drags impact magnetic island dynamics, as well as quantifying the “region of influence” of an island on the microturbulence dynamics. A key finding of the project is that the microturbulence fluctuations and associated cross-field particle and energy fluxes exhibit spatial asymmetries for sufficiently large islands. The results have improved our fundamental understanding of plasma dynamics, motivated new experimental investigations, and will help inform future fusion predictive modeling efforts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Uranium Carbide and Uranium-Metal Thermal Scattering Law Evaluations and Cross Sections [Slides]

New Uranium Carbide and Uranium Metal evaluations have been developed using the FLASSH platform. Ab initio LD/MD models converged electronic, magnetic, and dynamical properties and demonstrate good agreement with experimental data. Thermal scattering cross sections generate inelastic and elastic thermal neutron scattering libraries in FLASSH . New TSL evaluations occurred in the production of ENDF File 7 data for Uranium Carbide and Uranium Metal submitted to NNDC for ENDF/B-VIII.1 release.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Global 3D Simulations of the Tokamak Edge Region

The goal of this project is to better understand magnetized plasma dynamics at the edge region of the tokamak, including both closed-flux-surface region and the scrape-off-layer (SOL), through analytical analysis and advanced numerical simulations. Under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, the PI, along with students and collaborators have made a significant progress. These results were disseminated by 13 peer-reviewed article and many presentations and posters in domestic and international conferences.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗