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At least 955 records · Page 53

ComDMFT v.2.0: Fully self-consistent ab initio GW+EDMFT for the electronic structure of correlated quantum materials

ComDMFT is a parallel computational package designed to study the electronic structure of correlated quantum materials from first principles. Our approach is based on the combination of first-principles methods and dynamical mean field theories. In version 2.0, we implemented fully-diagrammatic GW+EDMFT from first-principles self-consistently. In this approach, correlated electrons are treated within full GW+EDMFT and the rest are treated within full-GW, seamlessly. Further, this implementation enables the electronic structure calculation of quantum materials with weak, intermediate, and strong electron correlation without prior knowledge of the degree of electron correlation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Coaxial nanocable composed by imogolite and carbon nanotubes

The discovery and development of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) at the beginning of the 1990s has driven a major part of solid state research. The electronic properties of the CNTs have generated a large number of ideas, as building coaxial nanocables. In this work we propose a possible type of such nanocables, which is formed by three nanostructures: two conducting CNTs, where one of them is covered by an insulator (an inorganic oxide nanotube: the imogolite aluminosilicate). The theoretical calculations were carried out using the density functional tight-binding formalism, by means of the DFTB+ code. This formalism allows to calculate the band structure, which compares favorably with DFT calculations, but with a significantly lower computational cost. As a first step, we reproduce the calculations of already published results, where the formation of a nanocable composed by one CNT and the imogolite as an insulator. Afterwards, we simulate the band structure for the proposed structure to study the feasibility of the coaxial nanocable. Finally, using classical MD simulations, we study the possible mechanisms of formation of these nanocables.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Refinement of the experimental dynamic structure factor for liquid para-hydrogen and ortho-deuterium using semi-classical quantum simulation

The dynamic structure factor of liquid para-hydrogen and ortho-deuterium in corresponding thermodynamic states (T = 20.0 K, n = 21.24 nm{sup −3}) and (T = 23.0 K, n = 24.61 nm{sup −3}), respectively, has been computed by both the Feynman-Kleinert linearized path-integral (FK-LPI) and Ring-Polymer Molecular Dynamics (RPMD) methods and compared with Inelastic X Ray Scattering spectra. The combined use of computational and experimental methods enabled us to reduce experimental uncertainties in the determination of the true sample spectrum. Furthermore, the refined experimental spectrum of para-hydrogen and ortho-deuterium is consistently reproduced by both FK-LPI and RPMD results at momentum transfers lower than 12.8 nm{sup −1}. At larger momentum transfers the FK-LPI results agree with experiment much better for ortho-deuterium than for para-hydrogen. More specifically we found that for k ∼ 20.0 nm{sup −1} para-hydrogen provides a test case for improved approximations to quantum dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Atomic-scale interface engineering of Majorana edge modes in a 2D magnet-superconductor hybrid system

Topological superconductors are predicted to harbor exotic boundary states—Majorana zero-energy modes—whose non-Abelian braiding statistics present a new paradigm for the realization of topological quantum computing. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy, here, we report on the direct real-space visualization of chiral Majorana edge states in a monolayer topological superconductor, a prototypical magnet-superconductor hybrid system composed of nanoscale Fe islands of monoatomic height on a Re(0001)-O(2 × 1) surface. In particular, we demonstrate that interface engineering by an atomically thin oxide layer is crucial for driving the hybrid system into a topologically nontrivial state as confirmed by theoretical calculations of the topological invariant, the Chern number.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Asymmetric Fraunhofer spectra in a topological insulator-based Josephson junction

Josephson junctions with topological insulators as their weak link (S–TI–S junctions) are predicted to host Majorana fermions, which are key to creating qubits for topologically protected quantum computing. But the details of the S–TI–S current-phase relation and its interplay with magnetic fields are not well understood. We fabricate a Bi 2 Se 3 junction with NbTi leads and measure the Fraunhofer patterns of the junction with applied in-plane fields. We observe that asymmetric Fraunhofer patterns appear in the resistance maps of B z vs B x,y , with aperiodic node spacings. These asymmetric patterns appear even at zero parallel field and for temperatures up to 1 K. The anomalous features are compared to asymmetric Fraunhofer patterns expected for finite Cooper pair momentum shifts as well as geometric effects. We show that the geometric effects can dominate, independent of in-plane field magnitude. Furthermore, these results are important for differentiating geometrical phase shifts from those caused by Cooper pair momentum shifting, Majorana mode signatures, or other unconventional superconducting behavior.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Estimates of Quantum Tunneling Effects for Hydrogen Diffusion in PuO 2

We detail the estimation of activation energies and quantum nuclear vibrational tunneling effects for hydrogen diffusion in PuO 2 based on Density Functional Theory calculations and a quantum double well approximation. We find that results are relatively insensitive to choice of exchange correlation functional. In addition, the representation of spin in the system and use of an extended Hubbard U correction has only a small effect on hydrogen point defect formation energies when the PuO 2 lattice is held fixed at the experimental density. We then compute approximate activation energies for transitions between hydrogen interstitial sites seeded by a semi-empirical quantum model and determine the quantum tunneling enhancement relative to classical kinetic rates. Our model indicates that diffusion rates in H/PuO 2 systems could be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude at ambient conditions and that these effects persist at high temperature. The method we propose here can be used as a fast screening tool for assessing possible quantum nuclear vibrational effects in any number of condensed phase materials and surfaces, where hydrogen hopping tends to follow well defined minimum energy pathways.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A substitutional quantum defect in WS2 discovered by high-throughput computational screening and fabricated by site-selective STM manipulation

Abstract Point defects in two-dimensional materials are of key interest for quantum information science. However, the parameter space of possible defects is immense, making the identification of high-performance quantum defects very challenging. Here, we perform high-throughput (HT) first-principles computational screening to search for promising quantum defects within WS 2 , which present localized levels in the band gap that can lead to bright optical transitions in the visible or telecom regime. Our computed database spans more than 700 charged defects formed through substitution on the tungsten or sulfur site. We found that sulfur substitutions enable the most promising quantum defects. We computationally identify the neutral cobalt substitution to sulfur ( $${\rm{Co}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{S}}}}}}}}}^{0}$$ Co S 0 ) and fabricate it with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The $${\rm{Co}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{S}}}}}}}}}^{0}$$ Co S 0 electronic structure measured by STM agrees with first principles and showcases an attractive quantum defect. Our work shows how HT computational screening and nanoscale synthesis routes can be combined to design promising quantum defects.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A single-site multipole model for liquid water

Accurate and efficient empirical potential energy models that describe the atomistic interactions between water molecules in the liquid phase are essential for computer simulations of many problems in physics, chemistry, and biology, especially when long length or time scales are important. However, while models with non-polarizable partial charges at four or five sites in a water molecule give remarkably good values for certain properties, deficiencies have been noted in other properties and increasing the number of sites decreases computational efficiency. An alternate approach is to utilize a multipole expansion of the electrostatic potential due to the molecular charge distribution, which is exact outside the charge distribution in the limits of infinite distances or infinite orders of multipoles while partial charges are a qualitative representation of electron density as point charges. Here, a single-site multipole model of water is presented, which is as fast computationally as three-site models but is also more accurate than four- and five-site models. The dipole, quadrupole, and octupole moments are from quantum mechanical–molecular mechanical calculations so that they account for the average polarization in the liquid phase, and represent both the in-plane and out-of-plane electrostatic potentials of a water molecule in the liquid phase. This model gives accurate thermodynamic, dynamic, and dielectric properties at 298 K and 1 atm, as well as good temperature and pressure dependence of these properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hamiltonian symmetries in auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo calculations for electronic structure

Here, we describe how to incorporate symmetries of the Hamiltonian into auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) calculations. Focusing on the case of Abelian symmetries, we show that the computational cost of most steps of an AFQMC calculation is reduced by $N^{–1}_k$ , where $N_k$ is the number of irreducible representations of the symmetry group. We apply the formalism to a molecular system as well as to several crystalline solids. In the latter case, the lattice translational group provides increasing savings as the number of k points is increased, which is important in enabling calculations that approach the thermodynamic limit. The extension to non-Abelian symmetries is briefly discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Nb SRF cavities applied to searches for beyond the standard model physics

The SRF technology developed for accelerators can be successfully applied to new applications, including quantum computing, dark matter searches and beyond the standard model physics. The ultra-high quality factor of SRF cavities can al-low to achieve unprecedented sensitivity in fields outside of the usual accelerator applications, for examples fundamental and beyond the standard model physics. Applications of SRF cavities for gravitational waves searches are also being investigated. The SQMS Physics and Sensing thrust is working on this effort as it strives to combine SRF cavities with QIS, with a focus on BSM and fundamental physics. Using Nb SRF cavities, we run a proof of principle search for the dark photon dark matter candidate at fixed frequency demonstrating the deepest sensitivity to wavelike dark mater [1]. The Dark SRF experiment uses two 1.3GHz SRF cavities to conduct a light shining through wall (LSW) experiment to attempt producing and detecting dark photons in the laboratory. The results of this first superconducting LSW search were recently published [2] and we are now working on the second phase of the experiment, which will be run in a dilution refrigerator using 2.6GHz SRF cavities. In addition to the limits we have achieved, we will also present the experiments we are currently developing, such as the heterodyne axion DM search [3, 4], the SERAPH series of experiments, and gravitational waves searches based on SRF cavities as proposed in [5-8].

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Hopkins-Skellam index and origin of spatial regularity in InAs quantum dot formation on GaAs(001)

We investigate the origin of the spatial regularity of arrays of InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on GaAs(001). The Hopkins-Skellam index (HSI) is used with a newly developed calculation algorithm to quantify the spatial regularity both of QDs and of nm-sized surface reconstruction territories (SRTs) present in the In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}As wetting layer prior to QD nucleation. The SRT is the minimum extent of a surface reconstruction region needed for one QD to nucleate. By computing the evolving HSI of SRTs from sequences of in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy images during growth, we find that the spatial regularity of QDs is traced back to that of the (n × 3) SRTs as early as 0.6 monolayers of InAs coverage. This regularity is disturbed by the (n × 4) SRTs which appear at higher coverage. The SRT approach is discussed in comparison to conventional capture zone theories of surface growth.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Robust resonator-assisted ZZ cancellation in superconducting quantum processors

Strong qubit interactions are essential for faster two-qubit gates, but they often come with undesirable ZZ interactions that limit gate fidelity. Existing methods to mitigate these interactions, such as flux-tunable couplers, can introduce additional noise and complexity. In contrast, our work presents a simpler, more robust approach using a driven resonator to cancel the static ZZ interaction between qubits [1]. The experiment was performed on a revised 9-qubit quantum processing unit from Rigetti, developed in collaboration with SQMS scientists. We validate the resonator-induced-phase (RIP) interaction, where an off-resonant drive on the resonator dynamically cancels ZZ coupling. This marks an important step toward high gate fidelities. We also explore the entangling gates enabled by this coupling scheme, focusing on minimizing gate duration and qubit decoherence while maintaining effective ZZ cancellation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Sandia Academic Alliance Program Collaboration Report: 2020-2021 Accomplishments

University partnerships play an essential role in sustaining Sandia’s vitality as a national laboratory. The SAA is an element of Sandia’s broader University Partnerships program, which facilitates recruiting and research collaborations with dozens of universities annually. The SAA program has two three-year goals. SAA aims to realize a step increase in hiring results, by growing the total annual inexperienced hires from each out-of-state SAA university. SAA also strives to establish and sustain strategic research partnerships by establishing several federally sponsored collaborations and multi-institutional consortiums in science & technology (S&T) priorities such as autonomy, advanced computing, hypersonics, quantum information science, and data science. The SAA program facilitates access to talent, ideas, and Research & Development facilities through strong university partnerships. Earlier this year, the SAA program and campus executives hosted John Myers, Sandia’s former Senior Director of Human Resources (HR) and Communications, and senior-level staff at Georgia Tech, U of Illinois, Purdue, UNM, and UT Austin. These campus visits provided an opportunity to share the history of the partnerships from the university leadership, tours of research facilities, and discussions of ongoing technical work and potential recruiting opportunities. These visits also provided valuable feedback to HR management that will help Sandia realize a step increase in hiring from SAA schools. The 2020-2021 Collaboration Report is a compilation of accomplishments in 2020 and 2021 from SAA and Sandia’s valued SAA university partners.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

The anatomy of the minority carrier - atomic cluster interaction in semiconductors

This project was to use light ion beam induced charge (IBIC) to detect damage cascades generated by a single heavy ion, and thereby reveal details of the shape of the cascade and the physics of recombination of carriers that interact with the cluster. Further IBIC measurements using the hardware and software of this project will improve the accuracy of theoretical models used to predict electrical degradation in devices exposed to radiation environments. In addition, future use of light ion IBIC detection of single ion-induced damage could be used to locate single ion implantation sites in quantum computing applications. This project used Sandia's Pelletron and nanoImplanter (nI) to produce heavy ion-induced collision cascades in p-n diodes, simulating cascades made by primary knock-on atoms recoiled by neutrons. Si and Li beams from the nI were used to perform highly focused scans generating IBIC signal maps where regions of lower charge collection efficiency were observed without incurring further damage. The very first use of ion channeled beams for IBIC was explored to maximize ionization, improve contrast and provide very straight line trajectories to improve lateral resolution.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Simulating topological quantum gates in two-dimensional magnet-superconductor hybrid structures

The creation of topological quantum gates using Majorana zero modes—an outstanding problem in the field of topological quantum computing—relies on our ability to control the braiding process in time and space. Here, we propose two-dimensional magnet-superconductor hybrid structures as a new platformfor the successful implementation of topologically protected √σ z -, σ z - and σ x -quantum gates using Majorana zero modes. Employing a novel theoretical formalism to compute the full timedependent many-body wave-function and utilizing a braiding protocol motivated by recent advances in electron-spin-resonance techniques we simulate quantum gates in 2D systems up to 600 sites, on timescales from a few femto- to nanoseconds. We demonstrate that the braiding process can be visualized in time and space by computing the non-equilibrium local density of states, which is proportional to the time-dependent differential conductance measured in scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments, allowing us to directly image Majorana world lines.

Superconducting properties and materials↗

HTESP (High-throughput electronic structure package): A package for high-throughput ab initio calculations

High-throughput ab initio calculations are the indispensable parts of data-driven discovery of new materials with desirable properties, as reflected in the establishment of several online material databases. The accumulation of extensive theoretical data through computations enables data-driven discovery by constructing machine learning and artificial intelligence models to predict novel compounds and forecast their properties. Efficient usage and extraction of data from these existing online material databases can accelerate the next stage materials discovery that targets different and more advanced properties, such as electron–phonon coupling for phonon-mediated superconductivity. However, extracting data from these databases, generating tailored input files for different ab initio calculations, performing such calculations, and analyzing new results can be demanding tasks. Here, in this work, we introduce a software package named “HTESP” (High-Throughput Electronic Structure Package) written in Python and Bash languages, which automates the entire workflow including data extraction, input file generation, calculation submission, result collection and plotting. Our HTESP will help speed up future computational materials discovery processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multireference symmetry-projected variational approximation for the ground state of the doped one-dimensional Hubbard model

The few determinant (FED) approximation introduced in our previous work [Phys. Rev. B 87, 235129 (2013)] is used to describe the ground state, characterized by well-defined spin and space group symmetry quantum numbers as well as doping fractions $N_e/N_{\text{sites}}$, of one-dimensional Hubbard lattices with nearest-neighbor hopping and periodic boundary conditions. Within this multireference scheme, each ground state is expanded in a given number of nonorthogonal and variationally determined symmetry-projected configurations. The results obtained for the ground-state and correlation energies of half-filled and doped lattices with 30, 34, and 50 sites compare well with the exact Lieb-Wu solutions as well as with those obtained with other state-of-the-art approximations. The structure of the intrinsic symmetry-broken determinants resulting from the variational procedure is interpreted in terms of solitons whose translational and breathing motions can be regarded as basic units of quantum fluctuations. It is also shown that in the case of doped one-dimensional lattices, a part of such fluctuations can also be interpreted in terms of polarons. In addition to momentum distributions, both spin-spin and density-density correlation functions are studied as functions of doping. Further, the spectral functions and density of states, computed with an ansatz whose quality can be well controlled by the number of symmetry-projected configurations used to approximate the $N_e$ ± 1 electron systems, display features beyond a simple quasiparticle distribution, as well as spin-charge separation trends.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

First-principles real-space study of electronic and optical excitations in rutile TiO 2 nanocrystals

We model rutile titanium dioxide nanocrystals (NCs) up to ~1.5 nm in size to study the effects of quantum confinement on their electronic and optical properties. Ionization potentials (IPs) and electron affinities (EAs) are obtained via the perturbative GW approximation (G 0 W 0 ) and ΔSCF method for NCs up to 24 and 64 TiO 2 formula units, respectively. These demanding GW computations are made feasible by using a real-space framework that exploits quantum confinement to reduce the number of empty states needed in GW summations. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is used to predict the optical properties of NCs up to 64 TiO 2 units. For a NC containing only 2 TiO 2 units, the offsets of the IP and the EA from the corresponding bulk limits are of similar magnitude. However, as NC size increases, the EA is found to converge more slowly to the bulk limit than the IP. The EA values computed at the G 0 W 0 and ΔSCF levels of theory are found to agree fairly well with each other, while the IPs computed with ΔSCF are consistently smaller than those computed with G 0 W 0 by a roughly constant amount. TDDFT optical gaps exhibit weaker size dependence than GW quasiparticle gaps, and result in exciton binding energies on the order of eV. Finally, altering the dimensions of a fixed-size NC can change electronic and optical excitations up to several tenths of an eV. The largest NCs modeled are still quantum confined and do not yet have quasiparticle levels or optical gaps at bulk values. Nevertheless, we find that classical Mie-Gans theory can quite accurately reproduce the line shape of TDDFT absorption spectra, even for (anisotropic) TiO 2 NCs of subnanometer size.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗