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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 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Free energy and specific heat near a quantum critical point of a metal

We analyze the free energy and the specific heat for fermions interacting with a gapless boson at a quantum-critical point (QCP) in a metal. We use the Luttinger-Ward-Eliashberg formula for the free energy in the normal state, which includes contributions from bosons, fermions, and their interaction, all expressed via fully dressed fermionic and bosonic propagators. The sum of the last two contributions is the free energy F γ of an effective low-energy model of fermions with boson-mediated dynamical 4-fermion interaction V(Ω m ) ∝ 1/|Ω m | γ (the γ model). This purely electronic model has been used to analyze the interplay between non-Fermi liquid behavior and pairing near a QCP, which are both independent of the upper energy cutoff Λ. However, the specific heat C γ (T), obtained from F γ , does depend on Λ. We argue that this dependence is spurious and cancels out, once we include the contribution from bosons. We further argue that the full C(T) is the sum of the contribution from free fermions and the one from a critical boson, with the fully dressed propagator, other terms cancel out. We compare the full C(T) with the C γ (T), obtained using recently proposed regularization of F γ . We argue that for γ < 1, the full C(T) and the regularized C γ (T) differ by a γ-dependent prefactor, while for γ > 1, the full C(T) and C γ (T) differ by the positive contribution from free massless fermions (a positive constant for the electron-phonon case γ = 2). For these γ, C γ (T) is negative, but the full C(T) is positive. We argue that only the full C(T) matters as the positive and the negative contributions originate from the term in C(T) which contains the fully dressed bosonic propagator. Here, we then argue that the normal state remains stable until the pairing instability develops.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Emergence of the Chern Supermetal and Pair-Density Wave through Higher-Order Van Hove Singularities in the Haldane-Hubbard Model

While advances in electronic band theory have brought to light new topological systems, understanding the interplay of band topology and electronic interactions remains a frontier question. In this work, we predict new interacting electronic orders emerging near higher-order Van Hove singularities present in the Chern bands of the Haldane model. We classify the nature of such singularities and employ unbiased renormalization group methods that unveil a complex landscape of electronic orders, which include ferromagnetism, density waves, and superconductivity. Importantly, we show that repulsive interactions can stabilize the long-sought pair-density-wave state and an exotic Chern supermetal, which is a new class of non-Fermi liquid with anomalous quantum Hall response. Further, this framework opens a new path to explore unconventional electronic phases in two-dimensional chiral bands through the interplay of band topology and higher-order Van Hove singularities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hadronic gamma-ray and neutrino emission from Cygnus X-3

Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) is a remarkable Galactic microquasar (X-ray binary) emitting from radio to γ-ray energies. In this paper, we consider the hadronic model of emission of γ-rays above 100 MeV and their implications. We focus on the joint γ-ray and neutrino production resulting from proton-proton interactions within the binary system. We find that the required proton injection kinetic power, necessary to explain the γ-ray flux observed by AGILE and Fermi-LAT, is L{sub p} ∼ 10{sup 38} erg s{sup –1}, a value in agreement with the average bolometric luminosity of the hypersoft state (when Cyg X-3 was repeatedly observed to produce transient γ-ray activity). If we assume an increase of the wind density at the superior conjunction, the asymmetric production of γ-rays along the orbit can reproduce the observed modulation. According to observational constraints and our modeling, a maximal flux of high-energy neutrinos would be produced for an initial proton distribution with a power-law index α = 2.4. The predicted neutrino flux is almost two orders of magnitude less than the two-month IceCube sensitivity at ∼1 TeV. If the protons are accelerated up to PeV energies, the predicted neutrino flux for a prolonged 'soft X-ray state' would be a factor of about three lower than the one-year IceCube sensitivity at ∼10 TeV. This study shows that, for a prolonged soft state (as observed in 2006) possibly related to γ-ray activity and a hard distribution of injected protons, Cyg X-3 might be close to being detectable by cubic-kilometer neutrino telescopes such as IceCube.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Relativistic Feynman-Metropolis-Teller theory for white dwarfs in general relativity

The recent formulation of the relativistic Thomas-Fermi model within the Feynman-Metropolis-Teller theory for compressed atoms is applied to the study of general relativistic white dwarf equilibrium configurations. The equation of state, which takes into account the {beta}-equilibrium, the nuclear and the Coulomb interactions between the nuclei and the surrounding electrons, is obtained as a function of the compression by considering each atom constrained in a Wigner-Seitz cell. The contribution of quantum statistics, weak, nuclear, and electromagnetic interactions is obtained by the determination of the chemical potential of the Wigner-Seitz cell. The further contribution of the general relativistic equilibrium of white dwarf matter is expressed by the simple formula {radical}(g{sub 00}){mu}{sub ws}=constant, which links the chemical potential of the Wigner-Seitz cell {mu}{sub ws} with the general relativistic gravitational potential g{sub 00} at each point of the configuration. The configuration outside each Wigner-Seitz cell is strictly neutral and therefore no global electric field is necessary to warranty the equilibrium of the white dwarf. These equations modify the ones used by Chandrasekhar by taking into due account the Coulomb interaction between the nuclei and the electrons as well as inverse {beta} decay. They also generalize the work of Salpeter by considering a unified self-consistent approach to the Coulomb interaction in each Wigner-Seitz cell. The consequences on the numerical value of the Chandrasekhar-Landau mass limit as well as on the mass-radius relation of {sup 4}He, {sup 12}C, {sup 16}O and {sup 56}Fe white dwarfs are presented. All these effects should be taken into account in processes requiring a precision knowledge of the white dwarf parameters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development of GPU-based Monte Carlo code for fast CT imaging dose calculation on CUDA Fermi architecture

This paper describes the development of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) accelerated Monte Carlo photon transport code, ARCHER{sub GPU}, to perform CT imaging dose calculations with good accuracy and performance. The code simulates interactions of photons with heterogeneous materials. It contains a detailed CT scanner model and a family of patient phantoms. Several techniques are used to optimize the code for the GPU architecture. In the accuracy and performance test, a 142 kg adult male phantom was selected, and the CT scan protocol involved a whole-body axial scan, 20-mm x-ray beam collimation, 120 kVp and a pitch of 1. A total of 9 x 108 photons were simulated and the absorbed doses to 28 radiosensitive organs/tissues were calculated. The average percentage difference of the results obtained by the general-purpose production code MCNPX and ARCHER{sub GPU} was found to be less than 0.38%, indicating an excellent agreement. The total computation time was found to be 8,689, 139 and 56 minutes for MCNPX, ARCHER{sub CPU} (6-core) and ARCHER{sub GPU}, respectively, indicating a decent speedup. Under a recent grant funding from the NIH, the project aims at developing a Monte Carlo code with the capability of sub-minute CT organ dose calculations. (authors)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron-electron interaction and spin-orbit coupling in InAs/AlSb heterostructures with a two-dimensional electron gas

The effect of electron-electron interaction on the spectrum of two-dimensional electron states in InAs/AlSb (001) heterostructures with a GaSb cap layer with one filled size-quantization subband. The energy spectrum of two-dimensional electrons is calculated in the Hartree and Hartree-Fock approximations. It is shown that the exchange interaction decreasing the electron energy in subbands increases the energy gap between subbands and the spin-orbit splitting of the spectrum in the entire region of electron concentrations, at which only the lower size-quantization band is filled. The nonlinear dependence of the Rashba splitting constant at the Fermi wave vector on the concentration of two-dimensional electrons is demonstrated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Published Tunneling Results of Binnig et al Interpreted as Related to Surface Superconductivity in SrTiO{sub 3}

In 1980, Binnig et al. reported tunneling measurements on Nb-doped SrTiO{sub 3}, and interpreted their results as indicating two-band superconductivity in the bulk of SrTiO{sub 3}. However, (1) effective masses determined from tunneling results in the normal state by Sroubek in 1969 and 1970 are much smaller than those determined by most other methods. The much smaller masses were attributed to properties of a surface layer by the present author in 1971. (2) The only other reports of two-band superconductivity in bulk SrTiO{sub 3} can be used to infer much smaller values for the band separations than found by Binnig et al. In this paper, we give an alternative explanation of the results of Binnig et al. in terms of superconductivity in a surface layer. We obtain fair fits to the band gaps versus Fermi energy for the two bands in the three samples where two surface subbands are occupied and to the temperature dependence of the gaps in one crystal, using a model with three adjustable interaction parameters, an adjustable energy for the phonons which dominate the pairing, and an adjustable ratio of the mean-field T{sub c} to the actual T{sub c}. We show results for a combined fit to the low-temperature band gaps and to the T-dependence in one crystal. The phonon energy which gives the best fit is 21 meV. This is probably an appropriate average over the three longitudinal polar modes and acoustic modes in the material. A large value of about two is found for the ratio T{sub cmf}/T{sub c}, and we conjecture that this arises because a band with a small Fermi energy, not seen in the tunneling results, plays a part in increasing T{sub cmf}/T{sub c}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic pair creation transparency in gamma-ray pulsars

Magnetic pair creation, γ → e {sup +} e {sup –}, has been at the core of radio pulsar paradigms and central to polar cap models of gamma-ray pulsars for over three decades. The Fermi gamma-ray pulsar population now exceeds 140 sources and has defined an important part of Fermi's science legacy, providing rich information for the interpretation of young energetic pulsars and old millisecond pulsars. Among the population characteristics well established is the common occurrence of exponential turnovers in their spectra in the 1-10 GeV range. These turnovers are too gradual to arise from magnetic pair creation in the strong magnetic fields of pulsar inner magnetospheres. By demanding insignificant photon attenuation precipitated by such single-photon pair creation, the energies of these turnovers for Fermi pulsars can be used to compute lower bounds for the typical altitude of GeV band emission. This paper explores such pair transparency constraints below the turnover energy and updates earlier altitude bound determinations that have been deployed in various Fermi pulsar papers. For low altitude emission locales, general relativistic influences are found to be important, increasing cumulative opacity, shortening the photon attenuation lengths, and also reducing the maximum energy that permits escape of photons from a neutron star magnetosphere. Rotational aberration influences are also explored, and are found to be small at low altitudes, except near the magnetic pole. The analysis presented in this paper clearly demonstrates that including near-threshold physics in the pair creation rate is essential to deriving accurate attenuation lengths and escape energies. The altitude bounds are typically in the range of 2-7 stellar radii for the young Fermi pulsar population, and provide key information on the emission altitude in radio quiet pulsars that do not possess double-peaked pulse profiles. The bound for the Crab pulsar is at a much higher altitude, with the putative detection by MAGIC out to 350-400 GeV implying a lower bound of 310 km to the emission region, i.e., approximately 20% of the light cylinder radius. These results are also extended to the super-critical field domain, where it is found that emission in neurton stars originating below around 10 stellar radii will not appear in the Fermi-LAT band.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-Differential Semi-Inclusive Charged-Current Muon Neutrino Cross Sections on Helium-4 in MINERvA and the Helium-to-CH Target Cross Section Ratio

A comprehensive international effort has been underway to elucidate the properties and behaviors of neutrinos. A major source of systematic uncertainties in studying neutrino-induced interactions comes from neutrino-nucleus cross-section models, highlighting the need for more precise statistical measurements. MINERvA, an on-axis neutrino-nucleus scattering experiment located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, was established to produce neutrino cross-section measurements with many different nuclei. The helium target is the lightest nucleus to be measured by MINERvA. Using the NuMI medium energy muon neutrino data set, we present preliminary results and summarize the extraction of the charged current (CC) muon neutrino - helium-4 semi-inclusive ($\nu_{\mu}$+$^{4}\textrm{He}$$\rightarrow$$\mu^{-}$+N$\pi$+M$\textit{p}$) multi-differential cross-section extraction as a function of transverse ($P_{T}$) and longitudinal ($P_{L}$) muon momentum with respect to the neutrino beamline. We define the final state topology as CC-N$\pi$M$\textit{p}$, with at least two reconstructed tracks: a muon and a combination of N protons and M pions, where $N + M > 0$. To probe the dependence on the size of the nucleus in neutrino-induced interaction phenomena we present a differential cross-section ratio of helium-4 to MINERvA's hydrocarbon target (\textrm{CH}) as a function of transverse muon momentum.

Nguyen, Christian↗
DOE OSTI2016

Search for gamma-ray lines towards galaxy clusters with the Fermi-LAT

We report on a search for monochromatic γ-ray features in the spectra of galaxy clusters observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Galaxy clusters are the largest structures in the Universe that are bound by dark matter (DM), making them an important testing ground for possible selfinteractions or decays of the DM particles. Monochromatic γ-ray lines provide a unique signature due to the absence of astrophysical backgrounds and are as such considered a smoking-gun signature for new physics. An unbinned joint likelihood analysis of the sixteen most promising clusters using five years of data at energies between 10 and 400 GeV revealed no significant features. For the case of self-annihilation, we set upper limits on the monochromatic velocity-averaged interaction cross section. These limits are compatible with those obtained from observations of the Galactic Center, albeit weaker due to the larger distance to the studied clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Superconductivity out of a non-Fermi liquid: Free energy analysis

In this paper, we present an in-depth analysis of the condensation energy E c for a superconductor in a situation when superconductivity emerges out of a non-Fermi liquid due to pairing mediated by a massless boson. This is the case for electronic-mediated pairing near a quantum-critical point in metal, for pairing in SYK-type models, and for phonon-mediated pairing in the properly defined limit, when the dressed Debye frequency vanishes. We consider a subset of these quantum-critical models, in which the pairing in a channel with a proper spatial symmetry is described by an effective 0 + 1 dimensional model with the effective dynamical interaction V(Ω m ) = g¯ γ /|Ω m | γ , where γ is model-specific (the γ model). In previous papers, we argued that the pairing in the γ model is qualitatively different from that in a Fermi liquid, and the gap equation at T = 0 has an infinite number of topologically distinct solutions, Δ n (ω m ), where an integer n, running between 0 and infinity, is the number of zeros of Δ n (ω m ) on the positive Matsubara axis. This gives rise to the set of extrema of E c at E c,n , of which E c,0 is the global minimum. Here, the spectrum E c,n is discrete for a generic γ < 2 but becomes continuous at γ = 2–0. Here, we discuss in more detail the profile of the condensation energy near each E c,n and the transformation from a discrete to a continuous spectrum at γ → 2. We also discuss the free energy and the specific heat of the γ model in the normal state.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magneto-optical absorption in semiconducting spherical quantum dots: Influence of the dot-size, confining potential, and magnetic field

Semiconducting quantum dots – more fancifully dubbed artificial atoms – are quasi-zero dimensional, tiny, man-made systems with charge carriers completely confined in all three dimensions. The scientific quest behind the synthesis of quantum dots is to create and control future electronic and optical nanostructures engineered through tailoring size, shape, and composition. The complete confinement – or the lack of any degree of freedom for the electrons (and/or holes) – in quantum dots limits the exploration of spatially localized elementary excitations such as plasmons to direct rather than reciprocal space. Here we embark on a thorough investigation of the magneto-optical absorption in semiconducting spherical quantum dots characterized by a confining harmonic potential and an applied magnetic field in the symmetric gauge. This is done within the framework of Bohm-Pines’ random-phase approximation that enables us to derive and discuss the full Dyson equation that takes proper account of the Coulomb interactions. As an application of our theoretical strategy, we compute various single-particle and many-particle phenomena such as the Fock-Darwin spectrum; Fermi energy; magneto-optical transitions; probability distribution; and the magneto-optical absorption in the quantum dots. It is observed that the role of an applied magnetic field on the absorption spectrum is comparable to that of a confining potential. Increasing (decreasing) the strength of the magnetic field or the confining potential is found to be analogous to shrinking (expanding) the size of the quantum dots: resulting into a blue (red) shift in the absorption spectrum. The Fermi energy diminishes with both increasing magnetic-field and dot-size; and exhibits saw-tooth-like oscillations at large values of field or dot-size. Unlike laterally confined quantum dots, both (upper and lower) magneto-optical transitions survive even in the extreme instances. However, the intra-Landau level transitions are seen to be forbidden. The spherical quantum dots have an edge over the strictly two-dimensional quantum dots in that the additional (magnetic) quantum number makes the physics richer (but complex). A deeper grasp of the Coulomb blockade, quantum coherence, and entanglement can lead to a better insight into promising applications involving lasers, detectors, storage devices, and quantum computing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nematicity and superconductivity: Competition versus cooperation

Electronic nematic behavior has been identified and studied in iron-based superconductors for some time, particularly in the well-known BaFe 2 As 2 system, where it is well known to compete with superconductivity. On the other hand, it has been shown recently that FeSe displays a negligible effect of nematicity on superconductivity near the superconducting transition, and actual cooperation between the two orders when the system is doped with S. Recently it has also been proposed that LiFeAs undergoes a nematic transition in the superconducting state itself. Generally, we expect superconductivity to be anisotropic when it coexists with nematic order, but it is not clear under what circumstances the two orders compete or cooperate, nor how the anisotropy of the superconducting state correlates with that in the nematic state. To address this, we study a simple mean-field model of a d-wave Pomeranchuk instability together with a mixed s,d pairing interaction, and identify when nematicity is enhanced or suppressed by superconductivity. Here, we show that the competition or cooperation depends significantly on the distortion of the Fermi surface due to nematicity relative to the anisotropy of the superconducting gap function. Further, we discuss the implications of our results for FeSe and LiFeAs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Probing the Melting of a Two-Dimensional Quantum Wigner Crystal via its Screening Efficiency

One of the most fundamental and yet elusive collective phases of an interacting electron system is the quantum Wigner crystal (WC), an ordered array of electrons expected to form when the electrons’ Coulomb repulsion energy eclipses their kinetic (Fermi) energy. In low-disorder, two-dimensional (2D) electron systems, the quantum WC is known to be favored at very low temperatures ($T$) and small Landau level filling factors ($ν$), near the termination of the fractional quantum Hall states. This WC phase exhibits an insulating behavior, reflecting its pinning by the small but finite disorder potential. An experimental determination of a $T$ vs $ν$ phase diagram for the melting of the WC, however, has proved to be challenging. Here we use capacitance measurements to probe the 2D WC through its effective screening as a function of $T$ and $ν$. We find that, as expected, the screening efficiency of the pinned WC is very poor at very low $T$ and improves at higher $T$ once the WC melts. Surprisingly, however, rather than monotonically changing with increasing $T$, the screening efficiency shows a well-defined maximum at a $T$ that is close to the previously reported melting temperature of the WC. Our experimental results suggest a new method to map out a $T$ vs $ν$ phase diagram of the magnetic-field-induced WC precisely.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Valley-Tunable Even-Denominator Fractional Quantum Hall State in the Lowest Landau Level of an Anisotropic System

Fractional quantum Hall states (FQHSs) at even-denominator Landau level filling factors (v) are of prime interest as they are predicted to host exotic, topological states of matter. Here, we report here the observation of a FQHS at v = 1/2 in a two-dimensional electron system of exceptionally high quality, confined to a wide AlAs quantum well, where the electrons can occupy multiple conduction-band valleys with an anisotropic effective mass. The anisotropy and multivalley degree of freedom offer an unprecedented tunability of the v = 1/2 FQHS as we can control both the valley occupancy via the application of in-plane strain, and the ratio between the strengths of the short- and long-range Coulomb interaction by tilting the sample in the magnetic field to change the electron charge distribution. Thanks to this tunability, we observe phase transitions from a compressible Fermi liquid to an incompressible FQHS and then to an insulating phase as a function of tilt angle. We find that this evolution and the energy gap of the v = 1/2 FQHS depend strongly on valley occupancy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Beta-Delayed Neutron Emission of 𝑁=84 132Cd

Using the time-of-flight technique, we measured the beta-delayed neutron emission of 132 Cd . From our large-scale shell model (LSSM) calculation using the N3⁢LO interaction [, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 022501 (2023)], we suggest the decay is dominated by the transformation of a neutron in the 𝑔7/2 orbital, deep below the Fermi surface, into a proton in the 𝑔9/2 orbital. We compare the beta-decay half-lives and neutron branching ratios of nuclei with 𝑍<50 and 𝑁 ≥82 obtained with our LSSM with those of leading “global” models such as finite-range droplet model (FRDM). Our calculations match known half-lives and neutron branching ratios well and suggest that current leading models overestimate the yet-to-be-measured half-lives. Our model, backed by the 132 Cd decay data presented here, offers robust predictive power for nuclei of astrophysical interest such as 𝑟-process waiting points.

Madurga, M [Department of Physics and Astronomy, U↗
DOE OSTI2014

Alpha Transport in COG

The following outlines how alpha transport is currently implemented in COG. Alpha transport is handled as a two step process … Step 1: CSDA. Using data and coding borrowed from the AlfaMC code [1], a Continuous Slowing Down Approximation for alphas has been implemented in COG. Following the guide of the AlfaMC code, Gaussian or Landau distributed energy straggling is performed, and a simple Fermi small-angle multiple scattering model is adopted. Since for the energy range under consideration (~1 to 20 MeV), the mean free path for nuclear interactions (e.g., (alpha,neutron), (alpha,gamma), etc.) is very much greater than the range of the alpha, the CSDA approach alone is used to track the alpha. That is nuclear interactions are ignored in this step. Step 2: Nuclear interactions. A fraction (see below) of the CSDA steps are sampled for nuclear reactions – that is, for each step if a random number is less than the fraction, then nuclear reactions are included and any properly weighted secondaries are produced and followed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Spin-lattice relaxation and the calculation of gain, pump power, and noise temperature in ruby

The use of a quantitative analysis of the dominant source of relaxation in ruby spin systems to make predictions of key maser amplifier parameters is described. The spin-lattice Hamiltonian which describes the interaction of the electron spins with the thermal vibrations of the surrounding lattice is obtained from the literature. Taking into account the vibrational anisotropy of ruby, Fermi's rule is used to calculate the spin transition rates between the maser energy levels. The spin population rate equations are solved for the spin transition relaxation times, and a comparison with previous calculations is made. Predictions of ruby gain, inversion ratio, and noise temperature as a function of physical temperature are made for 8.4-GHz and 32-GHz maser pumping schemes. The theory predicts that ruby oriented at 90 deg will have approximately 50 percent higher gain in dB and slightly lower noise temperature than a 54.7-deg ruby at 32 GHz (assuming pump saturation). A specific calculation relating pump power to inversion ratio is given for a single channel of the 32-GHz reflected wave maser.

Lyons, J. R.↗