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At least 109 records · Page 6

Turbulence-level dependence of cosmic ray parallel diffusion

ABSTRACT Understanding the transport of energetic cosmic rays belongs to the most challenging topics in astrophysics. Diffusion due to scattering by electromagnetic fluctuations is a key process in cosmic ray transport. The transition from a ballistic to a diffusive-propagation regime is presented in direct numerical calculations of diffusion coefficients for homogeneous magnetic field lines subject to turbulent perturbations. Simulation results are compared with theoretical derivations of the parallel diffusion coefficient’s dependences on the energy and the fluctuation amplitudes in the limit of weak turbulence. The present study shows that the widely used extrapolation of the energy scaling for the parallel diffusion coefficient to high turbulence levels predicted by quasi-linear theory does not provide a universally accurate description in the resonant-scattering regime. It is highlighted here that the numerically calculated diffusion coefficients can be polluted for low energies due to missing resonant interaction possibilities of the particles with the turbulence. Five reduced-rigidity regimes are established, which are separated by analytical boundaries derived in this work. Consequently, a proper description of cosmic ray propagation can only be achieved by using a turbulence-level-dependent diffusion coefficient and can contribute to solving the Galactic cosmic ray gradient problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Photon scattering by a 4π -spherically-focused ultrastrong electromagnetic wave

The scattering of high-power probe laser pulses by tightly focused ultrastrong laser pulses has been investigated through a semiclassical approach using a perturbative method based on the Born approximation. Under a 4π-spherically-focused ultrastrong light field, the electric permittivity and magnetic permeability tensors for vacuum are calculated from the Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian to show the nonlinear birefringent property of vacuum. And, from permittivity and permeability tensors, the scattering potential is derived for the Born approximation. The first-order solution of the Born approximation is taken as an electric field scattered from the 4π-spherically-focused laser pulse when a probe laser pulse propagates through the focused laser field. The differential cross section of the nonlinear birefringent vacuum is derived, and the number of photons scattered from the nonlinear birefringent vacuum is analyzed in the laser power range of 10-1000 PW.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Excitation of Bloch Surface Waves in Zero-Admittance Multilayers for High-Sensitivity Sensor Applications

The growing need for classical as well as quantum optical sensing places increasingly stringent requirements upon the desired characteristics of the engendered fields. Specifically, achieving superior field enhancement plays a critical role in applications ranging from chem-bio sensing, Raman and infrared spectroscopies to ion trapping and qubit control in emerging quantum-information science. Due to their low optical losses and ability to exhibit resonant field enhancements, all dielectric multilayers are emerging as an optical material system not only useful to classical photonics and sensing but also of potential to be integrated with quantum materials and quantum sensing. The recently introduced concept of zero-admittance layers [1] within dielectric multilayer materials, enables the creation and control of resonant fields orders of magnitude larger than the exciting field. Here, invoking the zero-admittance concept, we design, fabricate, and characterize an all-dielectric nonabsorbing stack and demonstrate the engendered huge field enhancement. Describing the fields in terms of Bloch surface waves, we connect the surface field to the semiperiodicity in the dielectric domains of the stack. As a specific application of the resonant field, we propose and demonstrate refractive-index sensing for the detection of trace amounts of an analyte. The results include a quantification of the sensitivity of the device with respect to the profile of the exciting field. The experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with theoretical calculations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Longitudinal form Factors of A ≤ 10 Nuclei in a Chiral Effective Field Theory Approach

Here, in this work, we present the elastic electron scattering longitudinal form factors of A ≤ 10 nuclei computed in a variational Monte Carlo approach. We employ the Norfolk family of local chiral interactions and a consistent electromagnetic charge operator. Our calculations are compared both to data and past theoretical evaluations. This work represents, to our knowledge, the first accurate calculation of longitudinal form factors using manybody methods based on interacting nucleon degrees of freedom in the 7 ≤ A ≤ 10 mass range. Finally, we identify 9 Be and 10 B as candidate targets for renewed experimental interest, as they exhibit the potential to provide more stringent constraints on the theoretical models.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Localised electromagnetic waves in a rhombic waveguide array with competing nonlinearities

We consider a model of a discrete photonic system representing a quasi-one-dimensional rhombic array of waveguides, where, in addition to the positive cubic nonlinearity, the negative quintic nonlinearity is taken into account for the material of which the central chain of the waveguides is made. The other two waveguide chains are made of an optically linear material. A continual approximation is used to obtain a solution for a system of coupled waves, which describes a wave localised in the transverse direction. In a certain special case, the competition of nonlinearities leads to the formation of a step-shaped distribution of the field intensities over the waveguides. (integrated optics)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Advanced fuel fusion, phase space engineering, and structure-preserving geometric algorithms

Non-thermal advanced fuel fusion trades the requirement of a large amount of recirculating tritium in the system for that of large recirculating power. Phase space engineering technologies utilizing externally injected electromagnetic fields can be applied to meet the challenge of maintaining non-thermal particle distributions at a reasonable cost. The physical processes of the phase space engineering are studied from a theoretical and algorithmic perspective. It is emphasized that the operational space of phase space engineering is limited by the underpinning symplectic dynamics of charged particles. The phase space incompressibility according to the Liouville theorem is just one of many constraints, and Gromov's non-squeezing theorem determines the minimum footprint of the charged particles on every conjugate phase space plane. In this sense and level of sophistication, the mathematical abstraction of phase space engineering is symplectic topology. To simulate the processes of phase space engineering, such as the Maxwell demon and electromagnetic energy extraction, and to accurately calculate the minimum footprints of charged particles, recently developed structure-preserving geometric algorithms can be used. The family of algorithms conserves exactly, on discretized spacetime, symplecticity and thus incompressibility, non-squeezability, and symplectic capacities. The algorithms apply to the dynamics of charged particles under the influence of external electromagnetic fields as well as the charged particle–electromagnetic field system governed by the Vlasov–Maxwell equations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Uncertainty quantification in electromagnetic observables of nuclei

We present strategies to quantify theoretical uncertainties in modern ab initio calculations of electromagnetic observables in light and medium-mass nuclei. We discuss how uncertainties build up from various sources, such as the approximations introduced by the few- or many-body solver and the truncation of the chiral effective field theory expansion. We review the recent progress encompassing a broad range of electromagnetic observables in stable and unstable nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Multiscale Physics of Atomic Nuclei from First Principles

Atomic nuclei exhibit multiple energy scales ranging from hundreds of MeV in binding energies to fractions of an MeV for low-lying collective excitations. As the limits of nuclear binding are approached near the neutron and proton drip lines, traditional shell structure starts to melt with an onset of deformation and an emergence of coexisting shapes. It is a long-standing challenge to describe this multiscale physics starting from nuclear forces with roots in quantum chromodynamics. Here, we achieve this within a unified and nonperturbative quantum many-body framework that captures both short- and long-range correlations starting from modern nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces from chiral effective field theory. The short-range (dynamic) correlations which account for the bulk of the binding energy are included within a symmetry-breaking framework, while long-range (static) correlations (and fine details about the collective structure) are included by employing symmetry projection techniques. Our calculations accurately reproduce—within theoretical error bars—available experimental data for low-lying collective states and the electromagnetic quadrupole transitions in 20−30 Ne. In addition, we reveal coexisting spherical and deformed shapes in 30 Ne, which indicates the breakdown of the magic neutron number 𝑁 = 20 as the key nucleus 28 O is approached, and we predict that the drip line nuclei 32,34 Ne are strongly deformed and collective. By developing reduced-order models for symmetry-projected states, we perform a global sensitivity analysis and find that the subleading singlet 𝑆-wave contact and a pion-nucleon coupling strongly impact nuclear deformation in chiral effective field theory. The techniques developed in this work clarify how microscopic nuclear forces generate the multiscale physics of nuclei spanning collective phenomena as well as short-range correlations and allow one to capture emergent and dynamical phenomena in finite fermion systems such as atom clusters, molecules, and atomic nuclei.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Neutron stars and the dense matter equation of state

The past two decades have witnessed tremendous progress in understanding the properties of neutron stars, their maximum mass and radii, and the properties of the dense matter in their cores, made possible by electromagnetic observations of neutron stars and the detection of gravitational waves from their mergers. These observations have provided novel constraints on neutron-star structure that are intimately related to the properties of dense neutron-rich matter described by the nuclear equation of state. Nevertheless, constraining the equation of state over the wide range of densities probed by astrophysical observations is still challenging, as the physics involved is broad and the system spans many orders of magnitude in density. Here, theoretical approaches to calculate and model the neutron-star equation of state in various regimes of densities are reviewed, and the related consequent properties of neutron stars are discussed. How the equation of state at low densities can be calculated from nuclear interactions that are constrained and benchmarked by nuclear experiments is described. Neutron-star observations, with a particular emphasis on information provided by gravitational-wave signals and electromagnetic observations, are reviewed. Finally, future challenges and opportunities in the field are discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

An In-situ and Direct Confirmation of Super-Planckian Thermal Radiation Emitted From a Metallic Photonic-Crystal at Optical Wavelengths

Planck’s law predicts the distribution of radiation energy, color and intensity, emitted from a hot object at thermal equilibrium. The Law also sets the upper limit of radiation intensity, the blackbody limit. Recent experiments reveal that micro-structured tungsten can exhibit significant deviation from the blackbody spectrum. However, whether thermal radiation with weak non-equilibrium pumping can exceed the blackbody limit in the far field remains un-answered experimentally. Here, we compare thermal radiation from a micro-cavity/tungsten photonic crystal (W-PC) and a blackbody, which are both measured from the same sample and also in-situ. We show that thermal radiation can exceed the blackbody limit by >8 times at λ=1.7 μm resonant wavelength in the far-field. Our observation is consistent with a recent calculation by Wang and John performed for a 2D W-PC filament. This finding is attributed to non-equilibrium excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances coupled to nonlinear oscillators and the propagation of the electromagnetic waves through non-linear Bloch waves of the W-PC structure. This discovery could help create super-intense narrow band thermal light sources and even an infrared emitter with a laser-like input-output characteristic.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Pair plasma instability in homogeneous magnetic guide fields

Pair plasmas, collections of both matter and antimatter particles of equal mass, represent a paradigm for the study of basic plasma science, and many open questions exist regarding these unique systems. They are found in many astrophysical settings, such as gamma-ray bursts, and have recently also been produced in carefully designed laboratory experiments. A central research topic in plasma physics is instability; however, unlike their more common ion–electron siblings, pair plasmas are generally thought to be stable to cross field pressure gradients in homogeneous magnetic fields. It is shown here by means of kinetic full-f simulations that, when a pressure gradient is first established, the Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode is destabilized and becomes turbulent. Force balance is eventually achieved by a combination of flattened pressure profiles due to turbulent transport and establishment of a magnetic field gradient, saturating the growth. During the unstable phase, key physics can be captured by a δf gyrokinetic description, where it is shown analytically and numerically that parallel particle motion results in a coupling of all electromagnetic field components. A fluid model derived therefrom accurately predicts linear eigenmodes and is used to resolve global profile effects. For laser-based electron–positron plasma experiments, prompt instability is predicted with growth times much shorter than plasma lifetimes. Similarly, growth rates are calculated for the planned APEX experiment as well as gamma-ray burst scenarios, suggesting that the instability may contribute to the early evolution of these systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Decay amplitudes to three hadrons from finite-volume matrix elements

We derive relations between finite-volume matrix elements and infinite-volume decay amplitudes, for processes with three spinless, degenerate and either identical or non-identical particles in the final state. This generalizes the Lellouch-Lüscher relation for two-particle decays and provides a strategy for extracting three-hadron decay amplitudes using lattice QCD. Unlike for two particles, even in the simplest approximation, one must solve integral equations to obtain the physical decay amplitude, a consequence of the nontrivial finite-state interactions. We first derive the result in a simplified theory with three identical particles, and then present the generalizations needed to study phenomenologically relevant three-pion decays. The specific processes we discuss are the CP-violating K → 3π weak decay, the isospin-breaking η → 3π QCD transition, and the electromagnetic γ* → 3π amplitudes that enter the calculation of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to muonic g - 2.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Extreme Heating of Minor Ions in Imbalanced Solar-wind Turbulence

Minor ions in the solar corona are heated to extreme temperatures, far in excess of those of the electrons and protons that comprise the bulk of the plasma. These highly nonthermal distributions make minor ions sensitive probes of the collisionless processes that heat the corona and power the solar wind. The recent discovery of the "helicity barrier" offers a mechanism in which imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence in low-β plasmas preferentially heats protons over electrons, generating high-frequency, proton-cyclotron-resonant fluctuations. We use the hybrid-kinetic particle-in-cell code Pegasus++ to drive imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence in a 3D low-β plasma with additional passive ion species, He 2+ and O 5+ . A helicity barrier naturally develops, followed by clear phase-space signatures of oblique proton-cyclotron-wave heating and Landau-resonant heating from the imbalanced Alfvénic fluctuations. The former results in characteristically arced ion velocity distribution functions, whose non-bi-Maxwellian features are shown by linear ALPS calculations to be critical to the heating process. Additional features include a steep transition-range electromagnetic spectrum, proton-cyclotron waves propagating in the direction of the imbalance, significantly enhanced proton-to-electron heating ratios, ion temperatures that are considerably more perpendicular with respect to magnetic field, and extreme heating of heavier species in a manner consistent with mass scalings inferred from spacecraft measurements. None of these features are realized in an otherwise equivalent simulation of balanced turbulence. If seen simultaneously in the fast solar wind, these signatures of the helicity barrier would testify to the necessity of incorporating turbulence imbalance in a complete theory for the evolution of the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Electromagnetic Pulse in Wide-Angle Gamma Shadows

Unavoidable masses external to the warhead, associated with collateral EMP scenarios of current interest, produce a gamma shadow which changes the EMP seen in the shadowed region compared to that in the absence of a shadow. Calculations with the author’s three-dimensional MACSYNC code for a ground observer under the burst show shadowed field rise times ranging from many tens to hundreds of microseconds, durations approaching a millisecond, and magnitudes similar to those of the unshadowed field, depending on gamma shadow angle. These fields are likely to be smaller for larger observer ground ranges because the source region will shift to higher altitudes with associated higher conductivity that will attenuate the field.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

A quasi-static particle-in-cell algorithm based on an azimuthal Fourier decomposition for highly efficient simulations of plasma-based acceleration: QPAD

The three-dimensional (3D) quasi-static particle-in-cell (PIC) algorithm is a very efficient method for modeling short-pulse laser or relativistic charged particle beam–plasma interactions. In this algorithm, the plasma response, i.e., plasma wave wake, to a non-evolving laser or particle beam is calculated using a set of Maxwell’s equations based on the quasi-static approximate equations that exclude radiation. The plasma fields are then used to advance the laser or beam forward using a large time step. The algorithm is many orders of magnitude faster than a 3D fully explicit relativistic electromagnetic PIC algorithm. It has been shown to be capable to accurately model the evolution of lasers and particle beams in a variety of scenarios. Additionally, at the same time, an algorithm in which the fields, currents and Maxwell equations are decomposed into azimuthal harmonics has been shown to reduce the algorithmic complexity of a 3D explicit PIC algorithm to that of a 2D algorithm when the expansion is truncated while maintaining accuracy for problems with near azimuthal symmetry. This hybrid algorithm uses a PIC description in r–z and a gridless description in . We describe a novel method that combines the quasi-static and hybrid PIC methods. This algorithm expands the fields, charge and current density into azimuthal harmonics. A set of the quasi-static field equations is derived for each harmonic. The complex amplitudes of the fields are then solved using the finite difference method. The beam and plasma particles are advanced in Cartesian coordinates using the total fields. Details on how this algorithm was implemented using a similar workflow to an existing quasi-static code, QuickPIC, are presented. The new code is called QPAD for QuickPIC with Azimuthal Decomposition. Benchmarks and comparisons between a fully 3D explicit PIC code (OSIRIS), a full 3D quasi-static code (QuickPIC), and the new quasi-static PIC code with azimuthal decomposition (QPAD) are also presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

On the local measurement of electric currents and magnetic fields using Thomson scattering in Weibel-unstable plasmas

Here, we demonstrate the capability of the Thomson Scattering (TS) diagnostic to measure locally the microscopic electron and ion currents in counter-streaming plasmas unstable to the Weibel or current-filamentation instability. Synthetic TS spectra are calculated with particle distribution functions obtained from particle-in-cell simulations and used to accurately reproduce the simulated currents. We show that this technique allows accurate local measurements of the magnetic field, thus opening the way for the complete experimental characterization of the growth rate, saturation, and nonlinear dynamics of electromagnetic instabilities in plasmas. We illustrate the application of this diagnostic to experimental TS data, which yields local measurements of the magnetic field in Weibel-unstable plasmas and indicates that the magnetic energy density reaches ~1% of the kinetic energy density of the flows, in agreement with previous numerical studies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Charge Conservation beyond Uniformity: Spatially Inhomogeneous Electromagnetic Response in Periodic Solids

Nonlinear electromagnetic response functions have reemerged as a crucial tool for studying quantum materials, due to recently appreciated connections between optical response functions, quantum geometry, and band topology. Most attention has been paid to responses to spatially uniform electric fields, relevant to low-energy optical experiments in conventional solid state materials. However, magnetic and magnetoelectric phenomena are naturally connected by responses to spatially varying electric fields due to Maxwell’s equations. Furthermore, in the emerging field of moiré materials, characteristic lattice scales are much longer, allowing spatial variation of optical electric fields to potentially have a measurable effect in experiments. In order to address these issues, we develop a formalism for computing linear and nonlinear responses to spatially inhomogeneous electromagnetic fields. Starting with the continuity equation, we derive an expression for the second-quantized current operator that is manifestly conserved and model independent. Crucially, our formalism makes no assumptions on the form of the microscopic Hamiltonian and so is applicable to model Hamiltonians derived from tight-binding or calculations. We then develop a diagrammatic Kubo formalism for computing the wave vector dependence of linear and nonlinear conductivities, using Ward identities to fix the value of the diamagnetic current order by order in the vector potential. We apply our formula to compute the magnitude of the Kerr effect at oblique incidence for a model of a moiré-Chern insulator and demonstrate the experimental relevance of spatially inhomogeneous fields in these systems. We further show how our formalism allows us to compute the (orbital) magnetic multipole moments and magnetic susceptibilities in insulators. Turning to nonlinear response, we use our formalism to compute the second-order transverse response to spatially varying transverse electric fields in our moiré-Chern insulator model, with an eye toward the next generation of experiments in these systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗

Electromagnetic Response of Superconducting RF Cavities

Recently reported anomalies in frequency shift of order δƒ ~ 0.1–10 kHz for Niobium SRF cavities in a narrow temperature region near T c ≃ 9 K are sensitive to the surface preparation and Nitrogen doping. We developed methods for calculating the surface current response of Nb SRF cavities, as well as the resonant frequency shift and quality factor, as functions of temperature, frequency and disorder based on the Keldysh formulation of the theory for nonequilibrium superconductivity coupled with Maxwell’s theory and boundary conditions for the response functions and electromagnetic field. We show that the anomaly is sensitive to impurity disorder. Our results for the anomaly in the frequency shift are in good agreement with experimental results for Nb with an anisotropic gap on the Fermi surface and inhomogeneous non-magnetic disorder. We also show that the quality factor as a function of the impurity scattering rate is maximum for in SRF cavities with intermediate disorder, ℏ/τΔ~O(1) with the maximum $Q$ decreasing with increasing frequency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗