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At least 109 records · Page 6

Nonlinear vortex dynamo in a rotating stratified moist atmosphere

We have found a new type of large-scale instability in a rotating stratified moist atmosphere with small-scale turbulence. The turbulence is excited by an external small-scale force with a low Reynolds number. We have constructed the theory based on the method of multiscale asymptotic expansions. The nonlinear equations for large-scale motion have been derived in the third order of the perturbation theory. We have investigated the linear instability and stationary nonlinear regimes. Solutions in the form of localized vortex structures or kinks of a new type have been obtained.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Imaging Quantum Vortices in Superfluid Helium Droplets

Free superfluid helium droplets constitute a versatile medium for a diverse range of experiments in physics and chemistry that extend from studies of the fundamental laws of superfluid motion to the synthesis of novel nanomaterials. In particular, the emergence of quantum vortices in rotating helium droplets is one of the most dramatic hallmarks of superfluidity and gives detailed access to the wave function describing the quantum liquid. This review provides an introduction to quantum vorticity in helium droplets, followed by a historical account of experiments on vortex visualization in bulk superfluid helium and a more detailed discussion of recent advances in the study of the rotational motion of isolated, nano- to micrometer-scale superfluid helium droplets. Ultrafast X-ray and extreme ultraviolet scattering techniques enabled by X-ray free-electron lasers and high-order harmonic generation in particular have facilitated the in situ detection of droplet shapes and the imaging of vortex structures inside individual, isolated droplets. Here, new applications of helium droplets ranging from studies of quantum phase separations to mechanisms of low-temperature aggregation are discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Simulation of the Multi-Wake Evolution of Two Sandia National Labs/National Rotor Testbed Turbines Operating in a Tandem Layout

The future of wind power systems deployment is in the form of wind farms comprised of scores of such large turbines, most likely at offshore locations. Individual turbines have grown in span from a few tens of meters to today’s large turbines with rotor diameters that dwarf even the largest commercial aircraft. These massive dynamical systems present unique challenges at scales unparalleled in prior applications of wind science research. Fundamental to this effort is the understanding of the wind turbine wake and its evolution. Furthermore, the optimization of the entire wind farm depends on the evolution of the wakes of different turbines and their interactions within the wind farm. In this article, we use the capabilities of the Common ODE Framework (CODEF) model for the analysis of the effects of wake–rotor and wake-to-wake interactions between two turbines situated in a tandem layout fully and partially aligned with the incoming wind. These experiments were conducted in the context of a research project supported by the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) program of Sandia National Labs (SNL). Results are presented for a layout which emulates the turbine interspace and relative turbine emplacement found at SNL’s Scaled Wind Technologies Facility (SWiFT), located in Lubbock, Texas. The evolution of the twin-wake interaction generates a very rich series of secondary transitions in the vortex structure of the combined wake. These ultimately affect the wake’s axial velocity patterns, altering the position, number, intensity, and shape of localized velocity-deficit zones in the wake’s cross-section. This complex distribution of axial velocity patterns has the capacity to substantially affect the power output, peak loads, fatigue damage, and aeroelastic stability of turbines located in subsequent rows downstream on the farm.

Baruah, Apurva (ORCID:0000000252354068)↗

Constructive spin-orbital angular momentum coupling can twist materials to create spiral structures in optical vortex illumination

It was discovered that optical vortices twist isotropic and homogenous materials, e.g., azo-polymer films to form spiral structures on a nano- or micro-scale. However, the formation mechanism has not yet been established theoretically. To understand the mechanism of the spiral surface relief formation in the azo-polymer film, we theoretically investigate the optical radiation force induced in an isotropic and homogeneous material under irradiation using a continuous-wave optical vortex with arbitrary topological charge and polarization. It is revealed that the spiral surface relief formation in azo-polymer films requires the irradiation of optical vortices with a positive (negative) spin angular momentum and a positive (negative) orbital angular momentum (constructive spin-orbital angular momentum coupling), i.e., the degeneracy among the optical vortices with the same total angular momentum is resolved.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spontaneous formation of circular and vortex ferroelectric domain structure in hexagonal YMnO{sub 3} and YMn{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} prepared by low temperature solution synthesis

We report an experimental study of the domain structure of ferroelectric YMnO{sub 3} and YMn{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} using polycrystalline samples prepared by direct hydrothermal crystallisation at 240 °C, well below their structural phase transition temperatures. Powder X-ray diffraction shows the expected P6{sub 3}cm space group for both samples with an increase in a and a small decrease in c with Fe incorporation, consistent with an adjustment of MnO{sub 5} tilting, while XANES spectra at the Mn and Fe K edges show the oxidation state of both metals are maintained at +3 in the doped sample. High resolution TEM shows that curved stripe, annular and vortex domains can all be observed in the YMnO{sub 3} crystals, proving that the structural phase transition is not the only driving force for the occurrence of the annular and vortex domains. Furthermore, the absence of the annular and vortex domains in YMn{sub 0.9}Fe{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} indicates that the tilting state of MnO{sub 5} bipyramids plays an important role in the domain formation. Atomic resolution STEM images confirm that the ferroelectric domain walls correspond to structural antiphase boundaries similar to the crystals made via high temperature solid-state reactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Electron vortex magnetic holes: A nonlinear coherent plasma structure

We report the properties of a novel type of sub-proton scale magnetic hole found in two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of decaying turbulence with a guide field. The simulations were performed with a realistic value for ion to electron mass ratio. These structures, electron vortex magnetic holes (EVMHs), have circular cross-section. The magnetic field depression is associated with a diamagnetic azimuthal current provided by a population of trapped electrons in petal-like orbits. The trapped electron population provides a mean azimuthal velocity and since trapping preferentially selects high pitch angles, a perpendicular temperature anisotropy. The structures arise out of initial perturbations in the course of the turbulent evolution of the plasma, and are stable over at least 100 electron gyroperiods. We have verified the model for the EVMH by carrying out test particle and PIC simulations of isolated structures in a uniform plasma. It is found that (quasi-)stable structures can be formed provided that there is some initial perpendicular temperature anisotropy at the structure location. The properties of these structures (scale size, trapped population, etc.) are able to explain the observed properties of magnetic holes in the terrestrial plasma sheet. EVMHs may also contribute to turbulence properties, such as intermittency, at short scale lengths in other astrophysical plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The internal structure of a vortex in a two-dimensional superfluid with long healing length and its implications

We analyze the motion of quantum vortices in a two-dimensional spinless superfluid within Popov’s hydrodynamic description. In the long healing length limit (where a large number of particles are inside the vortex core) the superfluid dynamics is determined by saddle points of Popov’s action, which, in particular, allows for weak solutions of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation. We solve the resulting equations of motion for a vortex moving with respect to the superfluid and find the reconstruction of the vortex core to be a non-analytic function of the force applied on the vortex. This response produces an anomalously large dipole moment of the vortex and, as a result, the spectrum associated with the vortex motion exhibits narrow resonances lying within the phonon part of the spectrum, contrary to traditional view.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Tuning the structure of the Josephson vortex lattice in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ single crystals with pancake vortices

In extremely anisotropic cuprate superconductors a lattice of stacks of pancake vortices nucleates when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the copper oxide layers, while an orthogonal lattice of highly elliptical Josephson vortices forms when the applied field is parallel to the layers. Under tilted magnetic fields these sublattices can interact in complex ways to form systems of vortex chains and composite vortex lattices. Here we have used high-resolution scanning Hall microscopy to map the rich tilted-field vortex phase diagram in an underdoped Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ single crystal. We find that the Josephson vortex lattice spacing has an unexpected non-monotonic dependence on the pancake vortex density reflecting the delicate balance between attractive and repulsive vortex interactions, and actually undergoes a field-driven structural transformation at high out-of-plane fields. We also identify particularly stable composite structures composed of vortex chains separated by an integer number of rows of interstitial pancake vortex stacks and are able to establish the precise evolution of vortex chain phases as the out-of-plane field is increased at small in-plane fields. Lastly, our results are in good semi-quantitative agreement with theoretical models and could enable the development of vortex ratchets and lenses based on the interactions between Josephson and pancake vortices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Tuning of oscillation modes by controlling dimensionality of spin structures

Abstract Harmonic oscillation of spin structures is a physical phenomenon that offers great potential for applications in nanotechnologies such as nano-oscillators and bio-inspired computing. The effective tuning of oscillations over wide frequency ranges within a single ferromagnetic nanoelement is a prerequisite to realize oscillation-based nanodevices, but it has not been addressed experimentally or theoretically. Here, utilizing a vortex core structure, one of spin structures, we report a drastic change of oscillation modes over the frequency range from MHz to sub-GHz in a 100 nm-thick permalloy circular disk. Oscillation mode was found to considerably depend on the shape and dimension of the vortex core structure and various oscillation modes over a wide range of frequencies appeared with dimensional change in the vortex core structure. This work demonstrates that oscillation modes of the vortex core structure can be effectively tuned and opens a way to apply spin structures to oscillation-based technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Vortex-antivortex coexistence in Nb-based superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures

Low-temperature magnetic force microscopy was used to study the threshold of nucleation of spontaneous vortex-antivortex structures in superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) hybrid systems. We investigated S/F heterostructures composed of Py as the magnetic material and Nb as the superconductor, with different thicknesses of Py and Nb. The condition for nucleation of spontaneous vortex-antivortex structures depends on fundamental parameters such as the superconducting penetration depth and the coherence length, as well as on the thickness of the superconducting film and the magnetic domain width. Here, we compare our experimental results with those of existing theoretical models and provide an estimate of the threshold of the local out-of-plane component of the magnetization for different Py film thicknesses.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic Vortex and Hyperthermia Suppression in Multigrain Iron Oxide Nanorings

Single-crystal iron oxide nanorings have been proposed as a promising candidate for magnetic hyperthermia application because of their unique shape-induced vortex-domain structure, which supports good colloidal stability and enhanced magnetic properties. However, the synthesis of single crystalline iron oxide has proven to be challenging. In this article, we showed that chemically synthesized multigrain magnetite nanorings disfavor a shape-induced magnetic vortex-domain structure. Our results indicate that the multigrain Fe 3 O 4 nanorings with an average outer diameter of ~110 nm and an inner to outer diameter ratio of ~0.5 do not show a shape-induced vortex-domain structure, which was observed in the single-crystal Fe 3 O 4 nanorings of similar dimensions. At 300 Ks, multigrain magnetite nanorings showed an effective anisotropy field of 440 Oe, which can be attributed to its high surface area and intraparticle interaction. Both calorimetric and AC loop measurements showed a moderate inductive heating efficiency of multigrain magnetite nanorings of ~300 W/g at 800 Oe. Our results shed light on the magnetic ground states of chemically synthesized multigrain Fe 3 O 4 nanorings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Study of the second magnetization peak and the pinning behaviour in Ba(Fe 0.935 Co 0.065 ) 2 As 2 pnictide superconductor

Isothermal magnetic field dependence of magnetization and magnetic relaxation measurements were performed for the $H\parallel {\rm{c}}$ axis on a single crystal of Ba(Fe 0.935 Co 0.065 ) 2 As 2 pnictide superconductor having T c = 21.7 K. The second magnetization peak (SMP) for each isothermal M(H) was observed in a wide temperature range from T c to the lowest temperature of measurement (2 K). The magnetic field dependence of relaxation rate R(H), showed a peak (H spt) between H on (onset of SMP in M(H)) and H p (peak field of SMP in M(H)), which is likely to be related to a vortex-lattice structural phase transition, as suggested in the literature for a similar sample. In addition, the magnetic relaxation measured for magnetic fields near H spt showed some noise, which might be the signature of the structural phase transition of the vortex lattice. Analysis of the magnetic relaxation data using Maley's criterion and the collective pinning theory suggested that the SMP in the sample was due to the collective (elastic) to plastic creep crossover, which was also accompanied by a rhombic to square vortex lattice phase transition. The analysis of the pinning force density suggested a single dominating pinning mechanism in the sample, which did not showing the usual $\delta {l}$ and $\delta {T}_{{\rm{c}}}$ nature of pinning. Furthermore, the critical current density (J c ), estimated using the Bean critical state model, was found to be 5 × 10 5 A cm - 2 at 2 K in the zero magnetic field limit. Surprisingly, the maximum of the pinning force density was not responsible for the maximum value of the critical current density in the sample.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Saturation of Vortex Rings Ejected from Shock-Accelerated Interfaces

Structures evoking vortex rings can be discerned in shock-accelerated flows ranging from astrophysics to inertial confinement fusion. By constructing an analogy between vortex rings produced in conventional propulsion systems and rings generated by a shock impinging upon a high-aspect-ratio protrusion along a material interface, we extend classical, constant-density vortex-ring theory to compressible multifluid flows. Here, we further demonstrate saturation of such vortex rings as the protrusion aspect ratio is increased, thus explaining morphological differences observed in practice.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Femtosecond laser surface structuring of silicon using optical vortex beams generated by a q-plate

We report on laser surface structuring of silicon using Ti:Sa femtosecond laser ablation with optical vortex beams. A q-plate is used to generate an optical vortex beam with femtosecond pulse duration through spin-to-orbital conversion of the angular momentum of light. The variation of the produced surface structures is investigated as a function of the number of pulses, N, at laser fluence slightly above the ablation threshold value. At low N (≈10), only surface corrugation of the irradiated, ring-shaped area is observed. This is followed by a progressive formation of regular ripples at larger N (≈100–500), which eventually transform in smaller columnar structures for N ≈ 1000. Moreover, the central, non-ablated part is gradually decorated by nanoparticles produced during laser ablation, a process which eventually leads to the formation of a central turret of assembled nanoparticles. Our experimental findings suggest the importance of a feedback mechanism and a cumulative effect on the formation of ripples with interesting patterns not achievable by the more standard beams with a Gaussian intensity profile.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Spin Vortex Resonance in Non-planar Ferromagnetic Dots

In planar structures, the vortex resonance frequency changes little as a function of an in-plane magnetic field as long as the vortex state persists. Altering the topography of the element leads to a vastly different dynamic response that arises due to the local vortex core confinement effect. In this work, we studied the magnetic excitations in non-planar ferromagnetic dots using a broadband microwave spectroscopy technique. Two distinct regimes of vortex gyration were detected depending on the vortex core position. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with micromagnetic simulations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Local spin-density-wave order inside vortex cores in multiband superconductors

Coexistence of antiferromagnetic order with superconductivity in many families of newly discovered iron-based superconductors has renewed interest to this old problem. Due to competition between the two types of order, one can expect appearance of the antiferromagnetism inside the cores of the vortices generated by the external magnetic field. The structure of a vortex in type II superconductors holds significant importance from the theoretical and the application points of view. In this paper, we consider the internal vortex structure in a two-band s± superconductor near a spin-density-wave instability. We treat the problem in a completely self-consistent manner within the quasiclassical Eilenberger formalism. We study the structure of the s± superconducting order and magnetic field-induced spin-density-wave order near an isolated vortex. Finally, we examine the effect of this spin-density-wave state inside the vortex cores on the local density of states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗