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At least 1,225 records · Page 68

Imaging Wavepackets in Real-Space & Disentangling Ultrafast Solvation Dynamics with High-Energy Ultrafast X-ray Scattering

The microscopic information of solute and solute-solvent motions can be measured using ultrafast diffuse x-ray scattering, and compared to molecular dynamics simulations, as demonstrated in studies of solvated molecular systems done in X-ray free-electron lasers. However, for the typical photon energies used in these experiments, the photon momentum transfer range was limited to lower Q values where the signals arising from different parts of the studied system overlap significantly. Recently, this limitation was greatly alleviated by extending the photon energy at the Linac Coherent Light-Source (LCLS), significantly increasing the accessible momentum transfer range. This improvement is transformative for ultrafast diffuse x-ray scattering measurements, enabling for the first time to disentangle the solute scattering difference signal, that persists to higher Q values, from the bulk solvent and solute-solvent cross-terms difference signals. In addition, it enhances the prediction ability of modeling and simulation methods such as the hybrid QM/MM approach. The extended Q range also opens the way to resolve in real-space details regarding coherent wavepackets motions beyond their center-of-mass positions. Here, we present the first results on high-energy (18keV) diffuse x-ray scattering in solution, demonstrating high fidelity time-resolved scattering and analysis of the photoexcited model photocatalysts PtPOP ([Pt2(POP)4]4-), and IrDimen ([Ir2(dimen)4]2+) in several solvents. These complexes provide ideal systems for demonstrating the ability of high-Q ultrafast scattering and QM/MM simulations to decompose ultrafast solvation dynamics into specific changes in the solute-solvent pair distribution function with a particular focus on how electronically excited states change the interaction between the solvent and photo-catalytically active metal sites. We introduce an approach to further utilize the high-energy capability and demonstrate a single-shot ultra-wide-angle X-ray Scattering modality using two perpendicular detectors, spanning a scattering angle range of more than 100 degrees, allowing to extend the accessible momentum transfer range up to Q~14 Å-1. We develop a model-free method to invert the x-ray scattering signals and enable the recovery of multiple pair-density motions that happen simultaneously, allowing us to directly measure in real-space nuclear wavepacket motions. . [1] Natan, Adi. "Real-Space Inversion and Super-Resolution of Ultrafast X-ray Scattering using Natural Scattering Kernels." arXiv preprint arXiv:2107.05576 (2021)

Natan, Adi↗

Lifecycle of laser-produced air sparks

We investigated the lifecycle of laser-generated air sparks or plasmas using multiple plasma diagnostic tools. The sparks were generated by focusing the fundamental radiation from an Nd:YAG laser in air, and studies included early and late time spark dynamics, decoupling of the shock wave from the plasma core, emission from the spark kernel, cold gas excitation by UV radiation, shock waves produced by the air spark, and the spark's final decay and turbulence formation. The shadowgraphic and self-emission images showed similar spark morphology at earlier and late times of its lifecycle; however, significant differences are seen in the midlife images. Spectroscopic studies in the visible region showed intense blackbody-type radiation at early times followed by clearly resolved ionic, atomic, and molecular emission. The detected spectrum at late times clearly contained emission from both CN and N{sub 2}{sup +}. Additional spectral features have been identified at late times due to emission from O and N atoms, indicating some degree of molecular dissociation and excitation. Detailed spatially and temporally resolved emission analysis provides insight about various physical mechanisms leading to molecular and atomic emission by air sparks, including spark plasma excitation, heating of cold air by UV radiation emitted by the spark, and shock-heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DFT Accurate Interatomic Potential for Molten NaCl from Machine Learning

Molten alkali chloride salts are a critical component in concentrated solar power and nuclear applications. Despite their ubiquity, the extreme chemical reactivity of molten alkali chlorides at high temperatures has presented a significant challenge in characterizing atomic structures and dynamic properties experimentally. In this work, we we investigate molten NaCl by performing high temperature molecular dynamics simulations using a Gaussian Approximation Potential (GAP) trained on Density Functional Theory (DFT) datasets. Our GAP model, trained with a meager 1000 atomic configurations, arrives at near ab initio accuracy with a mean absolute error of 1.5 meV/atom thus enabling fast analysis of high temperature salt properties on large length (5000 ion pairs) and time (> 1ns) scales currently inaccessible to ab initio simulations. Calculated structure factors and diffusion constants from our GAP model simulations show excellent agreement with experiments. Our results indicate that GAP models are able to capture the many-body interactions required to accurately model ionic-systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Correlation between the temperature evolution of the interfacial region and the growing dynamic cooperativity length scale

Here, we study experimentally the temperature evolution of the thickness of the interfacial layer, L int (T), between bulk matrices and the surface of nanoparticles in nanocomposites through broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Analyses revealed a power-law dependence between the logarithm of structural relaxation time in the interfacial layer, τ int (T), and the L int (T): ln τ i n t ( T ) / τ 0 ∝ L i n t β ( T ) / T , with τ 0 ~ 10 –12 s, and β index ~0.67 at high temperatures and ~1.7 at temperatures close to the glass transition temperature. In addition, our analysis revealed that the L int (T) is comparable to the length scale of dynamic heterogeneity estimated from previous nonlinear dielectric measurements and the four-point NMR [ξ NMR (T)], with L int (T) ~ ξ NMR (T). These observations may suggest a direct correlation between the L int (T) and the size of the cooperatively rearranging regions and have strong implications for understanding the dynamic heterogeneity and cooperativity in supercool liquids and their role in interfacial dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Dynamics of the Bingham Canyon rock avalanches (Utah, USA) resolved from topographic, seismic, and infrasound data: Bingham Canyon Rock Avalanches

The 2013 Bingham Canyon Mine rock avalanches represent one of the largest cumulative landslide events in recorded U.S. history and provide a unique opportunity to test remote analysis techniques for landslide characterization. We combine aerial photogrammetry surveying, topographic reconstruction, numerical runout modeling, and analysis of broadband seismic and infrasound data to extract salient details of the dynamics and evolution of the multiphase landslide event. Our results reveal a cumulative intact rock source volume of 52 Mm 3 , which mobilized in two main rock avalanche phases separated by 1.5 h. We estimate that the first rock avalanche had 1.5–2 times greater volume than the second. Each failure initiated by sliding along a gently dipping (21°), highly persistent basal fault before transitioning to a rock avalanche and spilling into the inner pit. The trajectory and duration of the two rock avalanches were reconstructed using runout modeling and independent force history inversion of intermediate-period (10–50 s) seismic data. Intermediate- and shorter-period (1–50 s) seismic data were sensitive to intervals of mass redirection and constrained finer details of the individual slide dynamics. Back projecting short-period (0.2–1 s) seismic energy, we located the two rock avalanches within 2 and 4 km of the mine. Further analysis of infrasound and seismic data revealed that the cumulative event included an additional 11 smaller landslides (volumes ~10 4 –10 5 m 3 ) and that a trailing signal following the second rock avalanche may result from an air-coupled Rayleigh wave. These results demonstrate new and refined techniques for detailed remote characterization of the dynamics and evolution of large landslides.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Analysis of isothermal and cooling-rate-dependent immersion freezing by a unifying stochastic ice nucleation model

Immersion freezing is an important ice nucleation pathway involved in the formation of cirrus and mixed-phase clouds. Laboratory immersion freezing experiments are necessary to determine the range in temperature, T , and relative humidity, RH, at which ice nucleation occurs and to quantify the associated nucleation kinetics. Typically, isothermal (applying a constant temperature) and cooling-rate-dependent immersion freezing experiments are conducted. In these experiments it is usually assumed that the droplets containing ice nucleating particles (INPs) all have the same INP surface area (ISA); however, the validity of this assumption or the impact it may have on analysis and interpretation of the experimental data is rarely questioned. Descriptions of ice active sites and variability of contact angles have been successfully formulated to describe ice nucleation experimental data in previous research; however, we consider the ability of a stochastic freezing model founded on classical nucleation theory to reproduce previous results and to explain experimental uncertainties and data scatter. A stochastic immersion freezing model based on first principles of statistics is presented, which accounts for variable ISA per droplet and uses parameters including the total number of droplets, N tot , and the heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficient, J het ( T ). This model is applied to address if (i) a time and ISA-dependent stochastic immersion freezing process can explain laboratory immersion freezing data for different experimental methods and (ii) the assumption that all droplets contain identical ISA is a valid conjecture with subsequent consequences for analysis and interpretation of immersion freezing. The simple stochastic model can reproduce the observed time and surface area dependence in immersion freezing experiments for a variety of methods such as: droplets on a cold-stage exposed to air or surrounded by an oil matrix, wind and acoustically levitated droplets, droplets in a continuous-flow diffusion chamber (CFDC), the Leipzig aerosol cloud interaction simulator (LACIS), and the aerosol interaction and dynamics in the atmosphere (AIDA) cloud chamber. Observed time-dependent isothermal frozen fractions exhibiting non-exponential behavior can be readily explained by this model considering varying ISA. An apparent cooling-rate dependence of J het is explained by assuming identical ISA in each droplet. When accounting for ISA variability, the cooling-rate dependence of ice nucleation kinetics vanishes as expected from classical nucleation theory. Finally, the model simulations allow for a quantitative experimental uncertainty analysis for parameters N tot , T , RH, and the ISA variability. We discuss the implications of our results for experimental analysis and interpretation of the immersion freezing process.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Automated Hybrid Variance Reduction on Advanced Architectures in the Shift Monte Carlo Code

Monte Carlo transport methods are the most accurate schemes for solving problems with complex energy and spatial features, but they come with a high computational cost. Although hybrid methods have enabled the use of Monte Carlo transport for a large class of problems, they still require significant computing resources. Modern multicore CPUs with large numbers of compute cores and graphical processing units (GPUs) provide opportunities to optimize the memory and run-time costs of hybrid Monte Carlo methods. This paper documents the development and analysis of three Monte Carlo transport algorithms that support hybrid transport using the consistent adjoint-driven importance sampling (CADIS) and forward-weighted CADIS methods in the Shift Monte Carlo code: history-based transport using static and dynamic threading on multicore CPUs and event-based transport enabling weight window tracking on GPUs. The results are shown for two challenging hybrid problems on the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. The results show that all three methods yield good performance and enable solutions of difficult fixed-source transport problems in less than 2 min on 20 nodes of Frontier. Dynamic threading was observed to give up to 20% better scaling behavior than static threading. Moreover, the AMD Instinct 250X GPU was found to give 9 to 11 times greater throughput per graphics compute die than the best CPU performance. In conclusion, additional opportunities for optimization of hybrid transport on GPUs are discussed.

Denovo↗

Data-Driven Approach for Uncertainty Propagation and Reachability Analysis in Dynamical Systems

In this paper, we propose a data-driven approach for uncertainty propagation and reachability analysis in a dynamical system. The proposed approach relies on the linear lifting of a nonlinear system using linear Perron-Frobenius (P-F) and Koopman operators. Here, the uncertainty can be characterized in terms of the moments of a probability density function. We demonstrate how the P-F and Koopman operators are used for propagating the moments. Time-series data is used for the finite-dimensional approximation of the linear operators, thereby enabling data-driven approach for moment propagation. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

42 ENGINEERING↗

From Femtoseconds to Gigaseconds: The SolDeg Platform for the Performance Degradation Analysis of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Heterojunction Si solar cells exhibit notable performance degradation. Here, we modeled this degradation by electronic defects getting generated by thermal activation across energy barriers over time. To analyze the physics of this degradation, we developed the SolDeg platform to simulate the dynamics of electronic defect generation. First, femtosecond molecular dynamics simulations were performed to create a-Si/c-Si stacks, using the machine learning-based Gaussian approximation potential. Second, we created shocked clusters by a cluster blaster method. Third, the shocked clusters were analyzed to identify which of them supported electronic defects. Fourth, the distribution of energy barriers that control the generation of these electronic defects was determined. Fifth, an accelerated Monte Carlo method was developed to simulate the thermally activated time-dependent defect generation across the barriers. Our main conclusions are as follows. (1) The degradation of a-Si/c-Si heterojunction solar cells via defect generation is controlled by a broad distribution of energy barriers. (2) We developed the SolDeg platform to track the microscopic dynamics of defect generation across this wide barrier distribution and determined the time-dependent defect density N(t) from femtoseconds to gigaseconds, over 24 orders of magnitude in time. (3) We have shown that a stretched exponential analytical form can successfully describe the defect generation N(t) over at least 10 orders of magnitude in time. (4) We found that in relative terms, Voc degrades at a rate of 0.2%/year over the first year, slowing with advancing time. (5) We developed the time correspondence curve to calibrate and validate the accelerated testing of solar cells. We found a compellingly simple scaling relationship between accelerated and normal times t normal ∝ t accel T(accel)/T(normal) . (6) We also carried out experimental studies of defect generation in a-Si:H/c-Si stacks. We found a relatively high degradation rate at early times that slowed considerably at longer time scales.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A novel two-layer-integrated microfluidic device for high-throughput yeast proteomic dynamics analysis at the single-cell level

Abstract Current microfluidic methods for studying multicell strains (e.g., m-types) with multienvironments (e.g., n-types) require large numbers of inlets/outlets (m*n), a complicated procedure or expensive machinery. Here, we developed a novel two-layer-integrated method to combine different PDMS microchannel layers with different functions into one chip by a PDMS through-hole array, which improved the design of a PDMS-based microfluidic system. Using this method, we succeeded in converting 2 × m × n inlets/outlets into m + n inlets/outlets and reduced the time cost of loading processing (from m × n to m) of the device for studying multicell strains (e.g., m-types) in varied multitemporal environments (i.e., n-types). Using this device, the dynamic behavior of the cell-stress-response proteins was studied when the glucose concentration decreased from 2% to a series of lower concentrations. Our device could also be widely used in high-throughput studies of various stress responses, and the new concept of a multilayer-integrated fabrication method could greatly improve the design of PDMS-based microfluidic systems.

Chen, Kaiyue↗

Null Raychaudhuri: canonical structure and the dressing time

Abstract We initiate a study of gravity focusing on generic null hypersurfaces, non-perturbatively in the Newton coupling. We present an off-shell account of the extended phase space of the theory, which includes the expected spin-2 data as well as spin-0, spin-1 and arbitrary matter degrees of freedom. We construct the charges and the corresponding kinematic Poisson brackets, employing a Beltrami parameterization of the spin-2 modes. We explicitly show that the constraint algebra closes, the details of which depend on the non-perturbative mixing between spin-0 and spin-2 modes. Finally we show that the spin zero sector encodes a notion of a clock, called dressing time, which is dynamical and conjugate to the constraint. It is well-known that the null Raychaudhuri equation describes how the geometric data of a null hypersurface evolve in null time in response to gravitational radiation and external matter. Our analysis leads to three complementary viewpoints on this equation. First, it can be understood as a Carrollian stress tensor conservation equation. Second, we construct spin-0, spin-2 and matter stress tensors that act as generators of null time reparametrizations for each sector. This leads to the perspective that the null Raychaudhuri equation can be understood as imposing that the sum of CFT-like stress tensors vanishes. Third, we solve the Raychaudhuri constraint non-perturbatively. The solution relates the dressing time to the spin-2 and matter boost charge operators. Finally we establish that the corner charge corresponding to the boost operator in the dressing time frame is monotonic. These results show that the notion of an observer can be thought of as emerging from the gravitational degrees of freedom themselves. We briefly mention that the construction offers new insights into focusing conjectures.

Physics↗

Cardanol Functionalized Carboxylated Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber for Better Processability, Technical Properties and Biocompatibility

The present investigation deals with the latex stage functionalization of carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR) by chemically grafting cardanol onto its backbone main chain to impart multifunctional characteristics to it. The grafting of cardanol onto XNBR in the latex stage has been accomplished successfully using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as a free radical initiator. Cardanol grafted XNBR (C-g-XNBR) exhibited an increase in molecular weight (7.5%) with an increase in PDI (polydispersity index). The optimum grafting parameters were found to be of 1 phr BPO with 15 phr cardanol at a reaction temperature of 80 °C and a reaction time of 10 h using “Taguchi methodology”. The maximum percentage grafting (PG) and grafting efficiency (GE) were estimated to be 13.8 and 92.8%, respectively at the optimum combination of the reaction parameters. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis results exhibited a decrease in T{sub g} value for the functionalized elastomer. Thermogravimetric analysis displayed an increase in the thermal stability of C-g-XNBR. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay and hemolysis studies proved that functionalized rubber as biocompatible. Moreover, functionalized XNBR exhibited a potential bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains. Fire and flame retardancy study revealed an increased LOI (limiting oxygen index) for C-g-XNBR.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

All-acrylic multigraft copolymers: Effect of side chain molecular weight and volume fraction on mechanical behavior

We present in this paper the synthesis of poly(n-butyl acrylate)-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PnBA-g-PMMA) multigraft copolymers via a grafting-through (macromonomer) approach. The synthesis was performed using two controlled polymerization techniques. The PMMA macromonomer was obtained by high-vacuum anionic polymerization followed by the copolymerization of n-butyl acrylate and PMMA macromonomer using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to yield the desired all-acrylic multigraft structures. The PnBA-g-PMMA multigraft structures exhibit randomly spaced branch points with various PMMA contents, ranging from 15 to 40 vol %, allowing an investigation into how physical properties vary with differences in the number of branch points and molecular weight of grafted side chains. The determination of molecular weight and polydispersity indices of both the PMMA macromonomer and the graft copolymers was carried out using size exclusion chromatography with triple detection, and the structural characteristics of both the macromonomer and PnBA-g-PMMA graft materials were characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed for monitoring the macromonomer synthesis. Thermal characteristics of the materials were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The mechanical performance of the graft materials was characterized by rheology and dynamic mechanical analysis, revealing that samples with PMMA content of 25–40 vol % exhibit superior elastomeric properties as compared to materials containing short PMMA side chains or <25 vol % PMMA. In conclusion, atomic force microscopy showed a varying degree of microphase separation between the glassy and rubbery components that is strongly dependent on PMMA side chain molecular weight.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Iron mineral dissolution releases iron and associated organic carbon during permafrost thaw

It has been shown that reactive soil minerals, specifically iron(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, can trap organic carbon in soils overlying intact permafrost, and may limit carbon mobilization and degradation as it is observed in other environments. However, the use of iron(III)-bearing minerals as terminal electron acceptors in permafrost environments, and thus their stability and capacity to prevent carbon mobilization during permafrost thaw, is poorly understood. We have followed the dynamic interactions between iron and carbon using a space-for-time approach across a thaw gradient in Abisko (Sweden), where wetlands are expanding rapidly due to permafrost thaw. We show through bulk (selective extractions, EXAFS) and nanoscale analysis (correlative SEM and nanoSIMS) that organic carbon is bound to reactive Fe primarily in the transition between organic and mineral horizons in palsa underlain by intact permafrost (41.8 ±10.8 mg carbon per g soil, 9.9 to 14.8% of total soil organic carbon). During permafrost thaw, water-logging and O 2 limitation lead to reducing conditions and an increase in abundance of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria which favor mineral dissolution and drive mobilization of both iron and carbon along the thaw gradient. By providing a terminal electron acceptor, this rusty carbon sink is effectively destroyed along the thaw gradient and cannot prevent carbon release with thaw.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Dynamics of Global Gene Expression and Regulatory Elements in Growing Brachypodium Root System

Root systems are dynamic and adaptable organs that play critical roles in plant development. However, how roots grow and accumulate biomass during plant life cycle and in relation to shoot growth phenology remains understudied. A comprehensive time-dependent root morphological analysis integrated with molecular signatures is then required to advance our understanding of root growth and development. Here we studied Brachypodium distachyon rooting process by monitoring root morphology, biomass production, and C/N ratios during developmental stages. To provide insight into gene regulation that accompanies root growth, we generated comprehensive transcript profiles of Brachypodium whole-root system at four developmental stages. Our data analysis revealed that multiple biological processes including trehalose metabolism and various families of transcription factors (TFs) were differentially expressed in root system during plant development. In particular, the AUX/IAA, ERFs, WRKY, NAC, and MADS TF family members were upregulated as plant entered the booting/heading stage, while ARFs and GRFs were downregulated suggesting these TF families as important factors involved in specific phases of rooting, and possibly in regulation of transition to plant reproductive stages. We identified several Brachypodium candidate root biomass-promoting genes and cis -regulatory elements for further functional validations and root growth improvements in grasses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Opacity and gradients in aluminum wire array z-pinch implosions on the Z pulsed power facility

Aluminum wire array z pinches imploded on the Z generator are an extremely bright source of 1–2 keV radiation, with close to 400 kJ radiated at photon energies >1 keV and more than 50 kJ radiated in a single line (Al Ly-α). Opacity plays a critical role in the dynamics and K-shell radiation efficiency of these pinches. Where significant structure is present in the stagnated pinch this acts to reduce the effective opacity of the system as demonstrated by direct analysis of spectra. Analysis of time-integrated broadband spectra (0.8–25 keV) indicates electron temperatures ranging from a few 100 eV to a few keV are present, indicative of substantial temperature gradients.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗