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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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Large mass single electron resolution detector for dark matter and neutrino elastic interaction searches

Large mass single electron resolution solid state detectors are desirable to search for low mass dark matter candidates and to measure coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CEvNS). In this paper we present results from a novel 100 g phonon-mediated Si detector with a new interface architecture. This detector gives a baseline resolution of ~ 1e - /h + pair and a leakage current on the order of 10 -16 A. This was achieved by removing the direct electrical contact between the Si crystal and the metallic electrode, and by increasing the phonon absorption efficiency of the sensors. The phonon signal amplification in the detector shows a linear increase while the signal to noise ratio improves with bias voltage, up to 240 V. This feature enables the detector to operate at a low energy threshold which is beneficial for dark matter and CEvNS like searches.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hund’s coupling mediated multi-channel quantum phase transition of a single magnetic impurity in Fe(Se, Te)

Understanding the interplay between individual magnetic impurities and superconductivity is crucial for bottom-up construction of novel phases of matter. Sub-gap bound states that are used in this endeavor are typically considered as independent entities that each result from the exchange scattering between the respective impurity orbitals and electrons of the superconducting condensate. Here we present experimental evidence of individual multi-spin impurities where the sub-gap states are not independent. Specifically, we find that by tuning the energy of the state closest to zero through zero, all other sub-gap states change particle-hole asymmetry as well. We show that this can be understood by including Hund’s coupling, which favors high-spin configurations, into a multi-orbital Anderson model. Unlike for the case of independent spins, the transition we observe signals the simultaneous departure of more than one quasiparticle from the impurity, while the parity of the ground state may remain unchanged. Our results show that Hund’s coupling is not only crucial in generating high-spin impurities, but also to understand the transition between two distinct ground states, and should therefore be taken into account for e.g. impurity-based band-structure engineering.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Two-dimensional spin liquid behaviour in the triangular-honeycomb antiferromagnet TbInO 3

Spin liquid ground states are predicted to arise within several distinct scenarios in condensed matter physics. The observation of these disordered magnetic states is particularly pervasive among a class of materials known as frustrated magnets, in which the competition between various magnetic exchange interactions prevents the system from adopting long-range magnetic order at low temperatures. Spin liquids continue to be of great interest due to their exotic nature and the possibility that they may support fractionalized excitations, such as Majorana fermions. Systems that allow for such phenomena are not only fascinating from a fundamental perspective but may also be practically significant in future technologies based on quantum computation. Here we show that the underlying antiferromagnetic sublattice in TbInO 3 can undergo a crystal field-induced distortion of its buckled triangular arrangement to one based on a honeycomb. The absence of a conventional magnetic ordering transition at the lowest measurable temperatures indicates that another critical mechanism must govern in the ground-state selection of TbInO 3 . Here, we suggest that anisotropic exchange interactions—mediated through strong spin–orbit coupling on the emergent honeycomb lattice of TbInO 3 —give rise to a highly frustrated spin liquid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Landau quantization in coupled Weyl points: a case study of semimetal NbP

Weyl semimetal (WSM) is a newly discovered quantum phase of matter that exhibits topologically protected states characterized by two separated Weyl points with linear dispersion in all directions. Here, via combining theoretical analysis and magneto-infrared spectroscopy of an archetypal Weyl semimetal, niobium phosphide, we demonstrate that the coupling between Weyl points can significantly modify the electronic structure of a WSM and provide a new twist to the protected states. Here, these findings suggest that the coupled Weyl points should be considered as the basis for analysis of realistic WSMs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Eminuscent phase in frustrated magnets: a challenge to quantum spin liquids

A geometrically frustrated (GF) magnet consists of localised magnetic moments, spins, whose orientation cannot be arranged to simultaneously minimise their interaction energies. Such materials may host novel fascinating phases of matter, such as fluid-like states called quantum spin-liquids. GF magnets have, like all solid-state systems, randomly located impurities whose magnetic moments may “freeze” at low temperatures, making the system enter a spin-glass state. We analyse the available data for spin-glass transitions in GF materials and find a surprising trend: the glass-transition temperature grows with decreasing impurity concentration and reaches a finite value in the impurity-free limit at a previously unidentified, “hidden”, energy scale. We propose a scenario in which the interplay of interactions and entropy leads to a crossover in the permeability of the medium that assists glass freezing at low temperatures. This low-temperature, “eminuscent”, phase may obscure or even destroy the widely-sought spin-liquid states in rather clean systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Visible-to-THz near-field nanoscopy

Optical microscopy has a key role in research, development and quality control across a wide range of scientific, technological and medical fields. However, diffraction limits the spatial resolution of conventional optical instruments to about half the illumination wavelength. A technique that surpasses the diffraction limit in the wide spectral range between visible and terahertz frequencies is scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). The basis of s-SNOM is an atomic force microscope in which the tip is illuminated with light from the visible to the terahertz spectral range. By recording the elastically tip-scattered light while scanning the sample below the tip, s-SNOM yields near-field optical images with a remarkable resolution of 10 nm, simultaneously with the standard atomic force microscopic topography image. This resolution is independent of the illumination wavelength, rendering s-SNOM a versatile nanoimaging and nanospectroscopy technique for fundamental and applied studies of materials, structures and phenomena. This Review presents an overview of the fundamental principles governing the measurement and interpretation of near-field contrasts and discusses key applications of s-SNOM. We also showcase emerging developments that enable s-SNOM to operate under various environmental conditions, including cryogenic temperatures, electric and magnetic fields, electrical currents, strain and liquid environments. Furthermore, all these recent developments broaden the applicability of s-SNOMs for exploring fundamental solid-state and quantum phenomena, biological matter, catalytic reactions and more.

Hillenbrand, Rainer [CIC nanoGUNE BRTA and Departm↗
DOE OSTI2018

Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Warm Dense Matter and Plasmas

New path integral Monte Carlo simulation (PIMC) techniques will be developed and applied to derive the equation of state (EOS) for the regime of warm dense matter and dense plasmas where existing first-principles methods cannot be applied. While standard density functional theory has been used to accurately predict the structure of many solids and liquids up to temperatures on the order of 10,000 K, this method is not applicable at much higher temperature where electronic excitations become important because the number of partially occupied electronic orbitals reaches intractably large numbers and, more importantly, the use of zero-temperature exchange-correlation functionals introduces an uncontrolled approximation. Here we focus on PIMC methods that become more and more efficient with increasing temperatures and still include all electronic correlation effects. In this approach, electronic excitations increase the efficiency rather than reduce it. While it has commonly been assumed such methods can only be applied to elements without core electrons like hydrogen and helium, we recently showed how to extend PIMC to heavier elements by performing the first PIMC simulations of carbon and water plasmas [Driver, Militzer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 (2012) 115502]. Here we propose to continue this important development to extend the reach of PIMC simulations to yet heavier elements and also lower temperatures. The goal is to provide a robust first-principles simulation method that can accurately and efficiently study materials with excited electrons at solid-state densities in order to access parts of the phase diagram such the regime of warm dense matter and plasmas where so far only more approximate, semi-analytical methods could be applied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

An emulator for the Lyman-α forest in beyond-ΛCDM cosmologies

Interpreting observations of the Lyman-α forest flux power spectrum requires interpolation between a small number of expensive simulations. We present a Gaussian process emulator modelling the 1D flux power spectrum as a function of the amplitude and slope of the small-scale linear matter power spectrum, and the state of the intergalactic medium at the epoch of interest (2 < z < 4). This parameterisation enables the prediction of the flux power spectrum in extended cosmological models that are not explicitly included in the training set, eliminating the need to construct bespoke emulators for a number of extensions to ΛCDM. Our emulator is appropriate for cosmologies in which the linear matter power spectrum is described to percent level accuracy by just an amplitude and slope across the epoch of interest, and in the regime probed by eBOSS/DESI data. We demonstrate this for massive neutrino cosmologies, where the emulator is able to predict the flux power spectrum in a Σm ν = 0.3 eV neutrino cosmology to sub-percent accuracy, without including massive neutrinos in the training simulations. Further parameters would be required to describe models with sharp features in the linear power, such as warm or light axion dark matter. This work will facilitate the combination of upcoming DESI data with observations of the cosmic microwave background, to obtain constraints on neutrino mass and other extensions to ΛCDM cosmology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Realization of fermionic Laughlin state on a quantum processor

Strongly correlated topological phases of matter are central to modern condensed matter physics and quantum information technology but often challenging to probe and control in material systems. The experimental difficulty of accessing these phases has motivated the use of engineered quantum platforms for simulation and manipulation of exotic topological states. Among these, the Laughlin state stands as a cornerstone for topological matter, embodying fractionalization, anyonic excitations, and incompressibility. Although its bosonic analogs have been realized on programmable quantum simulators, a genuine fermionic Laughlin state has yet to be demonstrated on a quantum processor. Here, we realize the ν = 1/3 fermionic Laughlin state on IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum computer using an efficient and scalable Hamiltonian variational ansatz with 369 two-qubit gates on a 16-qubit circuit. Employing symmetry-verification error mitigation, we extract key observables that characterize the Laughlin state, including correlation hole, bulk-edge correspondence, and topological entanglement entropy, with strong agreement to exact diagonalization benchmarks. This work demonstrates an end-to-end workflow to simulate material-intrinsic topological orders and provides a starting point to explore its dynamics and excitations on digital quantum processors.

Shen, Lingnan [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (U↗
DOE OSTI2018

Stationary Solutions of Second-Order Equations for Point Fermions in the Schwarzschild Gravitational Field

When using a second-order Schrödinger-type equation with the effective potential of the Schwarzschild field, the existence of a stationary state of half-spin particles with energy E = 0 is proved. For each of the values of quantum numbers j, l, the physically meaningful energy E = 0 (the binding energy is E{sub b}=mc{sup 2}) is implemented at the value of the gravitational coupling constant α⩾α{sub min}. The particles with E = 0 are, with the overwhelming probability, at some distance from the event horizon within the range from zero to several fractions of the Compton wavelength of a fermion depending on value of the gravitational coupling constants and the values of j, l. In this paper, similar solutions of the second-order equation are announced for bound states of fermions in the Reissner–Nordström, Kerr, Kerr–Newman fields. Atomic-type systems (the point sources of the Schwarzschild gravitational field) with fermions in bound states are proposed as particles of dark matter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Prospects for measuring neutron-star masses and radii with X-ray pulse profile modeling

Modeling the amplitudes and shapes of the X-ray pulsations observed from hot, rotating neutron stars provides a direct method for measuring neutron-star properties. This technique constitutes an important part of the science case for the forthcoming NICER and proposed LOFT X-ray missions. In this paper, we determine the number of distinct observables that can be derived from pulse profile modeling and show that using only bolometric pulse profiles is insufficient for breaking the degeneracy between inferred neutron-star radius and mass. However, we also show that for moderately spinning (300-800 Hz) neutron stars, analysis of pulse profiles in two different energy bands provides additional constraints that allow a unique determination of the neutron-star properties. Using the fractional amplitudes of the fundamental and the second harmonic of the pulse profile in addition to the amplitude and phase difference of the spectral color oscillations, we quantify the signal-to-noise ratio necessary to achieve a specified measurement precision for neutron star radius. We find that accumulating 10{sup 6} counts in a pulse profile is sufficient to achieve a ≲ 5% uncertainty in the neutron star radius, which is the level of accuracy required to determine the equation of state of neutron-star matter. Finally, we formally derive the background limits that can be tolerated in the measurements of the various pulsation amplitudes as a function of the system parameters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A search for dark matter produced in association with a dark Higgs boson decaying into a Higgs boson pair in 3b or 4b final states using pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for dark matter particles produced in association with a resonant pair of Higgs bosons using 140 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This signature is expected in some extensions of the Standard Model predicting the production of dark matter particles, and is interpreted in terms of a dark Higgs model containing a Z′ mediator in which the dark Higgs boson s decays into a pair of Higgs bosons. The dark Higgs boson is reconstructed through final states with at least three b-tagged jets, produced by the pair of Higgs boson decays, in events with significant missing transverse momentum consistent with the presence of dark matter. The observed data are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions, constraining scenarios with dark Higgs boson masses within the range of 250 to 400 GeV and Z′ mediators up to 2.3 TeV.

Dark Energy and Dark Matter↗
DOE OSTI2012

NOvA: Exploring Neutrino Mysteries

Neutrinos are a mystery to physicists. They exist in three different flavors and mass states and may be able to give hints about the origins of the matter-dominated universe. A new long-baseline experiment led by Fermilab called NOvA may provide some answers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Combining Electromagnetic and Gravitational-Wave Constraints on Neutron-Star Masses and Radii

In this work, we perform a joint Bayesian inference of neutron-star mass and radius constraints based on GW170817, observations of quiescent low-mass x-ray binaries (QLMXBs), photospheric radius expansion x-ray bursting sources, and x-ray timing observations of J0030+0451. With this dataset, the form of the prior distribution still has an impact on the posterior mass-radius curves and equation of state (EOS), but this impact is smaller than recently obtained when considering QLMXBs alone. We analyze the consistency of the electromagnetic data by including an “intrinsic scattering” contribution to the uncertainties, and find only a slight broadening of the posteriors. This suggests that the gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations of neutron-star structure are providing a consistent picture of the neutron-star mass-radius curve and the EOS.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Gravitational waves from binary neutron star mergers with a spectral equation of state

In numerical simulations of binary neutron star systems, the equation of state of the dense neutron star matter is an important factor in determining both the physical realism and the numerical accuracy of the simulations. Some equations of state used in simulations are C 2 or smoother in the pressure/density relationship function, such as a polytropic equation of state, but may not have the flexibility to model stars or remnants of different masses while keeping their radii within known astrophysical constraints. Other equations of state, such as tabular or piece-wise polytropic, may be flexible enough to model additional physics and multiple stars' masses and radii within known constraints, but are not as smooth, resulting in additional numerical error. We will study in this paper a recently developed family of equation of state, using a spectral expansion with sufficient free parameters to allow for a larger flexibility than current polytropic equations of state, and with sufficient smoothness to reduce numerical errors compared to tabulated or piece-wise polytropic equations of state. We perform simulations at three mass ratios with a common chirp mass, using two distinct spectral equations of state, and at multiple numerical resolutions. We evaluate the gravitational waves produced from these simulations, comparing the phase error between resolutions and equations of state, as well as with respect to analytical models. From our simulations we estimate that the phase difference at merger for binaries with a dimensionless weighted tidal deformability difference greater than Δ$\tilde{Λ}$=55 can be captured by the SpEC code for these equations of state.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

REVISING THE HALOFIT MODEL FOR THE NONLINEAR MATTER POWER SPECTRUM

Based on a suite of state-of-the-art high-resolution N-body simulations, we revisit the so-called halofit model as an accurate fitting formula for the nonlinear matter power spectrum. While the halofit model has frequently been used as a standard cosmological tool to predict the nonlinear matter power spectrum in a universe dominated by cold dark matter, its precision has been limited by the low resolution of N-body simulations used to determine the fitting parameters, suggesting the necessity of an improved fitting formula at small scales for future cosmological studies. We run high-resolution N-body simulations for 16 cosmological models around the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe best-fit cosmological parameters (one-, three-, five-, and seven-year results), including dark energy models with a constant equation of state. The simulation results are used to re-calibrate the fitting parameters of the halofit model so as to reproduce small-scale power spectra of the N-body simulations, while keeping the precision at large scales. The revised fitting formula provides an accurate prediction of the nonlinear matter power spectrum in a wide range of wavenumbers (k {<=} 30 h Mpc{sup -1}) at redshifts 0 {<=} z {<=} 10, with 5% precision for k {<=} 1 h Mpc{sup -1} at 0 {<=} z {<=} 10 and 10% for 1 {<=} k {<=} 10 h Mpc{sup -1} at 0 {<=} z {<=} 3. We discuss the impact of the improved halofit model on weak-lensing power spectra and correlation functions, and show that the improved model better reproduces ray-tracing simulation results.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Indirect methods in nuclear astrophysics with relativistic radioactive beams

Reactions with radioactive nuclear beams at relativistic energies have opened new doors to clarify the mechanisms of stellar evolution and cataclysmic events involving stars and during the big bang epoch. Numerous nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest cannot be assessed directly in laboratory experiments. Ironically, some of the information needed to describe such reactions, at extremely low energies (e.g., keVs), can only be studied on Earth by using relativistic collisions between heavy ions at GeV energies. In this contribution, we make a short review of experiments with relativistic radioactive beams and of the theoretical methods needed to understand the physics of stars, adding to the knowledge inferred from astronomical observations. We continue by introducing a more detailed description of how the use of relativistic radioactive beams can help to solve astrophysical puzzles and several successful experimental methods. State-of-the-art theories are discussed at some length with the purpose of helping us understand the experimental results reported. The review is not complete and we have focused most of it to traditional methods aiming at the determination of the equation of state of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter and the role of the symmetry energy. Whenever possible, under the limitations of our present understanding of experimental data and theory, we try to pinpoint the information still missing to further understand how stars evolve, explode, and how their internal structure might be. We try to convey the idea that in order to improve microscopic theories for many-body calculations, nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, and astrophysics, and in order to constrain and allow for convergence of our understanding of stars, we still need considerable improvements in terms of accuracy of experiments and the development of new and dedicated nuclear facilities to study relativistic reactions with radioactive beams.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Organic matter concentration and composition of experimentally burned open air and muffle furnace vegetation chars across differing burn severity and feedstock types from Pacific Northwest, USA (v4).

This dataset represents results from an experimental study designed to compare how the chemical composition of organic matter changes across different burn conditions and feedstock materials. The dataset provides both solid and dissolved phase bulk concentration and organic matter characterization data from experimentally generated chars. Chars were created in a closed muffle furnace or on an open burn table from four different feedstock species representing vegetation commonly impacted by fire regimes across the Pacific Northwest, USA. This data can be used to compare how different burn conditions may influence resultant organic matter chemistry and help further our understanding of potential biogeochemical impacts on river corridors post-fire. This dataset is comprised of one data package readme, one data dictionary (dd), one file level metadata (flmd), fourteen burn table videos, burn table video metadata and three folders containing (A) data; (B) metadata and protocols; and (C) photos. The folder names and the file name of the data package readme include a version number which will be updated with future iterations of this data package. The data folder includes (1) solid carbon and solid nitrogen; (2) dissolved organic carbon (DOC, measured as non-purgeable organic carbon, NPOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TN); (3) pH; (4) thermocouple time series temperature; (5) methods codes; (6) installation methods; (7) excitation emissions matrix (EEM) methods information; (8) a folder of excitation emissions matrix (EEM) fluorescence and absorbance spectra in dissolved organic matter and EEMs processing instructions; (9) solid state carbon-13 and solution state phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (13-C NMR and 31-P NMR) data and methods; (10) benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) concentration and stable isotope data; (11) FTICR-MS methods; (12) Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) data for total calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and sulfur along with sodium hydroxide-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (sodium hydroxide-EDTA) extractable calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur; (13) a folder of phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen X-ray absorption near edge structure (P-XANES, N-XANES, C-XANES) data for samples and standards; (14) P-XANES, N-XANES, C-XANES methods; (15) molybdate reactive phosphorus; and (16) folder of high resolution characterization of organic matter via 21 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) generated through the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL; https://www.pnnl.gov/environmental-molecular-sciences-laboratory). The FTICR folder contains .txt data files and a subfolder containing instruments for using Formularity (https://omics.pnl.gov/software/formularity) and an R script to process the data based on the user's specific needs. The metadata and protocols folder includes (1) international geo-sample number (IGSN) mapping file (2) burn and laboratory metadata; (3) burn protocol; (4) laboratory protocol; (5) vegetation collection metadata; and (6) vegetation collection protocol. The folder contains photos of the solid chars. All files are .csv, .txt, .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .R, .ref, or .mp4. The data package was originally published October 2022 (v1). It was updated April 2023 (v2; new data files), September 2023 (v3; new and corrected data files), and September 2024 (v4; new and added/updated files). Metadata files were also updated to reflect these changes. See the change history section in the readme for more details.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗