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Results for “Induced coherence”

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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Ink-substrate interactions during 3D printing revealed by time-resolved coherent X-ray scattering

Additive printing techniques are regarded as revolutionary and versatile methods of advanced device manufacturing, stemming from the possibility to pattern materials on a custom-based approach and the potential to create novel microstructures and achieve new functionalities. Despite these advantages, the inherent anisotropy of the printing process is a source of property gradients within the printed materials, often associated with variable and/or poor performance. Up to date, the evolutionary pathways associated with printing have largely remained unaddressed, mainly owing to the difficulty to study the transformations induced in the material during processing. Time-resolved coherent X-ray scattering techniques, such as X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, enable the in situ study of transient nanoscale and mesoscale states in a large variety of materials, including amorphous ones, by directly accessing the most relevant timescales and length scales of their nanoscale and mesoscale dynamics, self-assembly, and mesostructure evolution. In this work, we conduct in operando studies of continuous-flow direct writing with colloidal inks, focusing on how the ink formulation and ink-substrate interactions affect the processes that determine the macroscopic properties of the printed materials. We find fundamental differences in the ink structural relaxations emerging from the primary colloid properties (monodisperse versus aggregated colloids) and the substrates surface energy and mechanical properties. Our work helps to reveal and quantify the basic science governing the evolution of 3D-printed materials during processing, ultimately improving engineering criteria for the design of printable materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

High conductivity coherently strained quantum well XHEMT heterostructures on AlN substrates with delta doping

Polarization-induced two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) in AlN/GaN/AlN quantum well high-electron-mobility transistors on ultrawide bandgap AlN substrates offer a promising route to advance microwave and power electronics with nitride semiconductors. The electron mobility in thin GaN quantum wells embedded in AlN is limited by high internal electric field and the presence of undesired polarization-induced two-dimensional hole gases (2DHGs). To enhance the electron mobility in such heterostructures on AlN, previous efforts have resorted to thick, relaxed GaN channels with dislocations. In this work, we introduce n-type compensation δ-doping in a coherently strained single-crystal (Xtal) AlN/GaN/AlN heterostructure to counter the 2DHG formation at the GaN/AlN interface, and simultaneously lower the internal electric field in the well. This approach yields a δ-doped XHEMT structure with a high 2DEG density of ∼3.2×1013 cm−2 and a room temperature (RT) mobility of ∼855 cm2/Vs, resulting in the lowest RT sheet resistance 226.7 Ω/□ reported to date in coherently strained AlN/GaN/AlN HEMT heterostructures on the AlN platform.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Direct Observation of Defect‐Aided Structural Evolution in a Nickel‐Rich Layered Cathode

Abstract Ni‐rich LiNi 1− x − y Mn x Co y O 2 (NMC) layered compounds are the dominant cathode for lithium ion batteries. The role of crystallographic defects on structure evolution and performance degradation during electrochemical cycling is not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated the structural evolution of a Ni‐rich NMC cathode in a solid‐state cell by in situ transmission electron microscopy. Antiphase boundary (APB) and twin boundary (TB) separating layered phases played an important role on phase change. Upon Li depletion, the APB extended across the layered structure, while Li/transition metal (TM) ion mixing in the layered phases was detected to induce the rock‐salt phase formation along the coherent TB. According to DFT calculations, Li/TM mixing and phase transition were aided by the low diffusion barriers of TM ions at planar defects. This work reveals the dynamical scenario of secondary phase evolution, helping unveil the origin of performance fading in Ni‐rich NMC.

Li, Shuang↗
DOE OSTI2022

Unifying the order and disorder dynamics in photoexcited VO 2

Photoinduced phase transition (PIPT) is always treated as a coherent process, but ultrafast disordering in PIPT is observed in recent experiments. Utilizing the real-time time-dependent density functional theory method, here we track the motion of individual vanadium (V) ions during PIPT in VO 2 and uncover that their coherent or disordered dynamics can be manipulated by tuning the laser fluence. We find that the photoexcited holes generate a force on each V–V dimer to drive their collective coherent motion, in competing with the thermal-induced vibrations. If the laser fluence is so weak that the photoexcited hole density is too low to drive the phase transition alone, the PIPT is a disordered process due to the interference of thermal phonons. Finally, we also reveal that the photoexcited holes populated by the V–V dimerized bonding states will become saturated if the laser fluence is too strong, limiting the timescale of photoinduced phase transition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Increasing Radon Daughter Plate-out onto Superconducting Qubits

Radon daughter plate-out may pose a fundamental limitation to realizing large-scale superconducting quantum computers. Radon daughters plated-out onto a superconducting qubit chip can decay, releasing energy into the substrate, producing phonons. Phonon induced quasiparticles generate bit flip errors and reduce coherence times. We seek to increase plate-out on chips to enable future study of the impact of Radon on coherence times. In this project, we utilize COMSOL Multiphysics simulations to finalize design for a device to increase radon plate-out.

Kay, Dax [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thin-film lithium niobate on diamond as a platform for efficient spin-phonon coupling

Negatively charged silicon vacancy (SiV − ) centers in diamond are leading candidates for solid-state quantum memory that can be controlled using electromagnetic or acoustic waves. The latter are particularly promising due to the strong strain response of SiV − , enabling large spin-phonon interaction strengths. Indeed, coherent spin control via surface acoustic waves (SAWs) has been demonstrated and is essential for developing on-chip phononic quantum networks. However, the absence of piezoelectricity in diamond requires an interface with a piezoelectric material for efficient transduction and delivery of acoustic waves to spins in diamonds. Here, we demonstrate a heterogeneously integrated phononic platform that combines thin-film lithium niobate with diamond to enable acoustic control of single SiV − spins. Additionally, leveraging large SAW-induced strain at the location of SiV − , we achieve coherent acoustic control of an electron spin with more than twofold improvement in Rabi frequency compared to state-of-the-art devices based on aluminum nitride on diamond. Furthermore, this work represents a crucial step towards realizing phonon-based quantum information processing systems.

Optically detected magnetic resonance↗
DOE OSTI2021

Remote Mesoscopic Signatures of Induced Magnetic Texture in Graphene

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations are a ubiquitous signature of phase-coherent transport in small conductors, exhibiting universal character independent of system details. Here, however, we demonstrate a pronounced breakdown of this universality, due to the interplay of local and remote phenomena in transport. Our experiments are performed in a graphene-based interaction-detection geometry, in which an artificial magnetic texture is induced in the graphene layer by covering a portion of it with a micromagnet. When probing conduction at some distance from this region, the strong influence of remote factors is manifested through the appearance of giant conductance fluctuations, with amplitude much larger than e 2 / h . This violation of one of the fundamental tenets of mesoscopic physics dramatically demonstrates how local considerations can be overwhelmed by remote signatures in phase-coherent conductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Terahertz electric-field-driven dynamical multiferroicity in SrTiO 3

The emergence of collective order in matter is among the most fundamental and intriguing phenomena in physics. In recent years, the dynamical control and creation of novel ordered states of matter not accessible in thermodynamic equilibrium is receiving much attention. The theoretical concept of dynamical multiferroicity has been introduced to describe the emergence of magnetization due to time-dependent electric polarization in non-ferromagnetic materials. In simple terms, the coherent rotating motion of the ions in a crystal induces a magnetic moment along the axis of rotation. Here we provide experimental evidence of room-temperature magnetization in the archetypal paraelectric perovskite SrTiO 3 due to this mechanism. We resonantly drive the infrared-active soft phonon mode with an intense circularly polarized terahertz electric field and detect the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. A simple model, which includes two coupled nonlinear oscillators whose forces and couplings are derived with ab initio calculations using self-consistent phonon theory at a finite temperature, reproduces qualitatively our experimental observations. A quantitatively correct magnitude was obtained for the effect by also considering the phonon analogue of the reciprocal of the Einstein–de Haas effect, which is also called the Barnett effect, in which the total angular momentum from the phonon order is transferred to the electronic one. Our findings show a new path for the control of magnetism, for example, for ultrafast magnetic switches, by coherently controlling the lattice vibrations with light.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Neutron capture-induced nuclear recoils as background for CE$v$⁢NS measurements at reactors

Nuclear reactors represent a promising neutrino source for CE⁢v⁢NS (coherent-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering) searches. However, reactor sites also come with high ambient neutron flux. Neutron capture-induced nuclear recoils can create a spectrum that strongly overlaps the CEv⁢NS signal for recoils ≲100 eV for nuclear reactor measurements in silicon or germanium detectors. This background can be particularly critical for low-power research reactors providing a moderate neutrino flux. Here, in this work we quantify the impact of this background and show that, for a measurement 10 m from a 1 MW reactor, the effective thermal neutron flux should be kept below ~7 × 10 –4 ⁢n/cm 2 s so that the CE⁢v⁢NS events can be measured at least at a 5⁢σ level with germanium detectors in 100 kg yr exposure time. This flux corresponds to 60% of the sea-level flux but needs to be achieved in a nominally high-flux (reactor) environment. Improved detector resolution can help the measurements, but the thermal flux is the key parameter for the sensitivity of the experiment. For silicon detectors, the constraint is even stronger and thermal neutron fluxes must be near an order of magnitude lower. This constraint highlights the need of an effective thermal neutron mitigation strategy for future low threshold CEv⁢NS searches. In particular, the neutron capture-induced background can be efficiently reduced by active veto systems tagging the deexcitation gamma following the capture.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum Simulation of Polarized Light-Induced Electron Transfer with a Trapped-Ion Qutrit System

Electron transfer within and between molecules is crucial in chemistry, biochemistry, and energy science. Here this study describes a quantum simulation method that explores the influence of light polarization on electron transfer between two molecules. By implementing precise and coherent control among the quantum states of trapped atomic ions, we can induce quantum dynamics that mimic the electron-transfer dynamics in molecules. We use three-level systems (qutrits), rather than traditional two-level systems (qubits), to enhance the simulation efficiency and realize high-fidelity simulations of electron-transfer dynamics. We treat the quantum interference between the electron coupling pathways from a donor with two degenerate excited states to an acceptor and analyze the transfer efficiency. We also examine the potential error sources that enter the quantum simulations. The trapped-ion systems have favorable scalings with system size compared to those of classical computers, promising access to richer electron-transfer simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-temperature state in strontium titanate microcrystals using in situ multireflection Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging

Strontium titanate is a classic quantum paraelectric oxide material that has been widely studied in bulk and thin films. It exhibits a well-known cubic-to-tetragonal antiferrodistortive phase transition at 105 K, characterized by the rotation of oxygen octahedra. A possible second phase transition at lower temperature is suppressed by quantum fluctuations, preventing the onset of ferroelectric order. However, recent studies have shown that ferroelectric order can be established at low temperatures by inducing strain and other means. Here, we used in situ multireflection Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging to measure the strain and rotation tensors for two strontium titanate microcrystals at low temperature. We observe strains induced by dislocations and inclusion-like impurities in the microcrystals. Based on radial magnitude plots, these strains increase in magnitude and spread as the temperature decreases. Pearson's correlation heat maps show a structural transition at 50 K, which could possibly be the formation of a low-temperature ferroelectric phase in the presence of strain. We do not observe any change in local strains associated with the tetragonal phase transition at 105 K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Direct observation of defect-aided structural evolution in Ni-rich layered cathode

Ni-rich LiNi 1-x-y Mn x Co y O 2 (NMC) layered compounds have become the dominated cathode for lithium ion batteries. The role of crystallographic defects on their structure evolution and consequent performance degradation during electrochemical cycling is not yet fully understood. In this work, we investigated the structural evolution of Ni-rich NMC cathode in a solid-state cell via in-situ transmission electron microscopy. We identified antiphase boundary (APB) and twin boundary (TB) separating layered phases played an important role on phase change. Upon the lithium depletion, the APB extends across the layered structure, while Li/transition metal (TM) ion mixing in the layered phases is detected to induce the rock-salt phase formation along the coherent TB. According to DFT calculations, Li/TM mixing and phase transition are aided by the low diffusion barriers of TM ions at planar defects. Finally, this work reveals the dynamical scenario of secondary phase evolution, which helps to unveil the origin of performance fading in Ni-rich NMC.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nonequilibrium dynamics of spontaneous symmetry breaking into a hidden state of charge-density wave

Abstract Nonequilibrium phase transitions play a pivotal role in broad physical contexts, from condensed matter to cosmology. Tracking the formation of nonequilibrium phases in condensed matter requires a resolution of the long-range cooperativity on ultra-short timescales. Here, we study the spontaneous transformation of a charge-density wave in CeTe 3 from a stripe order into a bi-directional state inaccessible thermodynamically but is induced by intense laser pulses. With ≈100 fs resolution coherent electron diffraction, we capture the entire course of this transformation and show self-organization that defines a nonthermal critical point, unveiling the nonequilibrium energy landscape. We discuss the generation of instabilities by a swift interaction quench that changes the system symmetry preference, and the phase ordering dynamics orchestrated over a nonadiabatic timescale to allow new order parameter fluctuations to gain long-range correlations. Remarkably, the subsequent thermalization locks the remnants of the transient order into longer-lived topological defects for more than 2 ns.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chirality manipulation of ultrafast phase switches in a correlated CDW-Weyl semimetal

Light engineering of correlated states in topological materials provides a new avenue of achieving exotic topological phases inaccessible by conventional tuning methods. Here we demonstrate a light control of correlation gaps in a model charge-density-wave (CDW) and polaron insulator (TaSe 4 ) 2 I recently predicted to be an axion insulator. Our ultrafast terahertz photocurrent spectroscopy reveals a two-step, non-thermal melting of polarons and electronic CDW gap via the fluence dependence of a longitudinal circular photogalvanic current. This helicity-dependent photocurrent reveals continuous ultrafast phase switches from the polaronic state to the CDW (axion) phase, and finally to a hidden Weyl phase as the pump fluence increases. Additional distinctive attributes aligning with the light-induced switches include: the mode-selective coupling of coherent phonons to the polaron and CDW modulation, and the emergence of a non-thermal chiral photocurrent above the pump threshold of CDW-related phonons. The demonstrated ultrafast chirality control of correlated topological states here holds large potentials for realizing axion electrodynamics and advancing quantum-computing applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Anticipating decoherence in quantum systems

Large-scale quantum technologies require coherence across distant nodes, necessitating indistinguishable quantum states. However, environmental disorder, including dephasing, spectral diffusion, and spin-bath interactions, undermines coherence. Using statistical methods, we uncover correlations in decoherence channels induced by slowly varying environments. Spectral diffusion serves as a representative demonstration case that can be extended to other remote, disordered systems such as spins in nitrogen-vacancy centers and quantum-dot spin qubits, as well as flux noise in superconducting qubits. In this work, we employ replica-theory-inspired trajectory analysis to reveal predictable temporal structures in decoherence dynamics, and validate these through an anticipatory systems framework with internal prediction of unseen spectral dynamics in multiple quantum systems, showing that this framework could, if implemented, reduce spectral shift by average factors of approximately 2 to 19, depending on emitter stability, thereby enabling enhanced coherence and multi-node synchronization for scalable quantum communication, computation, imaging, and sensing.

Maan, Pranshu [Purdue University]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Observable measurement-induced transitions

One of the main postulates of quantum mechanics is that measurements destroy quantum coherence (wave function collapse). Recently it was discovered that in a many-body system dilute local measurements still preserve some coherence across the entire system. As the measurement density is increased, a phase transition occurs that is characterized by the disentanglement of different parts of the system. Unfortunately, this transition is impossible to observe experimentally for macroscopic systems because it requires an exponentially costly full tomography of the many-body wave function or a comparison with the simulation on an oracle classical computer. In this work we report the discovery of another measurement-induced phase transition that can be observed experimentally if quantum dynamics can be reversed. On one side of this phase transition the quantum information encoded in some part of the Hilbert space is fully recovered after the time inversion. On the other side, all quantum information is corrupted. This transition also manifests itself as the change in the behavior of the probability to observe the same measurement outcome in the process that consists of identical blocks repeated many times. In each block the unitary evolution is followed by the measurement. On one side of the transition the probability decreases exponentially with the number of repetitions, on the other it tends to a constant as the number of repetitions is increased. We confirm the existence of the proposed phase transition through numerical simulations of realistic quantum circuits and analytical calculations using an effective random-matrix theory model.

Measurement-induced phase transitions↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tunable Magnetically Induced Transparency Spectra in Magnon-Magnon Coupled Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 / Permalloy Bilayers

Hybrid magnonic systems host a variety of characteristic phenomena such as the magnetically induced transparency (MIT) and Purcell effect, which are considered useful for future coherent quantuminformation processing. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a tunable MIT effect in the Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 (YIG)/Permalloy(Py) magnon-magnon coupled system via changing the magnetic field orientations. By probing the magneto-optic effects of Py and YIG thin films, we identify clear features of MIT spectra induced by the mode hybridization between the uniform mode of Py and the perpendicular standing spin-wave modes of YIG. By changing the external magnetic field orientations, we observe a tunable coupling strength between the YIG's spin-wave modes and the Py's uniform mode, upon the application of an out-of-plane magnetic field. This observation is theoretically interpreted by a geometrical consideration of the Py and YIG magnetization under the oblique magnetic field even at a constant interfacial exchange coupling. Finally, our findings show high promise for investigating tunable coherent phenomena with hybrid magnonic platforms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Breakdown of the scaling relation of anomalous Hall effect in Kondo lattice ferromagnet USbTe

The interaction between strong correlation and Berry curvature is an open territory of in the field of quantum materials. Here we report large anomalous Hall conductivity in a Kondo lattice ferromagnet USbTe which is dominated by intrinsic Berry curvature at low temperatures. However, the Berry curvature induced anomalous Hall effect does not follow the scaling relation derived from Fermi liquid theory. The onset of the Berry curvature contribution coincides with the Kondo coherent temperature. Combined with ARPES measurement and DMFT calculations, this strongly indicates that Berry curvature is hosted by the flat bands induced by Kondo hybridization at the Fermi level. Our results demonstrate that the Kondo coherence of the flat bands has a dramatic influence on the low temperature physical properties associated with the Berry curvature, calling for new theories of scaling relations of anomalous Hall effect to account for the interaction between strong correlation and Berry curvature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗