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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Synergetic Ferroelectricity and Superconductivity in Zero-Density Dirac Semimetals near Quantum Criticality

Here, we study superconductivity in a three-dimensional zero-density Dirac semimetal in proximity to a ferroelectric quantum critical point. We find that the interplay of criticality, inversion-symmetry breaking, and Dirac dispersion gives rise to a robust superconducting state at the charge-neutrality point, where no Fermi surface is present. Using Eliashberg theory, we show that the ferroelectric quantum critical point is unstable against the formation of a ferroelectric density wave (FDW), whose fluctuations, in turn, lead to a first-order superconducting transition. Surprisingly, long-range superconducting and FDW orders are found to cooperate with each other, in contrast to the more usual scenario of phase competition. Therefore, we suggest that driving charge neutral Dirac materials, e.g., Pb x Sn 1–x Te, through a ferroelectric quantum critical point may lead to superconductivity intertwined with FDW order.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Molecular beam epitaxy synthesis and electrical transport properties of the correlated kagome metal Ni⁢ 3 In

Ni 3 ⁢In is a paramagnetic intermetallic consisting of 𝐴⁢𝐵-stacked Ni-kagome networks. Correlated electron behaviors deviating from the Fermi-liquid form have recently been observed in Ni 3 ⁢In bulk single crystals, attributed to stabilization of a partially flat electronic band near the Fermi level. Synthesis of this system in thin-film form offers unique opportunities for tuning of materials that could aid in identifying the microscopic origin of the non-Fermi-liquid response and exploring the suspected quantum criticality therein. Here, we report the realization of (001)-oriented epitaxial thin films of Ni 3 ⁢In on single-crystal SrTiO 3 (111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Via control of growth conditions, we fabricate high-quality films with quantum fluctuations strongly influencing the physical properties of the system. Analysis of the electrical transport response reveals that intrinsic spin fluctuations in Ni 3 ⁢In may account for the observed non-Fermi-liquid behavior. Such structures may facilitate driving Ni 3 ⁢In across a potential quantum critical phase transition and uncover the role of unusual flat bands in triggering correlated phenomena.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mapping the phases of quantum chromodynamics with beam energy scan

We review the present status of the search for a phase transition and critical point as well as anomalous transport phenomena in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), with an emphasis on the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. We present the conceptual framework and discuss the observables deemed most sensitive to a phase transition, QCD critical point, and anomalous transport, focusing on fluctuation and correlation measurements. Selected experimental results for these observables together with those characterizing the global properties of the systems created in heavy ion collisions are presented. We then discuss what can be already learned from the currently available data about the QCD critical point and anomalous transport as well as what additional measurements and theoretical developments are needed in order to discover these phenomena.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Suppression of superconductivity by anisotropic strain near a nematic quantum critical point

In most unconventional and high-temperature superconductors, superconductivity emerges as a nearby symmetry-breaking phase is suppressed by chemical doping or pressure. This has led to the belief that the fluctuations associated with the symmetry-breaking phase are beneficial, if not responsible, for the superconducting pairing. A direct test to verify this hypothesis is to observe a decrease of the superconducting critical temperature (T c ) by applying the symmetry-breaking conjugate field that suppresses the dynamic fluctuations of the competing order. However, most of the competing phases in unconventional superconductors break translational symmetry, requiring a spatially modulated conjugate field that is difficult to realize experimentally. Here, we show that anisotropic strain, the conjugate field of nematicity, reduces the T c of an iron pnictide. For optimally doped samples we show a fivefold reduction of T c with less than one per cent of strain. For underdoped samples, T c becomes zero yielding a fully metallic ground state. In addition to providing direct evidence of the role played by the nematic fluctuations in the formation of the superconducting state, these results demonstrate tunable mechanical control of a high-temperature superconductor, an important step forward for technological applications of superconductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Rephasing spectral diffusion in time-bin spin-spin entanglement protocols

Generating high-fidelity spin-spin entanglement is an essential task of quantum repeater networks for the distribution of quantum information across long distances. Solid-state-based spin-photon interfaces are promising candidates to realize nodes of a quantum network, but are often limited by spectral diffusion of the optical transition, which results in phase errors on the entangled states. Here, we introduce a method to correct phase errors from quasi-static frequency fluctuations after the entangled state is generated, by shelving the emitters in the excited state to refocus the unknown phase. For quasi-static frequency fluctuations, the fidelity is determined only by the lifetime of the excited state used for shelving, making it particularly suitable for systems with a long-lived shelving state with correlated spectral diffusion. Such a shelving state may be found in Kramers doublet systems such as rare-earth emitters and color centers in Si or SiC interfaced with nanophotonic cavities with a strongly frequency-dependent Purcell enhancement. Furthermore, the protocol can be used to generate high-fidelity entangled spin pairs without reducing the rate of entanglement generation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Timescales of Quantum Equilibration, Dissipation and Fluctuation in Nuclear Collisions

Understanding the dynamics of equilibration processes in quantum systems as well as their interplay with dissipation and fluctuation is a major challenge in quantum many-body theory. The timescales of such processes are investigated in collisions of atomic nuclei using fully microscopic approaches. Findings from time-dependent Hartree-Fock and time-dependent random-phase approximation calculations are compared for 13 systems over a broad range of energies. The timescale for full mass equilibration ( ~ 2 × 10 - 20 s ) is found to be much larger than timescales for neutron-to-proton equilibration, kinetic energy, and angular momentum dissipations which are on the order of 10 - 21 s . Fluctuations of mass numbers in the fragments and correlations between their neutron and proton numbers build up within only a few 10 - 21 s . This suggests that dissipation is basically not impacted by mass equilibration, but is mostly driven by the exchange of nucleons between the fragments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ferromagnetism out of charge fluctuation of strongly correlated electrons in κ -(BEDT-TTF) 2 Hg(SCN) 2 Br

We perform magnetic susceptibility and magnetic torque measurements on the organic κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Hg(SCN) 2 Br, which is recently suggested to host an exotic quantum dipole-liquid in its low-temperature insulating phase. Below the metal-insulator (MI) transition temperature, the magnetic susceptibility follows a Curie–Weiss law with a positive Curie–Weiss temperature, and a particular M∝ $\sqrt{H}$ curve is observed. The emergent ferromagnetically interacting spins amount to about 1/6 of the full spin moment of localized charges. Taking account of the possible inhomogeneous quasi-charge-order that forms a dipole-liquid, we construct a model of antiferromagnetically interacting spin chains in two adjacent charge-ordered domains, which are coupled via fluctuating charges on a Mott-dimer at the boundary. We find that the charge fluctuations can draw a weak ferromagnetic moment out of the spin singlet domains.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic Phase Alignment in Navier-Stokes Turbulence

In Navier-Stokes turbulence, energy and helicity injected at large scales are subject to a joint direct cascade, with both quantities exhibiting a spectral scaling ∝k -5/3 . We demonstrate via direct numerical simulations that the two cascades are compatible due to the existence of a strong scale-dependent phase alignment between velocity and vorticity fluctuations, with the phase alignment angle scaling as cosα k ∝k -1 .

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Transitions, Dynamics, and Driven States in Quantum Magnets (Final Report Revised)

Transitions into unusual electronic, optical, and magnetic states at the absolute zero of temperature display special properties that teach us about fundamental quantum mechanics and also underlie important technologies. These so-called quantum phase transitions intertwine the static and dynamical responses of the materials changing state. They are extremely sensitive to the effects of disorder and etch in high relief the role of quantum fluctuations. There are ample questions remaining about the character of such transitions and the nature of the competing quantum states. There are also opportunities to drive quantum materials out of equilibrium, with the possibility of new types of correlated and coherent order, and new ways to access the dynamical evolution of ground and excited states. We have investigated how the order develops in time and space, and the nature of the final configurations. We are able to compare and contrast classical and quantum excitations in our experimental system of choice, and thereby can trace the relative speed by which the system settles into its lowest-energy ground state. This comparison of quantum and classical annealing protocols lies at the heart of strategies for harnessing the power of quantum computers dedicated to optimization problems. A combination of magnetic susceptibility measurements at finite frequency where the magnetic spins are queried by an external ac field, dc magnetometry measurements that characterize the macroscopic strength of magnetic order and its resistance to change, noise measurements that reveal the microscopic fluctuations of the spins as they prepare to change state, and microwave spectroscopy to look at the response of both the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom, have been performed as functions of temperature, magnetic field, frequency, excitation amplitude, magnetic spin concentration, and disorder. This combination of probes addresses issues of stability over time, overlap between spin states, the ability of the spins to respond independently or coherently, and the promise of control on the nanometer length scale. The research reported here provides insights into fundamental quantum physics. It also addresses the question of how best to use complex systems, such as magnetic solids, to stably process quantum information.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Gifts from anomalies: Exact results for Landau phase transitions in metals

Non-Fermi liquid phenomena arise naturally near critical points of Landau ordering transitions in metallic systems, where strong fluctuations of a bosonic order parameter destroy coherent quasiparticles. Despite progress in developing controlled perturbative techniques, much of the low energy physics of such metallic quantum critical points remains poorly understood. We demonstrate that exact, non-perburbative results can be obtained for both optical transport and static susceptibilities in “Hertz-Millis” theories of Fermi surfaces coupled to critical bosons. Such models possess a large emergent symmetry and anomaly structure, which we leverage to fix these quantities. In particular, we show that in the infrared limit, the boson self energy at zero wave vector, \mathbf{q}=0 𝐪 = 0 , is a constant independent of frequency, and the real part of the optical conductivity, \sigma(\omega) σ ( ω ) , is purely a delta function Drude peak with no other corrections. Therefore, further frequency dependence in the boson self energy or optical conductivity can only come from irrelevant operators in a clean system. Exact relations between Fermi liquid parameters as the critical point is approached from the disordered phase are also obtained. The absence of a universal, power law frequency dependence in the boson self energy contrasts with previous perturbative calculations, and we explain the origin of this difference.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Field Induced Density Wave in a Kagome Superconductor

On the kagome lattice, electrons benefit from the simultaneous presence of band topology, flat electronic bands, and Van Hove singularities, forming competing or cooperating orders. Understanding the interrelation between these distinct order parameters remains a significant challenge, leaving much of the associated physics unexplored. In the kagome superconductor KV 3 Sb 5 , which exhibits a charge density wave (CDW) state below T ≃ 78 K, we uncover an unpredicted field-induced phase transition below 6 K. The observed transition is marked by a hysteretic anomaly in the resistivity, nonlinear electrical transport, and a change in the symmetry of the electronic response as probed via the angular dependence of the magnetoresistivity. These observations surprisingly suggest the emergence of an unanticipated broken symmetry state coexisting with the original CDW. To understand this experimental observation, we developed a theoretical minimal model for the normal state inside the high-temperature parent CDW phase, where an incommensurate CDW order emerges as an instability subleading to superconductivity. Here, the incommensurate CDW emerges when superconducting fluctuations become fully suppressed by large magnetic fields. Our results suggest that, in kagome superconductors, quantum states can either coexist or are nearly degenerate in energy, indicating that these are rich platforms to expose new correlated phenomena.

Charge density waves↗
DOE OSTI2020

Competing magnetic orders in quantum critical Sr 3 Ru 2 O 7

We investigated Sr 3 RuO 7 , a quantum critical metal that shows a metamagnetic quantum phase transition and electronic nematicity, through density functional calculations. These predict a ferromagnetic ground state in contrast to the experimentally observed paramagnetism, raising the question of competing magnetic states and associated fluctuations that may suppress magnetic order. We did a search to identify such low-energy antiferromagnetically ordered metastable states. We find that the lowest-energy antiferromagnetic state has a striped order. This corresponds to the E-type order that has been shown to be induced by Mn alloying. We also note significant transport anisotropy in this E-type ordered state. Furthermore, these results are discussed in relation to experimental observations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evidence for charge delocalization crossover in the quantum critical superconductor CeRhIn5

Abstract The nature of charge degrees-of-freedom distinguishes scenarios for interpreting the character of a second order magnetic transition at zero temperature, that is, a magnetic quantum critical point (QCP). Heavy-fermion systems are prototypes of this paradigm, and in those, the relevant question is where, relative to a magnetic QCP, does the Kondo effect delocalize their f -electron degrees-of-freedom. Herein, we use pressure-dependent Hall measurements to identify a finite-temperature scale E loc that signals a crossover from f -localized to f -delocalized character. As a function of pressure, E loc ( P ) extrapolates smoothly to zero temperature at the antiferromagnetic QCP of CeRhIn 5 where its Fermi surface reconstructs, hallmarks of Kondo-breakdown criticality that generates critical magnetic and charge fluctuations. In 4.4% Sn-doped CeRhIn 5 , however, E loc ( P ) extrapolates into its magnetically ordered phase and is decoupled from the pressure-induced magnetic QCP, which implies a spin-density-wave (SDW) type of criticality that produces only critical fluctuations of the SDW order parameter. Our results demonstrate the importance of experimentally determining E loc to characterize quantum criticality and the associated consequences for understanding the pairing mechanism of superconductivity that reaches a maximum T c in both materials at their respective magnetic QCP.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Role of Nematicity in Controlling Spin Fluctuations and Superconducting Tc in Bulk FeSe

FeSe undergoes a transition from a tetragonal to a slightly orthorhombic phase at 90 K and becomes a superconductor below 8 K. The orthorhombic phase is sometimes called a nematic phase because quantum oscillation, neutron, and other measurements detect a significant asymmetry in x and y. How nematicity affects superconductivity has recently become a matter of intense speculation. Here, we employ an advanced ab initio Green's function description of superconductivity and show that bulk tetragonal FeSe would, in principle, superconduct with almost the same critical temperature Tc as the nematic phase. The mechanism driving the observed nematicity is not yet understood. Since the present theory underestimates it, we simulate the full nematic asymmetry by artificially enhancing the orthorhombic distortion. For benchmarking, we compare theoretical spin susceptibilities against experimentally observed data over all energies and relevant momenta. When the orthorhombic distortion is adjusted to correlate with observed nematicity in spin susceptibility, the enhanced nematicity causes spectral weight redistribution in the Fe-3dxz and Fe-dyz orbitals, but it leads to at most a 10-15% increment in Tc. This is because the dxy orbital always remains the most strongly correlated and provides most of the source of the superconducting glue. Nematicity suppresses the density of states at the Fermi level; nevertheless, Tc increases, in contradiction to both BCS theory and the theory of Bose-Einstein condensation. We show how the increase is connected to the structure of the particle-particle vertex. Our results suggest that while nematicity may be an intrinsic property of bulk FeSe, it is not the primary force driving the superconducting pairing.

bulk FeSe↗
DOE OSTI2026

Coherence-mediated quantum thermometry in a hybrid circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture

Quantum thermometry plays a critical role in the development of low-temperature sensors and quantum information platforms. Here, in this work, we propose and analyze a hybrid circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture in which a superconducting qubit is dispersively coupled to two distinct bosonic modes: one initialized in a weak coherent state as a phase reference and information buffer and the other coupled to a thermal environment. We show that the qubit serves as a sensitive readout of the probe mode, mapping the interplay between thermal and coherent photon-number fluctuations onto measurable dephasing. This coherence-mediated mechanism enables improved sensitivity to thermal energy fluctuations in the sub-millikelvin regime through Ramsey interferometry. We derive analytic expressions for the probe coherence envelope, compute the quantum Fisher information for temperature estimation, and demonstrate numerically that the presence of a coherent reference enhances the qubit's sensitivity to small changes in thermal photon occupancy. Our results establish a coherence-enabled approach to thermometry and provide a scalable platform for future calorimetric sensing in high-energy physics and quantum metrology.

Zhu, Shaojiang [Fermi National Accelerator Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2021

Physical properties of YbFe 5 P 3 with a quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure

We report basic physical properties of the quasi-one-dimensional heavy-fermion compound Yb Fe 5 P 3 . Its magnetic susceptibility follows a modified Curie-Weiss behavior at high temperatures with a Weiss temperature between - 5 and - 21 K depending on the direction of the applied magnetic field. Our single crystals of Yb Fe 5 P 3 are good metals with a room-temperature resistivity of ~ 140 μ Ω cm and a residual resistivity of less than 2 μ Ω cm. Below ~ 2 K the resistivity reflects the presence of strong quantum fluctuations, which is supported by specific heat measurements that show a similar strong enhancement in C / T at low temperatures reaching 1.5 J/mol K 2 below T = 0.5 K. No magnetic ordering is observed down to 80 mK. Magnetic fields up to 8 T rapidly suppress the magnetic fluctuations, while resistivity measurements under pressures up to 2.54 GPa indicate the enhancement of quantum fluctuations, although still no order is observed down to 0.3 K. Density functional theory calculations suggest the presence of electronically quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Fermi surface sheets together with three-dimensional electronic pockets. We suggest that the quasi-1D nature of this compound leads to an extended regime of large quantum fluctuations within the paramagnetic state prior to reaching a magnetic instability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Probing light-driven quantum materials with ultrafast resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

Abstract Ultrafast optical pulses are an increasingly important tool for controlling quantum materials and triggering novel photo-induced phase transitions. Understanding these dynamic phenomena requires a probe sensitive to spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom. Time-resolved resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (trRIXS) is an emerging spectroscopic method, which responds to this need by providing unprecedented access to the finite-momentum fluctuation spectrum of photoexcited solids. In this Perspective, we briefly review state-of-the-art trRIXS experiments on condensed matter systems, as well as recent theoretical advances. We then describe future research opportunities in the context of light control of quantum matter.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Revealing intrinsic domains and fluctuations of moiré magnetism by a wide-field quantum microscope

Moiré magnetism featured by stacking engineered atomic registry and lattice interactions has recently emerged as an appealing quantum state of matter at the forefront of condensed matter physics research. Nanoscale imaging of moiré magnets is highly desirable and serves as a prerequisite to investigate a broad range of intriguing physics underlying the interplay between topology, electronic correlations, and unconventional nanomagnetism. Here we report spin defect-based wide-field imaging of magnetic domains and spin fluctuations in twisted double trilayer (tDT) chromium triiodide CrI 3 . We explicitly show that intrinsic moiré domains of opposite magnetizations appear over arrays of moiré supercells in low-twist-angle tDT CrI 3 . In contrast, spin fluctuations measured in tDT CrI 3 manifest little spatial variations on the same mesoscopic length scale due to the dominant driving force of intralayer exchange interaction. Our results enrich the current understanding of exotic magnetic phases sustained by moiré magnetism and highlight the opportunities provided by quantum spin sensors in probing microscopic spin related phenomena on two-dimensional flatland.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗