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DOE OSTI2024

Nature of polariton transport in a Fabry-Perot cavity

Fabry-Perot microcavities can strongly enhance interactions between light and molecules, leading to the formation of hybrid light-matter states known as polaritons. Polaritons possess much smaller effective masses and much larger group velocities when the molecules are resonant with cavity modes that have finite (nonzero) in-plane wave vectors, giving rise to the possibilities of long-range and ultrafast ballistic transport. In this paper, we present the results of numerical simulations of the ultrafast ballistic transport phenomenon in real space and time during and after initialization with a short, spatially localized pulse. Here, we address this problem with two approaches: the standard transfer-matrix method (TMM) for planar structures and a second simulation based on the numerical solution of the Maxwell-Bloch equations that can be used for general configurations (complex metasurfaces, for instance) and excitation modes. The agreement between the TMM and the full numerical calculation with the Maxwell-Bloch equations when applied to multilayer planar configurations provides proof of the validity of both approaches for the present analyses. Overall, we find that the transport of the molecular excitons inside the cavity synchronize with the evolution of the enhanced electromagnetic field inside the cavity. Moreover, the synchronized transport rate is in good agreement with the group velocities predicted from a calculated dispersion relation across a wide range of frequencies. Finally, we relate the group velocity to the Hopfield coefficient obtained from quantum modeling and suggest that the dependence of light-matter coupling on the in-plane wave vector can be an important but overlooked factor for understanding the transport behavior of polaritons. These simulations provide an intuitive tool for understanding the collective motion of light and excitons and helps us to better understand how experimental observations of polaritons should be interpreted.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2017

Particle-flow reconstruction and global event description with the CMS detector

The CMS apparatus was identified, a few years before the start of the LHC operation at CERN, to feature properties well suited to particle-flow (PF) reconstruction: a highly-segmented tracker, a fine-grained electromagnetic calorimeter, a hermetic hadron calorimeter, a strong magnetic field, and an excellent muon spectrometer. A fully-fledged PF reconstruction algorithm tuned to the CMS detector was therefore developed and has been consistently used in physics analyses for the first time at a hadron collider. For each collision, the comprehensive list of final-state particles identified and reconstructed by the algorithm provides a global event description that leads to unprecedented CMS performance for jet and hadronic τ decay reconstruction, missing transverse momentum determination, and electron and muon identification. This approach also allows particles from pileup interactions to be identified and enables efficient pileup mitigation methods. The data collected by CMS at a centre-of-mass energy of 8\TeV show excellent agreement with the simulation and confirm the superior PF performance at least up to an average of 20 pileup interactions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2025

Serpentine Magnet Designs for the Interaction Region of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC)

The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), hosted by Brookhaven National Laboratory, is designed to deliver a peak luminosity of 1 × 10 34 cm −2 sec −1 . The interaction region (IR) of the EIC imposes several constraints in terms of field quality, aperture, and spatial layout, which necessitates the development of several unique superconducting serpentine direct wind magnets. These magnets are constructed using either a single strand or a small-diameter 6-around-1 NbTi cable, presenting unique challenges for design and optimization. This paper introduces a new computational code specifically developed to streamline and integrate the design process for these magnets, enabling faster design iterations while addressing their complex requirements. Here, in this paper, we first introduce the code, which builds on established electromagnetic fundamentals. The code incorporates tools for optimizing winding patterns and for correcting magnetic multipoles; additionally, it interfaces with established magnet design software. We also present the design of several serpentine magnets for the EIC IR, demonstrating the code’s capability to deliver precise and efficient solutions. These designs highlight the code’s ability to accelerate the development cycle, ensuring the serpentine magnets meet the demanding specifications of the EIC project.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Final Technical Report - DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER46424

We present a final report on the activities undertaken under DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER46424, titled "Interaction effects in quasi one-dimensional electronic systems," originally under the direction of Prof. Julia Meyer. The report includes an overview of the grant and the personnel involved, a list of publications acknowledging the grant, and a summary of the results and conclusions drawn from research supported by the grant.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2023

EUTERPE: A global gyrokinetic code for stellarator geometry

The current state of the EUTERPE code is described with emphasis on the implemented models and their numerical implementation. The code solves the multi-species electromagnetic gyrokinetic equations in the full volume of a three-dimensional domain. Noise reduction of the particle-in-cell method is achieved by using a δf-method and Fourier filters. The field equations are discretized with B-splines and the resulting system of equations is solved iteratively. For linear simulations a phase-factor transformation is applied in order to strongly reduce the necessary grid resolution. Apart from the full gyrokinetic model, other numerically less expensive hybrid models are also implemented. They are mainly tailored for comparison with fluid theory and for studying the interaction of the bulk plasma with fast particles. The code is parallelized for CPUs by particle and domain decomposition. Good scalability up to several thousand nodes is demonstrated.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2014

Comparison between kinetic-ballooning-mode-driven turbulence and ion-temperature-gradient-driven turbulence

Electromagnetic turbulence driven by kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) in high-β plasma is investigated based on the local gyrokinetic model. Analysis of turbulent fluxes, norms, and phases of fluctuations shows that KBM turbulence gives narrower spectra and smaller phase factors than those in ion-temperature-gradient (ITG)-driven turbulence. This leads to the smaller transport fluxes in KBM turbulence than those in ITG turbulence even when they have similar linear growth rates. From the analysis of the entropy balance relation, it is found that the entropy transfer from ions to electrons through the field-particle interactions mainly drives electron perturbations, which creates radial twisted modes by rapid parallel motions of electrons in a sheared magnetic geometry. The nonlinear coupling between the dominant unstable mode and its twisted modes is important for the saturation of KBM turbulence, in contrast to the importance of zonal flow shearing in ITG turbulence. The coupling depends on the flux-tube domain with the one-poloidal-turn parallel length and on the torus periodicity constraint.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

The HPS Experiment: Searching for Dark Photons at Jefferson Lab

Recently, there has been much interest in new physics models with hidden sectors with massive U(1) gauge bosons, called heavy photons or dark photons. Heavy photons are expected on general theoretical grounds, and astrophysical evidence suggesting they might mediate dark matter annihilations and/or interactions with ordinary matter has motivated the search for a heavy photon in the mass range mA'- 20 to 1000 MeV/c2. Heavy photons couple to ordinary photons through kinetic mixing, which induces their weak coupling to electrons, so they are radiated in electron scattering and can subsequently decay into narrow e+e- resonances which can be observed above the QED background. The Heavy Photon Search (HPS) experiment at Jefferson Lab will search for the e+e- or u+u- heavy photon decay products using a forward spectrometer that includes silicon microstrip detectors for vertexing and tracking, a PbWO4 electromagnetic calorimeter for fast triggering and electron identification, and a muon detector for muon identification. HPS will explore a large, unexplored domain in the mass/coupling plane with great sensitivity. This talk will review the experiment, with results from the recent test run and plans for future construction and data taking.

Phillips, Sarah↗

DOE OSTI2019

Instability of flux flow and production of vortex-antivortex pairs by current-driven Josephson vortices in layered superconductors

We report numerical simulations of the nonlinear dynamics of Josephson vortices driven by strong dc currents in layered superconductors. Dynamic equations for interlayer phase differences in a stack of coupled superconducting layers were solved to calculate a drag coefficient η(J) of the vortex as a function of the perpendicular dc current density J. It is shown that Cherenkov radiation produced by a moving vortex causes significant radiation drag increasing η(v) at high vortex velocities v and striking instabilities of driven Josephson vortices moving faster than a terminal velocity v c . The steady-state flux flow breaks down at v > v c as the vortex starts producing a cascade of expanding vortex-antivortex pairs evolving into either planar macrovortex structures or branching flux patterns propagating both along and across the layers. This vortex-antivortex pair production triggered by a rapidly moving vortex is most pronounced in a stack of underdamped planar junctions where it can occur at J > J s well below the interlayer Josephson critical current density. Both v c and J s were calculated as functions of the quasiparticle damping parameter, and the dc magnetic field was applied parallel to the layers. The effects of vortex interaction on the Cherenkov instability of moving vortex chains and lattices in annular stacks of Josephson junctions were considered. It is shown that a vortex driven by a current density J > J s in a multilayer of finite length excites self-sustained large-amplitude standing waves of magnetic flux, resulting in temporal oscillations of the total magnetic moment. We evaluated a contribution of this effect to the power W radiated by the sample and showed that W increases strongly as the number of layers increases. Furthermore, these mechanisms can result in nonlinearity of the c-axis electromagnetic response and contribute to THz radiation from the layered cuprates at high dc current densities flowing perpendicular to the ab planes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2022

Magnetic structure of few-nucleon systems at high momentum transfers in a chiral effective field theory approach

The five low-energy constants (LECs) in the electromagnetic current derived in chiral effective field theory ( χ EFT ) up to one loop are determined by a simultaneous fit to the A = 2 – 3 nuclei magnetic moments and to the deuteron magnetic form factor and threshold electrodisintegration at backward angles over a wide range of momentum transfers. The resulting parametrization then yields predictions for the 3 He/ 3 H magnetic form factors in excellent accord with the experimental values for momentum transfers ranging up to ≈0.8 GeV/c, beyond the expected regime of validity of the χEFT approach. The calculations are based on last-generation two-nucleon interactions including high orders in the chiral expansion and derived by Entem, Machleidt, and Nosyk [Phys. Rev. C 96, 024004 (2017)] and by Piarulli et al. [Phys. Rev. C 94, 054007 (2016)], using different χEFT formulations. In the A = 3 calculations, (chiral) three-nucleon interactions are also accounted for. The model dependence resulting from these different formulations of the interactions is found to be mild for momentum transfer below ≈0.8 GeV/c . Further, an analysis of the convergence of the chiral expansion is also provided.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Capability in Theory, Modeling, and Validation for a Range of Innovative Fusion Concepts using High-Fidelity Moment-Kinetic Models

A computational modeling capability is created and available to the fusion community to understand and design lower-cost and innovative fusion concepts. The approach uses high- fidelity kinetic, moment-kinetic, and moment models and includes sophisticated plasma- boundary interactions. A majority of fusion-relevant simulations are performed with magnetohydrodynamic models and hybrid particle-in-cell codes, with limited-fidelity electron and kinetic physics. However, in fusion configurations like Z-pinches, field-reversed- configurations, plasma jet magneto-inertial fusion, spinning mirrors, and others, kinetic effects (both electron and ions) are critical to understand the physics and design scaling into the highly kinetic regime of a burning fusion plasma. Furthermore, as present fusion machines move towards a burning plasma regime, liquid-metal blankets are needed to handle first-wall heat- flux, reduce erosion, and eventually for energy conversion and fuel breeding. The work performed under this ARPA-E BETHE Capability Team advances the state-of-the-art in modeling and understanding plasma dynamics in fusion devices and its coupling with liquid-metal dynamics. These are critical areas of research for fusion energy to become realizable. To address these complex problems, we have leveraged and extended computational capabilities through the code, Gkeyll (developed jointly with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and academic partners), for kinetic and moment modeling of fusion plasmas. The Concept Teams supported by this Capability Team include the Wisconsin High-field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM), Centrifugal Mirror Experiment (CFME), Plasma-Jet Magneto- Inertial Fusion (PJMIF), and solid and liquid wall plasma-material interaction studies relevant to a number of fusion concepts including Zap Energy’s Z-pinch. This software is open-source and available to the fusion community as a high-fidelity tool for the design of lower-cost fusion experiments. 3D gyrokinetic simulations of WHAM are now possible for long enough time scales to understand the evolution of interchange instabilities. 3D multi-fluid simulations of CMFE at higher Mach numbers are now possible for detailed design iterations with the goal of stability. The state-of-the-art in understanding shock formation and shock mitigation regimes in merging liners for PJMIF have been furthered by our kinetic simulations. Our novel models and frameworks studying plasma-material interaction by incorporating wall emission for various solid wall materials of relevance to pulsed and steady fusion concepts have advanced the state-of-the-art in our understanding of particle fluxes, heat fluxes, and other quantities at cathodes and anodes. The results from this work may explain discrepancies between experimental and theoretical predictions of achieved current densities in pulsed concepts such as Z-pinches. Another significant contribution of this Capability Team is the development and deployment of a novel experimental platform, LEX (Liquid Electrode eXperiment), at Virginia Tech to understand liquid metal free-surface response to electromagnetic pulses. The novel experiments along with model validation quantified the effect of different materials and sizes of liquid metal droplets on the radiative power balance of fusion plasmas for pulsed concepts. Furthermore, these experiments provided mitigation strategies for violent liquid metal response for high current pulses as would be expected in fusion regimes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Semianalytical study of the propagation of an ultrastrong femtosecond laser pulse in a plasma with ultrarelativistic electron jitter

The interaction of a multi-petawatt, pancake-shaped laser pulse with an unmagnetized plasma is studied analytically and numerically in a regime with ultrarelativistic electron jitter velocities, in which the plasma electrons are almost completely expelled from the pulse region. The study is applied to a laser wakefield acceleration scheme with specifications that may be available in the next generation of Ti:Sa lasers and with the use of recently developed pulse compression techniques. A set of novel nonlinear equations is derived using a three-timescale description, with an intermediate timescale associated with the nonlinear phase of the electromagnetic wave and with the spatial bending of its wave front. They describe, on an equal footing, both the strong and the moderate laser intensity regimes, pertinent to the core and to the edges of the pulse. These have fundamentally different dispersive properties since in the core the electrons are almost completely expelled by a very strong ponderomotive force, and the electromagnetic wave packet is imbedded in a vacuum channel, thus having (almost) linear properties. Conversely, at the pulse edges, the laser amplitude is smaller, and the wave is weakly nonlinear and dispersive. New nonlinear terms in the wave equation, introduced by the nonlinear phase, describe without the violation of imposed scaling laws a smooth transition to a nondispersive electromagnetic wave at very large intensities and a simultaneous saturation of the (initially cubic) nonlocal nonlinearity. The temporal evolution of the laser pulse is studied both analytically and by numerically solving the model equations in a two-dimensional geometry, with the spot diameter presently used in some laser acceleration experiments. The most stable initial pulse length is estimated to exceed ≳1.5–2 μm. Moderate stretching of the pulse in the direction of propagation is observed, followed by the development of a vacuum channel and of a very large electrostatic wake potential, as well as by the bending of the laser wave front.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

BICEP2 / Keck Array IX: New bounds on anisotropies of CMB polarization rotation and implications for axionlike particles and primordial magnetic fields

Here we present the strongest constraints to date on anisotropies of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization rotation derived from 150 GHz data taken by the BICEP2 & Keck Array CMB experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season (BK14). The definition of the polarization angle in BK14 maps has gone through self-calibration in which the overall angle is adjusted to minimize the observed TB and EB power spectra. After this procedure, the Q U maps lose sensitivity to a uniform polarization rotation but are still sensitive to anisotropies of polarization rotation. This analysis places constraints on the anisotropies of polarization rotation, which could be generated by CMB photons interacting with axionlike pseudoscalar fields or Faraday rotation induced by primordial magnetic fields. The sensitivity of BK14 maps (~3 μK - arc min) makes it possible to reconstruct anisotropies of the polarization rotation angle and measure their angular power spectrum much more precisely than previous attempts. Our data are found to be consistent with no polarization rotation anisotropies, improving the upper bound on the amplitude of the rotation angle spectrum by roughly an order of magnitude compared to the previous best constraints. Our results lead to an order of magnitude better constraint on the coupling constant of the Chern-Simons electromagnetic term g aγ ≤ 7.2 × 10 -2 /H I (95% confidence) than the constraint derived from the B -mode spectrum, where H I is the inflationary Hubble scale. This constraint leads to a limit on the decay constant of 10 -6 ≲ f a / M pl at mass range of 10 -33 ≤ m a ≤ 10 -28 eV for r = 0.01 , assuming g aγ ~ α / (2πf a ) with α denoting the fine structure constant. The upper bound on the amplitude of the primordial magnetic fields is 30 nG (95% confidence) from the polarization rotation anisotropies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Prompt-delayed γ-ray spectroscopy of neutron-rich 119.121 In isotopes

The Z = 50 shell closure, near N = 82, is unique in the sense that it is the only shell closure with the spin-orbit partner orbitals, π g 9 / 2 and π g 7 / 2 , enclosing the magic gap. The interaction of the proton hole/particle in the above-mentioned orbitals with neutrons in the νh 11/2 orbital is an important prerequisite to the understanding of the nuclear structure near N = 82 and the νπ interaction. To explore the structural similarity between the high-spin isomeric states in In ( Z = 49), Sn ( Z = 50), and Sb ( Z = 51) isotopes from a microscopic point of view. In addition, to understand the role of a proton hole or particle in the spin-orbit partner orbitals, π g 9 / 2 and π g 7 / 2 , respectively, with neutron holes in the ν h 11 / 2 orbital on these aforementioned isomers. The fusion and transfer induced fission reaction Be 9 ( U 238 , f ) with 6.2 MeV/u beam energy, using a unique setup consisting of AGATA, VAMOS++, and EXOGAM detectors, was used to populate through the fission process and study the neutron-rich In 119 , 121 isotopes. This setup enabled the prompt-delayed γ -ray spectroscopy of isotopes in the time range of 100 ns – 200 μ s . In the odd- A In 119 , 121 isotopes, indications of a short half-life 19/2 - isomeric state, in addition to the previously known 25/2 + isomeric state, were observed from the present data. Further, new prompt transitions above the 25/2 + isomer in In 121 were identified along with reevaluation of its half-life. The experimental data were compared with the theoretical results obtained in the framework of large-scale shell-model calculations in a restricted model space. Furthermore, the ( π g 9 / 2 ν h 11 / 2 ; I | H ^ | π g 9 / 2 ν h 11 / 2 ; I ) two-body matrix elements of residual interaction were modified to explain the excitation energies and the B ( E 2) transition probabilities in the neutron-rich In isotopes. The (i) decreasing trend of E (29/2 + ) - E (25/2 + ) in odd-In (with dominant configuration π g 9 / 2 - 1 ν h 11 / 2 - 2 and maximum aligned spin of 29/2 + ) and (ii) increasing trend of E (27/2 + ) - E (23/2 + ) in odd-Sb (with dominant configuration π g 7 / 2 + 1 ν h 11 / 2 - 2 and maximum aligned spin of 27/2 + ) with increasing neutron number could be understood as a consequence of hole-hole and particle-hole interactions, respectively.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

First-excited state g factor of Te 136 by the recoil in vacuum method

The g factor of the first 2 + state of radioactive 136 Te with two valence protons and two valence neutrons beyond double-magic 132 Sn has been measured by the recoil in vacuum (RIV) method. The lifetime of this state is an order of magnitude longer than the lifetimes of excited states recently measured by the RIV method in Sn and Te isotopes, requiring a new evaluation of the free-ion hyperfine interactions and methodology used to determine the g factor. In this paper, the calibration data are reported and the analysis procedures are described in detail. The resultant g factor has a similar magnitude to the g factors of other nuclei with an equal number of valence protons and neutrons in the major shell. However, an unexpected trend is found in the g factors of the N = 84 isotones, which decrease from 136 Te to 144 Nd. Finally, shell model calculations with interactions derived from the CD Bonn potential show good agreement with the g factors and E2 transition rates of 2 + states around 132 Sn, confirming earlier indications that 132 Sn is a good doubly magic core.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Review of Monte Carlo simulations for backgrounds from radioactivity

For all experiments dealing with the rare event searches (neutrino, dark matter, neutrino-less double-beta decay), the reduction of the radioactive background is one of the most important and difficult tasks. There are basically two types of background, electron recoils and nuclear recoils. The electron recoil background is mostly from the gamma rays through the radioactive decay. The nuclear recoil background is from neutrons from spontaneous fission, (α, n) reactions and muoninduced interactions (spallations, photo-nuclear and hadronic interaction). The external gammas and neutrons from the muons and laboratory environment, can be reduced by operating the detector at deep underground laboratories and by placing active or passive shield materials around the detector. The radioactivity of the detector materials also contributes to the background; in order to reduce it a careful screening campaign is mandatory to select highly radio-pure materials. In this review I present the status of current Monte Carlo simulations aimed to estimate and reproduce the background induced by gamma and neutron radioactivity of the materials and the shield of rare event search experiment. For the electromagnetic background a good level of agreement between the data and the MC simulation has been reached by the XENON100 and EDELWEISS experiments, using the GEANT4 toolkit. For the neutron background, a comparison between the yield of neutrons from spontaneous fission and (α, n) obtained with two dedicated softwares, SOURCES-4A and the one developed by Mei-Zhang-Hime, show a good overall agreement, with total yields within a factor 2 difference. The energy spectra from SOURCES-4A are in general smoother, while those from MZH presents sharp peaks. The neutron propagation through various materials has been studied with two MC codes, GEANT4 and MCNPX, showing a reasonably good agreement, inside 50% discrepancy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Software Quality Assurance Plan ANSYS LSDYNA Version 2023R1

ANSYS Inc. develops and markets engineering simulation software and services used in the aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, electronics, biomedical, energy, defense, and many other industries. ANSYS is dedicated to engineering simulation and is the world’s leading software provider. ANSYS was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. ANSYS provides an engineering analysis tool combining structural, thermal, computational fluid dynamics, acoustic and electromagnetic simulation capabilities. ANSYS LS-DYNA is the most used explicit simulation program capable of simulating the response of materials to short periods of severe loading. Its many elements, contact formulations, material models, and other controls can be used to simulate complex models with control over all the details of the problem. ANSYS LS-DYNA has a vast array of capabilities to simulate extreme deformation problems using its explicit solver. Engineers can tackle simulations involving material failure and look at how the failure progresses through a part or through a system. Models with large amounts of parts or surfaces interacting with each other are also easily handled, and the interactions and load passing between complex behaviors are modeled accurately. Using computers with higher numbers of CPU cores can drastically reduce solution times. In addition, many consulting firms and hundreds of universities use ANSYS for analysis, research, and educational purposes. ANSYS is recognized worldwide as one of the most widely used and capable programs of its type. ANSYS has successfully passed over 100 customer quality system audits against American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) NQA-1 and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, since the company was founded, over 60 of which have been since 1997. ANSYS has successfully passed over 100 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 assessments. ANSYS design analysis software is the first created within a quality system with ISO 9001 certification, which is the internationally accepted quality standard. Product development, testing, maintenance, and support processes also meet the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) quality requirements, as they have for nearly four decades. ANSYS staff perform more than 60,000 software verification tests before releasing each new product. ASME NQA-1-2012 (Subpart 2.7 is specific to software) is the industry- and NRC-accepted approach (consensus standard) for meeting 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, requirements.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Near-field-driven radiative thermal dynamics in aperiodic photonic nanostructures

Harnessing structural correlations in near-field plasmonic and polaritonic systems hold untapped potential for controlling light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. By tuning these correlations, one can reshape mode localization, coupling, and spectral distribution which are properties central to manipulating energy transport and field enhancement in nanophotonic platforms. We exploit Vogel spirals, an aperiodic geometry where a single parameter dictates spatial correlations, to show how correlation strength reshapes the modal spectrum and transient dynamics of near-field coupling. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that aperiodic configurations outperform both uncorrelated (random) and periodic arrays in controlling near-field radiative heat-transfer dynamics. These results establish deterministic aperiodic order as a powerful platform for tailoring correlated electromagnetic responses in next-generation nanophotonic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Triaxiality and shape dynamics in 70 Ge

The electromagnetic properties of low-lying states in 70 Ge were investigated via multi-step Coulomb excitation of a 70 Ge beam impinging on a 208 Pb target at the ATLAS facility of the Argonne National Laboratory. A total of 27 transitional elements and six diagonal matrix elements coupling 11 low-lying states, were extracted from the measured cross sections. These were used to calculate reduced transition probabilities, spectroscopic quadrupole moments, and rotational invariant shape parameters, providing enhanced precision and expanding on previous studies. The experimental data were compared within several theoretical frameworks, including the generalized triaxial rotor model, configuration interaction shell-model calculations, and computations within the combined frameworks of relativistic density functional theory and the five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian. The results demonstrate a good agreement with the experimental data and, in conjunction with calculations using a two-state mixing model, support significant triaxiality and strong mixing between the 0$^{+}_{1}$ and 0$^{+}_{2}$ states. This results in the magnitudes of their respective quadrupole deformations [β rms (0$^{+}_{1}$) = 0.228 (3), β rms (0$^{+}_{2}$) = 0.273 (1)] being more similar than previously observed. Furthermore, the implications of these results for understanding the complex shape coexistence phenomena, the role of triaxiality, and shape evolution along the Ge isotopic chain are discussed.

59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗