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At least 1,333 records · Page 74

Engineering on-chip nanoporous gold material libraries via precision photothermal treatment [Precision Photothermal Annealing of Nanoporous Gold Thin Films for the Microfabrication of a Single-ship Material Libraries]

Single-chip material libraries of thin films of nanostructured materials are a promising approach for high throughput studies of structure-property relationship in the fields of physics and biology. Nanoporous gold (np-Au), produced by an alloy corrosion process, is a nanostructured material of specific interest in both these fields. One attractive property of np-Au is its self-similar coarsening behavior by thermally induced surface diffusion. However, traditional heat application techniques for the modification of np-Au are bulk processes that cannot be used to generate a library of different pore sizes on a single chip. Laser micromachining offers an attractive solution to this problem by providing a means to apply energy with high spatial and temporal resolution. In our present study we use finite element multiphysics simulations to predict the effects of laser mode (continuous-wave vs. pulsed) and supporting substrate thermal conductivity on the local np-Au film temperatures during photothermal annealing and subsequently investigate the mechanisms by which the np-Au network is coarsening. Our simulations predict that continuous-wave mode laser irradiation on a silicon supporting substrate supports the widest range of morphologies that can be created through the photothermal annealing of thin film np-Au. Using this result we successfully fabricate a single-chip material library consisting of 81 np-Au samples of 9 different morphologies for use in increased throughput material interaction studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Design and convergence analysis of the conforming virtual element method for polyharmonic problems

In the recent years, there has been a tremendous interest to numerical methods that approximate partial differential equations (PDEs) on computational meshes with arbitrarily-shaped polygonal/polyhedral (polytopal, for short) elements. A nonexhaustive list of such methods include the Mimetic Finite Difference method [4, 9, 21, 24, 28, 33, 35, 62, 64–67], the Polygonal Finite Element Method [68, 73, 74], the polygonal Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Methods [5, 7, 8, 10, 13–15, 18, 36, 38, 39, 41, 50], the Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin and Hybrid High-Order Methods [46–48, 51], the Gradient Discretization method [49, 53, 54], the Finite Volume Method [52], and the BEM-based FEM [71]. An alternative approach that also proved to be very successful is provided by the Virtual Element method (VEM), which was originally proposed in [19] for the numerical treatment of second-order elliptic problems [43, 44], and readily extended to linear and nonlinear elasticity [22, 25, 56], plate bending problems [37], Cahn-Hilliard equation [3], Stokes equations [2], Laplace-Beltrami equation [55], Darcy-Brinkam equation [76], discrete topology optimization problems [6], fracture networks problems [29], eigenvalue problems [59, 75]. The mixed virtual element formulation was proposed in [20, 34]; the nonconforming Virtual element formulations was proposed for second-order elliptic problems in [16], and later extended to general advection-reaction-diffusion problems, Stokes equation, the biharmonic problems, the iegenvalue problem, and the Schrodinger equation in [11, 30, 42, 45, 58, 80]. The p- and hp-version of the VEM were developed in [26, 27] and efficient multigrid methods for the resulting linear system of equations in [12]. A posteriori error estimates can be found in [40].

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Intercomparison of 3D pore-scale flow and solute transport simulation methods

Multiple numerical approaches have been developed to simulate porous media fluid flow and solute transport at the pore scale. These include methods that 1) explicitly model the three-dimensional geometry of pore spaces and 2) those that conceptualize the pore space as a topologically consistent set of stylized pore bodies and pore throats. In previous work we validated a model of class 1, based on direct numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes, against magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) measurements of pore-scale velocities. Here we expand that validation to include additional models of class 1 based on the immersed-boundary method (IMB), lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), as well as a model of class 2 (a pore-network model or PNM). The PNM approach used in the current study was recently improved and demonstrated to accurately simulate solute transport in a two-dimensional experiment. While the PNM approach is computationally much less demanding than direct numerical simulation methods, the effect of conceptualizing complex three-dimensional pore geometries on solute transport in the manner of PNMs has not been fully determined. We apply all four approaches (CFD, LBM, SPH and PNM) to simulate pore-scale velocity distributions and nonreactive solute transport, and intercompare the model results with previously reported experimental observations. Experimental observations are limited to measured pore-scale velocities, so solute transport comparisons are made only among the various models. Comparisons are drawn both in terms of macroscopic variables (e.g., permeability, solute breakthrough curves) and microscopic variables (e.g., local velocities and concentrations).

computational fluid dynamics↗

Motif magnetism and quantum many-body scars

In this work, we generally expect quantum systems to thermalize and satisfy the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), which states that finite-energy-density eigenstates are thermal. However, some systems, such as many-body localized systems and systems with quantum many-body scars, violate ETH and have high-energy athermal eigenstates. In systems with scars, most eigenstates thermalize, but a few atypical scar states do not. Scar states can give rise to a periodic revival when time-evolving particular initial product states, which can be detected experimentally. Recently, a family of spin Hamiltonians was found with magnetically ordered three-colored eigenstates that are quantum many-body scars [Lee et al., Phys. Rev. B 101, 241111(R) (2020)]. These models can be realized in any lattice that can be tiled by triangles, such as the triangular or kagome lattices, and have been shown to have close connections to the physics of quantum spin liquids in the Heisenberg kagome antiferromagnet. In this paper, we introduce a generalized family of n-colored Hamiltonians with “spiral colored” eigenstates made from n-spin motifs such as polygons or polyhedra. We show how these models can be realized in many different lattice geometries and provide numerical evidence that they can exhibit quantum many-body scars with periodic revivals that can be observed by time-evolving simple product states. The simple structure of these Hamiltonians makes them promising candidates for future experimental studies of quantum many-body scars.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Accuracy of Gradient Reconstruction on Grids with High Aspect Ratio

Gradient approximation methods commonly used in unstructured-grid finite-volume schemes intended for solutions of high Reynolds number flow equations are studied comprehensively. The accuracy of gradients within cells and within faces is evaluated systematically for both node-centered and cell-centered formulations. Computational and analytical evaluations are made on a series of high-aspect-ratio grids with different primal elements, including quadrilateral, triangular, and mixed element grids, with and without random perturbations to the mesh. Both rectangular and cylindrical geometries are considered; the latter serves to study the effects of geometric curvature. The study shows that the accuracy of gradient reconstruction on high-aspect-ratio grids is determined by a combination of the grid and the solution. The contributors to the error are identified and approaches to reduce errors are given, including the addition of higher-order terms in the direction of larger mesh spacing. A parameter GAMMA characterizing accuracy on curved high-aspect-ratio grids is discussed and an approximate-mapped-least-square method using a commonly-available distance function is presented; the method provides accurate gradient reconstruction on general grids. The study is intended to be a reference guide accompanying the construction of accurate and efficient methods for high Reynolds number applications

Thomas, James↗

Topological Hall effect and magnetic states in the Nowotny chimney ladder compound Cr 11 Ge 19

In this report, we have investigated the magnetic and charge transport properties of single crystals of the Nowotny chimney ladder compound Cr 11 Ge 19 and mapped out a comprehensive phase diagram reflecting the complicated interplay between the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, the dipolar interaction, and the magnetic anisotropy. We have identified a set of interesting magnetic phases and attributed a finite topological Hall effect to the recently discovered biskyrmion phase. These data also suggest the existence of an antiskyrmion state at finite fields for temperatures just below the magnetic ordering temperature T c as indicated by a distinct change in sign of the topological Hall effect. Above T c , we discovered a region of enhanced magnetic response corresponding to a disordered phase likely existing near the ferromagnetic critical point under small magnetic fields. Strong spin chirality fluctuations are demonstrated by the large value of the topological Hall resistivity persisting up to 1 T, which is most likely due to the existence of the DM interaction. We argue that changes to the topological Hall effect correspond to different topological spin textures that are controlled by magnetic dipolar and DM interactions that vary in importance with temperature

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High Fidelity CFD Simulations Supporting the KP-FHR

Kairos Power, LLC, is developing its version of the Fluoride-cooled High-temperature Reactor, the KP-FHR. The design uses a pebble bed core with fluoride salt as a coolant. The pebbles used in the KP-FHR have a diameter of 4 cm, with a shell fuel region where TRISO particles are embedded. A Pebble bed core design is adopted by several Gen IV reactors, They boast many benefits, such as fuel integrity, highly efficient heat transfer, and passive safety. However, it is challenging to accurately predict temperature and flow inside a pebble bed. Traditional approaches use the porous media model, which regards the pebble bed as a continuous medium, but with different temperature fields representing different levels, such as the fluid temperature, pebble surface temperature, and pebble center temperature. Empirical heat transfer correlations are adopted to calculate the heat transfer coefficient between different phases. However, empirical correlations are usually validated with experimental data, which usually lacks detail inside the pebble bed. The available experimental data is also generally at a high Reynolds number, which falls outside of the conditions of KP-FHR. Explicit computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of randomly packed pebble beds have only become feasible recently. This is thanks to the rapid development of computational power and scalable algorithms. In this work, we used the Spectral Element Method (SEM) CFD code NekRS to simulate the randomly packed pebble bed in a cylindrical container. NekRS, which is the GPU variant of Nek5000, but refactored to utilize the computational power of GPUs using the OCCA library to run on hybrid architecture high performance computing systems. It was initially developed with the libParamunal library, but truncated and tuned for large-scale turbulence simulation. As a result, the SEM reaches higher precision with the same degrees of freedom by using a high-order Lagrange polynomial basis distributed on Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre quadrature inside each element, compared to lower-order methods, such the Finite Volume Method and Finite Element Method. The report is divided into five parts. We start with a general discussion of the pebble bed reactor, along with a specific investigation into the KP-FHR. The second part presents the numerical methodology. In the third part, we study a modular pebble bed with 1741 pebbles in a container of 7 pebble-diameter radius. Beyond LES simulations done by NekRS, we also leveraged the thermal radiation model in OpenFOAM to study heat transfer under no-forced-flow scenarios. Then, in the fourth part we simulated a pebble bed similar to the size of the Hermes Test Reactor. The total number of pebbles is in these simulations is 34,374. The container radius is 14 pebble-diameters. Finally, the report concludes in part five, with a discussion of future work.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Physics of pitch angle scattering and velocity diffusion. I - Theory

A general theory for the pitch angle scattering and velocity diffusion of particles in the field of a spectrum of waves in a magnetized plasma is presented. The test particle theory is used to analyze the particle motion. The form of diffusion surfaces is examined, and analytical expressions are given for the resonance width and bounce frequency. The resonance widths are found to vary strongly as a function of harmonic number. The resulting diffusion can be quite asymmetric with respect to pitch angle of 90 deg. The conditions for the onset of pitch angle scattering and energy diffusion are explained in detail. Some of the known shortcomings of the standard quasi-linear theory are also addressed, and ways to overcome them are shown. In particular, the often stated quasi-linear gap at 90 deg is found to exist only under very special cases. For instance, oblique wave propagation can easily remove the gap. The conditions for the existence of the gap are described in great detail. A new diffusion equation which takes into account the finite resonance widths is also discussed. The differences between this new theory and the standard resonance broadening theory is explained.

Karimabadi, H.↗

Time Scale Effects on the Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity

For a nuclear reactor, the temperature coefficient of reactivity (TCR) is of significance for both power control and safety analysis, but it is not always a constant. For example, the TCR may be dependent upon temperature due to Doppler broadening, and may be also dependent upon time scale due to heat transfer and thermal expansion. A fast burst reactor is a favorable nuclear facility to simulate the time scale effects on the TCR. Fast burst reactors are generally unmoderated research reactors of enriched uranium metal or uranium alloys. The neutrons are fast and the Doppler broadening effects can be neglected, and the TCR is mainly contributed by fuel thermal expansion. Fast burst reactors can operate on both steady state power mode and burst power mode. In steady state power mode, the systems are assumed to be in thermal equilibrium. In burst mode, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the power is from tens of microseconds to a few milliseconds, and the heat transfer is generally neglected. If FWHM is short enough, thermal expansion will have a time delay due to inertial effect. This paper is aimed to study the exact time scale effects on the TCR due to thermal expansion. The TCR contributed by the Doppler broadening effects was neglected, because it is relatively small (The k{sub eff} as a function of temperature was also calculated using the Monte Carlo particle transport code JMCT by our group, and no definite difference due to the temperature change was obtained near room temperature), and there is no method to evaluate the time scale dependence of the Doppler broadening effects yet. In the time scale from 1 x 10{sup -6} s to 1 x 10{sup 5} s, the TCR of a Godiva-like spherical fast burst reactor was calculated with perturbation theory. A Godiva-like spherical fast burst reactor was studied, the calculation of the time scale effects on TCR involved thermal conduction, thermoelasticity and reactivity variation analysis. Both the thermal and the thermoelastic problems were solved using ANSYS software. ANSYS is software implementation of finite element simulations, which is widely used in engineering field. The reactivity variation due to thermal expansion was calculated with perturbation theory.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Partitioned coupling strategies for multi-physically coupled radiative heat transfer problems

This article aims to propose new aspects concerning a partitioned solution strategy for multi-physically coupled fields including the physics of thermal radiation. Particularly, we focus on the partitioned treatment of electro–thermo-mechanical problems with an additional fourth thermal radiation field. One of the main goals is to take advantage of the flexibility of the partitioned approach to enable combinations of different simulation software and solvers. Within the frame of this article, we limit ourselves to the case of nonlinear thermoelasticity at finite strains, using temperature-dependent material parameters. For the thermal radiation field, diffuse radiating surfaces and gray participating media are assumed. Moreover, we present a robust and fast partitioned coupling strategy for the fourth field problem. Stability and efficiency of the implicit coupling algorithm are improved drawing on several methods to stabilize and to accelerate the convergence. To conclude and to review the effectiveness and the advantages of the additional thermal radiation field several numerical examples are considered to study the proposed algorithm. In particular we focus on an industrial application, namely the electro–thermo-mechanical modeling of the field-assisted sintering technology.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Two-fluid and finite Larmor radius effects on helicity evolution in a plasma pinch

The evolution of magnetic energy, helicity, and hybrid helicity during nonlinear relaxation of a driven-damped plasma pinch is compared in visco-resistive magnetohydrodynamics and two-fluid models with and without the ion gyroviscous stress tensor. Magnetic energy and helicity are supplied via a boundary electric field which initially balances the resistive dissipation, and the plasma undergoes multiple relaxation events during the nonlinear evolution. The magnetic helicity is well conserved relative to the magnetic energy over each event, which is short compared with the global resistive diffusion time. The magnetic energy decreases by roughly 1.5% of its initial value over a relaxation event, while the magnetic helicity changes by at most 0.2% of the initial value. The hybrid helicity is dominated by magnetic helicity in low-β pinch conditions and is also well conserved. Differences of less than 1% between magnetic helicity and hybrid helicity are observed with two-fluid modeling and result from cross helicity evolution. The cross helicity is found to change appreciably due to the first-order finite Larmor radius effects which have not been included in contemporary relaxation theories. The plasma current evolves towards the flat parallel current state predicted by Taylor relaxation theory but does not achieve it. Plasma flow develops significant structure for two-fluid models, and the flow perpendicular to the magnetic field is much more substantial than the flow along it.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Effect of annealing on the laser induced damage of polished and CO{sub 2} laser-processed fused silica surfaces

We investigate the effect of different heat treatments on the laser-induced damage probabilities of fused silica samples. Isothermal annealing in a furnace is applied, with different temperatures in the range 700–1100 °C and 12 h annealing time, to super-polished fused silica samples. The surface flatness and laser damage probabilities at 3 ns, 351 nm are measured before and after the different annealing procedures. We have found a significant improvement of the initial laser damage probabilities of the silica surface after annealing at 1050 °C for 12 h. A similar study has been conducted on CO{sub 2} laser-processed sites on the surface of the samples. Before and after annealing, we have studied the morphology of the sites, the evolution of residual stress, and the laser-induced damage threshold measured at 351 nm, 3 ns. In this case, we observe that the laser damage resistance of the laser created craters can reach the damage level of the bare fused silica surface after the annealing process, with a complete stress relieve. The obtained results are then compared to the case of local annealing process by CO{sub 2} laser irradiation during 1 s, and we found similar improvements in both cases. The different results obtained in the study are compared to numerical simulations made with a thermo-mechanical model based on finite-element method that allows the simulation of the isothermal or the local annealing process, the evolution of stress and fictive temperature. The simulation results were found to be very consistent with experimental observations for the stresses evolution after annealing and estimation of the heat affected area during laser-processing based on the density dependence with fictive temperature. Following this work, the temperature for local annealing should reach 1330–1470 °C for an optimized reduction of damage probability and be below the threshold for material removal, whereas furnace annealing should be kept below the annealing point to avoid sample deformation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

First-principles investigation of phase stability in the Mg-Sc binary alloy

The recent discovery of shape memory behavior in Mg-Sc alloys has opened the door to the possibility of lightweight shape memory alloys. Very little is known, however, about martensitic phase transformations or about equilibrium phase stability in this alloy system. In this paper we report on a first-principles statistical mechanics study of zero Kelvin and finite temperature phase stability of hcp, bcc, and fcc based phases in the Mg-Sc binary. Our calculations reveal a rich array of phase transitions among the different low-temperature ordered and high-temperature disordered phases. Ground state orderings on hcp, bcc, and fcc belong to families of hierarchical structures containing rods of scandium atoms assembled in layers that repeat periodically. Both fcc and bcc are found to undergo a series of second-order phase transformations with increasing temperature until they completely disorder. A high degree of degeneracy is predicted at low and high temperatures among hcp, bcc, and fcc, a property that is likely to play an important role in the shape memory effects observed in this alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Angle- and polarization-resolved luminescence from suspended and hexagonal boron nitride encapsulated MoSe 2 monolayers

The polarized photoluminescence from atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides is a frequently applied tool to scrutinize optical selection rules and valley physics, yet it is known to sensibly depend on a variety of internal and external material and sample properties. In this work, we apply combined angle- and polarization-resolved spectroscopy to explore the interplay of excitonic physics and phenomena arising from the commonly utilized encapsulation procedure on the optical properties of atomically thin M o S e 2 . We probe monolayers prepared in both suspended and encapsulated manners. We show that the hBN encapsulation significantly enhances the linear polarization of exciton photoluminescence emission at large emission angles. This degree of linear polarization of excitons can increase up to ∼ <#comment/> 17 % <#comment/> in the hBN encapsulated samples. As we confirm by finite-difference time-domain simulations, it can be directly connected to the optical anisotropy of the hBN layers. In comparison, the linear polarization at finite exciton momenta is significantly reduced in a suspended M o S e 2 monolayer, and becomes notable only in cryogenic conditions. This phenomenon strongly suggests that the effect is rooted in the k-dependent anisotropic exchange coupling inherent in 2D excitons. Our results have strong implications on further studies on valley contrasting selection rules and valley coherence phenomena using standard suspended and encapsulated samples.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Fluctuation–dissipation relation for a quantum Brownian oscillator in a parametrically squeezed thermal field

In this paper we study the nonequilibrium evolution of a quantum Brownian oscillator, modeling the internal degree of freedom of a harmonic atom or an Unruh–DeWitt detector, coupled to a nonequilibrium and nonstationary quantum field bath and inquire whether a fluctuation–dissipation relation (FDR) can exist after/if it approaches equilibration. This is a nontrivial issue because a squeezed field bath cannot reach equilibration and yet, as this work shows, the system oscillator indeed can, which is a necessary condition for FDRs. We discuss three different settings: (A) The bath field essentially remains in a squeezed thermal state throughout, whose squeeze parameter is a mode- and time-independent constant. This situation is often encountered in quantum optics and quantum thermodynamics. (B) The bath field is initially in a thermal state, but is subjected to a parametric process leading to mode- and time-dependent squeezing. This scenario is encountered in cosmology and dynamical Casimir effects. The squeezing in the bath in both types of processes will affect the oscillator’s nonequilibrium evolution. We show that at late times it approaches equilibration and this stationarity condition warrants the existence of a FDR. The trait of squeezing is marked by the oscillator’s effective equilibrium temperature, and the proportionality factor in the FDR is only related to the stationary component of the noise kernel of the bath field. Setting (C) is more subtle: A finite system–bath coupling strength can set the oscillator in a squeezed state even though the bath field is stationary and does not engage in any parametric process. The squeezing of the system in this case is in general time-dependent but becomes constant when the internal dynamics is fully relaxed. We begin with comments on the broad range of physical processes involving squeezed thermal baths and end with some remarks on the significance of FDRs in capturing the essence of quantum backreaction in nonequilibrium and stochastic systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spectral quadrature for the first principles study of crystal defects: Application to magnesium

In this work, we present an accurate and efficient finite-difference formulation and parallel implementation of Kohn-Sham Density (Operator) Functional Theory (DFT) for non periodic systems embedded in a bulk environment. Specifically, employing non-local pseudopotentials, local reformulation of electrostatics, and truncation of the spatial Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian, and the Linear Scaling Spectral Quadrature method to solve for the pointwise electronic fields in real-space and the non-local component of the atomic force, we develop a parallel finite difference framework suitable for distributed memory computing architectures to simulate non-periodic systems embedded in a bulk environment. Choosing examples from magnesium-aluminum alloys, we first demonstrate the convergence of energies and forces with respect to spectral quadrature polynomial order, and the width of the spatially truncated Hamiltonian. Next, we demonstrate the parallel scaling of our framework, and show that the computation time and memory scale linearly with respect to the number of atoms. Next, we use the developed framework to simulate isolated point defects and their interactions in magnesium-aluminum alloys. Our findings conclude that the binding energies of divacancies, Al solute-vacancy and two Al solute atoms are anisotropic and are dependent on cell size. Furthermore, the binding is favorable in all three cases.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis of the AFIP-7 Irradiation Test in the Advanced Test Reactor - Oxide Growth Prediction and Correlation

Knowing the thickness of the oxide layer on the surface of aluminum fuel cladding is vitally important for predicting fuel temperature due to the low thermal conductivity of the oxide layer. Several correlation models for predicting oxide growth can be found in the literature. In previous research, the correlations were combined with heat transfer simulations in Abaqus, a finite element analysis code, to forecast the oxide growth. However, this approach requires heat transfer coefficients for modeling heat exchanges with the external flow field, and such coefficients were obtained through empirical equations. Since different empirical equations yield varying heat transfer coefficients, the cladding temperature and predicted oxide thickness both carry a high degree of uncertainty. Here, this research develops a new approach that integrates the fluid flow, fluid and solid heat transfer, and oxide growth correlation(s) into a single computational fluid dynamics model. We demonstrate this approach’s ability to predict oxide development on the AFIP-7 plates during two Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) irradiation cycles. The projected oxide thickness falls within the experimental measurements taken during post irradiation examination.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Entanglement evolution of a two-mode Gaussian system in various thermal environments

We describe the evolution of the quantum entanglement of an open system consisting of two bosonic modes interacting with a common thermal environment, described by two different models. The initial state of the system is taken of Gaussian form. In the case of a thermal bath, characterized by temperature and dissipation constant which correspond to an asymptotic Gibbs state of the system, we show that for a zero temperature of the thermal bath an initial entangled Gaussian state remains entangled for all finite times. For an entangled initial squeezed thermal state, the phenomenon of entanglement sudden death takes place and we calculate the survival time of entanglement. For the second model of the environment, corresponding to a non-Gibbs asymptotic state, we study the possibility of generating entanglement. We show that the generation of the entanglement between two uncoupled bosonic modes is possible only for definite values of the temperature and dissipation constant, which characterize the thermal environment.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗