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At least 1,333 records · Page 74

Characterizing vertical upper ocean temperature structures in the European Arctic through unsupervised machine learning

In-situ observations of subsurface ocean temperatures are, in many regions, inconsistently distributed in time and space. These spatio-temporal inconsistencies in the observational network lead to difficulties in utilizing those observations effectively for ocean model evaluation or understanding larger-scale ocean characteristics. Model accuracy of subsurface ocean characteristics is especially important within regions that contain complex ocean structures. One such region is the European Arctic which not only contains several types of water masses with unique characteristics, but also wintertime sea ice coverage and complex bathymetry. This study presents an unsupervised neural networking technique that can be used in combination with traditional ocean model evaluation techniques to provide additional information on the accuracy of modeled vertical ocean temperature profiles. Self-organizing maps is an unsupervised machine learning technique that we apply to approximately twenty thousand Argo and CTD temperature profiles from 2012 to 2020 in the European Arctic to categorize the observed vertical ocean temperature structures in the top 150 m. The observed ocean profile categories, or neurons, defined by the self-organizing map show strong spatial and temporal dependencies. We then use the neuron weights, or the learned temperature profile structure of each neuron, to validate the spatial and temporal variability of modeled vertical temperature structures. This analysis gives us new insights about the model’s capabilities to reproduce specific vertical structures of the top-most ocean layer within different regions and seasons. Mapping modeled ocean temperature profiles onto the neuron-space of the observationally-defined self organized map highlights the potential of this method to advance our understanding of model deficiencies in that region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Plutonium Oxidation State Distribution in the Presence of WIPP-Relevant Organics and Iron Corrosion Products

The oxidation state and solubility of plutonium (Pu) in high ionic strength synthetic WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) brines as a function of pC H+ in the presence and absence of WIPP-relevant organic ligands (EDTA [Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid], oxalate, citrate, acetate) and iron corrosion products (magnetite and metallic iron) at 𝑇 = 23 ± 2 ∘C was thoroughly studied by long-term batch solubility experiments (between approximately 800-1,100 days) from an undersaturation approach. The oxidation state of Pu in the WIPP environment has been a topic of interest since the initial Compliance Certification Application (CCA). This study aims to investigate the solubility of Pu under the expected WIPP conditions and to determine the oxidation state of the solid phase that will control the solubility. One of the most important results of this study is that the Pu oxidation state was analyzed both from the surface area of the corrosion products and in the precipitated solid. The analysis of the Pu oxidation state on the surface of the iron mineral from the ongoing undersaturated experiments is more relevant to the performance assessment of nuclear waste disposal than short term batch (plutonium-iron phase) experiments. The X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) analysis showed that Pu oxidation state is different on the metal surface and in the precipitated solid. Pu(III) is the dominant oxidation state in the metallic iron (Fe 0 ) system in the presence and absence of organics. Pu(IV) is the dominant oxidation state in the magnetite system in the presence and absence of organics. Also, organics stabilize Pu(IV) in the magnetite system. Analysis of Pu in the precipitated solid by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analysis showed that Pu formed an inner-sphere complex with iron with minor amounts of PuO 2 present. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that metallic iron and magnetite did not oxidize in three years in the alkaline and high ionic strength system. Under these conditions (8 < pC H+ < 10 at T = (22 ± 2) °C under nitrogen atmosphere, the solubility of Pu changes by up to three orders of magnitude (10 -5 and 10 -8 M). The spread in solubility is highest at pC H+ = 9. Pu(III) and Pu(IV) showed different solubility behavior in the synthetic WIPP brine. A summary of the data collected in this report will be submitted to Sandia National Laboratories as part of a parameter update report which will outline the changes to the OXSTAT parameter for the 2026 Compliance Recertification Application (CRA-2026). The experiments performed were done according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved Test Plan entitled “Effects of Radiolysis, Organic Complexation, and Redox Conditions on the Speciation and Oxidation State Distribution of Pu(III/IV)” (LCO-ACP-25). All data reported were obtained under the Los Alamos National Laboratory-Carlsbad Office (LANL-CO) Quality Assurance Program, which is compliant with the DOE Carlsbad Field Office, Quality Assurance Program Document (CBFO/QAPD).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Quantification of spatial and seasonal trends in the atmosphere and construction of statistical models for infrasonic propagation

SUMMARY Infrasonic waves are influenced by variations in the density, pressure and temperature as well as the ambient winds. Modelling infrasonic propagation can be challenging due to the dynamic nature of the atmosphere as well as the sparseness of measurements which result in variability and notable uncertainty. A framework is presented to quantify spatial and seasonal trends in atmospheric structure via analysis of the effective sound speed profile and identification of temporal trends in the middle atmospheric waveguide produced by the circumpolar vortex winds. Seasonal definitions identifying typical atmospheric structures during the summer, winter and spring/fall transition periods are identified using atmospheric data from 2010 through 2020. Seasonal trend analysis is conducted for a number of locations across the contiguous United States to quantify spatial variations in atmospheric structure that impact infrasonic propagation. For each season and location, empirical orthogonal function analysis is used to reduce the historical archive of atmospheric data into a smaller representative set that can be analysed using numerical tools more efficiently. Infrasonic ray tracing and finite-frequency modal propagation analyses are applied to construct propagation path geometry and transmission loss statistics which are useful in localization and yield estimation for infrasonic sources, respectively. An example application is detailed in which transmission loss statistics are combined with an explosive source model and noise statistics to quantify the capability of a network to detect nearby sources.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Analysis of the functional gene structure and metabolic potential of microbial community in high arsenic groundwater

Microbial functional potential in high arsenic (As) groundwater ecosystems remains largely unknown. In this study, the microbial community functional composition of nineteen groundwater samples was investigated using a functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0). Samples were divided into low and high As groups based on the clustering analysis of geochemical parameters and microbial functional structures. The results showed that As related genes (arsC, arrA), sulfate related genes (dsrA and dsrB), nitrogen cycling related genes (ureC, amoA, and hzo) and methanogen genes (mcrA, hdrB) in groundwater samples were correlated with As, SO 4 2- , NH 4 + or CH 4 concentrations, respectively. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) results indicated that some geochemical parameters including As, total organic content, SO 4 2- , NH 4 + , oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and pH were important factors shaping the functional microbial community structures. Alkaline and reducing conditions with relatively low SO 4 2- , ORP, and high NH 4 + , as well as SO 4 2- and Fe reduction and ammonification involved in microbially-mediated geochemical processes could be associated with As enrichment in groundwater. This study provides an overall picture of functional microbial communities in high As groundwater aquifers, and also provides insights into the critical role of microorganisms in As biogeochemical cycling.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanistic Insights into C–H Borylation of Arenes with Organoiridium Catalysts Embedded in a Microporous Metal–Organic Framework

Organometallic iridium catalysts can be used in conjunction with bispinacolatodiboron (B 2 Pin 2 ) to effect the borylation of a variety of substrates such as arenes, alkanes, heteroarenes, and oxygenates. Recently, efforts have also focused on integrating these catalysts into porous supports, such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). While the mechanism of homogeneous borylation systems has been thoroughly investigated experimentally and computationally, analogous studies in MOF-supported iridium catalysts have not been conducted. In this paper, we report the mechanistic investigation of a phenanthroline-iridium catalyst immobilized in the organic linker of Universitetet i Oslo (UiO)-67 (Zr 6 O 4 (OH) 4 (BPDC) 4 (PhenDC) 2 , BPDC = biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate, PhenDC = 1,10-phenanthroline-4,4'-dicarboxylate). By using benzene as a model substrate, variable time normalization analysis (VTNA) of the kinetic data suggested a rate law consistent with zero-order in B 2 Pin 2 , and first-order in arene. A primary kinetic isotope effect (KIE) in the time course of benzene-d 6 borylation also provided complementary information about the role of the arene in the rate-determining step of the reaction. Characterization by techniques such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) confirmed the presence of Ir(III), while pair distribution function (PDF) analysis suggested structures containing an Ir–Cl bond, further substantiated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Analysis of postcatalysis materials by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) revealed low boron accumulation, which may indicate an absence of boron in the resting state of the catalyst. Finally, in comparing borylation of benzene and toluene, a slight selectivity for benzene is observed, which is similar to the analogous homogeneous reaction, indicating the influence of substrate sterics on reactivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of Crystallographic Structures Using Bragg-Edge Neutron Imaging at the Spallation Neutron Source

Over the past decade, wavelength-dependent neutron radiography, also known as Bragg-edge imaging, has been employed as a non-destructive bulk characterization method due to its sensitivity to coherent elastic neutron scattering that is associated with crystalline structures. Several analysis approaches have been developed to quantitatively determine crystalline orientation, lattice strain, and phase distribution. In this study, we report a systematic investigation of the crystal structures of metallic materials (such as selected textureless powder samples and additively manufactured (AM) Inconel 718 samples), using Bragg-edge imaging at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Firstly, we have implemented a phenomenological Gaussian-based fitting in a Python-based computer called iBeatles. Secondly, we have developed a model-based approach to analyze Bragg-edge transmission spectra, which allows quantitative determination of the crystallographic attributes. Moreover, neutron diffraction measurements were carried out to validate the Bragg-edge analytical methods. These results demonstrate that the microstructural complexity (in this case, texture) plays a key role in determining the crystallographic parameters (lattice constant or interplanar spacing), which implies that the Bragg-edge image analysis methods must be carefully selected based on the material structures.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

High-Fidelity Analysis of ULF Wave Mode Structure Following Interplanetary Shock Compression of the Dayside Magnetopause Using MMS Multi-Point Observations

During the 9 March 2018 event with two consecutive interplanetary shocks compressing the dayside magnetosphere, the azimuthal mode structure and frequency spectrum of ultra low frequency magnetic pulsations are resolved using a cross-spectral analysis based on high-fidelity multi-probe Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) magnetometer data. The results based on the MMS 4 and MMS 3 pair of measurements show that shock arrival leads to low mode (|m| ≤ 3) magnetic fluctuations in the Pc4-5 regimes, and smaller spatial scale fluctuations implied by the dominant high mode numbers are observed after both shock signatures hit and passed the magnetosphere. Detailed evolution of the mode structure is also shown for the first shock to reveal the development of high mode structure from a bump-on-tail distribution at m≈20 to a dominant peak at m≈50 in about 10 min. In addition, an interesting change of sign in m from negative to positive is observed as MMS crosses ~11 MLT pre-noon, which is consistent with the picture of wave generation by dayside magnetopause compression and then anti-sunward propagation. Finally, for both shocks, the contribution of higher frequency waves (Pc-4 range compared with Pc-5) to the total wave power is found to be negligible before and after the shock impact, but it becomes more significant during the shock impact.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Structure Sensitivity of Acrolein Hydrogenation by Platinum Nanoparticles on Ba x Sr 1- x TiO 3 Nanocuboids

The structure sensitivity of Pt nanoparticles (Pt N ) for gas-phase acrolein (AC) hydrogenation was probed for Pt N on Ba x Sr 1- x TiO 3 nanocuboid supports with (0 0 1) facets in a combined theoretical and experimental study. The in situ selectivity for allyl alcohol increased with the increase of the Sr concentration in the support, which corresponds to modifications in the stable Winterbottom shape and lattice strain of the Pt nanoparticles as a result of the interfacial energy between Pt and the Ba x Sr 1- x TiO 3 supports. “Local model” nanofacets of the Pt surface, edge, and corner morphologies were developed as compact representations of adsorption and reaction sites. DFT was used as the primary modeling tool for the equilibrium adsorption states. We argue that adsorption on edge sites is critically important for the overall allyl alcohol selectivity of Pt N catalysts. A simple model was developed to represent Pt N strain effects caused by its interaction with the substrate. Bader topological atom, spherical volume averaging charge, and modified bond valence sum analyses were used to understand the bonding structure. Density of states analysis was performed for the structures of Pt N , adsorbed AC, and intermediate products to examine adsorbate–particle interactions. The simulated hydrogenation of AC on Pt N nanofacets was compared to the in situ hydrogenation of AC by Pt N on Ba x Sr 1- x TiO 3 to examine the effects of facet, edge, and corner sites on the overall selectivity.

bio-inspired↗

Nondestructive Evaluation of Alkali-Silica Reaction in High-Strength Concrete for Aging Structures Sustainability

Concrete is a multiphase geo-material, which is utilized extensively in passive supporting and shielding structures at nuclear facilities. Chemo-mechanical degradation of concrete in old structures is a challenge to sustainability of aging commercial light water reactors. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a common slowly evolving chemo-mechanical damage mechanism of concrete, which could take tens of years to reach the threshold stage when visible cracks appear in a concrete structure. In ASR, concrete constituents react with each other, namely the alkalis in the pore solution of hydrated cement paste (mostly K{sup +}OH{sup -} and Na{sup +}OH{sup -}) react with non-crystalline silica (SiO{sub 2}) of the aggregates to form highly hydrophilic gel. At sufficient levels of ambient relative humidity (typically above 85%), imbibition of water causes expansion of the ASR gel, which results in cracking of constrained reinforced concrete and ultimate structural weakening below safety margin levels. Stability and functional performance of concrete structures potentially suffering from chemo-mechanical deterioration due to ASR is evaluated in a multi-stage process involving material evaluation and structural engineering analysis. Existing methods used by industry for concrete material evaluation are based on extrusion of cores from multiple locations in a structure, and destructive laboratory tests on cores. Because each destructive test requires separate core extrusion, the total number of cores taken from the structure at once could be numbering in hundreds. Laboratory tests include petrography (high resolution optical microscopy of core sections) to develop damage rating index (DRI) score of concrete cores. Another test may involve chemical pore solution extraction from cores, and solution speciation analysis using inductively coupled plasma and mass spectroscopy (ICP/MS). Other tests may consist of mechanical evaluation of cores strength and fracture toughness. The DRI score of concrete material as well as other information obtained from the laboratory tests is subsequently used in structural engineering calculations, where stresses in the entire structure are modeled to evaluate its safety and mechanical stability. Extrusion of a large number of cores is highly undesirable for evaluation of nuclear facility concrete structures. The amount of destructive material testing could be minimized by developing methods for in-situ NDE of ASR to quantify the amount of deterioration that is occurring in the structure, and to identify areas in the structure where more deterioration may be occurring.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum electrodynamic cascade structure in a standing linearly polarised wave

We have performed an analysis of plasma structures formed as a result of the quantum electrodynamic (QED) cascade development in the field of a standing linearly polarised plane wave at various field amplitudes. In view of the spatially inhomogeneous cascade dynamics and complicated particle motion, it is proposed to use spatial distributions of plasma density averaged over the half-period of the field, i.e. integral structures. Based on the analysis of of particle trajectories and integral structures with and without allowance for the QED cascade, various plasma structures are revealed and the amplitude thresholds of their occurrence are determined. It is shown that the integral structure maxima may arise not only at the electric field nodes or antinodes, as in a circularly polarised field, but also in the intermediate regions between them. (paper)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Study of the internal structure, instabilities, and magnetic fields in the dense Z-pinch

Z-pinches are sources of hot dense plasma which generates powerful x-ray bursts and can been applied to various areas of high-energy-density physics (HEDP). The 26-MA Z machine is at the forefront of many of these applications, but important aspects of HEDP have been studied on generators at the 1 MA current level. Recent development of laser diagnostics and upgrade of the Leopard laser at Nevada Terawatt Facility (NTF) give new opportunities for the dense Z-pinch study. The goal of this project is the investigation of the internal structure of the stagnated Z pinch including sub-mm and micron-scale instabilities, plasma dynamics, magnetic fields, and hot spots formation and initiation. New plasma diagnostics will be developed for this project. A 3D structure and instabilities of the pinch will be compared with 3D MHD and spectroscopic modeling and theoretical analysis. The structure and dynamics of stagnated Z pinches has been studied with x-ray self-radiation diagnostics which derive a temperature map of the pinch with a spatial resolution of 70-150 µm. The regular laser diagnostics at 532 nm does not penetrate in the dense pinch due to strong absorption and refraction in trailing plasma. Recent experiments at NTF showed that shadowgraphy at the UV wavelength of 266 nm unfolds a fine structure of the stagnated Z-pinch with unprecedented detail. We propose to develop laser UV diagnostics for Z pinches with a spatial resolution <5 μm to study the small-scale plasma structures, implement two-frame shadowgraphy/interferometry, and develop methods for investigation of strong magnetic fields. New diagnostics will help to understand better basic physical processes in Z pinches. A 3D internal structure of the pinch and characteristic instabilities will be studied in wire arrays with different configurations and compared with 3D MHD simulations and analytical models. Mechanisms of “enhanced heating” of Z-pinch plasma will be studied. Fast dynamics of stagnated plasma will be studied to estimate its contribution to the Doppler broadening of x-ray lines. Development of “necks” and “hot spots” will be studied with high-resolution UV diagnostics, an x-ray streak camera, and x-ray spectroscopy. Laser initiation of hot spots in Z pinches will be tested. A Faraday rotation diagnostic at 266 nm will be applied to 1-10 MG magnetic fields. For magnetic fields B>20 MG, suggested in micropinches, Cotton-Mouton and cutoff diagnostics will be applied. A picosecond optical Kerr shutter will be tested to increase a sensitivity of UV methods for application at multi-MA Z pinches. The proposal is based on the experimental capability of NTF. The Zebra generator produces 1-1.7 MA Z-pinches with electron plasma density of 10 20 -10 21 cm -3 , electron temperature of 0.5-1 keV, and magnetic fields >10 MG. The Leopard laser was upgraded to energy of 90-J at 0.8 ns. This regime will be used for laser initiation of hot spots. A further upgrade to energy of 250-J is suggested for laser-Z-pinch interaction. A picosecond regime will be used for optical gating. A 10-TW Tomcat laser at NTF is available for the high energy UV laser probing of the Z-pinch. Two graduate students will develop new optical and x-ray diagnostics, carry out experiments, and process experimental data. Other students will be involved in the design and fabrication of loads, supporting regular optical and x-ray diagnostics, and data processing. The new plasma diagnostics may be applied to HEDP experiments at NTF and other multi-MA generators. The feasibility of the research plan is based on the experience of the scientific team in Z-pinch plasma physics, laser physics, development of new plasma diagnostics, and the experimental capability of NTF. The experimental group of Dr. V. V. Ivanov (UNR) collaborates with a group for Z pinch MHD modeling of Dr. J. P. Chittenden (Imperial College, London), and theoretical group of Dr. D. D. Ryutov (LLNL). The suggested research ideas are supported by preliminary experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Creation and Shaping of Three-Dimensional Ultrafine-Grain Materials

On account of their improved physicomechanical characteristics, materials with ultrafine-grain and nanocrystalline structure are of great interest in manufacturing and elsewhere. There has been considerable research on methods of producing such materials. The techniques most commonly used to produce three-dimensional ultrafine-grain materials are equal-channel angular pressing; cumulative rolling; intense rolling; and friction with mixing. However, little information is available regarding the influence of the shaping conditions on the structure and properties of three-dimensional ultrafine-grain materials. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to find effective structuring and shaping methods for the manufacture of parts from ultrafine-grain materials with enhanced performance. Analysis of structuring and shaping methods indicates that the production of high-quality parts from three-dimensional ultrafine-grain and nanocrystalline materials calls for the development of processes, equipment, and tools such that the physicomechanical characteristics and structure of the materials formed by intense plastic deformation are retained.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Transfer Learning-Based Independent Component Analysis

Understanding the underlying component structure is crucial for multivariate signal analysis. Among all the techniques that try to learn the latent structure, independent component analysis (ICA) is one of the most important and popular methods, which aims to extract independent components from multivariate signals and enables further analysis. For example, in electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis, artifacts filtering and disease detection are conducted based on the independent components of the signals. One critical challenge in existing ICA approaches is that the component extraction accuracy may degrade when the available data of a unit are limited. To address this issue, this paper proposes a transfer learning-based ICA method by innovatively transferring component distribution from a source domain, so that accurate component extraction results can be achieved even when only limited data are available in the target domain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that leverages transfer learning to improve ICA accuracy with limited available data. In particular, we first extract all the independent components from the source domain by maximizing the log-likelihood function with a Newton-like method on a smooth manifold. Then for the target domain, the component with the largest negentropy is extracted in each round. To effectively leverage the knowledge from the source domain and to prevent the negative transfer, we try to find a component in the source domain that matches the component we are extracting. The probability density function of the matched component will then be used to improve the component extraction accuracy if such matched component can be found; otherwise, no knowledge will be transferred. Finally, numerical simulations and a case study with electrocardiogram (ECG) data are conducted, showing the effectiveness of the proposed method in transferring knowledge and reducing negative transfer.

42 ENGINEERING↗

MASTODON: An Open-Source Software for Seismic Analysis and Risk Assessment of Critical Infrastructure

Seismic analysis and risk assessment of safety-critical infrastructure like hospitals, nuclear power plants, dams, and facilities handling radioactive materials involve computationally intensive numerical models and coupled multiphysics scenarios. They are also performed in a strict regulatory environment that requires high software quality assurance standards, and in the case of safety-related nuclear facilities, a conformance to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) standard. This paper introduces the open-source finite-element software, MASTODON (Multi-hazard Analysis of Stochastic Time-Domain Phenomena), which implements state-of-the-art seismic analysis and risk assessment tools in a quality-controlled environment. MASTODON is built on MOOSE (Multi-physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment), which is a highly parallelizable, NQA-1 conforming, coupled multiphysics, finite-element framework developed at Idaho National Laboratory. MASTODON is capable of fault rupture and source-to-site wave propagation using the domain reduction method, nonlinear site response, and soil-structure interaction analysis, implicit and explicit time integration, automated stochastic simulations, and seismic probabilistic risk assessment. When coupled with other MOOSE applications, MASTODON can also solve strongly and weakly coupled multiphysics problems. This paper presents a summary of the capabilities of MASTODON and some demonstrative examples.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Visualization of the HIV-1 Env glycan shield across scales

The dense array of N-linked glycans on the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env), known as the “glycan shield,” is a key determinant of immunogenicity, yet intrinsic heterogeneity confounds typical structure–function analysis. Here, we present an integrated approach of single-particle electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM), computational modeling, and site-specific mass spectrometry (MS) to probe glycan shield structure and behavior at multiple levels. We found that dynamics lead to an extensive network of interglycan interactions that drive the formation of higher-order structure within the glycan shield. This structure defines diffuse boundaries between buried and exposed protein surface and creates a mapping of potentially immunogenic sites on Env. Analysis of Env expressed in different cell lines revealed how cryo-EM can detect subtle changes in glycan occupancy, composition, and dynamics that impact glycan shield structure and epitope accessibility. Importantly, this identified unforeseen changes in the glycan shield of Env obtained from expression in the same cell line used for vaccine production. Finally, by capturing the enzymatic deglycosylation of Env in a time-resolved manner, we found that highly connected glycan clusters are resistant to digestion and help stabilize the prefusion trimer, suggesting the glycan shield may function beyond immune evasion.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Tunable Optical Behaviour and Room Temperature Ferromagnetism of Cobalt-Doped BaSnO{sub 3} Nanostructures

In this work, the effect of Co doping on the structural, vibrational, morphological, optical and magnetic behaviour of BaSnO{sub 3} nanostructures is reported. Pure and Co (1,3, and 5%)-doped barium stannate (BSO) nanostructures were prepared by conventional hydrothermal technique followed by calcination at 900 °C for 5 h. The single crystalline cubic phase was identified by XRD analysis and structural distortions associated with Co doping were evidenced by variation in microstarin and crystallite size. FTIR and Raman studies further confirm the structural quality of the prepared samples. FESEM analysis revealed the mixed morphology of prepared samples, and the chemical compositions of all the samples were analysed using EDAX studies. The absorption studies revealed the incorporation of dopant ions and their effect on the bandgap subsequently in samples. The presence of defects and paramagnetic centres in the samples were confirmed by PL and EPR analyses. Magnetization studies demonstrated that pure BSO exhibits characteristic diamagnetism at room temperature and the addition of Co into Ba–Sn–O lattice drives the F-centre exchange interactions which results in the ferromagnetic behaviour. Hence, the occurrence of diamagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at room temperature with addition of Co as a dopant was identified.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Phase separation at the dimer-superconductor transition in Ir 1-x Rh x Te 2

The detailed evolution of the local atomic structure across the (x, T) phase diagram of transition metal dichalcogenide superconductor Ir 1–x Rh x Te 2 (0≤x≤0.3, 10 K≤T≤300 K) is obtained from high quality x-ray diffraction data using the atomic pair distribution function (PDF) method. Observed hysteretic thermal structural phase transition from trigonal (P3¯m1) to triclinic (P1¯) dimer phase for low Rh content emphasizes intimate connection between the lattice and electronic properties. For superconducting samples away from the dimer/superconductor phase boundary structural transition is absent and the local structure remains trigonal down to 10 K. In the narrow range of compositions close to the boundary PDF analysis reveals structural phase separation, suggestive of weak first order character of the Rh-doping induced dimer-superconductor quantum phase transition. Samples from this narrow range show weak anomalies in electronic transport and magnetization, hallmarks of the dimer phase, as well as superconductivity albeit with incomplete diamagnetic screening. Furthermore, results suggest that the dimer and superconducting orders exist in the mutually exclusive spatial regions

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗