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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

Dynamics of Liquid Lithium Atoms. Pseudopotential and EAM-Type Potentials

It is generally accepted that the complicated character of the interparticle interaction in liquid metals is reproduced most correctly by many-particle potentials of the EAM-type (embedded atom model) interparticle interaction. It is shown that in the case of liquid lithium near the melting temperature (T{sub m} = 453.65 K), the spherical pseudopotential provides a better agreement with experimental data on elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering as compared to the known EAM potentials. The calculations of the dynamic structural factor and spectral densities of the longitudinal and transverse atomic currents lead to the conclusion that although the pseudopotential and EAM potentials generate a certain qualitative correspondence in the features of collective dynamics, the interparticle interaction of the spherical type reproduces correctly the general form of the dynamic structure factor in a certain wavenumber range, as well as the dispersion relation for collective excitations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Pulsed laser synthesis of mesoporous metal chalcogenide thin films

Mesoporous films of the metal chalcogenide B-FeSe were grown on MgO substrates by KrF pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in an argon background. At 100 mTorr, gated intensified charge-coupled device imaging and ion probe measurements showed that the plasma plume responsible for crystal growth initially comprised three components, with distinct expansion velocities. Plume interactions with the substrate heater and ablation target gave rise to complex dynamics, including collisions between the charged leading edge—rebounding between the substrate and the target—and slower-moving species in the plume interior. Film growth was dominated by species with kinetic energies ≤0.5 eV/atom. X-ray reflectivity revealed that films grown in this environment—with a substrate temperature of 350 ° C, a laser fluence of 1.0 J cm −2 , and a 7.5 mm 2 spot area—formed a porous framework with 15% porosity. Atomic force microscopy showed surface features that suggest pore sizes below 100 nm. X-ray diffraction indicated that the porous films were epitaxial with respect to the substrate and likely grew by oriented-attachment of gas-phase molecular clusters or very small nanoparticles, in contrast to the conventional epitaxy of vacuum films from atomic constituents. The in-plane orientation of the mesoporous films was B-FeSe [100]||[110] MgO, attributed to the soft landing of pre-formed crystallites on the MgO substrates, where protruding Se rows of B-FeSe aligned with corrugations of the MgO surface. In conclusion, this work implies that growth of candidate electrocatalyst materials by PLD in inert gas background may allow mesoporous frameworks with a single crystallographic orientation that expose specific crystal facets for electrochemical reactions and active site engineering.

cluster epitaxy↗

Lattice constants and expansivities of gas hydrates from 10 K up to the stability limit

The lattice constants of hydrogenated and deuterated CH{sub 4}-, CO{sub 2}-, Xe- (clathrate structure type I) and N{sub 2}-hydrates (clathrate structure type II) from 10 K up to the stability limit were established in neutron- and synchrotron diffraction experiments and were used to derive the related thermal expansivities. The following results emerge from this analysis: (1) The differences of expansivities of structure type I and II hydrates are fairly small. (2) Despite the larger guest-size of CO{sub 2} as compared to methane, CO{sub 2}-hydrate has the smaller lattice constants at low temperatures, which is ascribed to the larger attractive guest-host interaction of the CO{sub 2}-water system. (3) The expansivity of CO{sub 2}-hydrate is larger than for CH{sub 4}-hydrate which leads to larger lattice constants for the former at temperatures above ∼150 K; this is likely due to the higher motional degrees of freedom of the CO{sub 2} guest molecules. (4) The cage occupancies of Xe- and CO{sub 2}-hydrates affect significantly the lattice constants. (5) Similar to ice Ih, the deuterated compounds have generally slightly larger lattice constants which can be ascribed to the somewhat weaker H-bonding. (6) Compared to ice Ih, the high temperature expansivities are about 50% larger; in contrast to ice Ih and the empty hydrate, there is no negative thermal expansion at low temperature. (7) A comparison of the experimental results with lattice dynamical work, with models based on an Einstein oscillator model, and results from inelastic neutron scattering suggest that the contribution of the guest atoms’ vibrational energy to thermal expansion is important, most prominently for CO{sub 2}- and Xe-hydrates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Sharp and Tunable Crystal/Fano-Type Resonances Enabled by Out-of-Plane Dipolar Coupling in Plasmonic Nanopatch Arrays

Tuning resonance lineshapes of plasmonic structures is essential to create customized media with compelling optical properties for optimized light–matter interactions. The diversity of available metals and the variety of design architectures provide a rich portfolio for statically controlling the resonance lineshape. However, dynamic tuning of resonance attributes (e.g., the resonance wavelength and linewidth) are yet to be more expanded, especially when a narrow resonance linewidth is on demand. Here, using a plasmonic nanopatch array, sharp plasmonic crystal (PC) resonances are demonstrated across a wide spectral range of 230 nm, with full-width at half-maximum of only ≈6 nm. The combination of angle-resolved ellipsometry and full-wave simulations shows that diffractive coupling of out-of-plane electric dipoles is the principal contributor in the formation of such sharp PC resonances. In addition, the designed nanopatch PC supports a plasmonic Fabry–Pérot-like resonance that can be interfered with the PC resonance to generate complex Fano-type lineshapes. Finally, the coexistence of tunable resonance features renders the designed structures as a rich platform for applications seeking enhanced light–matter interactions and optical signal processing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Evolution of microstructure and strength of a high entropy alloy undergoing the strain-induced martensitic transformation

In a recent work, we have reported outstanding strength and work hardening exhibited by a metastable high entropy alloy (HEA), Fe 42 Mn 28 Co 10 Cr 15 Si 5 (in at. %), undergoing the strain-induced martensitic transformation from metastable gamma austenite (γ) to stable epsilon martensite (ε). However, the alloy exhibited poor ductility, which was attributed to the presence of the brittle sigma (σ) phase in its microstructure. The present work reports the evolution of microstructure, strength, and ductility of a similar HEA, Fe 38.5 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 Cu 1.5 (in at. %), designed to suppress the formation of σ phase. A cast and then rolled plate of the alloy was processed into four conditions by annealing for 10 and 30 min at 1100 °C and by friction stir processing (FSP) at tool rotation rates of 150 and 400 revolutions per minute (RPM) to facilitate detailed examinations of variable initial grain structures. Neutron diffraction and electron microscopy were employed to characterize the microstructure and texture evolution. The initial materials had variable grain size but nearly 100% γ structure. Diffusionless strain induced γ→ε phase transformation took place under compression with higher rate initially and slower rate at the later stages of deformation, independent on the initial grain size. The transformation facilitated part of plastic strain accommodation and rapid strain hardening owing to a transformation-induced dynamic Hall-Petch-type barrier effect, increase in dislocation density, and texture. Here, the peak strength of nearly 2 GPa was achieved under compression using the structure created by double pass FSP (150 RPM followed by 150 RPM). Remarkably, the tensile elongation exhibited by the alloy was nearly 20% with fracture surfaces featuring a combination of ductile dimples and cleavage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Elucidation of the Structure and Vibrational Spectroscopy of Synthetic Metaschoepite and Its Dehydration Product

We confirm that synthetic uranyl hydroxide hydrate metaschoepite [(UO)2 4 O(OH) 6 ]·5H 2 O is unstable against dehydration under dry conditions, and we present a structural and vibrational spectroscopic study of synthetic metaschoepite and its ambient temperature dehydration product. Complementary structural (X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction) and vibrational spectroscopic techniques (Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and inelastic neutron scattering) are used to probe different components of these species. Analysis of the dehydration product suggests that it contains both pentagonally coordinated and hexagonally coordinated uranyl ions, necessitating that some uranyl ions undergo a coordination change during the dehydration of pentagonally coordinated metaschoepite. Vibrational spectra of metaschoepite and its dehydration product are interpreted with power spectra generated from ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories, allowing assignment of all major features. We identify the uranyl symmetric stretching modes of the four distinct uranyl ions in synthetic metaschoepite and clarify the assignment of lower energy Raman modes in both structures. Finally, the coanalysis of experimental and computational data reveals a strong coupling between the uranyl stretching modes and hydroxide bending modes in the anhydrous structure, leading to the presence of several high-energy combination bands in the inelastic neutron scattering data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Uncovering the re-distribution mechanism of Ni in a de-alloyed Ni-Cr alloy in molten fluorinated salts

A mechanism of Ni redeposition during dealloying corrosion of Ni-Cr is investigated. A model Ni20Cr (wt%) metal alloy was exposed to molten LiF-NaF-KF eutectic (FLiNaK) at 600 °C and at an applied potential of +2.1 VK+/K, above the critical potential for onset of dealloying. Upon extended exposure times (up to 12 h), prominent salt-filled corrosion channels emerge along grain boundaries. A unique grain boundary corrosion mechanism, with respect to the exposed faces of the grains, a central focus of this investigation, is intrinsically connected to the formation of high purity Ni-rich de-alloyed regions within the salt-filled channel. We implement microscale techniques such as energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to uncover morphological and compositional variations in relevance to the formation of bicontinuous porosity from corrosion dealloying. To rationalize our findings, a phase-field model is developed and discovers a mechanism in which dissolved Ni from one grain can be redeposited on an adjacent grain at a given difference in interfacial energies. The interaction of chemical and structural factors at the grain boundaries plays a central role in elucidating the dynamics of this phenomenon and its implications towards corrosion.

Mills, Sean H↗

Roadmap of ultrafast x-ray atomic and molecular physics

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) and table-top sources of x-rays based upon high harmonic generation (HHG) have revolutionized the field of ultrafast x-ray atomic and molecular physics, largely due to an explosive growth in capabilities in the past decade. XFELs now provide unprecedented intensity (10 20 W cm -2 ) of x-rays at wavelengths down to ~1 Ångstrom, and HHG provides unprecedented time resolution (~50 attoseconds) and a correspondingly large coherent bandwidth at longer wavelengths. For context, timescales can be referenced to the Bohr orbital period in hydrogen atom of 150 attoseconds and the hydrogen-molecule vibrational period of 8 femtoseconds; wavelength scales can be referenced to the chemically significant carbon K-edge at a photon energy of ~280 eV (44 Ångstroms) and the bond length in methane of ~1 Ångstrom. With these modern x-ray sources one now has the ability to focus on individual atoms, even when embedded in a complex molecule, and view electronic and nuclear motion on their intrinsic scales (attoseconds and Ångstroms). These sources have enabled coherent diffractive imaging, where one can image non-crystalline objects in three dimensions on ultrafast timescales, potentially with atomic resolution. The unprecedented intensity available with XFELs has opened new fields of multiphoton and nonlinear x-ray physics where behavior of matter under extreme conditions can be explored. The unprecedented time resolution and pulse synchronization provided by HHG sources has kindled fundamental investigations of time delays in photoionization, charge migration in molecules, and dynamics near conical intersections that are foundational to AMO physics and chemistry. This roadmap coincides with the year when three new XFEL facilities, operating at Ångstrom wavelengths, opened for users (European XFEL, Swiss-FEL and PAL-FEL in Korea) almost doubling the present worldwide number of XFELs, and documents the remarkable progress in HHG capabilities since its discovery roughly 30 years ago, showcasing experiments in AMO physics and other applications. Here in this paper, we capture the perspectives of 17 leading groups and organize the contributions into four categories: ultrafast molecular dynamics, multidimensional x-ray spectroscopies; high-intensity x-ray phenomena; attosecond x-ray science.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Synchronous acceleration with tapered dielectric-lined waveguides

Here, we present a general concept to accelerate non-relativistic charged particles. Our concept employs an adiabatically-tapered dielectric-lined waveguide which supports accelerating phase velocities for synchronous acceleration. We propose an ansatz for the transient field equations, show it satisfies Maxwell's equations under an adiabatic approximation and find excellent agreement with a finite-difference time-domain computer simulation. The fields were implemented into the particle-tracking program {\sc astra} and we present beam dynamics results for an accelerating field with a 1-mm-wavelength and peak electric field of 100~MV/m. The numerical simulations indicate that a $\sim 200$-keV electron beam can be accelerated to an energy of $\sim10$~MeV over $\sim 10$~cm. The novel scheme is also found to form electron beams with parameters of interest to a wide range of applications including, e.g., future advanced accelerators, and ultra-fast electron diffraction.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Magnetic order and spin liquid behavior in [Mo 3 ] 11+ molecular magnets

Molecular magnets based on [Mo 3 ] 11+ units with one unpaired electron per trimer have attracted recent interest due to the identification of quantum spin liquid candidacy in some family members. Here, we present comprehensive measurements on polycrystalline samples of ZnScMo 3 O 8 , MgScMo 3 O 8 , and Na 3 Sc 2 Mo 5 O 16 with the same Mo 3 O 13 magnetic building blocks. In this work, the crystal structures are characterized with x-ray or neutron powder diffraction and the magnetic ground states are determined by performing ac and dc susceptibility, specific heat, neutron powder diffraction, and muon spin relaxation measurements. Our work indicates that ZnScMo 3 O 8 and MgScMo 3 O 8 have ferromagnetic Curie-Weiss temperatures of 18.5 and 11.9 K, ordered ground states with net moments (low-moment ferromagnetism or canted antiferromagnetism), and zero field ordering temperatures of $T_c$ = 6 K and $T_c$ < 2 K, respectively. On the other hand, Na 3 Sc 2 Mo 5 O 16 hosts a dynamical magnetic ground state with no evidence for magnetic ordering or spin freezing down to 20 mK despite an antiferromagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature of –36.2 K, and therefore is a candidate for quantum spin liquid behavior. By comparing the present results to past work on the same family of materials, we construct a phase diagram which illustrates that the magnetic ground states of these Mo-based molecular magnets are very sensitive to small changes in the nearest-neighbor Mo-Mo distance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unlocking the Dynamics of Ion Migration and Voltage Bias Stress Effects through Crystallite Engineering in Metal Halide Perovskites

Understanding the interplay between crystal engineering and the coupled electronic-ionic charge transport properties of metal halide perovskites remains a critical issue in the field. In this work, we developed an experimental approach to tune the crystallite orientation of methylammonium lead iodide (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) while maintaining their overall crystal structure. This approach allows us to selectively manipulate crystallite orientations to control out-ofplane ion migration and mitigate voltage bias stress effects in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films. By employing advanced diffraction and spectroscopic techniques, we achieved a comprehensive characterization of the anisotropic crystallite properties in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films with distinct preferred orientations. Our findings reveal that specific crystallite orientations, particularly those that limit halide ion migration pathways along the (200) crystallographic plane, significantly suppress out-of-plane ion migration. This suppression reduces hysteresis and alleviates voltage bias stress effects in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 solar cells, ultimately enhancing device stability and performance. These insights not only deepen our understanding of the relationship between crystallite orientation and device functionality but also highlight a promising strategy for regulating ion migration in MHP-based devices. This approach holds significant potential for advancing the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells and extending its applicability to other optoelectronic devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

New framework for extracting GPDs from exclusive photon electroproduction

Recently, a new framework for studying generic 2 → 3 hard exclusive reactions, referred to as single-diffractive hard exclusive processes, has been introduced to provide a cleaner separation of the underlying physical mechanisms. In this work, we expand this formalism to the case of exclusive real-photon electroproduction off a nucleon, 𝑒⁡(ℓ) +𝑁⁡(𝑝) →𝑒⁡(ℓ′) +𝑁⁡(𝑝′) + 𝛾⁡(𝑞′), which represents the classical channel for accessing generalized parton distributions (GPDs) in nucleons and nuclei. This extension enables a more systematic and physically transparent formulation of the reaction dynamics, paving the way for improved extractions of GPDs from experimental data as compared to existing approaches.

Qiu, Jian-Wei [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerat↗

Femtosecond Compression Dynamics and Timing Jitter Suppression in a THz-driven Electron Bunch Compressor

Herein we present the first demonstration of THz driven bunch compression and timing stabilization of a relativistic electron beam. Quasi-single-cycle strong field THz radiation is used in a shorted parallel-plate structure to compress a few-fC beam with 2.5 MeV kinetic energy by a factor of 2.7, producing a 39 fs rms bunch length and a reduction in timing jitter by more than a factor of 2 to 31 fs rms. This THz driven technique offers a significant improvement to beam performance for applications like ultrafast electron diffraction, providing a critical step towards unprecedented timing resolution in ultrafast sciences, and other accelerator applications using femtosecond-scale electron beams.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Adsorption of Phthalate Esters on Smectite Clay Surfaces

The partitioning of organic contaminants between water and solid surfaces is a key process controlling their fate and transport in natural environments. A novel methodology was developed to predict the adsorption of organic contaminants by smectite clay minerals (high specific surface area adsorbents abundant in natural soils) using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The methodology models a stack of flexible Ca- montmorillonite lamellae in direct contact with a bulk aqueous reservoir and uses the metadynamics technique to facilitate the exploration of the free energy landscape. The methodology was tested and validated in the case of six phthalate esters, widely used chemical plasticizers with endocrine disrupting properties. Simulation predictions reveal strong phthalate adsorption, especially for the larger and more hydrophobic phthalates. Predicted partition coefficients (K d values) are consistent with collected batch experimental data. Adsorption was observed on both the exterior basal surfaces and within the interlayer nanopore, with phthalate molecules predominately adopting a flat orientation on the clay surface. Intercalation was also detected in complementary X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments. A strong inverse relationship between extent of adsorption and clay surface charge density was observed, as phthalate molecules preferentially occupied the more hydrophobic uncharged patches on each surface. Detailed analysis of the free energy of adsorption revealed that phthalate affinity for the clay surface results from a small favorable van der Waals contribution and a large favorable entropic contribution. Overall, this research demonstrates the substantial affinity of smectite clays for phthalate esters and establishes a computational methodology capable of predicting the water-clay partition coefficients of organic contaminants, a key parameter in environmental fate and transport models.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scalable 3D reconstruction for X-ray single particle imaging with online machine learning

X-ray free-electron lasers offer unique capabilities for measuring the structure and dynamics of biomolecules, helping us understand the basic building blocks of life. Notably, high-repetition-rate free-electron lasers enable single particle imaging, where individual, weakly scattering biomolecules are imaged under near-physiological conditions with the opportunity to access fleeting states that cannot be captured in cryogenic or crystallized conditions. Existing X-ray single particle reconstruction algorithms, which estimate the particle orientation for each image independently, are slow and memory-intensive when handling the massive datasets generated by emerging free-electron lasers. Here, we introduce X-RAI (X-Ray single particle imaging with Amortized Inference), an online reconstruction framework that estimates the structure of 3D macromolecules from large X-ray single particle datasets. X-RAI consists of a convolutional encoder, which amortizes pose estimation over large datasets, as well as a physics-based decoder, which employs an implicit neural representation to enable high-quality 3D reconstruction in an end-to-end, self-supervised manner. We demonstrate that X-RAI achieves state-of-the-art performance for small-scale datasets in simulation and challenging experimental settings and demonstrate its unprecedented ability to process large datasets containing millions of diffraction images in an online fashion. These abilities signify a paradigm shift in X-ray single particle imaging towards real-time reconstruction.

Computer science↗

Modulation of Uptake and Reactivity of Nitrogen Dioxide in Metal-Organic Framework Materials

We report the modulation of reactivity of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in a charged metal–organic framework (MOF) material, MFM-305-CH 3 in which unbound N-centres are methylated and the cationic charge counter-balanced by Cl - ions in the pores. Uptake of NO 2 into MFM-305-CH 3 leads to reaction between NO 2 and Cl - to give nitrosyl chloride (NOCl) and NO 3 - anions. A high dynamic uptake of 6.58 mmol g -1 at 298 K is observed for MFM-305-CH 3 as measured using a flow of 500 ppm NO 2 in He. In contrast, the analogous neutral material, MFM-305, shows a much lower uptake of 2.38 mmol g -1 . The binding domains and reactivity of adsorbed NO 2 molecules within MFM-305-CH 3 and MFM-305 have been probed using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering and by electron paramagnetic resonance, high-field solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and UV/Vis spectroscopies. The design of charged porous sorbents provides a new platform to control the reactivity of corrosive air pollutants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Basis for the Bauschinger effect in copper single crystals: changes in the long-range internal stress with reverse deformation

In this study, the long-range internal stresses (LRIS) associated with the Bauschinger effect were investigated using synchrotron X-ray microbeam diffraction and reversed deformation experiments. [100]-oriented Cu single crystals were deformed in compression to approximately -0.3 true strain, followed by tension to a strain of approximately +0.02. Two conclusions are arrived at from this work: First, the LRIS are confirmed in this work to be small relative to the applied stress both before and after reversal. Second, the LRIS persist after 2% reversed strain despite a significant drop in the overall dislocation density by dynamic recovery. This appears to satisfy the necessary condition for LRIS to significantly contribute to a Bauschinger effect in materials. Lastly, the pronounced Bauschinger effect in Cu is probably best rationalized by a combination of both the LRIS and the Orowan–Sleeswyk model that relies on a non-uniform distribution of dislocation obstacles without a substantial LRIS.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗